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July 2010

Training Tips

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Training Tips

Start a training program

Many people want to start a training program, but don’t know how to do it. To this end, we have included a basic outline of what you need to know to get started. The first thing to consider before even beginning, however, is what your goals are.

Exercise & Health

At Fitness Results our philosophy is simple: it’s all about choices. To get the results that you desire, you must make the right choices. Thus, our major focus is teaching our clients how to be successful in weighing lifestyle options.

Planning an exercise program

We are a personalized training facility. All of our clients are on specific exercise programs based upon a number of factors. The following factors help structure individual programs.

Aerobic Programs

Aerobic exercise has many different functions, including weight loss, health improvement and maintaining a specific level of fitness. To each of these ends, the type of program we recommend will be different. Most importantly, one must understand maintaining a target heart rate and perceived exhaustion.

Start a training program

Many people want to start a training program, but don’t know how to do it. To this end, we have included a basic outline of what you need to know to get started. The first thing to consider before even beginning, however, is what your goals are.

Develop a plan – Set your goals.
Do you want to lose fat, tone up, build muscle or build strength?

There should be short- and long-term goals that are flexible and serious.

Short-term goals are phases; they continually change as your health and fitness improve.

Set aside time for a fitness program. Do you have 3 or 4 days per week? There is a direct correlation between time spent and your goals being met. Have realistic expectations.

Where do you work out? Do you have a home gym or do you belong to a club? Can you visit either one regularly? Consistency is very important. Be realistic.

Design and exercise program. When selecting an exercise, you need to look at the risks versus the rewards. If one exercise has more risks than another exercise, and they both have the same benefit, choose the one with the least risks involved.

Build a Solid Foundation.
At the beginning of a training program, you are not trying to build muscle.

Develop your coordination skills. This is known as a muscle groove. Muscles learn how to work through a range of motions and stresses. This is the time start learning the proper form for each exercise.

Learn what your muscle tolerance is. Start with a very light weight and wait to see how your body responds. You want to be aware of the duration of soreness.

Note: You don’t have to be sore, but if you are, it should not last for more than 24 hours. If you are, you are using too much weight, doing too many sets or reps, or not taking enough rest between sets.

Building Muscle
Build a foundation. Learn proper form, as the weight increases it is more difficult to keep good form. Form is Essential! Training your muscle groups, not your ego. You should never sacrifice form for more weight or more reps.

It’s important to know how many sets to do and when to stop. Do not overtrain. You’re better off under-training than over-training. Stick to your plan and don’t get caught up in to the endorphin rush. More is not always better. Here are some helpful hints for some of the main muscle groups:

The leg muscles are the largest muscle groups and need to be trained with more sets. Usually between 8-12 sets, but building up to that many sets is a necessity. Starting off with 8 sets could be detrimental to any health or fitness goal. Since they are trained harder, they need a longer recovery period. Train about once per week.

The back muscles are the next largest group and should be trained for 6-10 sets; they also need about a week for recovery.

The chest is a slightly smaller muscle group with about 5-7 sets, again about a week’s recovery.

The shoulders are made up of a lot of smaller muscles working from different angles. They require more sets, from 6-9, and many different movements.

Biceps and Triceps (Arms) are smaller, requiring fewer sets (from 2-4), but can be trained more frequently, even as often as every 48 hours, with the right program. These examples will vary from individual to individual and program to program.

Intense Training
Each set should be a maximum work set. This means that you never save anything for the next set. Unless, of course, if it’s a warm-up set. (We will talk more about warm-up sets later) Sometimes intense training gets confused with more sets of training, more isn’t necessary; the truth is that it matters how well the sets are performed. Stay in the best form possible, force the extra reps out instead of giving up.

Warming Up

  1. Warming up gets your muscles and mind ready for working out.
  2. Warming up increases heart rate and blood flow to all of your muscles.
  3. It prepares you body for exercise. You will receive the best benefits from working out if you muscles are ready.
  4. Most importantly, you can decrease you chances of injury.

Planning an exercise program

Planning a Fitness Program

We are a personalized training facility. All of our clients are on specific exercise programs based upon a number of factors. The following factors help structure individual programs.

