The Biggest Loser Finale

I have been watching the Biggest Loser for the past few years. The show is one of the best on television and hands down the best reality show. For those of you who have not seen it it brings together about sixteen contestants who are largely overweight and in need of some serious direction in their lives. There is a wide range of people that participate, from teenagers to 50+, all with a common goal of changing their lives and losing weight. Each one of them reached the point where they said, I am very overweight and I need some serious help. I cannot imagine how tough it must be to make the video and send it in to the producers. For most of these people, being overweight has been a stigma their entire lives. They have learned how to live with it and for many of them they have made excuses for not doing something about it their whole life. Each one of them decided there were no more excuses. They don't care if they are too busy to exercise, there is nothing that will hold them back because they are "old", life will not have the chance to pass them by anymore. For those of you who saw the finale, what an amazing finish to the season. There was not one person who did not transform their life. These people did not just lose weight, they improved their lives and the lives of the people close to them. Seeing what they did after so many years of struggling is at the very least inspirational. Sure they had a lot of help throughout the few months they were on the show but it all boils down to how strong their willpower is and how mentally tough they are. I guarantee that through the entire process they said "I can't" many times, but they had someone that would not let them give into those thoughts and before they knew it that person was no longer their trainer or their workout partner, that person was themselves. They proved to themselves that there was nothing they could not accomplish with hard work and determination. They had to battle their weight, their injuries, their competition, but in the end it was their inner demons that were the toughest battle. As soon as they overcame their battle with themselves they were on their way to a healthier lifestyle and being a happy person. So...what's holding you back?

Core Training???

I cannot count the times that I have been asked the question "When are we going to do abs?" My answer to this question is always: everyday. Think of every exercise that we do in the gym. There is not one that forces your "core" to do work. What is your core? It is all of the muscles in the center of your body in which all movements generate strength from. This is not limited to your abdominal muscles alone. It includes the muscles in and around your hips including your glutes, the muscles that hold your spine together and connect your spine and shoulders. We want a strong core because with a weak core, all movements become less strong. With weak core muscles comes susceptibility to injury and nobody wants that now do we. What I want all of you to do is think about what muscles you are working on each and every exercise. Consciously think about what is being engaged and if it not the right muscles to force yourself to engage them. On top of that contract your abdominals and the other major muscles on every exercise regardless of the movement. Do an experiment for me: Get yourself in a simple pillar (plank) position and hold it without consciously contracting anything. Where do you feel it? You will most likely feel your shoulders weaken and pressure on your lower back. Now do the same exercise but this time contract your abdominals by pulling your navel towards your spine, contract your glutes by squeezing your buns together, contract your hip flexors by shifting your hips forward without moving the rest of your body. Now keep your head forward and pull your shoulder blades together and contract your rhomboids and lats (the major muscles that hold your shoulder in place). Now what do you feel? You should feel your entire "core" working on one single exercise. If a pillar is done correctly and the position is held you should be able to get 5 minutes worth of work done in 45 seconds. That is what we are trying to accomplish on every single exercise: as much work as possible in as short amount of time as possible. When we force ourselves to recruit more muscles in the proper way we have a much more efficient workout. Very simple and easy put, the more work our muscles do the more calories we can burn and the more strength we can develop. So when you want to work your abs, just know what you are getting yourself into!

Life in Fast Forward

Do you ever feel like your life is traveling way too fast for you to catch up? Can you believe that Thanksgiving is almost here? Every time I blink my eyes I feel as if two weeks have gone by. The good news is that being busy is better than not being busy. From the start of the year until now I went from living with my parents and trying to stay afloat to getting married, buying a small house, getting a large dog, and really trying to stay afloat. It is the most rewarding stress I have ever had. My life couldn't get much more busy but it also couldn't get much more amazing. Rarely a week goes by that I am not putting in 70-80 hours of work between the studio and my baseball commitments and I am enjoying every minute of it. I have always been taught that there is no substitute for hard work, that every goal is within reach and dedication and honesty are the most rewarding qualities a person can possess. The same is true not only in life but with our fitness as well. Around this time of year many schedules can get thrown out of whack. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to stay on track towards your goals. When life is getting ahead of you and moving too fast take some time to step back and evaluate where you are and what your goals really are. It is best to map out your goals six weeks at a time to keep yourself in check. Lastly, do not forget to take care of yourself during this busy time of the year.