Steps to Take Your Fitness to the Next Level

  So you've spent the first couple weeks at the gym on the treadmill to get acclimated and then moved on to some machines and bodyweight exercise and started to see a change in your body.  You feel good and are pretty happy about the way things are going and then boom!!, you stop experiencing that changes that once came easy to you.  You're not losing anymore weight, you're not getting any stronger, and you don't even break a sweat from your workout anymore. 

You may be due for a workout routine change, but really there is something else you need to change to really step up your game.

In one word, it's ATTITUDE.

 You've now reached the point where simply just doing something isn't cutting it anymore.  You need to start working harder, and that takes a serious attitude change.  You need a different approach, and here is some helpful tips on how to change, adapt, and develop your new workout attitude.

     1.  Goal setting

  Now that you've made working out part of your routine, you need to set an attainable goal in a fixed time period.  It's easy to loaf around the gym when your have no clear cut reason to be there.  Working out to lose weight and be healthy is too broad of a goal to actually work hard towards.  However, there is a sense of urgency when you know you're trying to lose 10lbs of body fat in 8 weeks.  This goal is most certainly attainable, if you make yourself accountable and remind yourself of this goal before every workout, and every meal. 

 To make yourself even more accountable, tell your friends and love ones of the goal you've set for yourself.  Even if you forget to remind yourself, the constant reminders from the ones close to you should motivate you even further.

      2.  Buy-in completely

  If you are baking a cake, and you add maybe a half cup more of sugar or flour than you were supposed to; does the cake still end up tasting good?  Most likely not because baking is a science.  All the ingredients serve a specific purpose, and if you try and eyeball measurements, or skip ingredients, you end up with expensive dog food.

  If you are lucky enough to be following a program that was made for you by a trainer, or if your following a routine from a fitness magazine, follow it to a T!  Chances are you sought out this information because you did not know how to do it yourself, so why change it?  Also, do not flip flop through different routines.  Stick to the same routine for about 6-8 weeks unless noted otherwise.  Otherwise your just wasting the potential of every routine that you do.

  3. Change Your Environment!

  This is a big one.  Since your going to have to work harder to obtain your goals, you have to get focused the second you get into the gym; actually probably before you even get their.  Nothing else can matter for that hour or so that your working out.  If your doing heavy squats, you have no time to worry about what's on TV, how many emails you received, or what's for dinner (you should already know that anyway).  Find out how to get focused and stay there.

  For me, getting focused has a lot to do with who I'm working out with and the overall gym environment .  If my workout partner is more interested in the babes on the treadmills, or singing along to the RENT soundtrack playing on his/her Ipod, then we are not going to get to far. 

Find someone that will push you to perform better each time you workout with one another.  You will hold each other accountable and push each other beyond your limits in the process.

  If your gym is more interested in monthly pizza parties and doesn't give you the tools or resources to improve, then it's time to take your money elsewhere. 

A good gym gives individual assessments, gives you attainable goals, and helps you work towards that goal with workout information and different options like group exercise classes to keep you motivated.

  So my question to you all is what keeps you motivated?  How do you get focused and push through plateaus in your training?  Drop your comments in the box below. 

What to Eat to Get Your Summer Body (And Keep it)

  I without a doubt get more questions about nutrition, or what to eat to lose weight, more than I ever get about exercise or strength training.  It seems as though this topic confuses people the most, when in fact it is probably the easiest to understand.  When I google the word "diet", I get back about 570 million results, about 60 million more results than when I google the word "exercise."  It's no wonder people are confused about nutrition; there's just too much information to read through.

Fad diets, magical weight loss elixers, exotic fruits and shakes that strip away belly fat, it's all really just a distraction.  In this post, I will cut through all the informational fat, and tell you exactly what you need to do to really lose weight and keep it off.

First off, losing wieght really only involves one key concept; calories in vs. calories out.  If you want to lose weight, you must consume less calories than you burn.  That's it.  If you think you're an exception to this rule, please trust me when I say that you are not.  I'm not trying to be mean, I just really want you all to understand this.  And all this talk about eating more throughout your day to "keep your metabolism going" to lose weight is not particularly true either.  If you want to lose weight, find out how many calories your burning in a day, eat less than that and you will lose weight for that day.

