Urbanathlon
Good luck to our Urbanathlon team on April 21st. I’ve been following the training program closely on Facebook and it looks awesome.

Week 1 Urbanathlon Training - 'Tyre Flippin' @ Rushcutters Bay Park

We’ve been getting quite a few e-mails regarding some upcoming events, as always Dangerously Fit is always keen to enter… we just need to make sure we have enough numbers.

So if any of the programs below interest you let us know by emailing enquiry at bootcampsydney.com.au and we’ll put on a training program for you.

Tough Bloke Challenge – 30th June & July 1st
“The Tough Bloke Challenge is a rope swinging, mud crawling, leg busting 6km obstacle course from hell! Do you have what it takes to conquer 18 hair raising obstacles including the infamous Hells Gate? Open to tough blokes and chicks willing to push themselves to the limits in the ultimate test of toughness. Get ready for Mud, Sweat and Tears!”

Click here for more info -> http://www.toughblokechallenge.com.au <-

City To Surf – August 12th
“City2Surf is the world’s largest run and Sydney’s favourite sporting event. Join 80,000 people on the 14km journey from Hyde Park in Sydney’s CBD to Bondi Beach.”

Click here for more info -> http://www.city2surf.com.au <-

Toughmudder – September 22nd & 23rd.
“Tough Mudder events are hardcore 20 km-long obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses and half a million inspiring participants, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.”

Click here for more info -> http://toughmudder.com.au <-

If you would like to join a training program for any of these events please email enquiry at bootcampsydney.com.au.

                          

Get A Two Week Test Drive Of Dangerously Fit Boot Camp For Only $1….

…Then A 50% Discount Off Your First Month!

Offer Only Valid For The First 10 People To Register!!!

 

Just Enter Your Contact Details Below To Claim Your Spot….
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Tel: 1800 791 446
E-mail: enquiry @bootcampsydney.com.au

“At Last… A Balmoral Beach Boot Camp That Will Quickly Tone Your Muscles, Shed Unwanted Fat And Make You Look And Feel Great…
…Guaranteed!”

Don’t Just Take My Word For It…
…Check Out What Some Of My Sydney Boot Camp Clients Have To Say…

Click Here To Check Out Some Of Our Amazing Boot Camp Success Stories

                          

I injured my rotator cuff (shoulder) years ago in an accident and it flared up again over the summer while I was hitting the weights pretty hard.

I managed to maintain my strength while I was away on vacation with some basic bodyweight exercises and working round the injury, but I’ve been itching to get back into some proper training again.

As soon as I got back from my hols I had some remedial massage work done, the guy that fixes me up is excellent but could work for at an interrogation camp. He doesn’t mess around when it comes to giving a thorough massage.

Having someone stick their fingers underneath your shoulder blade into muscles and ligaments that have never been touched before isn’t my idea of fun, but 2 weeks later it’s feeling much better.

I felt surprisingly strong for my first day back and could have done much more , but stopped myself from doing too much too soon. Ill have to build up the volume and intensity gradually over the coming months.

I love training outside down at Bondi Beach, the weathers beginning to warm up and I’m looking forward to daylight savings so we can train later in the afternoon.

Here’s the workout;

5-minute dynamic warm up with shoulder exercises (for injury).

Chin ups 3 sets of 10 reps
Kettlebell clean and press 3 sets of 10

Chin ups (reverse grip) 3 sets of 10 reps
Kettlebell snatch 3 sets of 10

5 minute cool down and stretch.

It’s amazing how good you can feel after one good workout – I can’ wait to get back into full swing again.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit
Boot Camp and Personal Training

>> Check Out Some Of Our Bondi Beach Boot Camp Clients <<

                          

The gym at my hotel was pretty basic but as always on holiday I took a set of Olympic rings with me for some outdoor training. On my first attempt I hooked the rings over the only tree I could see that had branches (most of the trees around were palm trees), within 2 mins I had to move to another site coz I was getting attacked by giant green tree ants. After walking around for a while looking for another tree I found a kids playground which became my gym for the rest of my time in port Douglas.

I then flew to Darwin for next leg of my trip where men are men and so are the women. Unlike port Douglas I decided to stay in a backpackers and although noisy was lots of fun as I got to meet more people. I love Darwin – there’s always something to do, the place is buzzing 7 days a week and the town is very new and happening. The markets are great and the sunsets are the best I’ve seen anywhere in the world and literally draw in thousands on people.

