Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:09:14 -0800WeeblyMon, 26 Jul 2010 05:34:44 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/07/toning-shoes-does-it-really-make-a-better-body-and-a-firmer-butt.htmlMy mother and father told me the other day that they bought new toning shoes made by Sketchers. I've heard about these shoes and of course, was very skeptical about these type of shoes. There are always companies that come out with the lastest and greatest exercise gimmick that make claims to magically get you in shape and lose weight. Of course these are marketing tools to get the consumer, you, to purchase their products. Since both my parents bought in to this gimmick, I decided to look around and find out some facts on these latest and greatest shoes. The following is an article based off a study by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) I got from PR Newswire. So fyi, here is the article...
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ACE Research Study Finds Toning Shoes Fail to Deliver on Fitness Claims...   

Independent Study by Fitness Industry Leader, in Conjunction with University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, Concludes Few Fitness Benefits from Toning Shoes
 
SAN DIEGO, July 21 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America's leading authority on fitness and the largest non-profit fitness certification, education and training organization in the world, today released the findings from an independent research study on the effectiveness of popular toning shoes including Skechers Shape-Ups, MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) and Reebok EasyTone.  The study, one of the first from an independent organization, enlisted a team of researchers from the Exercise and Health Program at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, and found no evidence to suggest that the shoes help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.

"Toning shoes appear to promise a quick-and-easy fitness solution, which we realize people are always looking for," says ACE's Chief Science Officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D.   "Unfortunately, these shoes do not deliver the fitness or muscle toning benefits they claim.  Our findings demonstrate that toning shoes are not the magic solution consumers were hoping they would be, and simply do not offer any benefits that people cannot reap through walking, running or exercising in traditional athletic shoes."

To test the toning shoes' effectiveness and evaluate their claims, a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, led by John Porcari, Ph.D., John Greany, Ph.D., Stephanie Tepper, M.S., Brian Edmonson, B.S. and Carl Foster, Ph.D., designed a pair of studies to evaluate the exercise responses and muscle activation that take place while walking with toning shoes versus traditional athletic shoes.  Researchers enlisted 12 physically active female volunteers, ages 19 to 24 years, for the exercise response study, during which they completed a dozen five-minute exercise trials of walking on a treadmill while wearing each type of shoe, including the toning sneakers Skechers Shape-Ups, MBT and Reebok's EasyTone, and traditional New Balance running shoes.  To evaluate muscle activation, researchers recruited a second group of 12 physically active female volunteers, ages 21 to 27 years, who performed similar five-minute treadmill trials and were measured for muscle activity in six muscle areas: calves, quads, hamstrings, buttocks, back and abs.  

All three toning shoes tested showed no statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation during the treadmill trials, when compared to the normal athletic shoes tested.  There was simply no evidence to indicate that the toning shoes offer any enhanced fitness benefits over traditional sneakers, despite studies cited by manufacturers seemingly "proving" the toning shoes' effectiveness.  Bryant warns consumers to be wary of such studies sponsored by manufacturers, many of which are not peer-reviewed and may be of questionable design.  ACE's study also addresses anecdotal evidence consumers have shared indicating that they feel the shoes are working their muscles due to localized muscle soreness.  Study researchers explain that this feeling is due to the shoe's unstable sole design, which cause wearers to use slightly different muscles to maintain balance than they would while wearing normal shoes, resulting in temporary soreness that will subside as the body adjusts to the shoe.

"There may be one positive effect these shoes offer," continues Bryant.  "The motivation factor.  If these shoes are serving as a motivator for individuals to walk or get moving more often, that is a good thing, even if they don't produce the dramatic toning and calorie-burning results people think they are getting." Bryant goes on to add that "it is important to note that, based on the results of this study, it appears that consumers can more economically achieve the same results wearing normal running shoes."

ACE's study also raised a couple of questions, one positive the other negative: will wearing toning shoes improve balance over time?  Or do they alter an individual's walking gait mechanics, potentially causing problems for those who are already at risk for lower-extremity issues?  Evaluating both of these issues would require additional in-depth research.

A full summary of the study's findings can be found on ACE's "Get Fit" website, designed to inform, inspire, educate and motivate people to become fit and lead a healthier, more active lifestyle, located at www.acefitness.org/getfit.

About ACE

The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America's premier certification, education and training organization, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the benefits of physical activity and protecting consumers against unsafe and ineffective fitness products and instruction. ACE sponsors university-based exercise science research and is the world's largest nonprofit fitness certifying organization. For more information on ACE and its programs, call (800) 825-3636 or log onto the ACE website at www.acefitness.org.



SOURCE American Council on Exercise
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/toningshoes072010.pdf]]>Tue, 18 May 2010 10:07:40 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/05/get-shredded-10-ways-to-burn-3650-more-calories-every-day.htmlHi everyone! Found another great article on many easy things you can do to help you burn more calories everyday. These are simple and easy things you can do to change or alter your diet and exercise program on a daily basis. As far as what the title claims, that you can burn 3650 calories every day, I won’t go so far as to say that this is the case since it’s only theoretical, although many things you do out of this article can and will make a difference in raising your metabolism and help in weight loss. Enjoy!
 

Jimmy Pember, NASM-CPT, Certified Fitness Specialist



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Author Steve Stiefel
Posted by FullyFlexed.com
 
Life, they say, is full of contradictions, so why shouldn’t that also apply to working out? You train regularly with both weights and cardio and carefully watch what you eat, which together are supposed to produce a ripped, muscular physique. There’s the catch: supposed to. But what if you do practically everything you can–truly giving 110% to your training and nutrition efforts–and you’re still a little soft around the middle? Are you forever doomed to wearing tank tops on warm summer days so friends can see your big guns without knowing there’s an inch to pinch?

