Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Fitness Can Be Profitable $$$


The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that small-business owners who exercise regularly do feel better in their work than sedentary entrepreneurs. And among the exercisers... runners generate more sales than weightlifters. At least that's what Ball State University researchers concluded after asking 336 small-business owners about their exercise regimes and sales figures.

Go Figure. Run Forrest, RUN!

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Personal Training - Who's doing the real work?



My daughter Gabriela showing us great technique on a deep squat. I especially think the "up eyebrows" will guarantee a clean lift.
 
Haha!
 
I'm not one to criticize the value and quality of work provided by most certified personal trainers. But, it's important to keep in mind that more fitness is purchased with sweat than with dollars. Fitness is about doing something great for yourself. No one else can do the work for you.
 
You don't need a PhD to plan a moderate workout. Just take a hike. If you want a vigorous workout, speed up , go farther, or go up hills.
 
Of course, among other services, a Kinesiologist can offer you more specialized athletic services such as Athletic Testing, Assisted Myofascial Stretch, and Performance Coaching. The combination of all three aspects of my practice have really proven to be a winning combination. Why?
 
The athletic testing clearly identifies strengths and weaknesses. It can also show you things like how your weight gain or loss affects performance. ( not everyone is better skinny), or what type of cardio actually benefits YOU the most.  Assisted stretch can relieve aches and pains and attempt to create the optimal body balance. And performance coaching uses peer reviewed literature and scientific methodology to retain the best results.  
 
A personal trainer can give you weight-loss advice, companionship, vital motivation, relief from boredom, instruction on injury avoidance, and help with your sports, exercise plans and techniques. Hiring a trainer for big dollars won't necessarily give you a better workout or lead to better fitness. Typical fees can be $15 to $150 per hour. And for many, every penny is worth it.
 
Interestingly, media reports that celebrity trainers can earn more than $1000 per hour. Wowza! If the client star maintains a workout pulse rate of 150 beats per minute, his trainer will collect $1 for every nine beats. That's not bad pay, especially for a person who's telling the other guy to do all the real work.
 
CH

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Crunch Time.... for Athletic Abs



Whether you want do abdominals for athletic performance,  a rippled mid section, general health, therapy or rehabilitation... ignore the hyped formulae you see on TV or the Internet. Do ab exercise suited to you. Advocating high reps of any one exercise is often bad advice. "One crunch doesn't fit all " says Dr. Michele Olson of Auburn University exercise science. Here's our advice:
  • The best way to develop a '6pack' abdominal muscles is to lose weight through a general conditioning program.
  • Be smart with your calorie intake, eat a balanced diet, and don't drink too much alcohol. "Athletic Abs are made in the kitchen".
  • Spend less time doing ab exercises.
  • Consider Multiplainer movements in all three planes: Saggital, Frontal, Tranverse Planes.
  • Go for variety of exercises that employ compound muscle exercises. Like Squats!
  • Perform 15- 20 reps of each. Abs are mostly endurance muscles. Don't train to increase size.
  • Avoid movements that compress the lower back such as back-lying leg raises, the yoga boat, and the advanced Pilates teaser.

 
To find how to effectively train your core in all 3 movement planes please email cameron.a.hunt@gmail.com . He is able to take bookings at the Bentall Centre Athletic Club in Vancouver, or Body Storm in Squamish, BC.

thanks Jason Sumner for the ab image.

CH