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L Magazine October 2009 Column

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Friday, September 25th, 2009

In case you don’t receive L Magazine, or haven’t had a chance to read my column from the October ’09 issue…

L Magazine

Let’s play “The Suppose” game.

Let’s suppose you decide to lose weight.

Let’s now suppose that in order to lose that weight you’re going to exercise.

Let’s also suppose you’re going to “watch what you eat” in order to lose that extra flubber.

Can we also suppose you’ll go to the gym, hire a trainer or buy a diet book? Will you join a boot camp (hint, hint)?

Okay, now that we’ve “supposed” all those things, let me twist things around and make you think.

What is your first priority in this journey?

Is your first priority doing things the quickest way just to reach your goal?

Maybe your first priority is fitting into your clothes from high school and everything else be damned.

Is that right? Are those good priorities?

Nope.

Sure they might get you to your goal and you might get there quickly, but you won’t stay there long.

You’ll revert back to your old self in no time and you’ll hate yourself in the process.

Now that I’ve painted that gloomy picture, I suppose I should tell you what your first priority should be.

Your first priority, whether you want to lose weight, get stronger, get rid of your gut, be “healthier”, or whatever else, should be your body.

Sounds simple, right?

But do you know what that actually means?

It doesn’t mean you should become a narcissist.

It also doesn’t mean you can flex your muscles in front of every mirror, ask random people to feel your “guns” or fix your hair and make-up every time you see your reflection.

Don’t get me wrong; wanting to look better is a great goal. It’s always near the top of my list, but you need more than that.

Making your body your first priority means listening to and understanding what your body NEEDS and WANTS.

You have to understand that in order to successfully achieve and maintain your weight loss goals, your body needs more than to just “look good.”

Your body has certain nutrition and dietary needs that you should listen to.

Your body NEEDS a lot of fruits and vegetables, and other real foods like seeds and nuts in order to perform at its peak while also cutting out the processed junk that leaves you with inflamed joints, a whacked out digestive system, poor skin and hair health and a flabby gut.

Your body also NEEDS to move. You have muscles for a reason – movement – and you don’t do near enough moving as you should.

Sitting for prolonged periods is the worst thing you can do for your body. It hates sitting that long and it tries to tell you by giving you back problems, hip problems and a weak stomach.

Listen to your body and fix those problems.

You need to make your body your first priority. If you do that, everything else will fall into place, including the “look better” goals, and you’ll be a much happier and healthier person.

Be A Superhero Today!!

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Categories : Boot Camp, Local Flair

Tags : Boot Camp, L Magazine, Nutrition

Lincoln Boot Camp Trainer Says…Real Women Do Push-ups

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Real women do push-ups.

That’s right, I said it and I mean it. Women MUST do push-ups if they want to get fit and strong, not to mention lose unwanted fat and it should come as no surprise that I include lots of ‘em in boot camp.

It doesn’t matter if your goal is to lose your muffin top or “bye-bye” arms – you have to do push-ups.

It doesn’t matter if you’re happy with your weight and just want to stay healthy and strong – you have to do push-ups.

Why?

Because push-ups work your entire upper body, including your abs, shoulders, upper back, triceps (back of your arms), chest and low back.

Yes, I said abs. In fact push-ups are one of, if not the best core exercises you can do.

When you think about it, they look just like a plank except your body is moving – a moving plank I guess you could say.

Why don’t more women do push-ups?

One reason is a little bit of fear. Many ladies are afraid of doing push-ups because they can’t do them very well. So rather than trying them, they skip them.

That’s where someone like me comes in handy because I’m paid to tell people what exercises to do and how to do them.

They may not like it, but they do it and they quickly realize that they can do them and within a few weeks they realize that they’re much stronger and can do more push-ups than their husbands or boyfriends!

I’m serious about that too – I’ve had ladies who have challenged their husbands and boyfriends to push-up contests and have crushed them. How awesome is that?!

There are a few things you should know about the push-up before you throw yourself on the floor and start doing them.

You need to have good form.