This being FullyFlexed, we’re not going to recommend an expensive liposuction operation. (Unless, of course, your beloved and rich Uncle Fred left you with several hundred thousand dollars, in which case you can skip this article and call your plastic surgeon.) Rather, we’ve complied a series of tips, tweaks and techniques for you to add to what you’re already doing during the course of a day. Instead of asking you to drop your workouts and follow some one-size-fits-all program, we’ve come up with a list of ways you can increase your caloric deficit each day.

All of the tips presented here use one or more of three bodyfat-fighting strategies: reducing the amount of food you eat (the calories you take in), increasing the amount of exercise you perform (the calories you burn) and boosting your metabolic rate (the number of calories your body requires for body weight maintenance).

Added together, these tips and strategies could theoretically help you synergistically burn up to 3,650 calories a day, but most individuals will want to pick and choose items that allow them to burn up to 1,500 calories (Number of calories burned is based on a 200-pound man who exercises four times a week and currently consumes enough calories for bodyweight maintenance. The total number of calories you burn will likely vary.) a day without requiring a significant change to diet or training regimen. You can still perform the same weight-training exercises and routines–just add our training and nutrition tips to the mix.

1 - Add intervals to your cardio work – The Caloric Effect: 150
The Technique: “Interval training burns more calories than steady-state training because you can do more work in the same amount of time,” says Tom Seabourne, who has a PhD in exercise science and is author of Athletic Abs with Scott Cole (Human Kinetics, 2002). To use this calorie-burning technique, Seabourne suggests that you include sprints with your jogging, add jogging to your fast-paced walking or increase the difficulty level or pace when using cardio equipment. “Add 60 seconds of interval training every other minute or so. The harder you work, the more calories you’ll burn,” Seabourne advises.

• Comment: Not only do you burn more calories during these intense interval cycles, but they also rev up your calorie-burning during the hours following your training.

2 - Increase your weights by 5%-10% – The Caloric Effect: 500-600
The Technique: “This technique shakes up your workout,” says Steve Zim, fitness expert for NBC’s Weekend Today. “A lot of people get stuck using the same weights and reps over and over. Their bodies acclimate to the workload, and they don’t burn as many calories as they would if they provided their body with unexpected stimulation.” Increasing your training weights 5%-10% is a great way to do this.

• Comment: Research shows that heavy training (in the 6-8-rep range) increases metabolic rate over the subsequent two days, helping you burn up to 600 calories more than after lightweight training (12-15-rep range). In addition, by raising your weight just 5%, you may find yourself more inspired, encouraging you to work harder and burn even more calories.

3 - Mix up your cardio – The Caloric Effect: 50-100
The Technique: Got a favorite cardio machine in the gym? Ditch it. You may be surprised by how much more beneficial cross-training is vs. performing the same exercise during every cardio session. “When you include a variety of cardio machines in your routines–treadmill, stationary bike, elliptical, cross-country ski machine, stair-stepper–you stimulate the same muscles in new ways or even work different muscle groups. The more groups you use that are unaccustomed to training, the harder you must work at an exercise, thus you burn more calories,” says Seabourne.

• Comment: Use your heart rate as a guide to ensure that you achieve the same level of intensity on different pieces of equipment. Some machines feel more difficult than others, even if they’re set at a level below where you should be training.

4 - Avoid consecutive days of rest – The Caloric Effect: 250-500
The Technique: “Try to avoid taking more than one rest day at a time,” Zim says. “You need a rest day after every 3-4 days of training in a row, but subsequent rest days can begin to lower your metabolic rate.”

• Comment: For the best effect on both metabolism and muscle recovery, strive to train three days on, one day off. To keep up your metabolic rate, take off a second or third day only when you feel overtrained or under the weather. Even though you don’t feel like hitting the gym on those days, try doing some kind of aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes.

5 - Split your workout in two – The Caloric Effect: 100-300
The Technique: “Instead of doing an hour-and-a-half workout in the morning, try doing 45 minutes in the morning and 45 minutes after work,” says Zim. This revs up your metabolic rate twice a day instead of once. During the last half of a long training session, you may work out with less intensity because of fatigue; by splitting your training, you recover enough to burn more calories in your second 45-minute installment.

• Comment: Calorie-burning can vary based on your intensity. The effects of two metabolism-boosting sessions will stay with you all day.

6 - Eat spicey food - The Caloric Effect: 200-500
The Technique: “Spices such as red pepper and cayenne can significantly crank up your metabolic rate and decrease your overall food intake,” explains Zim.

• Comment: The number of calories you burn from this technique is correlated to the amount of low-calorie spices you consume. The more spices you add to your food, the greater their effect on your metabolic rate.

7 - Record all the food you eat – The Caloric Effect: 300-500
The Technique: Keeping a food journal can have a surprising effect on your discipline, because it makes you think about everything you put into your mouth. Just by committing to write down all the food you eat, you’re less likely to include unhealthy foods in your diet.

• Comment: Whether this has a minimal or profound psychological effect on you, it provides you with valuable information about your nutritional habits.

8 - Cut out all caloric beverages – The Caloric Effect: 50-500
The Technique: Eat your calories instead of drinking them. Ingesting more liquid calories is a good weight-gaining strategy because they’re easier to consume when you don’t have an appetite. On the flip side, liquid calories don’t satisfy you as much as solid foods. Sodas, milk, juice, sugar added to drinks such as coffee or tea and other caloric beverages are a significant source of calories for many people. Try drinking only water, plain tea, black coffee or diet (no-calorie) beverages for a couple of weeks and see if you notice a difference in your bodyfat stores.

• Comment: The caloric effect depends on how many calories you consume in liquid form. Be careful if you typically get a lot of your protein from milk and protein shakes–you’ll need to consume this nutrient in different ways.

9 - Drink green tea or black coffee – The Caloric Effect: 50-200
The Technique: When you drink green tea and coffee, you may notice the energizing effect they have on your body. “Green tea and black coffee also boost your metabolism without adding significant calories to your diet,” says Zim. In addition, these caffeinated beverages tend to reduce appetite, helping you further cut calorie consumption.

