Happy Halloween!

Have a safe one!

What Is D-Loading?

Hey all, this entry is going to be about d-loading. So what exactly is d-loading? When you are training hard year round, your body is inevitably going to encounter numerous aches and pains. While it's a good idea to try to work around them, sometimes you need to take a weak to "d-load." First off, I am not a huge advocate of taking a week off of training. I think maybe once a year is okay, but otherwise, if healthy, I don't feel taking a week off of training is all that necessary. So I do like the idea of a "d-load" week. D-loading is, in theory, training your body as you typically would, however, with much less intensity. For instance, if you typically do working sets with 225 on the bench press, do sets of 135. If you typically do 100 pushups, do 50. With the decrease in intensity, your body gets a chance to heal up and recover, without losing much of that progress that you have made. With a d-load, you are taking your muscles through the same ranges of motion, still taxing the nervous system, but not further causing any muscle tears or strains. So try a d-load week. It can be applied to any form of exercise, anaerobic or aerobic and is always a good idea when you feel your body is in a broken down state.

Staying Healthy During Flu Season

Just a quick vid on how to stay healthy during flu season: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUPpWfTnoxQ

Should I Train With a Cold?

Hey all, today's entry is about training while sick. Should you just stick it out and workout, or should you take a bit of time off and recover? What's my view? Honestly, my best answer to these questions is just to be instinctive and let your body tell you. If you are very sick, by all means you shouldn't be in the gym. You could injure yourself, and possibly spread the sickness to others. Also, it's important to remember that when we are sick, there is a battle going on inside our bodies whereas our body is trying to fight the illness and recover. If very sick, it's better to take some time off and let your body use it's energy to fight the sickness. However, if the illness is minor, sometimes a workout can jolt the immune response and help you recover quicker. Still be sure to wipe all machines and weights down, however, sometimes working out can be a good thing while not feeling well. So in summation, it's up to you. You have to gage your body and be instinctive and learn how your body responds to different situations. Let's stay healthy this season!

Weekend's Here!

Have a nice weekend you all!

Training The Back Muscles

Hey all, today's post is about training the back muscles. Now when considering the back, we'll be considering rowing movements, and pull down movements. I think it's a good idea to alternate, leaving the rowing movements for those days when you have more energy. Rowing movements are more intense and exhausting in my opinion, which is why I do them on high energy days. As far as exercises, be sure to include pull downs. Make sure you vary both the grip and attachment for your pull downs. The wider the grip, the more you'll be targeting lat width, the narrower, the more you'll be targeting the lower lats or middle back. Also, include some good rowing movements. There are some excellent hammer strength rowing machines out there, and the low pulley cable row is always a good staple. Dumbell rows are also very effective as well. The most popular rowing movement tends to be the barbell row, however, be very cautious of your lower back. Try these exercise out and you'll develop a great v taper back in no time.

Great Quote

"Nobody's going to hit as hard as life, but it doesn't matter how hard you get it, it matters how hard you can get his and keep moving forward, that's how winning is done."

Motivation

Great clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dKmgPMDnCI

Training The Chest Muscles

Hey guys, just a quick video on training the chest muscles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGrnddtaDmE

Building the Quads

Hey guys, today's post is about how to build strong, muscular quads. Here are my top five exercises: 1/ Squats: either will a barbell, or a swiss ball, you can't beat the squat. 2/ leg extensions: great exercise for toning, and strengthening the muscles around the knee. 3/ step-ups: great for toning and includes a cardiovascular element as well. 4/ lunges: either stationary or walking, and excellent exercise. 5/ front squats: put a great load directly onto the quads. Try these exercises and you won't be disappointed!

Football!

Enjoy the games!

Training the Mind

Hey all, today's entry is about training your mind. Most entries are about training the body, however, it's necessary to discuss the psychological aspect of health and fitness. It's my belief, that the mind and body are one, and in order to have a healthy mind, your body must be healthy, and visa versa. The bottom line is the mind will always give in before the body. Take for example a fire. You come home after a long day, take your seat on the couch to crash, exhausted. God forbid a fire breaks out, although you are tired, you better believe you'll be running your behind out of that house. So what I am getting at is the mind will always quit before the body, the body can always do more. The trick therein is to teach the mind not to give in and to persevere. Additionally, it's also important to establish the mind/muscle connection while training. You need the feel the muscle through the range of motion, feeling the stretch, the contraction, the whole execution of the exercise. I promise you if you can establish this mind/muscle connection, your results will take off. So finally, although not easy to do, you have to train your mind. Once the mind and body have become one, you'll be invincible.