Once we understand that we need to eat a little bit less, there are certain foods we should be eating so that we can speed the process up.  The first is that we need to consume more protein. 

Good choices of protein include chicken, lean choices of beef, tofu, fish, yogurt, protein powder or any other source you can think of.  An increase of protein in your diet will help support your muscle tissue, speed up your metabolism, and make you feel full!  If you can manage to have some sort of protein with every meal, you'll be on the right track.

Next thing we need to do is decrease the amount of carbohydrates we're eating. Consuming sugar and processed grains will promote an environment for fat storage and fat gain in your body.  So we need to gradually cut out the white bread, pizza, pastries, cereals, and alcohol to solve this problem. 

The key word here is gradually.  It will be very hard to be successful if you try and make a dramatic changes to your diet.  Focus on changing one thing at a time, like making sure you have an egg or protein shake for breakfast every morning instead of a bagel and cream cheese, and keep the rest of your diet the same.  Once you've mastered breakfast, you can move on to changing something else.

Lastly, to ensure that your getting the proper nutrients, you have to increase the amount of veggies and healthy fats in your diet.  Veggies will ensure that your getting the proper amount of vitamins, minerals, and fiber in your diet, and healthy fat sources like olive oil, avacado, fish oil, and nuts will help to speed up your metabolism.  Try to replace a carb with a veggie for every meal to make it easier for you.  Instead of a baked potato with your steak, replace it with some broccoli or summer squash instead.

That's it.  For your fat loss goals that is all the information you will need to be successful.  In my next post, I'll give you some actual meal ideas to help you meet all of these requirments.  Drop any questions you may have in the comments box, and I'll be sure to answer them!

Go Barefoot to Kick Off Summer Right!

  The past two weeks here in the Delmarva area have been nothing but hot and humid with little to no cloud cover.  I could complain about it, but this is what I looked forward too when just 5 months ago my car was covered in ice and snow.  So I welcome the images of sand, beach, pools, BBQ's, and cool drinks with little umbrella's in them.

  And with the change in weather comes a change in footwear.  Very rarely will you see me wearing anything but flip flops from June straight through September.  When making the switch, there's always a week to two week period when my feet have to get used to the fact that there's not as much cushion when walking around anymore.  I have to develop my "Summer Soles" as I call them.

  Surely most of you have heard of or read the book, Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall and his experience with an ancient tribe that is able to run incredible distances with no injuries while running barefoot or with thin-soled sandals.  Chris hypothesizes that wearing cushioned running shoes may be a big contributor to running injury, and since then we have seen a surge in marketing from companies like Nike and Reebok for shoes that mimic barefoot running.

  But why is it good to run, (or do anything for that matter) barefoot?  Well there's a couple of things.  But the biggest one, as Harry Clay explains in THIS T-Nation article, is proprioception.  For most of us, our feet are the only point of contact with the different surfaces we walk on, so to develop good movement patterns our feet should have a good sense of where they are in space.  Wearing cushioned cross trainer's creates a disconnection between your foot and floor, and over time we lose strength in the ligaments and muscles in our feet because of it.  Walking, running or lifting barefoot allows your feet to really grip the surface you're on, creating better overall balance and strength.

  All that being said, I wouldn't just dump all my sneakers in a trash can, set them on fire and go run a marathon barefoot.  You have to take it in stages.  Yes the ancient tribe that McDougall describes runs over 100 miles at a time with no shoes and experiences zero injuries; but I'm also fairly confident that the members of those tribes rarely spend 8 hours a day at a desk and enjoy a Big Mac at least once a week.

  In my opinion the best way to start going barefoot is at the gym.  Now, most gyms won't let you workout barefoot, but if you pick up some thinly soled shoes such as Chuck Taylor's, Vibram's or Reebok's ReelFlex, it should be the next best thing.  You will notice a huge difference in doing exercises such as squats, dead lift, and lunges barefoot.  Your foot will be able to grip the floor better, and you can really develop the musculature of your posterior chain better by pushing your heals directly into the ground on these exercises, instead of pushing through a cushioned heal lift that your sneakers provide.

  You will most likely experience some soreness, just as you would when starting any new exercise program.  However, if you are willing and physically able, try lifting barefoot at your gym.  It's a more controlled environment than running outside, and I think you will really enjoy the added benefits it can give you.