• Comment: While the metabolic boost from caffeine is small, the decrease in calories consumed can be significant.

10 - Reduce carbs later in the day – The Caloric Effect: 200-300
The Technique: Cutting back on carbs during the later part of the day is smart for two reasons: One, you decrease the number of calories you consume each day, and two, you reduce the amount of insulin your body must produce, which decreases the amount of fat your body stores. You don’t need to eliminate pasta or potatoes, but cut back on them late in the day, eating one-third to one-half of your normal servings.

• Comment: Pro body-builders know this is one of the most significant ways to reduce stored bodyfat. But if you train late in the day, get some carbs after your workout to replenish muscle glycogen stores

Author Steve Stiefel
COPYRIGHT 2005 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group

 ]]>Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:32:27 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/04/the-beginners-guide-to-working-with-your-personal-trainer.htmlHi All!

I read this article and think this is a good read for all my AAF Boot Campers, my personal training clients, or if you plan to be a client of mine. I completely agree with this author. Please take these tips to heart. They can make a huge impact on the outcome of your progress. Enjoy!

Jimmy

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The Beginner’s Guide to Working With Your Personal Trainer

Author: Kassandre Harper-Cotton 

 The New Year is upon you. You have decided to abandon last year’s promise to ‘get in shape’ and just ‘enjoy the holidays’ until January 1, 2010. This date holds the promise of a new life, new goals, and a new start. You are eager and are going to enlist the help of a personal trainer to transform your body.

You can see it, clearly. This will be the year that you don that bikini revealing perfectly sculpted shoulders and a beautifully muscled back, that narrow to a tight midsection and seductively curves out to drum-tight glutes and thighs. Or you will finally walk around shirtless and shameless seducing all you meet with your defined delts and full pecs. The sun’s rays shine on your peaked biceps, and you let your beach shorts hang just a bit lower than usual to reveal perfect obliques.

This is the vision. This is the year that it is going to happen! You have done your research, and are now armed with a personal trainer who you are confident is going to help you reach your goals. You are ready to change your life.

Now, we are going to pump the proverbial brakes and talk about your responsibilities as a client. I am not writing this article as a trainer, but as a fitness enthusiast, figure competitor who takes my relationship with my trainer and coach very seriously. There are many variables to consider when looking for, and working with a trainer. Everyone has their personal list of non-negotiable qualifications: credentials, years in business, client success, the trainer’s personal appearance, philosophy, personality, chemistry, creativity, education, personal experience, etc. Some could care less if their trainer is barking orders or poking them with a stick as long as progress is being made.

Let us assume that you have found the trainer for you. Here are some tips to increase your chance of success in your new partnership.

1. Be Committed. Embarking on a journey towards one’s physical goals is not just an emotional journey. When you sign on with a trainer, be prepared to give 100% of your effort. You are making an investment in your health. You are paying for a service and this person’s expertise.

2. Be Honest. Going to a trainer is almost like going to your physician. They cannot not help you and provide the full range of their expertise if you are lying about: injuries, the frequency of your training, how you ate throughout the week, and the amount of sleep you are getting. A good trainer knows when you are not progressing as you should or could. They are not there to judge; they are there to coach.

3. Be Courteous. Be on time for your sessions. Your session should be able to begin at your agreed upon time. You should not be parking your car, coming through the door, or getting dressed. And if you need to cancel, be sure to give your trainer advanced notice.

4. Be Realistic. If you have abused your body for years you cannot expect your trainer to ‘fix it’ in 12 weeks. Remember that changing your body is a process, not an event. And, refer to #2. If you are not following the plan laid out for you, you are only hindering your progress.

5. Be Courageous. Your trainer is there to push you past your own expectations and help you reach your goals. The introduction of a new move or concept is not to embarrass you, but to help you help you attain new levels of fitness.

6. Be Positive. The mind is a powerful thing. Go into your sessions with an open mind and ready to challenge yourself. When you are energized your trainer is, too!

7. Be Intense. There is something about being under the watchful eye of a professional. You train harder and with more intensity. Try to keep this intensity and focus even when your trainer is not there. You would not hold an engaging conversation with other gym-goers when working with your trainer. Treat your gym time with the same seriousness.

8. Be Smart. Sometimes your trainer will introduce you to weight loads and/or exercises that are best practiced with under their watchful eye. Be smart and avoid injuries. Do not try to be a superhero. There may be instances when you need to lower your weight when you are alone to ensure that you use good form. Taking notes as you are training is also a great way to remember tips and feedback that can be used when you are not with your trainer.

Now, prepare to optimize your training time and results with your new partner in fitness!]]>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:23:29 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/04/dont-stretch-before-sports-experts-say-static-stretching-can-tighten-muscles.htmlHi all,

Here are two of many articles I've found regarding static stretching and why I don't incorporate this type of stretching before we begin our boot camp workouts. There have been numerous studies and articles written about the negative impacts on stretching before exercising. The last thing I want is for someone to injure themselves during boot camp class. As most of you notice, my workouts usually begin with a warm up run and/or some calisthenic exercises. The warm up run and calisthenic exercises warms up the body and gets the blood pumping to those muscles you will be using during the workout, as well as taking those muscles through a full range of motion before going full blast on them.  So just some food for thought for you old school people out there who have always stretched before exercising...


Jimmy Pember, NASM-CPT, Certified Fitness Specialist

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Stretch Only If You Want Less Strength?

Study indicates static stretching negatively affects muscular force 
 
Colorado Springs, Colo.Although we know more about the human body than ever before, it still holds some amazing secrets. Take stretching for example.

 Static stretching (stretching the muscle to the farthest point and holding for 20-30 seconds) was long thought to be the best way to prepare muscles for physical activity. As scientists learn more about how muscles work, they are finding that stretching before competition may decrease strength. Therefore, negatively affecting performance.