Goals
Depending upon the desired goals of the individual, an exercise plan is formulated that will provide the client with the safest and fastest results. If you main goal is weight reduction, we incorporate resistance training at least three times a week, along with a substantial aerobic program and nutrition program. Likewise, if you are not overweight, but are not physically fit either, we will target specific areas of interest including increased strength while at the same time increasing aerobic capacity and teaching diet modifications. Many other factors, including working around existing injuries, limited flexibility or health ailments including heart conditions, diabetes, etc. must be taken into account

Assessment
All clients are required to see a physician if they exhibit evidence of two or more risk factors. Upon obtaining a release from their physician, a general health assessment is made including current strength level, aerobic capacity and diet. Assessments should only be done by a trained professional because of the risk involved in self-assessment. Pre-existing physical conditions can drastically affect how an exercise plan is designed, thus for safety anyone considering any exercise and nutrition plan should consult with a trained professional.

Lifestyle

Commitment to any type of program requires taking into account the current lifestyle of the client. For example, if a client travels on a regular basis, the program and recommendations we make will be different than for someone who has uninterrupted access to a fitness facility. The recognition that one’s lifestyle is not conducive to achieving their goals is often the first major step that any client takes. The willingness to change the undesirable elements in their lifestyle can make all of the difference between success and failure. We can show you the way and help you do it, but we cannot do it for you. You must be accountable for your own actions.

Some Impressive Numbers!

Meet Nancy and Patrick

They both started coming to Fitness Results less than a year ago, in October 2009. Since then, Nancy has lost an amazing 48 1/2 pounds, and Patrick has dropped 69 pounds!

Nancy’s body fat has been lowered by 9% and Patrick has lost 10% body fat. That is incredible. This just shows that hard work really does pay off.

Both Nancy and Patrick have lost a combined 20 inches of their waist line and are feeling fantastic.

(BEFORE)

Do you have the motivation and drive to produce numbers like Patrick and Nancy? At Fitness Results, we believe anyone can meet their fitness goals andwe are here to help!  You can be shedding pounds and gaining a new, happy, healthier lifestyle.


(AFTER)

ONLY 9 MONTHS LATER!

RAISING THE BAR ON WELLNESS

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RAISING THE BAR ON WELLNESS: Fitness Results Provides On-the-Job Fitness for Health Conscious Employers

Visit LA VERNE ONLINE and read an interview with Lance McCullough about Fitness Results. Here’s a sneak peek:

Fitness Results' Upland, Calif., fitness center.Fitness Results’ Upland, Calif., fitness center.

An Interview with Fitness Results owner Lance McCullough:

Fitness Results has been a longtime fitness advocate in the community, helping individual clients achieve their health and fitness goals through personal training. What’s the impetus driving your new Wellness Results campaign?

Well, it’s not necessarily new. We’re simply redoubling our efforts to promote fitness and wellness in a corporate setting. While we’ve trained thousands of clients over the years at our two beautiful facilities over, we realize many people, especially working traditional nine-to-five hours, can’t even carve out an hour or half-hour a day because of their busy work schedules. So we’re focused on bringing fitness to them.

Did you know that only 40% of the public exercises regularly? That means 60% do not. Of the 40%, only 7% to 8% exercise at the proper intensity level and duration to have significant health benefits. Lack convenience has a lot to do with that. That’s why we’re bringing fitness to the workplace.

Click here to read more!

Fat Facts

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Saturated and Unsaturated

Fats on the chemical level are carbon chains not dissimilar to sugars. Each atom of carbon can form four chemical bonds. Since these carbon atoms are the base or “backbone” of the carbon chain, they require at least two bonds to keep them in the chain. The other bonds may be to other types of atoms (single bonds) or carbon atoms (double bonds).

H     H
|      |
H — C — C — H
|      |
H     H		 H          H
|           |
C = C = C
|           |
H          H

Single Bonds: — or |
Double Bonds: = or ||

Note that each carbon has a total of four bonds to it. Because carbon is so versatile in nature, there are virtually limitless combinations of these carbon chains.

The molecular structure of carbon is how its saturation is determined. Since carbon chains with only single bonds have the maximum possible number of other atoms attached to them, they are known as saturated fats. Carbon chains with double bonds are unsaturated, since they do not hold the maximum number of atoms. Monounsaturated fats have only one double bond, while polyunsaturated fats have two or more double bonds.

