Exercise of the week: Barbell Squats

Barbell Full Squat Bodybuilding.com

Turn Up the Intensity with 4 Key Training Methods

Good day,
The key to effective training is not how much time you spend in the gym but how intense you are during your workout. You ever see the people at the gym who seem to ALWAYS be there and are there for 2-4 hours at a time? These are the same people that if given the chance will talk your ear off! You will also notice that these are the people who's bodies have not changed in years. This is because even though they are at the gym all of the time and for long periods, they are not training with purpose or INTENSITY!

Here are 4 training methods that are sure to light the fire in the gym:

1) Super Sets 

• This where you take 2 different exercises and do them one after another without a break in between.
• You can do the same muscle groups or opposing (push/pull) muscles.

2) Drop Sets

• Also called running the rack.
• Start with a weight that fits your rep range profile and then drop a small amount each set and keep lifting without any breaks in between.
• Do this until you can only get out a few reps

3) German Volume Training (GVT)

• This is a 10 sets of 10 option that really fries whatever body part you are working.
• Choose your weight carefully as it will feel really light in the beginning but by the time you get to the 5th set you will really be feeling it. Interestingly enough your strength will go up again usually in the last few sets.

4) 21's

• This is an awesome option for any bodypart but is very popular for biceps curls.
• Take the movement of any body part exercise and break it into 2 sections - bottom, and top.
• Complete 7 reps in bottom section of the movement, 7 in the top section and then 7 full range reps for 21.
• You will get an awesome burn from this once you have done a couple of sets.

A couple of ways I keep the intensity up is to make sure I know what I am training any given day and which exercises I am going to do. Next, Keep the workouts short, about 40 minutes works great for me. Lastly, I use a pre-workout supplement like BPI's 1MR which not only helps me keep the workout intense but also gives me an awesome PUMP!

Cheers,

Bouncelife

Exercise of the week: Deadlifts

Barbell Deadlift Bodybuilding.com

7 Key Points on Beginning Training

Good morning,

Today, this post is for those of you who have thought for a long time about starting a workout routine and either joining a gym or hiring a personal trainer.
Here are 7 key points to make sure you are familiar with before beginning your fitness journey.

1. Make sure you check with your physician before joining a gym or hiring a trainer. This is to make sure that you don't have an challenges that may prevent you from training. Also, any trainer worth their salt will do whats called a PAR-Q questionnaire in Canada to make sure that you are healthy enough to train.
2. When joining a gym or hiring a trainer it is a great idea to make sure that it is either close to your home or on the way to or from your work. This means it is convenient for you to go and doesn't become one of the many excuses to skip training sessions.
3. Take advantage of any offers that the trainer or gym is offering such as 1 free week or FREE sessions and make sure that the gym atmosphere or trainer's personality works for you.
4. Always remember that we all started out as rookies so do not let the "buff" people at the gym scare you. At one time they were rookies as well and you will find that most of these people are very approachable and more than willing to give you tips and advice. (sometimes unwanted and unsolicited ;)
5. Don't do the "I will wait until I look a certain way (20lbs lighter) before I join a gym or hire a trainer." I am not sure how this makes sense but it happens all of the time and people end up letting weeks, months and sometimes years go by with little or no change. In this time you could have hit your goal 2 or 3 times over.
6. Get into a routine of days and times that you train try not to let anything get in the way of this "YOU" time. One of the ways I found I could really keep my workouts on schedule was going over my lunch break when I was in a corporate office. This broke up the day and really, what were you going to do over your lunch hour anyway? Probably work through right?
7. Set specific, achievable goals and if they are lofty then break them into smaller bite sized chunks. For example if you want to lose 100lbs, you may look at this and feel a little overwhelmed but what if you break it into 10lbs per month over 10 months? This doesn't sound so bad does it?

At the end of the day just get out and take a step in the right direction and get some momentum towards your fitness goal. Even if you have to disconnect your cable and sell your lazy-boy, do it and get out there and get active.

You only get one body might as well take care of it!


Cheers,

Bouncelife

Guide to Omega Oils

Good morning,

Today I want to talk about the Omega oils and what they are, where to get them and what they do for us.

Okay so here we go again with some more health and fitness buzz words "Omega Oils"! Great, so what are they? How the heck do I get them? What do they do for me?

So lets tackle each of these questions one at a time:

1. What are omega oils or omega fatty acids?

There are 2 main types omegas 3 and 6. I could give you a tonne of technical info on these two essential fatty acids but the bottom line is they are awesome for your diet. Really, who cares about the technical jargon! Here's the skinny (literally because they are also awesome at helping you lose fat).

Lets start with the 3's.

What are they?

• Omega 3's are essential fatty acids (EFA's).
• Cannot be made by the body and need to be brought in through food.

What do they do for me?

• Essential for brain and growth development. Including cognitive and behavioral function.
• Reduce inflammation.
• Reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, and arthritis.
• Proper fetal development.

Where do I get it?

• Fish: salmon, tuna, mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines.
• Plants: Flax, hemp, nuts, algae.

Now the with the 6's.
 
What are they?

• Omega 6's are essential fatty acids (EFA's).
• Cannot be made by the body and need to be brought in through food.

