Before we get started I’d just like to make clear that I do not believe in spot reduction or single body part training. All my boot camp workouts are based around total body training, meaning that we train the lower body, upper body and core all in one workout. By training the whole body we maximize lean muscle gain, increase the metabolism and promote total body fat burning which will burn fat in all those trouble areas.

Furthermore, a diet that is high in lean protein, fiber and fruit and veg, low in refined sugars and starches is a must if you want to maximize your fat burning potential. Something you need to know is that you lose body fat in a genetically pre-determined way, it doesn’t matter how many crunches you do but without total body training and a healthy diet you’ll never trim up those problem areas.

Ok, so without delay here is one killer exercise you need to know. My favourite exercises for my boot camp clients are any sort of single leg type exercise. I prefer these type of exercises for a few reasons, firstly for people with back problems a single leg exercise allows them to safely perform lower body exercises without putting their lower back in jeopardy. Plus, I often see such strength and flexibility imbalances with my boot camp clients that it’s important to address one leg at a time to really shore up any weak links from the beginning.

My favourite lunge exercise is the Bulgarian split squat. We basically elevate the rear leg on a chair or bench usually 12-18 inches from the floor. Then place your front leg in front of you far enough forward to ensure the front knee is almost slightly behind the ankle which will take some pressure off your knees.

Begin the exercise by loading the front heel and dropping your hips down as low as possible (without feeling any pain) whilst keeping your chest up and staying tall with a straight back and shoulders down. Complete the rep by explosively driving through your front heel to return to the top of the movement. Start this exercise with bodyweight until you can comfortably get low enough where your front thigh is parallel with the floor, then progress the exercise by adding dumbbells. Once you have mastered the extra weight you can make the exercise even more effective by adding some extra movements into the exercise such as a shoulder press, bicep curl, or a bicep curl and shoulder press.

This is by far one of the most effective exercises for hitting the legs, plus it will give your hip flexors a great stretch which is the source of lower back pain for many people. Any exercise that simultaneously strengthens while stretches is one worth doing often. Now, leave those useless adductor and leg curl machines alone and get lunging for a bullet proof lower body!

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Dangerously Fit Personal Training

                          

Step Two – The What and When

What do you want to accomplish and when do you want to accomplish
it by?

We already figured out the obvious – you want to look better in the mirror.

So from a logistics standpoint and keeping things as cost effective as possible, there are three major ways I track “look better” progress with my clients, in order of importance from least to most important:

1.) Scale weight: This by far the least effective goal and something that far too many people get caught up on, but it gives a number worth tracking.

Even though body fat percentage would be a much better option, it’s too inaccurate for you to do by yourself and too expensive to hire someone who knows how to do it PROPERLY.

The key is too not weigh yourself on a regular basis, peoples weight fluctuates too much on daily basis due to hydration, menstrual cycles and diet. Your much better off weighing yourself when you begin, then every 2 weeks after that.

2.) Pant/Dress Size: This is the most simple and effective way of tracking whether or not you look better. For most people I think I’d be right in saying that if you drop a few pant/dress sizes you’ll be looking better.

Pick a dress or set of pants that you’d really like to get into, don’t be conservative – if it’s a size 6 dress then say it’s a size 6 dress. Don’t dilute your goals because you think it’s unattainable!

3.) Digital pictures: Pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. There’s no better way of assessing whether you look better than with pictures. This is important so do don’t skip this. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling everybody that you’re ready to and committed to change.

Take pictures of what you would like to fit into or something that you think will look good on you. If your goal is to get abs then take a picture of your abs, if you want to lose weight around the hips then take a picture of your hips.

Take pictures from the front, side and rear and note the conditions you took the pictures in (lighting, time of day/week etc) be as accurate as possible. Take pictures bi-weekly or monthly until you reach your goal. Clients that have seen amazing results who failed to take before pictures had nothing but regret. Your pictures will become your trophy and a reminder of the ‘dark days’.

Step Three – Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks

What are the biggest obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?

Now you know what your goals are you need to plan for any obstacles you might run into along the way.

One of the most common excuses I hear is… “I’m too busy or too tired to train”.

I don’t care how busy you are, everyone has at least 30 minutes a day when they can train. Whatever your excuse may be you need to have a plan to ensure you don’t fall into the same old trap.

It might just come down to a case of prioritizing, if your goals were important enough to you when you started your fitness journey then they deserve some priority – how important are your goals to you?

Set an appointment with yourself and keep it, don’t make excuses and don’t procrastinate – usually once you begin a workout it’s a lot more fun than you think. Don’t talk yourself out of something and try to justify it later – be honest with yourself.

OK, now you should have your goals written down and a timeframe you want to accomplish them by. Is it scale weight, dress/pant size – do you want to get into shape for a friends wedding? Be specific!

What are the roadblocks? How will you overcome them? You should have it all written down.

Now…

Put these answers and your before pictures somewhere you will see them everyday, if you feel like missing a workout or ordering take away instead of cooking at home – look at your plan and stay focused.

Till next time.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Personal Trainer Sydney

                          

A large part of my client’s success stories is due to our fat burning workouts and nutrition system, I have read countless scientific research, through trial and error I have put together a system that flat out works – and we’ve got many client case studies to prove it.

But, today I’m going to share something more powerful, something that must be set in place before you can even start to think about following a fitness program.

So what do you think is the real secret behind many of my client’s successes?

If you said it was my training and nutrition system then you’d be wrong, even the best programs out there are worthless if someone is unwilling to follow them carefully.

It’s been said that you can take a poor program, follow it carefully and get amazing results.

Or…

Take a great program, follow it poorly and get lousy results.

So it appears that the most important component of changing your body is finding the right motivation to stay focused on achieving your goals – and that’s what I’m going to talk about today.

I’m going to get right into the actual consultation process that each of our clients goes through before they start working with us. This is such an important aspect to our client’s success that we require it for any new client to be considered into joining our program.

Now first I must warn you.

If you think goal setting is a load of fluff and just a big waste of time you should stop reading NOW, there’s nothing I can do for you – you’re not ready change your body.

The truth is that the most successful people out there, and not just in weight loss success, but in any situation whether it’s business, sport, lifestyle etc are totally goal driven.

These people know exactly what their goals are and why they want to accomplish them.

Not only that, they have a plan of attack and have contingencies for any kind of roadblock they face along the way.

This is what I want to talk about today.

Before we start get a pen and paper and write down the answers to these questions.

Step One – Figure out the Why

Why do you want to do this?

This is where you need to be honest with yourself. In nearly every consult I’ve ever done I hear the same blanket response – every time.

”Not sure really, just wanna get fit and healthy I spose”

Wrong answer!

I’m sure they do want to get fit and healthy – who wouldn’t. But, that’s not why they’ve come to see me, getting up at 5am to train in the dark in winter time is not a powerful enough motivator (though it should be).

Let’s face it: everybody, including YOU, wants to look better when you look in the mirror. You know it’s true and frankly that’s okay because the desire to improve
your appearance is the most powerful motivator there is.

So after their initial response and some digging by me I usually get to the real reason. We find their past pain and failures and then establish new goals and future ambitions.

For some it’s being able to feel comfortable to take their shirt off at the beach, others may want to fit into clothes that looked good on them 5-10 years ago.

It all works, these are the powerful goals that will keep you focused and motivated.

So the first thing you need to establish is the WHY.

Be sure to check back tomorrow to read part 2 of this blogpost

Till then.

Train Hard!

Dan Clay
Personal Trainer Sydney