What's Eating You!!!

A video about motivation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l-DMxPbiO4

Hump Day!

A little hump day motivation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Zjh3AirjU

"Some times you have to swim through the mud to get to the prairie."

"Some times you have to swim through the mud to get to the prairie." Okay, what are you talking about Eric? Let me tell you something, there are so many parallels that can be drawn between exercise, and life in general. Unless your Paris Hilton or something, things aren't always going to be easy. It's not like someone's just going to hand you a million dollars and say do what you want. You have got to earn it. I know, I know, your tired. You have thirty kids, and you work a 100 hour week, I have heard it all. To be honest, I don't care. The will to succeed doesn't have anything to do with the obstacles one faces, it has to do with inner desire and ambition. There will always be hard times and challenging events in life, that's just the way it is. But, "some times you have to swim through the mud to get to the prairie." Listen, I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people out there. I have a great career, great girl, and great family. I love what I do everyday, and feel so fortunate, you wouldn't believe. However, was it always this way? Well, anyone who knows me will tell you, the answer is certainly NO ! I have had my share of tough times, and even tougher times unfortunately. But I am sure that all of you out there have. So what do you do, fold the cards and bury your head in your hands? No, you keep getting up and putting your anti down in the pot with the hope that things will get better. Life's a roller coaster, never get to high, and never get too low. You'll experience great times, followed by the humbling times. However, whether it's exercise or the game of life, just be sure to get back up and put the anti in the pot :) I wish you all the best in health and happiness, Your friend in health, Eric

How To Get Abs

Hey all, just a quick entry on abdominals. Of course, the typical question for a trainer is "how do I get abs." So what's the answer? The abdominals, are not unlike any other muscle in the body. They'll respond well to an overload and intensity, and recuperation just like the other anatomical muscles. However, much of the abdominal wall's visibility is going to be related to bodyfat. We all have well developed abdominals, you have to in order to keep your posture upright, however, it's the bodyfat level that either makes the abdominals visible, or hides them away. So the long and short of it is, to see your abdominals not only are you going to have to train them, but you'll have to significantly decrease your bodyfat levels to make them visible. Remember, you can't spot reduce. Keeping your diet sound, adding cardio, and doing your best to decrease your bodyfat will be your best bet to show those abs. Hope this entry helped.

How to Lose Weight!!!

Hey you all, just a short video on my advice on losing weight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1EuxEBFrso

When Is The Best Time To Workout???

Hey you all, just a quick video on my thoughts on the right time to workout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umQb26T7XIs

Pre-Workout Meal

Hey all, there seems to be a lot of discussion over what constitutes a good post-workout meal, however, how come there isn't much discussion about the pre-workout meal? What should you consume before training? Should you fast, eat a meal, what works best? Opinions on this topic will vary, however, like other areas of fitness and nutrition, I like to use common sense and relate it to my knowledge of exercise science and anatomy and physiology. So here we go. First, let me start by saying you have to ingest something. Too many times I see clients not eat anything before they workout. If this is the case, your blood sugar will drop dramatically, and you'll start feeling weak and light headed, you don't want that. Now how much to eat will vary from person to person, but I feel that taking in carbs and protein pre-workout is always a good idea. I typically like to include some simple carbs, typically a banana, an apple, or something of the sort. I feel that gives me an immediate energy source of glucose in my blood that will be ready during the early phase of the workout. I also like to take in a protein source, but one that is quickly digestible. Remember, your digestive tract needs blood to digest, but so will your muscles during exercise. You don't want to consume to much that will take a long time to digest. So there it is, I like protein and carbs pre-workout. Additionally, make sure to be properly hydrated as well. Water should be consumed pre, during, and post workout. Hope this help you all!