Exercises for Runners

  With the Delaware Marathon coming up this weekend here in Wilmington, I thought it would only be appropriate to dedicate a post strictly for you endurance athlete's.  And to be quite honest, this post will also help out you everyday gym goers who think running or the stair climber is a good way to work out your legs. 

  Just because you're moving your legs does not necessarily mean your giving them a good workout.  And it definitely doesn't mean that your necessarily building muscle either.  In my experience, endurance athletes have the absolute worst quad and hamstring strength; and don't even get me started on their glute and core strength.  I mean some people I see running look so weak it causes me pain to watch them run.

  You've probably seen it yourself.  Hunched over posture, hips bobbing up and down, and mile after mile of slamming heels into the ground.  Yes you may be able to run 26 miles, but you don't look healthy or strong to me. 

  It's not your fault, you've just been misinformed.  Lifting weights will not make you so bulky that it would impair your running capabilities, nor will it decrease your cardiovascular fitness you've worked so hard to build up.  In reality, strengthening your glutes, quads, hamstring, and core will actually improve your running quality and prevent injury.  Don't believe me?  Check out THIS study, and while your at it, check THIS ONE out too.

  To start, we'll put together a short routine that you can perform up to 3 times a week to being to strengthen those hips, legs and core.  You should perform these exercises right after the other, at 12 reps per exercise.  When you've completed all of them, rest and repeat for an additional 3 sets.  The exercises are:

                     1. Forward Lunge (each leg) 4x12
 
                     2.  1 Leg RDL  (each leg)    4x12

                     3. Step Ups on Bench (each leg) 4x12

                     4. Bridge     4x12

                     5.  Plank  4x 30sec holds

   Give these exercises a try and I promise you sill start to feel a heck of a lot stronger while you run.  And if you happen to be by the Wilmington Riverfront this Saturday, Plexus Fitness will have a booth setup where this weekends marathoner's will be checking in; and we will be giving out information on gym membership and personal training, as well as auctioning off a brand new Ipod Shuffle! 

Hope to see you all this weekend!

What Keeps You Healthy?

    Last week, I became sick for the 1st time in over a year, and man it was a doosey.  Fever, cough , congestion, upset stomach, and a throat so sore I seriously considered drinking my green tea through a funnel.  But since the only funnel I found was the one I use for putting oil in my car, I passed on that idea and instead fought through my sickness in my dark cave of a bedroom until I could start to talk again without sounding like Al Pacino.

    Since it's so rare that I do get sick, I started to think about things I do in my everyday life (or at least things I do somewhat consistently) that help keep me healthy.  Now, I am by no means a health care professional, nor am I telling anyone that you must do everything that I am about to list to have any hope of being healthy.  Really, I just thought it would be an interesting discussion so please just take it for what it's worth to you.

   1. Sleep

    I use to overlook this and think that I can easily get by with 5 or so hours of sleep per night.  One may be able to live with minimal sleep, but I feel it's just not a healthy way to treat your body.  I usually average about anywhere between 6-8 hours of actual sleep per night.  I also treat my bedroom as a restful place.  There are no phones, computers, xbox, or TV allowed in my bedroom.  I feel that some people think that lying down, watching TV for 2 hours before bed is sleeping or resting, but it's not.  Try to shut off all electronics an hour before you plan to go sleep, have a cup of tea and read a book until you feel like going to bed.  If what you're reading is not work related, I almost guarantee you will have the most restful sleep you've had in a long time.

   2. Regular Exercise

   This one seems kind of self explanatory if you are a regular reader of my blog.  It's no secret that regular exercise will help fight and prevent obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and I could go on and on.  Interestingly enough, THIS STUDY saw that people who did NOT participated in regular exercise also had a much LOWER perceived quality of life.  Think about it.

   3. Multivitamin

  By taking a quality multivitamin, I'm able to get all the nutrient's and vitamin's I would normally not get from my diet alone.  Admittedly, I will forget to take my multivitamin 3 out of the 7 days of the week, but I think it's better to have than have not.  There are also certain times of year when we may be lacking in certain vitamin's.  Vitamin D we normally synthesize ourselves through the sun's rays, but in winter we get so little sunlight that our body is definitely lacking it.  This is where I can see taking a muti helps out the most.