A common problem I see with some ladies in boot camp is they stick their butt up in the air so they look like a triangle.

Also, make sure you keep your body in a straight line from your ears to your toes, or your ears to your knees if you’re doing kneeling push-ups.

You should also make sure your hands are straight down from your shoulders – they shouldn’t be way out in front of you. It’s tougher to do them correctly, but your body will thank you for it.

Then make sure you lower your entire body and raise your entire body, don’t just pump your arms up and down at the elbow.

If you can’t do a “regular” push-up, start off with a kneeling push-up.

Get into a “normal” push-up position from your toes, then place your knees on the floor – doing it like this ensures you still keep good form.

Make sure you don’t stick your butt up in the air, or drop your hips down too low.

Then, after you can successfully do 3 sets of 8-10 push-ups, progress to normal, “from the toes” push-ups.

You might only be able to do 3 or 4 at this point, but that’s okay. Just keep doing them and keep pushing yourself.

Within a couple weeks, you’ll notice positive changes in your strength, posture and waistline.

Then you can progress to some of the other push-ups we do in boot camp like Medicine Ball Push-ups, Push-ups with a Hand Raise, “T” Push-ups, etc.

Don’t cringe – they’re easier than you think and you’re stronger than you think…plus I kinda make you do them if you’re in boot camp – but I convince you in a nice way

And like I said, pretty soon you’ll be able to do more push-ups than your boyfriend or husband!

Have an awesome day!

P.S. – If you need to see a video on how to do a push-up properly along with a few different variations, click here.

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Categories : Boot Camp

Tags : Boot Camp, exercise, Push-ups, workout

Lincoln Personal Trainer Reveals Top 5 Boot Camp Exercises

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

I always sense a lot of confusion and frustration whenever I do a consultation with a new boot camp attendee.

Not frustration with me – they don’t know me yet, so they can’t be mad at me…yet – rather they’re frustrated and confused because they’re being told so many different things when it comes to fat loss and the right exercises and diets to follow.

Diet information is constantly changing depending upon whom the media decides to promote in a given week. One week you hear about how awesome this regional diet is that’s based on some magical oil while the next you’re told it’s all about getting rid of certain foods while eating loads of another type of food…it’s enough to make your head spin!

Add to that the frustration with the exercise advice and you have one upset lady.

Ladies are told they shouldn’t lift heavy weights because it’ll make them “big and bulky” (which is a lie), they’re told that yoga and pilates will give them the figure they want (which isn’t the total truth) or they’re told that the old aerobics-style classes are the best way to do it because they burn the most calories (I won’t even touch this one).

I can understand the frustration and the confusion the ladies that come to boot camp have and I’m doing my best to help end it.

Whenever I meet with a new boot camper, I try to instill in her the basic philosophies of fat loss and exercise.

I also give her my top 5 fat loss exercises that all women should be doing, and I’m going to give them to you right now.

Want sexy abs? You have to do these 5 exercises...and a lot of 'em.

1. Push-ups – You can’t leave push-ups out of any workout program, no matter what the goal is. They are that important and that essential to your success, especially if you want to lose weight.

Many women aren’t able to do very many push-ups, if any, when they first start out and that leads to even more frustration, so they give up. That is the wrong course of action to take.

Start off with an easier version like kneeling push-ups or incline push-ups (where you place your hands on a bench, counter top or step). Then as you get better, progress into “normal” push-ups.

In boot camp, it doesn’t matter how many push-ups you can do right now, all that matters is that you try them and work hard. I’ll keep pushing you and helping you progress – it doesn’t matter what fitness level you’re currently at.

2. Squats – I don’t generally get much argument from this fat loss exercise and that’s a good thing.

However, when you add squats to your fat loss workout, you need to ensure you use proper form. Keep your heels planted firmly into the ground, lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor, if not lower, then squeeze your gluts (butt) to raise yourself back up.

I spend most of my time in boot camp running around, tweaking form where necessary so you get the most benefits from squats.