I was also lucky to be there for the beer can regatta which only takes pace once a year, this involves drinking as much beer as possible throughout the day then racing boats made from beer cans and round a buoy about 100 metres out. Luckily everyone made it back without drowning – they sure love a drink in the Northern Territory.

After spending 5 days in Darwin I booked a 3 day camping trip to Kakadu National Park which turned out to be the highlight of the trip. Our tour guide was a great laugh and had me in stitches the whole trip, he’s a combination of Steve Irwin, Rodney rude and Crocodile Dundee.

Kakadu is an amazing place and far exceeded my expectations, everyday we were swimming in waterfalls looking at incredible scenery and viewing aboriginal artwork – some up to 50 thousand years old. You couldn’t go swimming in many places as many of the billabongs and creeks are infested with big crocs, but there are plenty of places that are safe.

During the trip we saw just heaps of wildlife including snakes, lizards, buffalo, dingo, saltwater crocs, freshwater crocs, sea eagles, kites, huge 7 meter termite mounds, rock wallaby’s and jabiru’s. We also saw jumping crocodiles in Adelaide river which is the only place in the world you can see a tour like this in the wild.

I booked a tour barramundi fishing and caught my first barra, we were swimming lures past the noses of 5 metre crocs but it wasn’t really the best time for barra fishing as it’s the ‘cold season’ (33 degrees is cold for the Territorians) but we still was caught around a dozen fish up to 75cm in length. We were eating barramundi for days and got so sick of it I gave the rest away to people in the hostel.

I got a ride to Litchfield National Park with two Irish backpackers I was staying with, like Kakadu the gorges and waterfalls are amazing and we spent the day swimming in different waterholes and looking at the incredible scenery.

Unlike Port Douglas I couldn’t train outdoors, it was just too hot for me. I found a good gym 5 minutes from where I was staying and managed to get a workout in everyday I wasn’t on a tour.

Well I can honestly say that it’s great to be back, one of the best things about going away on a long trip is coming back feeling totally relaxed and refreshed. I’m fortunate enough to have job I love and what better place to do it than Sydney’s parks and beaches.

Ill personally be hitting the training hard through August, although I managed to train 3-4 times per week while I was away Ive eaten out too much and will get back into good shape before it begins to warm up in September.

Training in the gym in Darwin was a nice change but I’ve missed training outdoors with kettlebells and sandbags, as much as I love the warmer climate it’s a lot easier training in colder conditions.

All through this week we’ll again be having fitness test’s at our Sydney boot camps, if you’ve been here through July be sure to come to these sessions so you know how much your fitness has improved. If your still thinking about getting started now’s a good time to before the September rush.

I look forward to training you again this week – see you soon.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit

                          

It’s been a while since my last post, it’s been a hectic couple of weeks with the March boot camps starting up again. We’ve had a flying start to this months boot camps – we saw great results from everyone last month and we’re aiming to do one better this month. We’re also bringing in a nutritionist that will be supplying a weight loss plan and will be giving us ongoing support through our soon to be launched Dangerously Fit community site (more on that soon).

So for today I’m just going to leave with a really cool video clip I came across yesterday, check out the surfer dude – he’s insane!

Everything is Possible – The most popular videos are here

Speak soon.

Dan
Dangerously Fit

                          

But now I’m in the best position of my life both physically and financially and I only go to the gym once a week to lift really heavy stuff – for fun.

The other 3 training sessions are all done outdoors in the park or at the beach with only the use of Olympic rings, sandbags, kettlebells, bodyweight and med-balls – all tools that we use at our boot camps.

It’s funny but as soon as I stopped working and training at the gym my life instantly got better.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to imply that leaving the gym was the only reason for a turn in events, but it just worked out that way.

Here are 5 reasons why NOT to go to the gym…

1. Waiting for equipment
This used to drive me nuts. I reckon I’d waste a quarter of my valuable workout time waiting for equipment. Not only are you getting cold whilst you’re waiting but it’s impossible to finish your workout without spending an extra 15-20 minutes in the gym – and who wants that?

Either build your own home gym, join a fitness boot camp or use the jungle gym at parks and beaches – that’s what they’re there for.

