“I’m not going to do that. I’m fine and that’s just not going to happen”.

OK.  That’s your choice, but you’re going to have to accept the reality that it will take longer to reach your goals.  My old boss used to say, “you get what you measure”.  If you don’t have a way to measure your progress, you’ll never know when or how long it will take to get where you’re going.  You’re just guessing.

I had this picture in my mind every day while training for the climb

Information gives you a realistic picture of how much weight you can expect to lose and how long it will take to accomplish the goal.  Here are four ways you can stay on track toward your goals.

1. Be clear. Before you begin tracking the progress toward your goal, you’ve got to have a good goal.  Your goal must be crystal clear. You should be able to create a picture of what your goal looks like. A goal like “lose weight” is junk. It’s meaningless.  Think differently. How will your life be different when you’ve lost 10, 20, or whatever number of pounds you want to lose? What will you do with your life that you aren’t able to do today? If you really want it, find a picture of your goal and post it on your bathroom mirror. Each day when you brush your teeth you’ll see your goal.

2. Know how much you need to eat and keep track of what you eat. Everything, no exceptions. Yes, it’s boring and a pain in the butt. But you’ll have a much better idea of what you eat, when you eat, and why you eat.  These are important things to know. Without this info, everything else is just a guess. You’ll probably be surprised at the number of calories you’re taking in, as long as you’re being truthful with yourself. You’ll also find that you eat certain foods in certain situations. If you’re a data geek like me, you can use a device like a BodyMedia FIT to take control and achieve your weight loss goals by knowing how much you burn.  If you’re a member of LifeStyles Fitness Center, you have access to a great tool called DotFIT that can help you with this part of the process.

3. Get a heart rate monitor. This little device will tell you if you’re really working or if you’re just kidding yourself.  I use mine religiously.  There are times when I might think I’m working hard and I’ll check my monitor, only to realize that I’ve got a long ways to go.  Here’s an article I wrote about how to select a heart rate monitor.

4. Have someone you’re accountable to.  That’s where a good trainer can help you.  We’ll ask questions, observe, develop plans, and push you to try things you might not do on your own.  Ultimately, our goal is to help you reach your goal.

Put these four things in place and you’ll be on your way to reaching your own goals.

The Kamagon Ball looks like an oversized medicine ball, or an undersized stability ball, with ears.  What’s really different about the Kamagon Ball is that you fill it with water.

The ball has a port on one side that you pour water in to create either 15, 30, or 45 pounds of fluid resistance.  Adding water to the ball introduces a concept they refer to as Hydro Inertia.  Basically that means that the water inside the ball is constantly in motion and you’re body has to work a bit harder to stabilize that unstable source of resistance. 

That added resistance has been shown through research to recruit more muscle fibers than similar static weighted exercises.  Further, the added stabilization required to overcome the water resistance helps protect against injury by forcing you to concentrate more on form and strengthen connective tissue. 

You can use the Kamagon Ball just like you would use a medicine ball or a kettlebell and the variety of exercises is limited only by your imagination.  I’ve been incorporating the Kamagon Ball into different workouts with clients and it’s been a popular addition.  I’ve been using it quite a bit in my own workouts and I’ve come to prefer it over kettlebells and medicine balls. 

When you receive your Kamagon Ball, it includes a brief instruction manual and DVD showing various exercises.  If I have one criticism, I’d say that these two can use some work.  They’re a decent starting point and your challenge from there is to think outside the box and find creative ways to use the Kamagon Ball.

In addition to individual use, the folks at Kamagon Ball have created a series of group fitness programs called Kamagon Kore and Kamagon Sculpt to extend it’s use to group fitness settings. 

Watch the video review below to see a few examples and then watch for a series of videos in the near future highlighting different combinations with the Kamagon Ball.

I showed them to one of the trainers at LifeStyles and she came up with several more right on the spot. I think we’re on to something here. Maybe I’ll have to do a whole series of workouts called “How to exercise with goofy things around your house”.

Try these 12 exercises as a quick circuit and you’ll find yourself working up a sweat pretty fast. I’ve also included a short video of the exercises below. Pick up a set of sliders, try it out, and let me know what you think by leaving a comment below.

1. Slide outs
2. Alternating slides
3. Pike
4. Mountain climbers
5. Oblique mountain climbers
6. Jacknife
7. Atomic push up
8. Army crawl
9. Hamstring curls
10. Single leg hamstring curls
11. Reverse lunges
12. Lateral lunges

Of all the crazy “as seen on TV” contraptions, this one takes the grand prize. For only four easy payments of $33 each, you can have your very own “3 Minute Legs”. For your hard earned cash, you’ll receive a spring loaded seat that you can straddle and push to the floor while doing bodyweight squats or lunges.

Seriously?

Squats and lunges are fantastic exercises and should be a part of almost any program. Why you would need this thing to do them is beyond me. Have we really been dumbed down so much that we need this thing when we could just do squats and lunges without it? Not sure about the right form? Watch this video to see the right way to do bodyweight squats and save yourself $122.