According to a recent study published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association’s (NSCA) journal, The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (Vol. 18, No. 2, page 236-241), stretching before a workout or physical activity can actually reduce the power available in the stretched muscle. Even more surprising is that power was also reduced in the non-stretched muscle. 

Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln studied the effects of static stretching on peak torque in fourteen women. The subjects underwent four static stretching exercises on their dominant leg only. Each stretch was performed four times and held for 30 seconds. Peak torque was measured in both the dominant and non-dominant leg.

Results showed that peak torque decreased in both limbs after static stretching. While the reason for this decrease in force is not known, the current study suggests that it may be related to changes in the mechanical properties of the muscle, or a central nervous system precautionary mechanism.

Additional research is needed to fully understand the cause. As more studies continue to suggest that static stretching may decrease maximal force production, the effects that this decrease will have on performance must now be considered. Strength and conditioning professionals may want to re-evaluate static stretching before high performance activities.

Indeed, the human body has a lot of secrets to reveal.
 

About the NSCA

The National Strength and Conditioning Association is the leading authority on strength and conditioning. For 27 years, the NSCA has bridged science and application to provide reliable, research-based, strength and conditioning information to its members and the general public. With nearly 30,000 members worldwide, the NSCA is the largest health and fitness association in the world. For more information on NSCA professional journals, cutting edge conferences, educational text and videos, or other services, visit www.nsca-lift.org.
 
NOTE: The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research is the official research journal of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and is available from Alliance Communication Group at 800-627-0932. For a complete copy of this study (May 2004, page 236-241) or to speak with a leading strength and conditioning expert on the topic, you may contact the NSCA Public Relations Department at 800-815-6826.

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Don't Stretch Before Sports, Experts SayStatic Stretching Can Tighten Muscles

MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer

LONDON -- Want a better workout? Then don't stretch beforehand, some experts say.

Many people take it for granted that they should start their exercise routines with some stretching on the spot, perhaps hoping it will loosen them up for their work-out. Most fitness experts now agree this kind of static stretching before exercise is not just counter-productive, but potentially harmful.

Traditional stretches, like when people bend over to touch their toes or stretch their legs on a fence, often cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax -- exactly the opposite of what is needed for physical activity.

Experts say it is like extending a rubber band to its limit. When people stretch to the maximum, they are more likely to pull a muscle.

"We have developed this idea of static stretching at exactly the wrong time," said Kieran O'Sullivan, an exercise expert at the University of Limerick in Ireland, who has studied various types of stretching and their impact on athletes.

When you stretch before exercising, your body may think it's at risk of being overstretched. It compensates by contracting and becoming more tense. That means you aren't able to move as fast or as freely, making you more likely to get hurt.

O'Sullivan said stretching helps with flexibility, but people should only do it when they aren't about to exercise, like after a workout, or at the end of the day.

"It's like weight training to become stronger," he said. "You wouldn't do a weight session right before you exercise, and you shouldn't stretch right before either."

In the last few years, several studies have found static stretching before playing a sport makes you slower and weaker.

And when experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention combed through more than 100 papers looking at stretching studies, they found people who stretched before exercise were no less likely to suffer injuries such as a pulled muscle, which the increased flexibility from stretching is supposed to prevent.

Instead of stretching, many experts recommend warming up with a light jog or sport-specific exercise, like kicking for football or a few serves for tennis. That type of light movement increases the heart rate and blood flow to the muscles, warming up the body temperature.

"This allows you to approach your full range of motion, but in a very controlled way," said Dr. Anders Cohen, chief of neurosurgery and spine surgery at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and former physician for the U.S. Tennis Open. Cohen said elite athletes in all sports are increasingly ditching static stretching and using other warm-up techniques instead.

But the message has yet to trickle down to legions of joggers and recreational athletes. "This is classic, old-school stretching that has been done for generations," Cohen said. "It's going to be very hard to convince people to start doing something different."

There's more news for the traditionalists: research shows static stretching doesn't work as well as more active kinds of stretching that incorporate movement, such as lunges.

In a study published earlier this year in the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, Roberto Meroni of the University of Milan and colleagues found people who stretched using conventional techniques, like bending over to touch their toes, were less flexible than those who did a more active type of stretching that used more muscle groups.

Meroni said static stretching simply forces the muscle being stretched to endure the pain of that stretch. With active stretches that work more muscles, the stretched muscles learn to extend while another group is working.

Those types of stretches are commonly used in yoga, which emphasizes how the body is aligned during stretches, not just flexibility. Many yoga poses involve the whole body and focus not only on stretching a particular muscle, but the ligaments, tendons and joints around it.

Still, experts don't discount static stretching entirely. Lynn Millar, a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, said they recommend people stretch several times a week and that most types of stretching work.

Maximizing the benefits of stretching may simply boil down to a matter of when you do it and how, according to Jonny Booth, a health and fitness manager at a north London branch of gym chain Fitness First.

"If you are going to stretch your muscles and then do some intense training, you're not going to get fantastic results," he said.

Instead, Booth recommends active stretches that mimic the movement of your intended activity, like some deep knee lunges while walking for runners.

"Stretching is vital to become more flexible," Booth said. "But it has to be done at the right time and for the right reasons."

ARTICLE site - http://www.10news.com/irresistible/23158050/detail.html]]>Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:00:29 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/04/ace-study-on-the-benefits-of-boot-camp.htmlExclusive ACE study investigates the fitness benefits of popular boot camp–style workouts

By John Porcari, Ph.D., Kirsten Hendrickson, B.S., and Carl Foster, Ph.D., with Mark Anders


Fitness fads come and go, but boot-camp workouts are still among the most popular.

Back in the spring of 1998, the American Council on Exercise first spotted the rapid growth of instructor-led workouts based loosely on the calisthenics used (like push-ups, squat thrusts, punches, kicks, etc.) to whip new recruits into shape in the U.S. Army’s basic-training program. Ten years later, take a look at the class schedules of gyms and fitness centers across the country and you’ll still find boot camp. According to recent stats from the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, a trade organization for health clubs, 955 of its 3,306 member clubs offer boot camp–style fitness classes. And it’s not just hot in the gyms. A quick scan of the exercise videos offered on Amazon.com yields more than 30 different boot-camp videos.