What do they do for me?

• Essential for brain and growth development. Including cognitive and behavioral function.
  
• Stimulate skin and hair growth, maintain bone health, regulate metabolism, and maintain reproductive system.

Where do I get it?

• Vegetable oils.
• Some meats like turkey and pork.
• Evening primrose oil, black current oil, Spirulina

It is important to have a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 (another essential fatty acid) in the diet. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation, and most omega-6 fatty acids tend to promote inflammation. The typical North American diet tends to contain 14 - 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids. 


One last note you can get all of your omega's from whole foods but if you struggle to get what you need you can supplement with capsules and oils.
Also while we were in Toronto at the Food Network festival I ran into this company's product which I now use daily and think it is awesome!

Check them out: Omega Crunch

Cheers,

Bounce Life. 

Burn More Fat with Less Cardio the HIIT Way

Good morning,

Today I want to talk about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and why it is is so frickin effective! What if I told you that you could burn more fat in less time by incorporating HIIT training into your training program?

In the past you have probably been told that in order to burn the greatest amount of fat you need to do cardio for 30 to 60 minutes at a moderate intensity. While this does work and also preserves muscle tissue it may be hard to fit an hour of cardio in 4 -5 times per week with our busy schedules. Also, if you are like me and HATE cardio, just thinking about doing 60 minutes of cardio makes me want to hurl!

HIIT is a more efficient and athlete-friendly way to train and burn fat at the same time.

With HIIT, you will be working harder than you normally work but for about a quarter to a half of the time that you would normally spend on the cardio machine of your choice. HIIT is so intense and effective that you only need 15 to 25 minutes, tops!

 

Here's What You Do:

• Pick the cardio machine of your choice (treadmill, elliptical, spin bike, swimming, sprints, stairs, skipping) and perform a 5 minute warm-up.
  
• Then take time to stretch properly and you are ready to begin.
  
• Start at a moderate pace for 1 minute, then crank up the pace to 90 or 95% of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR) from 15-30 seconds.

• Now bring the speed back down to a moderate pace for the same time period as the sprint.

Do this from the five minute warm up until you have five minutes left in your 15-25 minute workout so that you can use this time to cool down.

A study at Laval University in Quebec, Canada found that HIIT cardio helped trainees lose nine (yes, 9!) times more fat than those who trained the traditional way (moderate speed for 20-60 minutes). Combine HIIT with your weight program and you boost your metabolism through the roof!

The Reason HIIT Is So Successful Is This:

1. When you work at a high intensity, you burn more total calories per pound of body weight.
2. High Intensity workouts such as weight training and HIIT boost growth hormone levels.
3. Elevates the body's metabolism throughout the entire day!

The more calories that you burn in a day, the more weight you are able to lose. Even if weight loss is not your goal, HIIT is for you. Athletes will see better gains from doing HIIT cardio as opposed to traditional cardio.
Unless you are training for a marathon, you do not keep a constant pace during your sport. All sports whether it be soccer or football, even baseball or basketball have a point where you need to change gears and hit a full sprint.

When working with my clients as a personal trainer I want to get to best results in the shortest amount of time so I use this method of training almost exclusively.

Cheers,

Bouncelife

3 Fat Burner Facts

Good day,

Everyone has heard something about fat burners, these are usually in a pill format and most and are toted to "melt" the fat off of you in no time and with little or no work needed by you. This isn't exactly how they work.
Fat burners are all of the rage on the supplement market with literally 100's to choose from. While most are composed of ingredients that can give your metabolism a kick in the butt and assist you in shedding the spare tire, they can't replace a sound diet and exercise program.

Here are my top 3 pieces of advise for fat burner use.

1. Healthy, Balanced Eating is at Least 80% of the Battle

Many people get into using fat burners as a quick fix to try to shed fat without actually looking at the root of the cause and like with anything else you actually need to address the root of a problem to fix it. Fat burners cannot a will not help you lose fat if your eating habits are not where they need to be to facilitate fat loss.

Clean eating is not as difficult as it seems, here are some things to work on: portion control, push away from the table before you are full, do not eat late at night, ALWAYS eat breakfast, avoid fast/processed food, eat healthy fats, (omega 3,6), slow digesting carbs, adequate protein and lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Once you have this under control then you can look at a fat burner supplement but not until then.

2. Follow Fat Burner Usage Directions

More is not better and that is certainly the case with fat burners, especially the brands that have a lot of stimulants and caffeine in them. These supplements are designed with the right amount of ingredients for fat loss. I would suggest trying the lowest dose on the label and stick to it for a couple of weeks.

3. Hit the Weights and Cardio 4-6 Times per Week

The last piece is to be sure you are hitting the gym regularly to get some intense weight training and cardio sessions in at least 4-6 times per week. The more you go the better but you need to take a day or two off each week or you will over train. If you are not sure where to start it is always smart to hire a personal trainer to start you off on the right foot and collapse some time-frames.

At the end of the day if you haven't got all of the other pieces in place fat burners WILL NOT get you to where you want to be! There are no shortcuts and there are no quick fixes. Only dedication and hard work will get you there.

Cheers,

Bouncelife.