   4.  I Cook My Own Food

   I'd say that I cook all of my meals for 5 days out of the week.  With that I try my best to get a good variety of lean meat, fruits,and vegetables.  I like to cook for myself because that way I know exactly what I'm eating.  You may think that eating out is easier but if you take the time to plan out your meals, you will be surprised at how easy it can be. 

  5.  I Don't Smoke

  Seriously, why are you doing this?  STOP IT!

  6.  I Always Have Anti-Bacterial Lotion With Me At All Times And I Open All Doors With A Handkerchief.

  Well that's a joke, but have you ever seen people who do this?  I don't have enough time in my day to worry about the chances I will contract Bird Flu .


  For now, those are the big things I can think of that I do to keep myself in fighting shape.  But I would like to know what you think keep YOU healthy!  Please post your opinions and if we get at least 10 comments down, I"ll post the 5 exercises you need to be doing to get your body beach ready!  So you'd better hurry because memorial day is just around the corner.

The Best Thing You're NOT Doing For Your Body

   For the most part, everyone knows that they should warm up before starting an exercise routine.  Maybe you already knew that but you just don't do it; maybe you just hop on the treadmill for 5 minutes and then go ahead and hit the heavy squats; or maybe you didn't know you were even supposed to warm up, in which case you can just fake like you did since you already read this far into the blog post.

   To me, warming up means that I'm priming my muscles to perform at their maximum potential.  Why would I want them to perform at any other level?  With that being said, if you jumped out of your seat right now and jogged in place for about 3-5 minutes, do you think you would be able lift heavy weights or play a pick up game of basketball at your body's maximum potential?

  Really?  You who has been sitting with terrible posture for the past 45 mins (at least). 

  Although performing a well thought out dynamic warm-up is probably the best way to warm up (and probably a good topic for a future post), you can do something much simpler (and shorter) in order to get your body primed and ready to work!

  Enter the foam roll.

  It doesn't look like much but spending 5 minutes or so with the foam roll can drastically improve your workouts and help you get the most from your muscles.  Think about how you probably feel right now hunched over your keyboard.   Your lower back and upper backprobably feel tight.  With that your hip is tight and probably feels like it's got a little knot in it.  How do we "iron out" these issuse fast and effectively?  It's called self myofascial release.

  Think deep tissue massage.  We are going to use the foam roll and roll over these tight, knotted up areas so our bodies can move effectively.  You see, not only do our muscles need to be flexible, or have enough length, to move well but the quality of our muscle tissue also has to be good.  How much better can you move your head around after someone gives you a nice neck/shoulder rub to work out the knots?  We're looking for the same results with other larger areas of our bodies.

  So for me, I always like to start a workout by foam rolling my lower body and lower to mid back.  Once I find a tender area, I make 5 long, sweeping rolls and then move to the next area.  You can see me go through my progression here. 

  Like all exercise's, using this method will feel better the more you do it.  So make foam rolling a consistant part of your warm up routine and start getting more from your body.  If you really love it, which I know you will, you can pick up one of these bad boy's for about $10 bucks and your local sporting goods store.

A Case for Legs, Part 3!

  It's finally here!  The much anticipated 3rd installment of " A Case for Legs" series is finally here for your viewing pleasure.  Visit our Youtube page for a video playlist of different squat and deadlift variations that you can add to your training program today! 
Along with each video is a written explaination on how to correctly perform each movement.   For a deadlift variation, see video's labeled pull through's, dumbell swing, single leg romanian deadlift, and barbell deadlift.  For squat variations, see video's labled sit to stand, forward lunge, ball squat, jump squats, and front barbell squat.

Also, take some time to view all our video's, as we have much more updated content that may or may not be of interest to you.

Let me know what you think of each exercise, or if you have some exercises you would like to share. 

Have fun!

5 Habits of Succesful Gym Go-ers

  Fact is, all gym go-ers are not alike.  There are reasons why some people reach (and surpass) their goals, while others don't.  Sure, I could ramble on and on about what exercises you should be doing, how many reps and sets, what recovery drink you should consume after your workout, how much cardio you should be doing, and so on.  Instead I have listed 5 of the most important habits, in my opinion, succesful gym members should posses if you hope to better your body and your overall health.