"There’s a certain element of getting back to the basics and a more functional-training approach," says ACE’s chief science officer Cedric X. Bryant, Ph.D. "People are looking for different experiences. With boot camps, you’re giving them something outside the traditional club environment."

Maybe the boot-camp trend is still going strong because it’s not really trendy at all. The workout is simple and not tied to a single piece of equipment. Or maybe it’s the motivating team-oriented atmosphere that’s created as fellow exercisers ‘survive’ the workouts together.

Whatever the reason, boot camp remains wildly popular, yet surprisingly its efficacy has never been formally studied. "Boot camp is becoming more and more popular in the health club setting so obviously people want to know if they’re really going to get something out of it, and if it’s going to be worth their time," says Kirsten Hendrickson, a graduate student in exercise and sports science at the University of Wisconsin. "So we decided to take a look at it."

The Study

To analyze the health and fitness benefits of boot camp–style workouts, a team of exercise scientists from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Exercise and Health Program, led by John Porcari, Ph.D., and Hendrickson, recruited six men and six women ages 19 to 29.

All volunteers were given an exercise test on a motorized treadmill to determine each subject’s maximal heart rate(HR max) and maximal oxygen consumption (V• O2 max) to establish a baseline of fitness. Ratings of perceived exertion using the 6–20 Borg Scale, a measure of how hard subjects feel they’re exercising, were also recorded throughout the exercise testing.

Once that baseline was established, the subjects were invited back into the lab to view a 40-minute recorded boot-camp exercise video. Naturally there are many boot camp–style exercise videos on the market, so researchers reviewed a wide range of titles, eventually settling on The Method: Cardio Boot Camp with Tracey Mallett. "We chose that DVD because it has a good blend of aerobic movements and strength moves that you’d picture military guys doing at boot camp," notes Porcari. "Plus we wanted to pick one where people were taxed pretty hard because that’s what you picture when you think of boot camp."

The study volunteers were given a copy of the DVD to take home and practice until they felt familiar enough with the choreography to be able to follow along easily with the workout. At that point, they were asked to return to the lab for testing. Each subject was then outfitted with the Cosmed portable analyzer, a backpack and facemask apparatus that measures oxygen consumption and caloric burn. Heart rate and perceived exertion were also tracked every three minutes throughout the 40-minute workout.

The Results

After analyzing the data, researchers found that the average exerciser burns approximately 9.8 calories per minute during a typical boot-camp workout, which equals nearly 400 calories during the entire 40-minute boot-camp video studied (Table 1)

"The biggest benefit is you’re burning an average of 600 calories per hour," says Porcari. "That’s obviously going to help with weight loss, but you’re also getting the muscle-building benefit from pushups, arm curls and squat thrusts that you wouldn’t get just from going out for a fast walk or jog."

According to recommendations set by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), to enhance cardiorespiratory endurance individuals need to exercise at 70 percent to 94 percent of HR max and 50 percent to 85 percent of V• O2 max. Based upon the data collected in this study, subjects were exercising well within those recommended intensity levels. "On average, people were working at 77 percent of heart-rate max, which is considered moderate intensity, but it also gets as high as 91 percent, meaning, all these boot-camp workouts have peaks and valleys," Porcari explains. Figures 1 and 2 offer a visual representation of how heart rate and oxygen consumption varied by the minute as the test subjects followed the video from high-intensity moves like kicking and punching, down to low-intensity moves with the dumbbells, and back up again to high-intensity moves.

"These workouts are designed to be cyclical like that," he explains. "Boot camp is a good form of interval training because you get periods of high intensity interspersed with moves that tend to be lower in aerobic intensity but they serve a whole different purpose—to build muscle strength."

The Bottom Line

Boot camp is an excellent way to enhance aerobic capacity and help control body weight. "I think it’s a great workout with great variety," says Porcari. "It’s a good combination of aerobic exercise and muscle conditioning and it’s much more of a total-body workout than just going out for a run or bicycle ride."

But remember, not all boot-camp workouts are created equal, he warns. Some are heavy on cardio, while others emphasize martial arts–inspired movements or basic strength-training exercises. For best results, our researchers recommend picking a well-balanced program with equal helpings of aerobic movements and calisthenics. However, if you’re looking to improve in a particular area, you might consider looking for a boot-camp class or video that caters to your particular fitness weaknesses. For example, if you’d prefer build more upper-body strength and endurance, consider picking one with more push-ups, squat thrusts and similar moves.

"If people are looking for something that’s fun and variable that will increase their adherence to an exercise program, and, most importantly, burn a lot of calories," says Hendrickson, "boot camp would be a really great option."

 

]]>Mon, 05 Apr 2010 10:12:09 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/04/six-exercise-weight-loss-myths.htmlSix Exercise & Weight Loss Myths:
Written by Jimmy Pember
April 5th, 2010

 

1. If you’re not sweating, you’re not working hard enough
   
   Sweating is the body’s way of cooling itself down. I’ve seen many people put on a sweat suit or plastic bag around them while they workout. This could be potentially dangerous by doing this. By putting on a sweat suit, you will definitely sweat out the liquids in you body. Some of these people believe they are losing weight by doing this, which isn’t so. You will definitely lose water weight, but once you drink some liquids again you will gain all the water weight back. By doing this, you could potentially dehydrate your body. Dehydration can result in a seizures, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even coma. Sweating isn’t an indicator of the intensity of the workout or the calories you’ve burned. There are numerous factors that will cause you to sweat, room temperature, humidity, clothing, exercises performed, body-fat levels, and body temperature. Often times, a person who is well trained tends to sweat more due to the fact that their body is more efficient at regulating their body heat.
   
