Todays photo of Tampa Bay
Tip of the day: Guys, dont wear cologne to exercise. Ur execising, ur supposed to perspire and thats normal to not smell like a bed pf roses. Women ill make an exception cause we love when u smell good. Eveyone get out there this Saturday and start ur weekend right w/ a morning workout. Make it count, take it All The Way.

Are you a Fitness type or a "show dog"?

Tampa is a beautiful city to live in and many people love Bayshore because you have a few miles of sidewalk along the bay with exercise equipment and other folks running, riding, rollerblading, etc. Although many people are simply out just to be outside the majority using this walkway do so because it is perfect for cardiovascular exercise. But are these people actually becoming fit or simply one of the "show dogs" that likes to look like they are fitness people?

For instance, today I was out riding a leisurely 5 mile bike ride and saw a man hopping his way down Bayshore. Do not get me wrong, I want everyone off the couch and doing some form of activity so I praise him for that but it literally looked like a painful walk. You have seen the movies w/ the slow motion jog? This was literally the same thing. To be jogging it is required that for a brief instant both feet are of the ground, otherwise you are simply walking as this man was. Preferably I would have liked to see him focus on actually walking a certain distance. Then maybe build up to a quicker pace for intervals of 30 seconds to get the heart rate going until his body was more comfortable with some running. His amazingly put together ensemble consisted of a flashy white head band, sports watch, orange running sneakers and his crisply ironed looking under Armour gear had him screaming "this is my first time out here." That's the first type of person that I applaud for starting a routine but can almost guarantee will have all that nice new gear laying in the closet in the near future. Is that fitness or is that a show dog?

I've see this other specimen daily either in the gym or in the "wild" as I call it. This species actively attends the gym, runs and enjoys simply standing around with his shirt off. Don't get me wrong, we are all putting in the time for not only our health but our vain personal gains, we all understand that the end product is one of the biggest driving forces to continue exercising but this guy takes it to a whole other level. You can spot him a mile away. Usually he is in relatively good shape but you can tell he still enjoys to much of the fast life because he really doesn't want to give it a complete go at dropping that last bit of spare tire. Still, he is out there doing it so its good to see. But when you see this individual grooving a little to hard to his music, dancing, singing a bit loud like everyone is watching him and doing the little hippity hop dance in between sets or when stopping for a drink it becomes a bit much. He's also the loudest guy you are gonna meet. Either a grunter or a loud breather or a yeller or a singer he is attempting to gain your gaze pretending to be aloof. He may have on really short shorts, a way low cut tank top (he never wears a shirt w/ sleeves) and he makes sure you are aware of him. Is that fitness or a show dog?

My point? I really don't have one this time. As long as you're out there doing something and you commit to it and keep going, kudos! Really the majority of us that consider ourselves fitness people would just like to be left alone while we exercise. If your a show dog with either all your flashy gear or your need for attention become aware of your situation. You don't need the flashiest or latest gadget or gear to get results. Most heavy lifters wear simple converse for gods sake. I have shorts from high school still. You also don't need to dance around and sing like a fool for us to know you're at the gym and you're working as hard as you can, we see you there, we are happy you are happy. Show dogs everywhere, we try hard not to see you but we acknowledge your presence so you can stop overselling. Thanks!

The Rule of 25

You've heard it before, thousands of different ways to get fit. Body exercises are best, free weight is best, out door exercise is best. There are too many different ways to be in shape to be concerned with the "how". Unless you are training for something specific like olympic strongman or specific sports training doing anything physical that gets your heart rate up with suffice. But, what happens when you have been doing this for so long that you aren't seeing results and are actually going backward?

I had a client who came to me after a year of returning to the gym and swimming. He was an athlete in his youth and had initially seen good results upon his return to the athletic arena. He lost some weight, his energy increased, his physical appearance was more svelt and defined. This was great for him and he was loving it. However, after about 6 months time he had become tired with working out. He still continued to go but it was no longer fun. His body had also turned against him and was now looking more like its old self. He was considering giving up altogether and returning to reruns of two and half men.