2. People bugging you
Now I don’t know if people just used to bug me because I was a trainer but I’d spend half the time answering people’s questions. I’m not anti-social but if I’m training the last thing I want is to be asked questions when I’m In mid workout – if you need advice then hire a trainer. My Info Is reserved for my personal training and boot camp clients!

I was once asked a question mid bench press whilst listening to my I pod!

Then there’s always the guy that spends the whole time walking around the gym giving bad advice to unexpecting victims even though he’s In terrible shape himself – every gym has one, he’s the in house know it all.

3. Expensive memberships
What a con! Gyms are nearly as bad as banks. You pay hundreds of dollars for a membership card so you have the privilege to pay them a monthly membership fee – cheers!

Then you get locked into a long term contact with no way out (unless you give them more money).

For the all the money you spend on gym fees spend a few bucks on some useful pieces of home training equipment and use it for a lifetime with no more fees.

4. Useless equipment
A little secret in the fitness industry is that all those shining fancy machines you see in gyms are actually useless. I haven’t used machines for years because they don’t work – they don’t allow your body to move in the natural way it was designed to and often lead to overuse injuries.

If you want to be lean and toned forget about the machines, get yourself some dumbbells/ kettlebells, Olympic rings and you make your very own gym.

5. Rubbish trainers
The truth is most trainers suck. Some of these big franchise gyms (mention no names) churn through trainers so fast they simply cannot keep up with the demand of their massively high membership rates. So they hire trainer’s fresh out of 3 month fast track certification course and throw them on the floor. Many of these trainers have no experience training clients and by looking at them don’t have experience training themselves.

It’s time to try something new!

Get out of your comfort zone.

Get out of the gym.

Get outdoors.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously fit
www.bootcampsydney.com.au

                          

Do you have a plan?

Have you been keeping track of your progress?

Are you doing something everyday to bring you closer to your goals?

How close are you to achieving your new year’s resolutions?

If your goal is to lose 12 kilos this year have you already lost 2?

Time goes fast so don’t waste it, if your goal is to get into shape don’t procrastinate – start TODAY.

It doesn’t matter if you’re behind, work a little harder and make up for it.

Often people who fail to reach their goals are unsuccessful because they do not outline their expectations, establish appropriate timeframes and evaluate the results of past programs.

Try using this 4 step V.P.I.C training model;
1.Visualize – Have a vision of exactly what it is you’re trying to accomplish.

2.Plan – How you will get there, what you need to get there, what could prevent you from getting there.

3.Implement – Begin training, schedule training sessions and think of them as appointments.

4.Close – Review last program, what went right – what didn’t, what can be improved? Begin planning and implementing next program.

There’s nothing you can do about the past 2 months – they’re gone forever, but unless you start today before you know it we’ll be in 2010.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay

                          

This mornings workout…

Fitness Test
Maximum push ups in 60 seconds
Maximum plank hold
1000 metre run

Partner workout
Partner up with someone of a similar fitness level, 2 exercises per station, 1 partner performs one exercise and the other partner performs the second exercise. At the end of the 60 seconds compare rep count and change exercises – try to perform more reps than your partner.

Station 1. Push ups and squats
Station 2. Squat thrusts and barrier jump
Station 3. Dips and step ups
Station 4. Burpees and Mountain climbers
Station 5. Sit ups and lunges

Enjoy

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Boot Camp Sydney
Boot Camp Centennial Park

                          

So without further delay…

The No-Crunch Six-Pack Abs System:

Step 1- Is to burn the fat that sitting on your abs

A.) Eat well and elevate your metabolism

Drink between 2-4 cups of water as soon as wake in the morning and then drink between 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity.

Eat as soon as wake in the morning and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feeds per day (3 meals, 3 snacks – half the size of your meals, workout nutrition)

Focus on a wide range of lean proteins, natural fats, fruits and veggies

Sample One-Day Menu:

Breakfast – Scrambled Eggs, Greens

Mid-Morning Snack – Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice

Lunch – Chicken, or Shrimp Caesar Salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack- Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice

Dinner – Grilled fish and salad/veggies

Pre-Bed Snack- Protein Shake

Take a whole food based multi-vitamin and fish/flax seed oil.

Reduce carbohydrates:

Step 1- Eliminate white carbs and instead use 100% whole grain carbs, replace refined sugars with natural sugars.