Their website claims that this thing “even works your core so it flattens your abs as it’s firming your legs.” Other than your core having to hold your body in an upright position, which it does when you’re just walking down the street, I can’t figure out how this thing “works your core”. Can someone please explain this one for me?

But, it’s all OK because, according to their website, “3 MINUTE LEGS is so remarkable, it was awarded the prestigious Seal of Approval by the National Health and Wellness Club”. Ever hear of this club? I didn’t think so. Neither have I. Go ahead, check them out on Google. You’ll be taken to a site that has some regurgitated content from other sources and “reviews” of products, several of them coincidentally are from the same company producing this product.

While we’re on the topic, three minutes isn’t going to do anything for you with any workout. The only thing you’ll lose on this thing in three minutes is $122.

P.S. By the way, Thane USA, your website has a context error. When referring to the supposed science behind this device you say “it uses a principal called unloading”. In this context, it’s a “principle”.

Try the TRX Core 500

There are misconceptions about the core, so let’s take a minute to straighten that out first. Many people hear “core” and immediately think of their abs. While the abs are part of the core, there’s more. The core is defined as the lumbo-pelvic hip complex and the muscles that attach to it. It’s the rectus and transversus abdominis, obliques, hip flexors, hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors, and latissimus dorsi. It’s basically the torso with exception of the extremities. Get a strong core and you’ll be able to do more.

There are many ways to train the core, but few are as efficient, as fun, as unique, and as portable as the TRX Suspension Trainer. Fitness Anywhere is always issuing new challenges to their followers, so I thought I’d put together my own challenge. I’m calling it the Core 500.

The workout is simple in terms of the number of exercises and the complexity of those exercises. There are just five exercises in this complex designed to challenge your anterior and posterior chain and engage your core throughout the workout. You’ll do all of the reps for each exercise before moving on to the next exercise. Your goal is to do the prescribed number of reps in as few sets as possible.

Here goes:

• 100 Atomic Push Ups
• 100 Low Rows (deep angle with feet under the anchor point)
• 100 TRX Chest Presses (feet under the anchor point)
• 100 TRX Power Pulls (50 per side)
• 100 TRX Rollouts

Here’s a video demonstrating the exercises in this TRX workout.

Time yourself and leave a comment below to let me know how much time it takes you to complete the workout. If you don’t have a TRX of your own yet, get one here.

For a couple of years now, I’ve ridden my bike wearing a Road ID. The concept behind this thing is really simple and the cost is very low. Basically, it’s an ID tag that can be used to identify you and provide emergency responders with contact information as well as allergy and other important info.

The Road ID is a lightweight neoprene band with an engraved tag that you wear either on your ankle or wrist. It’s lightweight, flexible, and I don’t even realize it’s there.

It’s not limited to bike riders either. Runners, walkers, and anyone who spends any time outdoors should have one.

Twenty bucks can save your life. Get your Road ID right here!

John Demos the TRX Suspension Trainer

Why?

Because your body works as a system, not in isolation. There’s a place for isolation exercises like bicep curls and calf raises, but when it comes down to it, are you trying to develop ripped calves or are you trying to develop an explosive jump. Most people work out because they want to do something with their bodies, like out-jump, out-run, or out-last the competition. If you’re trying to develop your body to work effectively as a system, functional training is the answer. Even if your goal isn’t athletic performance and you just want to move more effectively, functional training is important.

My hands down favorite tool for functional training is the TRX Suspension Trainer. You can use it for literaly hundreds of different exercises and get an amazing workout using just your own bodyweight. With every exercise, you’re training your core to stabilize your body as well as working the prime mover muscles to perform the exercise. As an added bonus, you can get that workout done in a shorter time because you don’t have to wander all over the gym switching weight plates, machines, etc.

I use it with grandmothers and I use it with athletes. Just a few small adjustments with your body position and each both the grandmother and the athlete get an equally effective workout.

Click here to get your TRX today!

Here’s a video with just a few examples of exercises you can do with the TRX Suspension Trainer.

Click this video to see the TRX Suspension Trainer in action!

Here’s a summary of the most popular features that you’ll find and what they mean. The more features, the higher the price.