So here we go!

Habit # 1:  A well written exercise program/routine.

   What happens when you go to the grocery store without a list?  You end up buying a lot of crap you don't need right?  I'm sure the family sized tub of Haagen Dazs really was a steal.

   People that go to the gym without planning what exercises they are going to do that day are wasting their time.  You can normally spot these people huddled around a television set, circling around the gym floor, or doing 18 sets of bicep curls.  To be able to improve your body, you MUST have a routine that addresses your goals and weaknesses.  You should also be carrying this program around with you and writing down the weights you used, how many reps and sets you completed, and how much rest you had inbetween each completed set.  The really good exerciser will not only keep track of these numbers, but will try and improve these numbers each time they workout. 

Habit # 2:  No Ego!

   So what if that guy at the squat rack is deadlifting 305lbs; or that woman has been running on the treadmill for the past half hour at a speed of 11mph at a 4% incline.  What others are doing do not effect how your training session will go.  You have your own goals and your own limitations to worry about.  There's no need to feel intimidated or feel like others are watching you with a high resolution magnifiying glass.  When I work out I'm on a mission, and I have no time to worry about anything or anybody but myself.

Habit #3:  In it for the Long Haul!

  Training to improve your body and health should be a lifelong commitment.  Rome wasn't built in a day.  Some days you have it and some days you don't.  The best thing to think about after one of those less than average trainning days is that the next training day is right around the corner.  Hang your hat on the fact that you always have another chance at improving.  Those who get discouraged and quit never realize the fact that keeping a healthy lifestyle is a LIFE LONG choice, not just a repetitive New Year's resolution.

Habit #4:  Lift Heavy Things

  The overload principle states that a greater than normal stress or load on the body is required for training adaptation to take place. So if you're twirling around a little pink dumbell and barely breaking a sweat, you're not doing yourself any good.  You must challenge your body in way that forces it to adapt.  So if you're lifting weights, make sure they are heavy enough to challenge you!  You may not be able to complete the last 2 reps on your final set but that's the point.  Keep trying until you can finish that final set, then pick up some heavier weights.

Habit #5:  Listen to Your Body

   The great ones always have this in mind.  As you improve your body, you will become more aware of what you're capable of and what your not.  You aren't in high school anymore, so why are you still trying to perform your high school football lifting regimine?  If your lower back hurts, why are you trying to do back squats?  The phrase "No pain, No gain" should not be your mantra.  If your back hurts, try dumbell lunges instead of your usual back squat.  If your shoulder hurts, don't try and power through some shoulder presses.  Maybe take some time on mobility and flexibility instead.  You're not going to lose ground if you can't complete your program exactly they way it's written everyday.  You should be prepared with alternative exercises or ideas to get you through these roadblocks.

And there you have it!  Let me know what you think of these habits, or if you have any that you think I missed.  But I want to challenege you to honestly ask yourself how many of these qualities you actually possess; and when do you think your going to start to try and develop these habit?

A Case for Legs, Part 2.

  Last week, I wrote about the importantce of adding a squat variation to your workout routine.  But I wouldn't be doing a blog entitled "A Case for Legs" any justice if I failed to reveal the importance of a deadlift variation to the development of your legs. So here it goes!

  Deadlift's get a bad wrap from the everyday gym go-er.  Most people think it's only for BIG guys, or that it's an exercise that will only hurt their back and leave them paralyzed.  The name DEADLIFT even sounds a lot more intimidating than other exercises like the "sissy squat" or the "chest butterfly" for instance.

  True, you can slip a disc (or worse) if you perform the deadlift with a curved spine; but if you correctly perform a deadlift or any of its variations, there's no better exercise you can do to strengthen your posterior chain .  Here is a list of just some of the benefits of performing a deadlift, outlined by renowned strength coach and competitive powerlifter Eric Cressey in this article.

1.)  "The posterior chain is of paramount importance to high-level performance; watch the best sprinters run, and you’ll see that they seem to just “float”—and it’s because they’re running with their hamstrings and glutes. In contrast, watch a guy who runs with his quads, and you’ll see that his hips are bouncing up and down; there’s a lot of wasted movement. The glutes and hamstrings are all fast-twitch fibers with a lot of strength, speed, and size potential—potential you’ll never realize without deadlift variations."