Step 2- Reduce all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast

Step 3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies

Step 4- Replace all fruits with green veggies

B.) Workout to lose fat and increase your metabolism

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- Perform Total Body Circuit Strength Training

Sample Total Body Circuit Strength Workout- 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)

50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 s of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5 minute circuit up to four times for a 20 minute total body workout:

1. Reverse lunges
2. Press up
3. Squats
4. Inverted rows
5. Medicine ball wood chop

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday- Perform Interval Training

Sample Cardio Interval Training Workout- 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)

30-30’s- Alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 seconds of active recovery. Perform this 1 minute round up to 20 x for 20 total minutes.

Step 2- Abs are built for stabilization, so train them that way

Here is one of my favourite core routines I use at our boot camps. It doesn’t involve sit up’s
but instead just pillar stabilization exercises. Once you master these awesome exercises and follow everything else you’ll have 6 pack abs in no time.

Tabata Style Pillar Workout

This killer 20 min whole body core workout uses just pillar stabilization exercises. The pillar involves working the core, hips and shoulders.

Alternate the exercises below betweens 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest. Repeat this 30 second exercise 8 times for a total of 4 minutes followed by 1 minute rest and transition before changing to the next exercise.

To perform these exercises correctly tighten your abs whilst squeezing your glutes (butt) and keep a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.

Exercise 1- Plank (static or dynamic)

Exercise 2- Left plank (static or dynamic)

Exercise 3- Right plank Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise 4- Back pillar (static or dynamic)

Let me know how you get on.

Till next time…

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit

                          

But for many people it doesn’t matter how many crunches or sit-ups we do it never seems to happen. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me the following question:

“Everyday I do hundreds of sit ups and crunches but I still have fat around my midsection. How come?

Well before I reveal the 6 pack system, first I’m going to debunk some very important myths regarding how to get 6 pack abs.

Myth 1. You must lose weight to see your abs.

This is not entirely true, the focus should be on fat loss rather than weight loss.

The reason?

Your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (muscle, bone, water, organs etc). The key is to minimize your fat mass and increase your lean body mass to ramp up your metabolism, a body that starves fat and builds muscle like clockwork.

So if you lose 8 kilos of scale weight but lose some lean muscle in the process you will slow down your metabolism, decrease performance and lose muscle tone.

However…

If you lose 8 kilos on the scale but keep your lean muscle you increase your performance, increase muscle tone and lose mostly body fat.

The scale has far too many variables to account for that lead to frequent fluctuations such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. I firmly believe one should NOT keep a scale at their home- it is such an anchor, particularly for women. Get off the scale and get over the numbers. The true goal is fat loss, not weight loss. Focus on clothing size reduction, digital before and after pictures, and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking.

Myth 2- Doing lot’s of abs training will burn stomach fat

Spot reduction doesn’t work. You can’t train a region of the body and expect to lose body fat in that area. Nearly everyone you see does crunches but only a few people will do total body workouts so why isn’t more people walking around with flat stomachs and fat arms, legs etc. Spot reduction doesn’t work!

Everybody loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when you create a calorie deficit through proper dietary habits and the correct training methods. So the best way to train is to focus your training around burning as many calories as possible by training your whole body every workout and not just your abs. Big exercises that work more than one muscle at a time like push ups, chin ups, squats, lunges etc burn far more calories than working one muscle at a time like crunches and sit ups. So make sure you focus your training around these big movements and only do specific abs work to supplement the rest of your training.

Myth 3- Sit ups and crunches are the N0.1 exercise for abs

The scientific term for your six-pack muscles are your rectus abdominis. For years now, we have been conditioned to think that the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these trunk flexion exercises make the muscles you want to see in the mirror “burn.” However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension, not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position, your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.

So, we focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (also know as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your superficial ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscles, or your deep abdominal stabilizers, that wrap around your spine and support your internal organs. Strengthening these inner ab muscles is the key to optimal posture and performance in addition to injury prevention, yet another benefit to performing pillars over primitive crunches and sit-ups that often cause unwanted neck and back pain.

Myth 4- Long bouts of cardio will burn fat and reveal your abs

Real world case studies and scientific studies prove that aerobic training for fat loss alone isn’t the most efficient way to train. Whole body resistance training is the best way to train for fat loss. Furthermore HIIT (interval training) has been scientifically proven to burn nine times more body fat than ordinary exercise. At our boot camps we combine resistance training and interval training to combine the best of both worlds.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for part 2 of The Six Pack Abs System.

Till then.

Dan Clay