After each session with my clients, I always recommend a post-workout snack with protein (to assist with muscle recovery). There has been a lot of talk lately about chocolate milk being a good choice. I personally think chocolate milk is too high in sugar, but it’s certainly better than nothing. The Toronto Star published their answer to this question, which offers a better alternative (and recipe similar to mine: See recipe)
Here’s a link to The Star piece: Read here
The Toronto Star published a good article on the merits of moderation and the myth of the “diet”. It reads: There’s no magic formula for weight loss.
Still, there is one “diet” that works. It’s really more of a guideline, but it’s the closest to my personal philosophy about food:
The diet with the most robust evidence is the Mediterranean diet. Instead of food rules or absolutes, this is more about moderation: less meat, more veggies, and fruit for dessert. In this way of life, people shop for single-ingredient food at the market or the outer aisles of a grocery store, not the processed foods for sale in the inner aisles.
In combination with regular workouts (minimum 2 session/week), following these longterm habits will pay off.
Learn more about at home personal, couples and group training
Which of these two classic upper-body pushes deserves to be the centerpiece of your program? The answer might surprise you!
I am a big believer in moderation. I am continually guiding my clients towards a happy balance, which includes avoiding UNDER-training as well as OVER-training. But in addition to finding the optimal fitness routine and schedule, one must also get enough sleep, eat the right foods (at the right time), etc. If you’re feeling that you are not getting the results you desire, perhaps you are sabotaging your “happy balance” with these common mistakes.
To help, here are my “Top Ten Ways to Sabotage your Fitness Goals”.
1. UNDER-training – Aim for three one-hour sessions a week. Anything less and you will not get sufficient results.
2. OVER-training – Your muscles need time to recover after a vigorous workout. It is during this time of recovery that your muscles are growing stronger.
3. Eating too many processed foods – Feed your body whole foods as much as possible. They have the most nutrition, which is what your body needs to fuel those intense workouts and repair muscles.
4. Not eating enough protein – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, your body needs protein to recover and build muscle. The amount depends on your weight and the intensity of your program. And don’t forget to have protein within an hour following your workouts.
5. Not getting enough sleep – For one, if you’re tired, you won’t get the most out of your sessions, and two it is while we are asleep that our bodies are focused on repair.
6. Not drinking enough water – Being dehydrated will sabotage your sessions. Invest in a one-litre water bottle and aim to empty it twice each day.
7. Stress eating or comfort eating – Always aim to eat when you are hungry and stop before you’re full. Beyond this you are eating emotionally rather than rationally. However, being too strict with your eating is unreasonable and simply no fun. Allow yourself one cheat meal a week.
8. Having too much alcohol at once – Hangovers make for terrible workouts and booze is dehydrating and high in calories. Once again, moderation is the key.
9. Forgetting to stretch – Stretching lowers stress and helps the body recover, meaning you won’t be too sore for the next workout!
10. Stressful life – Did you know that the body releases a hormone (cortisol) while under stress? This hormone causes the body to store fat and it also breaks down muscle. Find ways to reduce stress and release it from your body. My favourite way is to exercise. It is unselfish “me time”.
Interested in in getting more out of your workouts? Contact HomeBodyFit for at-home fitness and meal plans.
Our trainers lead groups through unique hour-long workouts of high-intensity circuits and strength-training exercises. Not only will you torch fat and calories, our workouts will boost caloric burn during AND after workouts.
Where: Creative Edge Dance Studio 1160 Blair Rd. #11
When: Mondays: 7:30/8:30 p.m Thursdays: 7/8 p.m
Cost: $200 (2 sessions/week) $100 (1 sessions/week)
Duration: 9 weeks
Starts: September 10th, 2015 (4 weeks)
When: Mondays & Thursdays, 7 or 8pm
Where: Sidrabene
Cost: $96 (2 sessions/week) $48 (1 sessions/week)
“The Burlington Body Camp group fitness classes are the best classes I have ever attended” – Joanne
Starts: Saturday, August 1st (to August 22)
When: Saturdays at 10:30am to 11:30am
Where: Ireland Park (enter at Folkway Drive)
Cost: $40/month ($10/classes) or $15/class
Click HERE to register
Questions? info@burlingtonbodycamp.com or call Matt at 905-320-8260
Starts: July 4th, 2015
When: Saturdays, 10:30-11:30am
Where: Ireland Park (enter at Folkway Dr.)
Cost: $40/month (4 sessions) or $15/class (drop-in)
by Bill Geiger
BodyBuilding.com
Contrary to what the name might suggest, skullcrushers won’t send you screaming to the ER—at least when done right. They can, however, help you build massive triceps. Here’s everything you need to know about this popular exercise!
Most exercises have rather literal names: A single-arm overhead dumbbell extension describes the movement pretty well, after all. A few others, however, are named for the part of the body they’ll break if you lose control. In this class we have skullcrushers.
Skullcrushers are actually a family of single-joint triceps exercises, not necessarily just one exercise, because there are so many ways to do them. You can use almost any kind of implement—dumbbells, barbell, EZ-bar, or cables—as well as a variety of angled benches. Each variation provides a slightly different feel and effect, so I’ll guide you through the most popular.
What all skullcrusher variations have in common is simple: elbow extension. The upper arms are generally locked in a position perpendicular to the body, which means both the long and lateral triceps heads—the two biggest—are called into play. As you increase the angle of the bench (i.e., use a more inclined bench), the upper arms move closer to an overhead position, so more of the work falls on your triceps long head. Doing the movement on a decline bench reduces the long-head involvement, so more of the emphasis falls on the lateral triceps head.
CLICK HERE FOR SIX TIPS FOR CRUSHING THE SKULLCRUSHER
Starts: June 29, 2015
Where: Sidrabene (Appleby Line, between Dundas and Derry)
When: Mondays & Thursdays, 7 or 8pm
Cost: $200 (2 sessions/week) $100 (1 session/week)
Register online: burlingtonbodycamp.com