2.) "Strengthening the posterior chain with closed-chain movements like deadlifts also reduces injury risk. Weak hamstrings are a serious risk factor for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, patellofemoral pain, and a host of other problems at the knee, hip, ankle, and lower back."

3.) "Deadlifts have a better functional carryover to real world performance than leg curls, glute-blasters, and all the other silly machines out there."

4.)  "Deadlifts can be a tremendously valuable corrective training exercise if coached correctly. I’ve used them in the correction of IT [iliotibial] band friction syndrome, lower back pain, lateral knee pain, groin pain, and a host of other torso and lower extremity problems. The secret rests with the proper execution of the exercise. "

If you are still skeptical, don't be.  Just get out try it and see for yourself. After your done catching your breath, tell me how it went.

If you are nervous about performing the correct technique, stayed tuned for part 3. where I will demostrate how to properly execute a deadlift, and a squat.

A Case for Legs

  I love squats!  Why you ask?  Well honestly, what's not to love?  It's the perfect example of human movement and you do it everyday, just not very well.  Squats are bad becasue when you do them it hurts your knee's and back you say?  Maybe what you call squats is hurting you, becasue the squats I know would never do that to me.  The fact is you will never be a strong as you want to be if your not doing squats.  Simply put, "You ain't squat, unless you squat!"

For those trying to lose weight:

The main objective when you are trying to lose weight is that you want to be able to burn more calories than you take in.  Plain and simple.  You can accomplish this by eating less than your metabolic rate, or you can burn more calories than take in through exercise; or both! 

So when we think about burning the most amount of calories during exercise, we should probably perform exercises that involve multiple, big muscles to burn the most amount of calories right?  Well I don't have any bigger muscle's than the ones that make up my leg, and I can't think or an exercise that uses more muscles than a squat (i.e quad, hamstring, glutes, core, back, arms, chest).

For those trying to gain strength:

I've never seen a weak person perform a back squat, front squat, or goblet squat.  The guys I normally see pumping iron in the squat rack (the thing you use as a coat rack), seem to also have a broad chest, wide shoulders, and strong backs.  Why?  Well it's simple really.

Studies have shown that squats and deadlifts helps your body release more growth hormone and testosterone than any other exercise.  You need these hormones to build muscles.  And when these hormones are released, they aren't just released in your legs, but they circulate to all of your muscles.  So I repeat, " You ain't squat, unless you squat!"

For everyone inbetween:

Squatting really is for everyone.  Let's look at this exercise from an injury prevention standpoint.  Strengthening the muscles around your hips and knee help make those joints more stable.  How many of you know and elder person in your own family that has had total knee replacements, balance issues, flexibilty issues, and so on.  Hell, this person may not even be that old.  So wouldn't you like to avoid these future problems?  Of course you do.  That's why you need to start squatting today. 

For you runner's, cyclists, and weekend warriors, you can improve your stride length, rpm's, and avoid self medicating those aches and pain's that can only be described as "life pains"  by devoting a little more time to the main muscle groups you use everyday.

Well I'm glad I've finally convinced you.  Now if I could only convince you to start doing DEADLIFT'S, we'd really be getting somewhere.

Getting the Work In. Everyday.

     Good Morning!  I apologize for the tardiness of this post as the recent snowstorm prevent me from finding some time to write.  However, the snow has become my inspiration for this post, so it all works out in the end.

    I woke up last Thursday morning to find my car in cased in a little over a foot of snow on each side.  After an hour of shoveling heavy wet snow, I was still stuck due to the sheet of ice that was resting underneath my tires.  After dragging out a 50 pound bag of salt from the basement to carefully pour over the ice, I had my girlfriend take the wheel as I pushed from the bumper to finally free my car of its winter prison.  After all that I thought to myself, "Man that was a pretty good workout!"

   And it really was!  And it just goes to show that even if you literally and physically can't get to the gym, there are so many opportunities to make a workout out of your daily chores.  Just got back from the grocery store?  Well why don't you take one of the heaviest bags and carry it up and down the stairs about four or five times without stopping.  Or maybe you take that 5 gallon tub of ice cream you just bought on sale from BJ's and do 30 squats while holding it at your side like a briefcase.  With any luck, the ice cream might have melted by the time you catch your breath.