Essential Fatty Acids


 10 to 20% of your daily caloric intake should come from essential unsaturated fatty acids. These come mainly from animal products, but can be found in some quantity in plants, or can be taken by way of supplementation.

We recommend about three servings of fish per week, because fish have one of the most often overlooked types of fatty acids. The omega fatty acids aid in cardiovascular and digestive wellness. The omega fatty acids can be found in avocados or olives, but these should be used carefully due to their high saturated fat content. Oils and nuts are also good sources for the omega and other fatty acids.

Caution with Caffeine

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Caffeine: Pros and Cons

Caffeine is a mild stimulant, found in substances such as coffee, chocolate, and soda. It can cause fluctuations in psychomotor reaction time and increased sleep latency. It passes directly from the blood to the brain and affects many neurotransmitters. No long-term serious health problems have been conclusively linked to caffeine, but many concerns are still evident, especially about the dependence on caffeine as a drug.

It takes, on average, three to four hours to metabolize and clear half of the caffeine in the body. Age and consistency of use will affect this rate, just as they do alcohol tolerance.

The highest concentration of caffeine in the body occurs about 30 to 60 minutes after consumption. Caffeine can linger in the brain for nine to fifteen hours.

Caffeine deprivation, especially to those who use caffeine on a regular basis, can cause symptoms such as decreased vigor, increased fatigue, and headaches. Deterioration of mood is also evident.

Caffeine has positive effects, such as increased alertness and clear-headedness, but its negative effects, such as the headaches from withdrawal, do not justify the few advantages.

People and Protein

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Protein: The Building Block of Muscle


Protein is very important in any diet, but even more so for people in a weight-loss or weight-training program. Proteins are the building blocks of muscle tissue. Without protein, muscle tissue will not build. There are many different theories regarding protein intake, but the truth is that your protein consumption should be dependent on your level of activity. Those with higher levels of activity will need more protein, but even sedentary individuals need to get protein in their diets.

We recommend that smaller amounts of protein be consumed at multiple intervals during the day rather than a single, high-protein meal at one point.

Proteins, especially those from meat, contain various toxins that need to be dealt with by the body’s digestive system. The average man should consume 40-50g of protein per meal at each meal throughout the day. The average woman will need slightly less, about 25-35g per meal. This translates to about 4-6oz of meat, or a serving about the size of a deck of cards. For dairy products, check the product label to find out how much a serving should be. When counting protein, only count the main source at a meal. For example, when eating a steak and some vegetables, only count the protein from the steak.

In addition, the protein should be very lean. For meat, get the leanest cut possible. For dairy, try low-fat or non-fat products. It is the cut, not the species that determines the fat content of meat. Always select the leanest cuts. A skinless chicken breast is always a good choice, but a drumstick or thigh would not be. Some people think that ground turkey is always good, but even ground turkey can have more fat in it than extra-lean ground beef.

It is harder for vegetarians to get the protein that they need. Due to the nature of protein, vegetarians will need to consume protein from many different sources to get all of the necessary amino acids. Vegetables and vegetable products are not whole proteins, and as such they lack in amino acids. A dependence on specific foods can lead to an amino deficiency. Eating a variety of foods or using supplements can offset this.

Rodney Harris Tackles His Life Head On

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Read about one of our great trainers, Rodney Harris, at LaVerne Online!

Here’s a little peak….

Fitness Phenom Rodney Harris Tackles Life Head On

Rodney Harris returns an interception against Nebraska.

The following is Rodney’s story, and the best part of the story is, it’s not over yet. It’s still developing, and you, the reader, might even play a part.

It’s the story about the presence of God, and letting Him take over when your back is against the wall and your neck is broken. It’s about never letting anybody put the fire out in your quest to make a difference in this world. It’s a story about making Plan B work, when God says “No” to Plan A.

Fitness Phenom Rodney Harris Tackles Life Head On

Curious about Carbs?

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The keys to good nutrition are balance, variety and moderation. To stay healthy, your body needs the right balance of carbohydrates, fats, and protein –the three main components of nutrition.


You also need vitamins, minerals and other substances from many different foods, and while some foods are better than others, no single food or food group has it all–so eating a variety of different foods is essential.

Moderation means eating neither too much nor too little of any food or nutrient. Too much food can result in excess weight and even too much of certain nutrients, while eating too little can lead to numerous nutrient deficiencies and low body mass.