    
2. X = best exercise equipment for weight loss or is the best form of exercise
   
   There is no best piece of equipment or best activity for exercise and weight loss. Most of these claims are marketing strategies used by companies to promote and sell their products. While some products may be better than others, it does not mean that one particular product is the best for everyone. The best advice for anyone is to choose an exercise activity to which you enjoy the most and do this activity correctly with proper form and do it consistently. So unless you are an athlete and training for a specific sporting event or activity, there isn’t a specific piece of equipment or activity that is best for everyone. 
   
   
3. By working out my abs, I’ll lose my pot belly
   
   Wrong! Unfortunately, we are unable to spot reduce. In order to lose your pot belly, you must lose your overall weight. Your body uniformly distributes fat throughout the body. So spot-reduction is not possible. You must expend more calories than what you consume in order to lose weight. By only working your abs, you only strengthen your abdominal muscles and minimally burn calories. To put it bluntly, if you want your abs to show, you must lose the fat that is covering up your abs.
   
    
4. If it’s fat free, I can have as much as I want 
   
   Wrong again! Just because it says fat free, does not mean it is calorie free. Consuming more calories than you can burn will cause weight gain. Don’t be misled by companies marketing foods with labels and catch phrases such as, “fat free”, “low carbs”, “light”, “reduced fat” and etc. You can still overeat on anything, even fat free foods. Remember, any foods you overeat, the excess calories you do not burn off will end up being stored as fat. 
   
    
5. When you stop exercising, your muscles will turn to fat 
   
   Unfortunately, that’s not how muscles work. Muscle and fat are two completely different forms of tissue. When you stop exercising or doing resistance training, you will lose the muscle you’ve gained, or in another words, they will shrink in size. Because you’ve stopped training, the end result is gaining weight and the excess fat you gained will be deposited as fat.  
   
   
6. Gaining weight is part of getting older 
   
   Not true. Gaining weight as we get older is no excuse! As we get older, we tend to become more sedentary which results in loss of muscle mass and weight gain. The more muscle we have, the higher our metabolism. So when we stop working out, we lose the muscle we’ve gained. It’s a basic principal for muscles, you either use it or you lose it! In order to maintain muscle mass and keep your metabolism from dropping, high intensity resistance training must completed at least once a week for each muscle group. To gain muscle mass and increase your metabolism, high intensity resistance training for each muscle group should be completed at least twice a week.
     
   
   Jimmy Pember, NASM-CPT, Certified Fitness Specialist

]]>Fri, 02 Apr 2010 15:49:34 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/04/this-article-i-pulled-off-fullyflexedcom-just-something-to-keep-in-mind.htmlI pulled this article off fullyflexed.com. It's something to definitely keep in mind for all those who are dieting and weight training, and since I just recently posted my own article which I referred to caloric intake and expenditure for weight loss, I wanted to share this article with you all in case some of you get stuck on that weight loss plateau.

 There's one thing I would like to point out and that is the amount of protein intake they recommend. I completely agree that protein is vital for maintaining muscle mass, although the amount of protein they recommend is in my opinion on the extreme for the normal person dieting. Keep in mind also, this article was written primarily for bodybuilders. So this really doesn't directly apply to people strictly trying to lose weight. So if you're trying to lose, say 15 to even 50 or 100 pounds, I definitely do not recommend the amount of protein they require. Once again, I can't stress enough that the protein intake recommended is primarily for bodybuilders.

You can use your ideal weight based off your height and use that as a general guide for your protein intake, for those of you trying to lose weight AND are doing resistance training. Stay on track and I wish you all the best!

Jimmy Pember, NASM-CPT, Certified Fitness Specialist

P.S. You can click on the link below to go to their website. They also have a lot of good info (nutrition, dieting, training, and etc.) on their site too.

-------------------------------------
http://fullyflexed.com/evolution-of-fat-loss
Evolution Of Fat Loss – There’s More To Reducing Bodyfat Than Just Cutting Calorie Intake | FullyFlexed.com

By admin on Apr 02, 2010 in Losing Weight, Nutritional Tips

Sorry to burst the bubble: the idea that burning 3,500 calories will burn a pound of fat may be true on paper, but it’s not always true in reality. In the best of all possible worlds, when you cut 3,500 calories from your diet, you should lose a pound of bodyfat, but that’s not always the case.



There’s a lot more to dropping bodyfat than just the numbers. In fact, if we were to stubbornly remain steadfast to the mathematical model for bodyfat management, then dieting for a bodybuilding contest would be little more than an exercise in pushing the buttons on a calculator. Bodybuilders would resort to running the numbers, always trying to cut 3,500 calories from their diets with little regard for other elements that play a bigger role in dropping fat.

Here are the Factors that explain why it’s overly simplistic to try to diet according to the maxim that “3,500 calories equals a pound of fat” and the ways to go about really burning bodyfat.

Factor #1 – The body adapts to reduced-calorie intake.
Let’s say a bodybuilder reduces his daily caloric intake from 3,500 to 3,000 to cut up. That’s 3,500 fewer calories per week. During weeks one and two–and possibly weeks three and four–he may drop a pound of bodyfat a week for a total of four pounds in bodyfat reduction.

However, by the fifth or sixth week, he may no longer lose additional bodyfat. This is called plateauing. The problem is that the body adapts to reductions in calories by burning fewer of them. When you eat less, your body eventually starts to burn fewer calories. That puts a dent in the belief that cutting 3,500 calories from a diet will continue to result in the loss of a pound of bodyfat each week.

Factor #2 – Some calories are more readily stored as bodyfat.
Among carbohydrates, protein and dietary fat, the last is the most fattening. The body actually burns calories when it digests all three of these macronutrients, but it requires fewer calories to digest dietary fat–about two to three times less than carbs and about 10 times less than protein. So, dietary fat yields a greater net caloric intake available for bodyfat storage than carbohydrates or protein.