Working out in the Cold

Hey guys, just a quick video about working out in the cold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-sCOkw61s

Top Carbohydrate Sources

Hey all, I get asked a lot about carbs and are they the enemy. The answer is no, we need carbs, but the right carbs. The trick is to stay away from the simple sugary carbs that will spike your insulin, and crash you down. You want carbs that will sustain your energy level, and not make you crash. Here's a list of carb sources that are beneficial. Remember, you need carbs for energy, especially if you are working out intensely, so make sure to include some of these sources in your diet. a. Brown rice b. sweet potatoes c. oatmeal d. yams e. ezekial bread f. fruits and veggies Remember, carbs can be your friends :)

Best Bicep Exercises

Hey guys, just some advice today on how to develop strong, shapely, biceps. Remember, the biceps have two heads, and need to be worked in a variety of ways to see good overall development. For the mass of the bicep, I like bicep curls. Keep those elbows anchored by your side and use strict form, no throwing the weight around using nothing but back muscles. Next, I like alternate bicep curls, using the dumbells. I prefer the seated position as opposed to standing, and I tend to gravitate towards starting with a pronated grip and supinating as I come up with the dumbells. Make sure to get a strong contraction at the top. Another exercise I like is preacher curls. Either on a machine, dumbells, or using an ez bar, I feel the preacher curls do a great job elongating the bicep muscle and gives you that nice definition towards the bottom. Finally, try some concentration curls. Keep that elbow fixed, and curl that weight up with a strong contraction, Give these exercises a try, and you'll develop great biceps!

I've Been To The Other Side

Hey guys, this entry is about my trip to Ocean City this past summer. Now, just some background, I pretty much eat clean and exercise year round. I'm talking grilled chicken, broccoli, brown rice, the whole nine. Very rarely do I cheat on my diet, and I always exercise. So what happened in Ocean City? It started off innocently enough, bought a gym pass for 3 days, hit the gym good, and was eating fairly clean. However, the last three days, I let myself go wild. I'm talking Dumser's Ice Cream, burgers, wings, you name it. I also didn't hit the gym, figured why not, the body needs a rest every so often. Let me tell you what, I have never felt so terrible in my life (other than my bout with lymes disease, but that's another story for another day). I was lethargic, I was getting chest pains, and I felt AWFUL! The thought that kept crossing my mind is, "this must be what most people do routinely, how the heck do they do it?" Moral of the story? I get jealous from time to time of people who eat what they want, and throw caution to the wind. I sometimes want to devour a burger, McDonald's etc, but don't and become jealous of those that do. However, after this Ocean City trip I realized I am not missing out on anything at all. Eat healthy my friends, and keep exercising!

Personal Trainers in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria and more!

Hey, just a video on our personal trainers in Fairfax, Arlington, and Alexandria, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqDmp2ifDYE

Do What I Say, Not What I Do-Wrong!!!

Hey all, I just want to take a bit of time to chat about health and fitness, and how it relates to children. Here's the thing, children are going to model their behavior after what they see, especially in relation to their parents and other siblings. Additionally, the correlation between adopting a healthy lifestyle when young, and exhibiting the same behaviors as one ages, is very strong. So what am I getting at? It is very important, very important, that we combat this terrible trend of childhood obesity. We cannot solely depend on schools (when I was a kid we had gym class every day, now it's once or twice per week). The real action is at home. As parents, it's important that we portray the type of behavior that we'd like to instill in our children. Children look up to their parents, and thus will model their behavior accordingly. So if you want to see your son or daughter eat a healthy diet, you should be eating a healthy diet. If you want to see them exercising regularly, you should be exercising regularly. Children are more perceptive than we give them credit for, they are like sponges looking for stimuli to absorb. Provide a healthy environment for your children. Encourage good eating habits, education on the bad ones, and communicate with them. Finally, most of all, set a good example by adopting the behaviors yourself.

My View on Supplements

Hey guys, check out this video to hear my take on supplements: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0_YjpDDBBU

Get The Edge!

Hey guys, check this video out about getting the edge and being motivated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11oelmZGK2s

Top 5 Shoulder Exercises

Hey guys, here are my top 5 choices for shoulder exercises. The shoulder, or deltoid, is divided up into the front, medial, and rear, and like chest, it's important to hit all areas. Check out these exercise and give them a shot for a well balanced deltoid region. 1/ Military press- either barbell or dumbbell great exercise for the front deltoid. 2/ Side laterals- grab some dumbbells and use this exercise to blast your medial deltoid. 3/ Rear machine flys- I love this exercise to target the rear head of the deltoid, smooth and easy. 4/ Front Raises- grab those dumbells again and raise them to about nose level to the front, great for the front delts. 5/ Upright Rows- either barbell or dumbbell great for the traps and medial to rear delts. Try these exercises out you all, and develop great shoulders.

Bring the Boat IN!

Hey guys, check out my new motivational video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKGn_rSxlds