3. Planks – Again, not much of an argument with this boot camp exercise, but again not many ladies do it correctly.

You need to make sure you keep your body in a straight line from your ears to your toes making sure you don’t stick your butt up in the air. Keep it straight and keep your abs tight the entire time.

Also make sure your arms are straight down from your shoulders.

Once you can hold the basic plank for a period of 45-60 seconds, move on to a more difficult plank like Side Planks, 1-Leg Planks, Decline Planks, etc.

You have to keep progressing if you want to lose fat and get that sexy figure.

4. Bent Over Rows – Most ladies totally neglect the back when doing any sort of fat loss or toning workout, and that’s a mistake.

If you want to maximize any weight loss program, you need to include back exercises and the Bent Over Row is one of the best.

Make sure you pull the weights to your hips and not up toward your armpits. Pulling the weights to your hips ensures you get the maximum effect from the exercise.

Also make sure to keep your stomach “tight” throughout.

5. Lunges – Lunges are another great fat loss exercise for ladies, but you need to make sure you keep proper form.

Don’t let that front heel come off the ground and let the weight of your body go onto your toes – that puts all the pressure onto your knee joint and takes it away from your leg and butt muscles.

Also, when you stand up make sure you flex your hamstring and butt muscles, just like the squat.

If you add those 5 fat loss exercises to your workout program, you will notice changes to your figure.

Do them intensely and you’ll notice quicker changes to your figure.

Do them consistently and the changes will be faster still. Consistency is the name of the game when it comes to losing your unwanted and stubborn fat.

Better yet, come to boot camp and I’ll make sure you do them consistently and intensely.

Have an awesome day!

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Categories : Boot Camp

Tags : Boot Camp, exercises, fat loss workouts, Getting Toned, Push-ups

Lincoln Boot Camp Sexy Legs Combo

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Monday, September 21st, 2009

fitdadTV Back in June (or May?) I totally changed up the format of boot camp from the old “group” format where everybody did the same thing the entire class, to a station concept.

It’s been much more effective, helps break up the monotony and lets me use new toys in the workout – which is always a good thing.

But the really good thing about it is that I can better pair up exercises in each station and give each boot camp workout a “theme”.

Some days we spend a lot of time on the legs and butt, while others we hit the arms and abs extra hard while totally skipping the legs.

Sometimes it may seem the only reason I do this is to be mean and nasty, but there is actually a method to my madness – but you’re right…sometimes I do just like to be mean and nasty.

Take for example this quick video I made for you that shows an effective 2-exercise combination for the legs and butt.

The exercises are very simple and effective, but when you combine them it makes the workout that much more powerful to the legs and booty.

Then if you take that 2-exercise combination and throw it into a boot camp workout that’s all themed toward the same part of the body (along with some “easy” exercises to break up the intensity), you have yourself an awesome boot camp workout – not just a hard workout, which any goober trainer can make, but an effective workout that is designed for a purpose.

Have an awesome day!

P.S. – Always remember to pay attention to your form and tempo while doing the exercises. That gets overlooked by many people, and I help tweak form in boot camp, but I can’t do that when you’re not here (obviously) so you have to make sure you keep perfect form throughout the workout.

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Categories : Boot Camp, Boot Camp Workouts, Videos

Tags : benefits of boot camp, Boot Camp, Boot Camp Workouts, exercises, themed workouts, Videos

When Should I Eat? Before or After Boot Camp?

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Monday, September 14th, 2009

fitdadTV “Ed, when should I eat? Before or after boot camp?”

“Ed, I don’t eat breakfast…is that okay?”

“Ed, I just roll out of bed in the morning and come to workout. Should I eat something before boot camp?”

This is just a sampling of the questions I receive about eating in regards to boot camp or working out in general.

Just like everything in the fitness world, there seems to be a never-ending supply of goobers out there who will confuse the heck out of you when it comes to meal timing.

I take a pretty simplistic view when it comes to meal timing and eating and exercising.

Check the video out to see the easiest and correct way to eat when you’re working out – no matter if your goal is to lose weight, maintain your current weight, or even gain some weight.