Using our example, the bodybuilder who eats 3,000 calories a day should lose more fat by following a very low-fat plan rather than one higher in fat–even if the calories are the same. This is just one example of how there is more to bodyfat management than just total caloric intake.

Factor #3 – Protein protects muscle mass.
When you consume fewer calories, you always risk burning muscle tissue for fuel. It would be great to be able to cut calories and burn bodyfat exclusively, but that’s not how the body works. Therefore, you need to eat enough protein to protect your muscles from being burned as fuel.

Protein is protein sparing. When calories are reduced, protein helps protect your muscles and when you preserve your muscles, you prevent a decline in your metabolism. In general, a dieter who takes in 3,000 calories a day–or 3,500 less weekly than when he consumed 3,500 each day–will save more muscle, and therefore maintain a higher metabolism, by eating more protein.

For best results, a trainer should eat at least one gram (g) of protein per pound of bodyweight daily, up to 1 1/2g of protein per pound. In other words, a 200-pound bodybuilder on a 3,000-calorie-a-day diet can consume 300 g of protein, or 1,200 calories from protein, each day. This 40% ratio of protein is excellent for helping to protect a dieting bodybuilder’s muscle mass.

Factor #4 – Hormones shift during a diet. One of the most critical–and overlooked–elements of dieting is how a reduction in calories affects the body’s hormone levels. One study showed that men who follow a higher protein diet had higher insulinlike growth Factor (IGF) levels than those on a lower protein diet–even though total calorie consumption was the same for the two groups. IGF hugely affects metabolism, increasing muscle growth.

When you stimulate muscle growth–even when calories are lower than normal–the metabolic rate and fat-burning ability in the body increases. So, you could follow a lower protein plan–say 3,000 calories a day (again 3,500 fewer each week than eating 3,500 a day)–and miss out on beneficial IGF, which means less muscle and a smaller impact on metabolism. Keep your protein consumption high (1-1 1/2g per pound of bodyweight each day), and you’ll improve your hormone levels for assisting bodyfat burning.

Factor #5 – The glycemic index of foods impacts bodyfat burning.
The May 2005 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition affirmed the longtime dietary habits of many bodybuilders: following a low-glycemic diet supports the loss of bodyfat even when calories aren’t reduced. The research showed that people on a low-fat diet lost less bodyfat than those who followed a plan that emphasized low-glycemic carbs–even though the low-fat group consumed fewer calories.

Low-glycemic carbs include oatmeal, buckwheat noodles, buckwheat pancakes, red (new) potatoes, yams, cherries and oranges. They digest slowly, converting more slowly to glucose, the basic energy source of the body. Slower-digesting carbs help make the body less efficient at storing bodyfat than other sources of carbohydrates.

The primary reason for this is likely due to effects on insulin secretion. Insulin is a potentially fat-storing hormone that increases with carbohydrate consumption. As it turns out, the more refined the carb source–or the higher the glycemic rating–the greater the insulin secretion. Higher insulin levels, in turn, make the body extremely efficient at storing bodyfat, while lower insulin levels allow bodyfat to be burned as fuel.

If you reduce calories by 3,500 a week while still consuming high-glycemic carbs, you might fail to lose weight, you might lose less than a pound of bodyfat each week or you might reach plateaus quickly.

However, if you reduce your consumption by just 3,000 calories a week (a more moderate cut in calories), but rely mostly on low-glycemic carbs (in addition to a high protein intake), you are much more likely to extend the time that your body continues burning bodyfat.

Factor #6 – Meal frequency is an important element in bodyfat burning.
A bodybuilder who eats 3,500 fewer calories a week will lose more fat by eating seven times a day rather than five. Every time you eat, your metabolism increases mildly; also, having multiple meals suppresses cortisol, which, in turn, raises testosterone levels. When testosterone remains elevated–even in tiny amounts over a dieting period–the body becomes better at holding onto its muscle mass. The more mass you can retain, the higher your metabolic rate.

On the flip side, the same bodybuilder might eat four or five times a day and fail to consistently lose the expected pound of fat a week, which, of course, means the math does not add up.

Factor #7 – Time of day is important in losing fat. FullyFlexed typically recommends eating less food as the day progresses, particularly carbs, because insulin sensitivity decreases later in the day. Insulin sensitivity refers to the hormone’s ability to move nutrients into muscle. When insulin sensitivity decreases, more insulin must be released to get the job done. The problem is that insulin also increases fat storage. If you eat high-carb meals late in the day, when insulin sensitivity is low, you will get a much bigger insulin spike and greater fat storage. Later in the day, switch to fibrous carbs from veggies and focus on protein.

Factoring it all in
Bodyfat management at its most basic level is about calories in versus calories burned, but more Factors than that must be considered when it comes to the specific needs of dieting bodybuilders. Calorie reduction is only step one. Next, you must increase protein and low-glycemic-carb consumption while reducing dietary fat intake. In addition, eat more frequent meals (especially earlier in the day) to create the hormonal environment that’s most effective at burning bodyfat while allowing you to maintain muscle mass.]]>Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:03:57 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2010/03/drinking-responsiblyit-can-make-a-difference.htmlDrinking Responsibly...it can make a difference!
Written by Jimmy Pember
March 23rd, 2010

We’re all told to watch what we eat, yet we forget all about what we drink! Yes, people will monitor what they’re eating to a certain extent, but completely forget or just don’t even realize what they are drinking. For most Americans, 25% of their calorie intake comes in liquid form! Now just imagine how much more calories the average American is consuming daily.

Let’s just say that one person is on a 2,000 calorie diet. Now imagine consuming an extra 25% of 2,000 calories. That’s an extra 500 calories in one day! So if your goal is to lose weight, imagine how much weight a person could lose just by switching their beverage of choice simply to water! In a one week span (7 days), that’s a whopping 3,500 calories saved which is equivalent to one whole pound! 3,500 calories equals one pound of bodyweight. 