This is not uncommon. Many people become addicted to exercise because you not only feel better but because you can make physical changes you can literally see and you can build on them. When both of these things seem to turn against you even though you continue to exercise the feeling can be crushing. Luckily, this individual found me.

I explained to him a few simply rules of how the body operates. The body prefers to be comfortable and will strive to be in as comfortable position as possible. Exericse to achieve goals can be tough depending on the goals of the individual. If it were easy then everyone would be a fitness god, cut like Ryan Reynolds and ready for their shot at Hollywood. I explained that the body needs to be challenged constantly. Not only does this alleviate boredom but it triggers a response from the body to continue growth and development in your muscles. This in turn increases hormone activity, metabolism, and on and on.

With this understanding he was again excited. We went back to the time tested functional training working multiple muscle groups. I explained one great way to get out of a slump, which is where he was now, was the rule of 25. Increase the amount of weight you use and you will stimulate the muscles out of their "comfort zone" and be back on your way. This does not mean that those who wish to be lean and mean will grow into the hulk. This is a simple way to maintain that lean muscle mass but not get stuck in a rut both with your ongoing development and willingness to continue training. After 4-6 weeks you will have crossed your plateua and returning to a routine with less weight will not only allow you to increase the numbers of reps you did but do so at a slightly higher weight. This is true from biking to weight lifting, from swimming to yoga. It applies just for muscles and the body in general.

You can mix it up her as well. Either shoot for 5 set of weights you can handle for 5 reps or build up with 1 set of 8 then 1 set of 6 then 1 set of 5 etc. The point is that with these heavier weights you will trigger muscle growth and stimulate the muscle and body. Shoot for 25 as the golden rule. The weight should be so you can not do one more rep on the last rep, you are shooting for fatigue. rest for 1-3 minutes in between depending on your fitness level. If you attempt this with a weight only 10% above your current highest level you will not see the results because you will still be working in the higher rep range. Get low and mean on the weight to get over the wall you have hit with training.

This can be accomplished with cycling as well. Interval training on the bike is great. Drop into a higher gear and push out 25 hard reps for each side of the leg. No matter how you get there or if you go beyond 25; 25 has been found to be the number that has to be reached to get you over the hump. Shoot for this and take your work out All The Way.

Get Smaller to Get Bigger

Fitness fans! For the guys and girls that want to get bigger but are having problems consider this...

Getting smaller to get bigger is a true statement for those that want to look bigger but think they have to lift massive weights or eat 10lbs of protein a day to become lean and gain a lot of muscle. Truth be told one of the ways you actually obtain the look of “size” is by losing weight. When weight is lost properly it lowers body fat percentage but maintains and builds lean muscle mass. By doing this you obtain the perception of a larger body while still losing total weight. Follow these 3 simple rules to reach your goals.

Rule 1:

Maker certain you are losing weight properly. Starving yourself will not achieve lasting results. What you need is a meal plan that you can stick to, that is realistic and tastes good. Start with small changes. Increase the amount of veggies on your plate during the day and evening while reducing simple carbs like bread and pasta. Reduce the amount of juice and soft drinks while introducing more water. The more gradual the changes the more likely you will be able to maintain them and not only reach your goals but maintain them.

Rule 2:

Don’t focus on exercise that target only one muscle group. Cross training is not only mor exciting, which will allow more variation and therefore reduce boredom with training but it also can accomplish more bang for your buck. Try compound exercises such as squats, dead lifts, bench/push ups, pull ups/chin ups and core work outs. There are a million variations in theses. You can burn fat, build muscle but stay lean all while looking larger.

Rule 3:

Stay consistent. People tend to lose focus when the results fade. This is natural and easy to overcome by following rule 1 and 2. Consistency is the key to any weight loss lean muscle gain program. If you can continue with a program you establish for 21 days then it will become a habit you can continue going forward.

Those 3 rules will govern the majority of all lean muscle weight loss programs to help you lose weight and look larger. This is obviously geared for the guys and girls that want to look larger. For those just looking to slim down this same 3 rule plan will also work, just avoid heavy lifting to really increase size and focus on correct form with higher repetitions. There is of course always the Arnold route but of course that requires the use of illegal anabolic steroids so I don’t condone that as part of a natural program.