Carbohydrates: Carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source. However, if carbohydrate intake is greater than the body’s energy requirement, carbohydrates are easily stored as fat.



Carbohydrates are the body’s main fuel source

After initial digestion, the body breaks down these hydrocarbons into their component sugars, which in turn are used by the cells to create energy. This energy, stored as Adenosine Tri-Phosphate, is then used to power bodily functions. However, if carbohydrate intake is greater than the body’s energy requirement, carbohydrates are easily stored as fat.

There are two classes of carbohydrates simple and complex at Fitness Results we added a third group to make it easier Fibrous carbohydrates we put vegetables in this group especially green, leafy vegetables the reason is we have never had a client have a problem from eating to many vegetables the other carbohydrates also have fiber but can tend to be more difficult to portion control. Filling up on fibrous carbohydrates is preferable to other carbohydrates, as the fiber in them is indigestible. You still get all the vitamins and minerals, but you get fewer calories. .

Complex carbohydrates are the breads, potatoes, and pastas. Carbohydrate-sensitive people (described below) need to be extremely careful of these, but everyone should be aware of their Complex carbohydrates intake. These are a good source of energy, but also easy for the body to store as fat.

Simple carbohydrates are sugars and other carbohydrates that are used by the body for a quick and fleeting boost of energy. Aside from man-made sweeteners and sugars, fruits fall into this category. While fruits are necessary in moderation, additional sweeteners are by no means required for a healthy diet and should be avoided whenever possible.

Are You Carbohydrate-Sensitive?


Carbohydrate-sensitive people get a bigger insulin response from carbohydrates. When they eat carbohydrates, their insulin level rises, making them store more fat. It then drops, making them hungry. They get caught up in a cycle of over eating that’s hard to break. People who are carbohydrate-sensitive commonly exhibit hunger swings, headaches and irritability when they haven’t eaten. Also, there are sometimes no signs from the body telling these people to stop eating, which results in chronic overeating.

Everyone should be aware of the food that they eat, but people who are no carbohydrate-sensitive tend not to have as much of a problem. As a rule, carbohydrates should be eaten in the ratio of about one to two times the amount of protein consumed.

Why Fitness Results?

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Why Fitness Results?

 

No long-term contracts. No monthly fees.

An Appointment Only Gym

Fitness Results is a private, by appointment only gym. Clients pay per visit with no monthly membership dues and no long-term contracts. They work one-on-one with a trainer, which allows the clients to stay focused on their goals with no distractions in a non-intimidating environment.

Professional Staff

At Fitness Results we pride ourselves in the integrity and professionalism of our experienced staff to train clients safely and effectively. Our trainers are AFAA-certified and have a proficient working knowledge of:

  • Fitness testing procedures
  • Obesity, nutrition & weight control
  • Special populations & special medical considerations
  • Behavior modification techniques
  • Listening, leadership and motivational skills

Free Consultation

We are a personalized training facility. All of our clients are on specific exercise programs based upon a number of factors. A general health assessment is made including current strength level, aerobic capacity and diet. All of our pre-training client assessments are done by a trained professionals.

State-of-the-Art EquiptmentAt Fitness Results we have state of the art equipment like Magnum’s new Bi-Angular machines.

 

The Biangular mechanism guides the human body through motion that comes naturally, rather than forcing the user to define their own path of motion. Magnum accomplishes this with multiple, ergonomically designed handles and Biangular technology based on the orgins and insertions of muscles.

We also run a full line of Star Trac cardio equipment in our technologically-current gym and workout environments.

 

Our Trainers

 

Fitness Results clients are trained by some of the most knowledgeable professional trainers in the southern California region. Our AFAA-certified personal trainers have studied basic exercise physiology, anatomy and kinesiology. They are also learned in the theoretical information and practical application of fitness assessments, exercise

Lance McCullough
AFAA certified trainer

Lance is an AFAA-certified personal trainer with over ten years of professional training experience. Additionally, he brings nearly twenty years of his own workout experience to the table. Lance’s training has aided him in winning numerous awards, including the AAU World Bench Press Championships in 1998.

 

For more information on how to bring the Fun ‘N Fit Youth and Teen program to you.

Contact Us Today