Bron Brief: Fasted Cardio

Want to burn a few quick extra calories? Get into the habit of doing 15 minutes of fasted cardio (cardio on an empty stomach) every morning, and watch your body start to change shape. When you work through a short workout on an empty stomach, you’re using stored fat for energy. If you eat breakfast and then do cardio, you’re only burning off some of the food you just consumed. These workouts can be intense but you should never look to push yourself to the point of feeling light headed.Work out  harder, AND Smarter.

The important thing is to be able, at any moment, to sacrifice what we are for what we can become.

Fitness Profile: Sheri Koepsel

When you bring up the topic of women's body building to your average woman, the reaction could go either way. Some automatically assume that everyone who participates looks like Chyna from the WWE (not to be confused with Chloe Kardashian, thank you Maronzio) and that their just naturally juiced big amazons. Others appreciate the time and effort put in by these women to hone their craft and reach the apex of their body. On a good note, over time the trend is shifting more towards the latter. Women's Body Building has slowly evolved into Women's Physique and Fitness, showing off a more slender and sexy aspect while still being well...ripped and badass. The current peoples champ, Dana Linn Bailey has opened the eyes of a lot of people and helped open the doors for many new up and comers as well. Through my constant networking and Mark Zuckerberg's genius, a while back I came across one of those up and comers by the name Sheri Koepsel out of Milwaukee. For those of you who don't know Sheri your missing out. A total ball of energy, who along with being a NPC Competitor,winning 2nd place at the 2011 Badger State Figure show, also holds the title of certified personal trainer and model under her belt. No matter if its through wild facebook status' or spur of the moment walking lunge youtube video's you can see Sheri Koepsel loves what she does. So of course when time came around for my next fitness profile, I hit up Sheri for a interview.

Maximize Your Time Workout

Your legs are easily your biggest muscle group yet you rarely ever ask someone how much they squat. Leg routines burn a ton of calories due to the face most leg exercises use other muscle groups (not counting machines). So here's a leg loaded full body workout you can do at home or at the gym. Use weights heavy enough that your arms get a good workout during the upper body and combination exercises while focusing on getting low into the Squats. Also don't forget to sit back during leg exercises with a straight line from knee to ankle and keep your knee behind your toes with your chest out. Do all 3 exercises in the group circuit style for set reps then rest and move to the next group after 30-60 sec.

Group 1) 3 sets of 10
Low Squats, Push Press, Bent Row

Group 2) 3 sets of 15
Squat to High Pull, Front Squat, RDL

Group 3) 3 sets of 10 (10 each Leg/Arm)
Lunge, Push Up, Renegade Row

Group 4) 3 sets of 12
Feet Elevated Hip Bridge, V-Up, Russian Twist

Remember form is key here so focus, activate your glutes and shed some fat

Lose 5lbs of fat at home..

No no, this isn't a call to dump you significant other as my friend assumed when I told her about the workout BUT it may still be more beneficial. As the picture shows, 5lbs of solid fat is not something sexy to look at. Think if you could just take something like that off your body for a little hard work and watch what you eat...would it be worth it?
Below is a workout you can do at home that only takes a half hour and with a healthy diet will get you on your way to that 5lb fat loss. SPOILER alert though; the routine is not for the faint of heart. Like most circuit training the goal is to finish as fast as possible but in a safe manner. Rest period time is up to you but take what you need. Sometimes it will only be long enough to catch your breath, other times it might take a full minute. No matter what push yourself and try to improve the speed you finish with each time even if it's only a minute faster. Without further ado here's the workout;

30 Jumping Jacks
5 Push Ups
25 High Knees in Place
7 Burpees/Thrusters
10 Crunches
7 Squats
5 push Ups
10 Crunches
5 Push Up
7 Squats
30 Jumping Jacks
5 Push Ups
25 High Knees in Place
1 Min Wall Sit

Rest, Repeat 2-5 times (5 is for someone in really good shape so don't fret if you can't do that many circuits right out the door, just keep it as a goal.) Also if any exercise seems to easy, like 5 crunches or 7 Squats just add a little weight. No need to be Ronnie Coleman but a 10lb dumbbell or 2 can really burn you out.

And there you have it. Do this three times a week. Clean up your diet by eating 5-6 healthy small meals throughout the day and make sure to rest. Nothing worthwhile comes easy but it is achievable..

P90x: Life Saver or Latest Fad

Each year, a handful of fitness fads explode onto the American scene. And, each year, an equal number fizzle out in far less spectacular fashion. But every so often, one sticks around, and for the last several years running it has been P90X—a wildly popular home-based fitness routine with a growing (and near fanatical) following among weekend warriors and A-list celebs alike (Ewan McGregor, Ashton Kutcher, and Donavan McNabb are among its devotees). It’s also one of the most popular search terms on MensHealth.com. But if you’re reading these words, you’ve found the only ones we’ve ever written about it. Why? Because while P90X might be able to accomplish what it claims for $120 (i.e., “transform you from regular to ripped in 90 days”), it’s likely not the total-body fitness solution that most people are looking for.

If you watch late night television, you’ve seen the infomercials: Fitness trainer Tony Horton and a handful of attractive models explain that by constantly introducing new exercises and workouts—which run the gambit from traditional strength sessions to Kenpo karate classes—you’ll achieve a constant state of “muscular confusion.” The less your muscles adapt, Horton explains, the faster they’ll grow.