What do you think? Does that make sense?

My New Favorite Way To Torture…I Mean “Train” Boot Campers

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Monday, August 24th, 2009

fitdadTV Since I’ve been talking so much about Women’s Health this month…because I’m in it (page 74 if you haven’t seen it yet), I thought I’d share another little tidbit that I thought you might enjoy.

They covered a little workout “toy” called The Valslide. The Valslide is a little contraption that lets you rest your feet or hands on them, and slide along the floor.

Doing so makes exercises like lunges, push-ups, mountain climbers, leg curls, etc. a little bit more difficult because it forces you to work harder on balance and brings into play more muscles – plus they’re fun watching people use!

These puppies are one of my new favorite boot camp toys and if you’ve done anything with them you know why I love them…and why you hate them.

To better explain their use and show you a few exercises to use with them, check out this video I made…

Gotta love it!

Have an awesome day!

Oh, by the way you don’t have to use the Valslide – watch the video to see my cheaper version.

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Categories : Boot Camp, Videos

Tags : Boot Camp, Boot Camp Workouts, exercises, Videos

How To Do One Of My Favorite Boot Camp Exercises

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

fitdadTV How To Do Plank Extensions

This puppy is one of my favorite to make you ladies do in boot camp.

You may think it’s because I like to come up with new (and fun) ways to torture you, but I do have other reasons…

…although torturing you is kinda fun.

But these boot camp exercises are one of my new favorite ways to work the core and abs.

One reason is they’re “different”. It’s good to throw in some different exercises for the abs because those muscles get used to things pretty quickly – and endless amounts of crunches and planks are boring.

So what I did was throw some wrinkles into the common plank to crank up the effectiveness a bit.

By now you know what a Plank Extension is, and some of the variations we do, but some of you may not know “how” to do them properly.

I try to keep up with you as much as possible in boot camp, but it’s tough to catch everything – plus I get yelled at if I spend too much time with one person (I don’t know why you’re complaining about doing Burpees for 2 minutes…they’re good for you).

Anyway, here’s a little video I made showing you how to do a few variations of Plank Extensions.

Let me know if you have any questions and don’t be afraid to leave comments. Running a blog gets lonely if nobody leaves comments.

Have an awesome day and I’ll talk to you soon!

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Categories : Boot Camp, Boot Camp Workouts, Videos

Tags : Boot Camp, exercises, posture, Videos

How To Do Push-ups: The Perfect Boot Camp Exercise!

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Monday, July 27th, 2009

fitdadTV I don’t think it would come as a surprise if I told you that I love push-ups, and to be more precise, I love making YOU do push-ups.

There really is no better exercise to strengthen and tone the upper body than the push-up.

They work the chest, shoulders and triceps (back of your arms) – plus it’s one of the best core exercises around.

They’re also great for your posture. Over the years, as new clients come in, I’ve noticed their posture is horrible. It’s usually because they have desk jobs or drive a lot. It’s also because your chest and shoulders are weak – push-ups help correct that postural imbalance.

Plus you want to get stronger, right? Most women are weaker in the upper body and tend to shy away from exercises like push-ups in favor of exercises they’re naturally better at, but that’s a very unwise move. You NEED to do exercises like push-ups so you can get stronger – you shouldn’t avoid them because you’re not very good at them.

You will get better; you just have to keep doing them.

The problem is that most ladies do them wrong when they first begin to do push-ups. I correct as much as I can in boot camp, but I am a little limited in how much time I can give, plus I can’t watch you while you’re doing them at home.

For that reason, I made this video laying out exactly how to do a push-up.

Check it out below:

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Categories : Boot Camp, Boot Camp Workouts, Videos

Tags : benefits of boot camp, Boot Camp, Push-ups, Videos

Boot Camp Will Not Make You Bulky or Give You “Man Muscles”

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

“I don’t want to get big and bulky.”