So in essence, to lose weight you need a total calorie deficit of 3,500 calories. So you must expend more calories than what you consume. Let’s say your normal diet is 2,500 calories and this is the amount of calories for maintaining your current weight. Your goal is to lose 10 to 15 pounds. If you can switch what you normally drink daily to only water (no juice, soda, Starbucks, coffee w/creamer and etc.), this would amount to consuming 500 less calories per day.

In a seven day period, that would equate to 3,500 calories or one pound. To add to this and increase your calorie deficit, let’s say you exercise at a high intensity for one hour three times a week. For the one hour of exercise, that’s approximately 500 to 800 calories expended depending on your intensity level. That would be about 1500 to 2400 extra calories saved in one week. This is about ½ to a 3rd of a pound in addition to the one pound you saved by switching to only drinking water!

So if you could just cut out all the soda, juice, coffee with creamer, alcohol, and etc, and throw in some high intensity exercise three times a week for one hour, you could be losing an average of 1 to 2 pounds per week, which is the ideal and most practical amount of weight to lose. Any more than 2 pounds per week will put your body in starvation mode and will result in gaining the weight back. Once your body begins to consume enough calories, it will hold on to those calories by storing it as fat to prepare the body for fasting again. This is why starving your body is not only unhealthy, but will usually result in gaining back the weight lost and then some. 

So if you're trying to lose 15 pounds and you switched to drinking only water and incorporated a one hour high intensity workout program for at least three times a week, in essence it would take you about 6 to 10 weeks to get to your ideal weight. It can be as simple as that!

Now for all you alcoholics, umm, I mean weekend party goers who like to drink socially! Let’s say you go out on Friday and/or Saturday night. Well, for most who like to go out on the weekend, we tend to have quite a few drinks, particularly beer. For the most part, the average beer is about 120 to 170 calories each. So if we have on average six beers in one night, and of course we know some people drink much more than six beers in one night, that’s an average of 145 calories per beer. Add up the total six beers you’ve had in one night and that amounts to a whooping 870 calories!! This is just for one night of a few drinks. Imagine if you do this on Friday and Saturday night, that’s 1,740 calories extra you’re adding to you diet in one weekend! Remember, you need a 3,500 calorie deficit to lose one pound of weight. That's almost half a pound you've gained back in one weekend.

Now if you do this on a regular basis, imagine if you just cut out the alcohol on the weekends. Add in some exercise and cut out all the extra soda, juice, Starbucks and/or coffee with creamer, imagine how much more weight you could actually lose!

I hope by you reading this article, maybe it will wake up some of you. I realize some of you will still want to have a couple drinks on the weekend or the occasional soda or glass of juice or even wine, but if you can begin to cut out all the excess drinks and add in some exercise throughout the week, you’ll see that you can make a difference. You'll make a difference in your appearance, weight, energy, and ultimately how you feel. So by doing this you can steer your path to greater health and fitness!

 

Jimmy Pember, NASM-CPT, Certified Fitness Specialist
All About Fitness
www.aafitness24x7.com

 ]]>Mon, 14 Dec 2009 09:03:16 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2009/12/need-your-comments.htmlPost up your comments! Let me know what you like about my classes! What are your favorite exercises? What are your least favorite exercises? What would you like to do more of? 
]]>Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:41:50 -0800http://aafitness24x7.com/1/post/2009/12/facts-to-common-diet-myths.htmlFacts to Common Diet Myths
Written by Jimmy Pember
December 13th, 2009

Myth:

Eating late at night will cause you to gain weight.

Fact:

Eating late at night will cause you to gain weight no more or less than eating at any time throughout the day. The fact is that weight gain is the result of eating more calories than a person can expend or burn through the day. For an example, if a person who normally burns 2000 calories in one day eats 500 calories more in that day, those extra calories will be converted to fat.

Now for a person to gain one pound of body fat, they will have to consume 3500 calories in excess of their normal caloric consumption. For a person to lose weight, they will have to have a caloric deficit of 3500 calories.

People who eat late at night have a tendency to eat more calorie dense foods and thus consume more calories, which can result in weight gain.
 

Myth:

Skipping meals will help you lose weight.

Fact:

Skipping meals does not help you to lose weight. In fact, skipping a meal will send a signal to you body, making it think that it is going into starvation mode. This results in your metabolism slowing down to compensate for the lack of calories. When you skip meals and/or starve yourself, your body wants to hang on to those calories from it’s last meal, thus slowing your metabolism. This is the exact opposite of what you want. 

Then the next meal you eat, you’ll tend to eat more to compensate, which usually results in more calories consumed. So the best approach is to eat smaller healthy meals throughout the day. 


Myth:

Certain foods, like grapefruit, celery, or cabbage, can burn fat and make you lose weight.

Fact:

I’m sure we’ve all heard of some sort of diet like the grapefruit diet, celery diet, or lemon juice diet or any diet that has some sort of magical ingredient in the food that will burn fat. The truth is that there is NO food you can eat that will burn fat or make you lose weight. The only way to lose weight is by exercising and eating less. 

 
Myth:

Eating red meat is bad for your health and makes it harder to lose weight.

Fact:

Red meat, as well as pork, chicken and fish do contain some cholesterol and saturated fats (one of the least healthy fats), but eating small portions of lean meats can add some healthy benefits to your diet. Lean meats contain the highest quality protein and all the essential amino acids that the body requires, which no single vegetarian food can provide. Don’t rule out red meats completely in your diet. When you do eat red meats, be sure to eat small portions of lean quality red meats. Low fat cut meats include beef round steak, tenderloin, sirloin tip, flank steak and extra lean ground beef. 

Pay close attention to your size proportion. Make sure your serving is no larger than the size of a deck of cards, which is about 3 to 4 ounces of cooked meat. A 3 oz portion of sirloin steak has approximately 219 calories.

  

Jimmy Pember, NASM-CPT, Fitness Specialist]]>