The idea of “muscular confusion” isn’t new. And unfortunately for Horton and the folks at Beachbody—who also introduced the world to Hip Hop Abs and the Turbo Jam workout—it’s not based on science. “It’s a marketing term invented by Joe Weider [the creater of the Mr. Olympia bodybuilding contest] back in the 1980s,” says Bill Hartman, C.S.C.S, a strength coach in Indianapolis. “And it’s kind of counterproductive.”

Infomercial fitness: B.S as seen on TV

Experts say all infomercial machines are not created equal. Some are mere gimmicks, some actually work. But targeting one area, such as the midriff, is no way to get fit or lose weight.

"These ads communicate to the public the flawed notion that spot reducing is possible," said Jessica Matthews of the non-profit American Council on Exercise (ACE). "Research has shown that's not the case."

She added that a well rounded program includes cardiovascular work and strength training of all the major muscles, not just the abdominals.

"The more muscle mass we have the more efficient our body becomes and that's when we start to lose body fat so we can see that definition," Matthews explained.

And those buff and smiling TV exercisers?

"The ads say that if you want six-pack abs, spend 10 minutes a day using this equipment," she said. "Those people are not just doing 10 minutes a day."

Matthews cited an ACE-commissioned study that concluded you don't need to purchase a piece of exercise equipment to strengthen your abs.

"The abdominal rollers and rockers tested were not any more effective than a traditional crunch, and some were much less effective," she said.

The study also advises that strong abdominals are important for long-term health, good posture and the alleviation of lower back pain, so if a particular device inspires you, it may be worth it.

Before you phone in the plastic, Henry Williford, an expert with the American College of Sports Medicine, has some advice for evaluating infomercial claims.

"You have to be very careful," he said. "Qualitative terms like improved muscle tone' don't mean anything. In the lab we can measure body fat and body composition, but there's no way to measure muscle tone, so there's no way to evaluate."

He added that there is also no evidence for another claim that suggests people will lose inches.

"They don't have any data. Where do the inches go? They use those kinds of claims a lot," he said. "Then they'll tell people that a low intensity exercise will burn fat. Well, it doesn't matter if you're burning fat or no fat. The important thing is to burn calories."

Williford said a product can be good if it's used correctly but it is the amount of exercise that's important.

"Stay away from gimmicky things," he advises. "Don't trust testimonials by individuals that aren't based in research."

And know what you're buying. Even Williford who is an exercise physiologist and researcher at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama, has been burned.

"We did an evaluation of these little exercise balls they were making all kinds of claims about," he said. "So we ordered the ball. But according to the fine print we had also ordered a new DVD every month for a year."

So what is the secret to six-pack abs as seen on TV? Williford is skeptical.

"A lot of them are photoshopped, to be honest with you," he said.

So FYI: If you see the same model pushing 6 different machine commercials, chances are its junk, because obviously he/she isn't using them or they'd have a house full of 5 different ab rocker, ab rocker pluses etc..

Quick at Home Circuit

Scenerio: Its been a long day, your getting home late from work and knowww you have to workout but don't want to take that trip to the gym and don't have any weights at your house...what do you do? Well this simple circuit. As you watch Tv, every commercial do; 10 squats, 10 push ups, 10 crunches. Real simple just like our basic gym circuit. Only difference is, try to get them all done as fast as you can. If your really feeling froggy, try to get them all done before your show comes back on. So do that every commercial subtracting 2 reps each commercial till your only down to 2 squats, 2 pushups and 2 crunches. Then your done

Example:
First commercial: 10 squats, 10 push ups, 10 crunches

Second commercial: 8 squats, 8 push ups, 8 crunches

Third Commercial: 6 squats, 6 push ups, 6 crunches etc...

There you go, a easy way to burn some calories without having to dedicate time to a full blown workout. This also makes a good off day routine. And if you want to spice it up, take a deck of cards, and every commerical pick a card and thats the number of reps your doing for each. So pick a 5, its 5 of everything, pick a 9 and its 9 of everything. All face cards are 12.

WORKOUTS

So heres out first workout.
At the gym, the most basic observation for a male personal trainer is...? The women. No offense but once your off the cardio, the majority have the deer in headlights effect while walking around the gym trying to avoid the free weights and meat heads and go straight to the machines. Machines are great and all but in total fitness, you probably want there to be your last choice. So heres a sample workout that will get you burning calories and at hopefully make you feel more comfortable away from your treadmill. Its a basic cardio/Body weight circuit.

First:
Do 10 minutes of cardio
(you can do this however you like on whatever machine you like, as long as its fast enough for you to break a sweat within those 10 minutes)

Second:
Go and do 10 pushups, 10 body weight squats and 10 crunches. Go through that group 3 times. so a total of 30 of each.
(if you can't do pushups well, do them girly with your legs crossed or elevated on a smith machine. Also on the squats focus on your form by sitting your hips back as if you were sitting on a chair or the toilet.)

Third:
Rest
(Now you can rest either by relaxing until your breathing rate goes back to normal, or by getting back on the cardio and doing a walking pace for a minute.

Fourth:
Like hair, repeat steps 1 through 3 another 2 times until you do a total 30 minutes of cardio.

There you have a easy workout that hits your cardio needs for the day while also adding a small amount of strength training without you feeling like wonderwoman just yet. Keep in mind, if the exercises are too easy, you can always adjust them by adding dumbbells or changing tempo but progress slowly. Just because a normal pushup is easy, don't instantly try to jump to 1 arm on a swiss ball blindfolded type pushups.

Do this 3 times a week.