Sexy, huh! Don't worry, you won't look like this by doing boot camp

“Give me a workout that’s going to make me toned – but I don’t want to get big and bulky because I had this friend who worked with weights and she got big thighs and a big butt.”

“I don’t want to look like a Harley Davidson mama.”

“Will boot camp make me big and bulky, or will I get toned.”

Those are just a few of the statements I’ve received in the past few weeks from new and prospective boot campers about one of the biggest myths and misconceptions ladies have about working out and working with weights.

It’s asked and said in hundreds of different variations, but it all comes down to one thing…

You want a workout that won’t give you “man muscles” or make you look like a bodybuilder.

I understand the thought process here – you see guys working hard with weights in the gym, at home or on T.V. and see those guys get big muscles, so the logical conclusion is that if you work with weights you will get big muscles.

A+B = C right?

Not quite.

This is one of the biggest myths, misconceptions and fear tactics that many so-called “fitness experts” tell ladies – and it makes me CRAZY!

I do understand the fear – you don’t want to look mannish, you want to look feminine, yet strong and toned.

This fear that people put into your head that you’re going to get big and bulky by working your muscles intensely and challenging yourself with weights is irrational and not based in reality.

It’s damn near impossible for 99% of ladies out there to get big muscles by working with weights.

Why?

It largely comes down to one thing – hormones. Testosterone to be more precise.

Men have lots of it, women don’t. Younger men have more of it than middle-aged men and guys can boost their levels by doing resistance training and losing stomach fat (stomach fat decreases men’s testosterone levels).

Women have testosterone, just not much and it’s counter-balanced by estrogen.

Why don’t women make more testosterone? You lack a pretty important piece of anatomy in the testosterone making process. Think of a guy getting smacked in the crotch on America’s Funniest Videos and you’ll know which “part” I’m talking about.

I have a feeling that I can shout this from the rooftops and parade out hundreds of women who have not gotten big by working with weights, but have in actuality shrank, and there will still be doubters.

Why?

Because there’s no shortage of people feeding you this irrational fear. They come in the form of infomercials, fluffy women’s magazines with headlines like “workout without getting bulky” and even some well-meaning, yet uninformed and uneducated celebrity trainers (like Madonna’s trainer), and even some pilates and yoga instructors.

I have had the privilege of training hundreds of different ladies and have NEVER made any of them big and “mannish”, quite the contrary actually.

You get smaller by working with weights because working intensely with weights (like in boot camp and in the homework assignment workouts I give) will make you lose fat faster than some of the methods you have used in the past like dieting (without resistance training), cardio only workouts or using water bottles or “pink” weights.

Still skeptical?

I’ll leave you with the example of my lovely wife, Andrea.

My hot and sexy wife works with weights and isn't afraid of getting big and bulky

Whenever Andrea is in the studio working out, she is working HARD. She is using the most resistance she can for that given exercise…and she ain’t big.

Since she’s started training my way, she has shrunk and has gotten stronger and more “toned.” She’s got awesome looking arms, legs and booty (yes, I’m biased but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s true).

When she actually lets me train her and watch her workouts instead of just writing them, I tell her to go heavier – even when she doesn’t think she can – and she always does and she has never gotten anywhere near looking “mannish.”

She’s one hot mama and she works her booty off with weights…

…and you should too!

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Categories : Boot Camp, Boot Camp Workouts

Tags : Big Muscles, Boot Camp, Getting Toned

Core Exercise That May Not Be Thought Of As A Core Exercise

By Ed Scow, aka "The Fit Dad" · Comments

Monday, June 22nd, 2009

fitdadTV Last month for my “L” column I did an article on how push-ups are a great core exercise.

Not many people think of Push-ups as anything other than something they were forced to do (either by me in boot camp, or in their nightmares from gym class). Nobody thinks of them as working anything else but their arms, chest and shoulders, but they are a great core exercise.

It is one of the reasons I include them in all our boot camp classes. Plus I love to see your faces when I tell you what variation of the dreaded push-up we’re doing.

Before I get into my rationale, I figured I’d let you see a video of me describing my “why”.