• ECG accurate – The monitor is considered to be as accurate as an electrocardiogram. A monitor from a good quality company will have this as a basic feature. The monitor does this by taking constant readings through the use of a chest strap.
• Large easy to read display – A bright and easy to read display is a joy when you’re trying to see your monitor while on the bike, running, pool, or whatever your favorite exercise. No stopping or squinting needed.
• Target zone alarm – Tells you when your heart is below or above a particular zone.
• Multiple customizable zones – Allows you to determine several zones
• Recording time in zones – Allows you to review the time you’ve spent in certain training zones so you can make sure you’re working hard enough, or that you’re not working too hard.
• Fitness tests – Will take you through a fitness test and determine max heart rate, VO2 max, or other measures of fitness.
• Calorie measurement – Tracks your caloric expenditure based on your workload, your weight, height, and age.
• Water resistant – This one’s really important. You might not plan to use your monitor when swimming, but you might get caught in the rain or the condensation from your body will exposure the unit to moisture. Make sure your chest transmitter is also water resistant. Once again, if you’re buying from a quality company you won’t have a problem here.
• Lap counting – Allows you to compare your times over laps during your workout. Great for runners on the track or anyone who uses a short repeatable route multiple times in a workout.
• Interval programs – Allows you to program the monitor to vary your intensity and alerts you when you increase or decrease the intensity.
• User serviceable – It’s great to be able to change the batteries by yourself rather than having to send the watch or transmitter to a service center. If your monitor is water resistant, this may be a pie-in-the-sky dream as the company will not support a warranty if you change the battery yourself. Water resistant monitors usually have a seal inside that they want to make sure is properly replaced and they’ll only guarantee it if they do it themselves.
• Bike functions – Tracks your bike speed, distance, cadence, and more. Since bike wheels are different sizes and provide different readings, you’ll want your monitor to allow you to switch between multiple bikes (road and mountain bike, for example)
• Computer interface – Connect to your computer to download data. Allows you to compare your workouts and see what progress you’re making. Some will even allow you to create workout profiles on your computer and upload them to the monitor. This is much better than trying to push tiny buttons on the monitor and create a workout.
• Large buttons - I want mine to be a good size so I can activate them easily, even with a gloved hand. 
• GPS – The high end monitors like the Garmin Forerunner 310XT HRM incorporate GPS functions that can plot your location on a map. If you use the same route regularly, you can store the route and compare your progress today against previous exercise sessions and see how you’re doing.

Here’s why you need to get your hands off that machine:

Holding on reduces the effect of supporting your weight. Using the handrails to support you lifts some of your weight off the machine, effectively making it easier for your legs. This means that you’re not simulating actual walking, but instead you’re just faking it.

Holding on can promote poor posture and unnatural movement. Grabbing the front of the machine increase your risk for slumped shoulders and a rounded back. It also causes an unnatural running or walking style, often preventing your legs from fully extending, further screwing up your body’s alignment and altering movement patterns. Add one more thing, you can also increase your risk for repetitive strain injuries.

You’re burning fewer calories. Cranking up the speed or incline higher than you can handle and compensating by grabbing on to the machine cancels some of the effects of your exercise. Many people look at the calories burned number and incorrectly believe that just because that number is going up, that you’re actually burning those calories.

There are a couple of flaws here.

1. Grabbing the machine and lifting your weight off means you’re doing less work. Scientific studies have proven this. The machine doesn’t know you’re cheating and will still tell you the same result as if you were doing all the work. You might as well just turn the machine on, step off and let it run. Read a book and come back in a half hour. The machine still thinks you were working.

2. The second flaw here deals more with the fallacy of the “calories burned” reading that you’ll see on the machine’s display. The machine usually doesn’t know enough about you to actually understand the rate at which you burn calories. Put a hyper-fit individual on the treamill next to an unconditioned person, set the speed and incline on the same settings, and the calories burned number might show up the same. However, each of those individuals bodies will burn calories at different rates. Don’t worry about how many calories the machine thinks you’re using. Just do it right and burn calories at your own rate.

You negate the effect of the incline. I saw someone today walking with the incline at 12%. She was clamped on to the machine and leaning back to the point where she was perpendicular to the tread. That means she was effectively walking with zero incline. When you walk uphill outdoors you don’t lean backward. Why would you do that indoor? Same goes for the stepper. When you’re walking up stairs you don’t lean on the handrails or press your palm on the rail to remove some of your weight.

You’re doing nothing for your balance. Life is full of challenges. It’s full of uneven surfaces too. Your brain relies on your ability to compensate for changes in terrain. Holding on to the rails eliminates that balance challenge, increasing your risk again for injuries.

You might need to check your heart rate every once in awhile. That’s OK, but check it and let go. Don’t obsess about that number. Learn how you feel when your heart is working where you expect it to be and go there.

If you feel unsteady on the machine, slow it down and/or reduce the incline. Over time, you can speed it up as you gain confidence.

If you’re holding on because that’s the only way you can ready or watch TV, stop focusing on how you’ll entertain yourself and consider your health instead of what Brad and Angelina are doing this week. Can’t handle the boredom? Try an audiobook or go outside once in awhile and change your scenery.

Got another reason? Tell me about it and I’ll help you get rid of that idea and get you on the machine the right way.

Lunges
Squats
Military press
Upright rows
Lateral raises
Tricep kickbacks
Front raises
Bicep curls
Rows (with door or pole)
Cable rotations (with door or pole)

If you need a refresher on how to perform these exercises, check out these videos