  The point is that there is always time to get in the WORK!  When we were young, snow days meant a free day to do whatever we wanted.  But the consequence of these "free days" never sunk in until we were still sitting in class a week before the 4th of July.  If you have weight loss goals, strength goals, or any other fitness related goals, days off can be a virus.  If you're O.K. with taking today off just because there's a little bit of snow on the ground, what's stopping you from taking tomorrow off because it's still just too cold outside?

   Don't let yourself off the hook!  A wasted day puts you one day behind your ultimate goal, and those days will add up.  Keep yourself honest and put in the work no matter what!

OK, I'm Here. Now What?

      Congratulations!  You made your resolution to get in shape this year, handed over your credit card to your local fitness club, picked up some moderately priced workout attire with a matching nalgene.  You even got up early to get to the gym BEFORE work.  Now let's get started.......With what exactly?

      Everything in life just seems to work better when you have a plan.  You don't just wake up in the morning at any old time and rush out the door.  You plan to wake up at a certain time (or if you're like me, plan to press the snooze button a certain amount of times).  You plan about how long it will take you to shower, eat breakfast, get the kids ready for school, how long it takes to drive to work and amazingly, you seem to get there at a time reasonable enough that no one asks any questions as to where you've been.  If your not planning to succeed then your planning to fail.

     Same goes for your exercise routine.  If you've been too busy just working out the logistics on simply getting to the gym, when you get there you'll inevitably end up completing a mish mosh of exercises you see other's doing followed by a half hour walk on the treadmill.  After a month or so of doing this you'll find that you have made zero improvements and begin to consider cancelling your membership.

     First of all, you should have some way for measuring your success.  A few simple measurements you should be aware of is your weight, blood pressure, and body fat percentage.  Most gyms will have a scale, BP cuff,  and simple electronic device to estimate your body fat percentage.  Retake these measurements every 6-8 weeks or so to see how your improving. 

  As for your exercise program, you can develop your own by following these general outlines that I think will give you a pretty decent, balanced workout.  If you feel uncomfortable creating your own program, or need some extra motivation, then a competent personal trainer is what you should look for. 

   To start your exercise routine, you should warm up with 5 minutes of cardio, meaning a 5 min walk on the treadmill, elliptical, or bike.  You could also follow that with a short five minute stretching routine.

  Your strength training routine will consist of 5 different muscle groups that will give you a nice total body workout.  I would perform 2 different exercise per muscle group, and do 2 set of 15 repetitions if you're a beginner, and 3 sets of 8-12 reps if you're a little more advanced.  The muscle groups are:

                1.  Upper Body Pushing Muscles
                     i.e.- chest press, shoulder press, chest flye, pushup, shoulder raise, tricep extension

                2.  Upper Body Pulling Muscles
                     i.e.- back row, lat pulldown, back flye, bicep curl, pullup, bodyweight row, upright row

                3.  Knee Dominant Exercise
                    i.e. squat, lunge, step ups on bench, pistol's, wall squat

                4.  Hip Dominant Exercises
                   i.e.- deadlift, lying hamstring curl, romanian deadlift (RDL's), good morning's, bridges
             
                5.   Core Muscles
                   i.e. plank, physioball rollouts, birddog, superman's.

   If you don't know what some of these exercises are, look them up online or have a personal trainer instruct you because the last thing you want is to injure yourself doing something that is supposed to improve your health! 

   Once you complete those exercises, I would end with anywhere between 10-30 minutes on any piece of cardio equipment.  Keep track of the weights you use for each exercise by writing them down in a workout notebook.  It's always a good idea to write out your routine so you know exactly what you have to do so you can use your time efficiently in the gym.  You might also want to write down your goals or an inspirational quote on the first page of your notebook.  Constantly being reminded of your goals will definitely give you an extra push of motivation on days when your just not feeling it.

  Today is the FIRST day of the new you!  Enjoy the process and have fun.  Now there's nothing left to do, but to do it!

Has Cabin Fever Set In For You Yet?

   Around this time each year, the weight of winter seems to take effect on me.  The days are still short, it's too cold to be outside very long, and the majority of my day has me cooped up inside.  To make this worse, everyday I wake up to go to work before day breaks, and I go home from work after the sun has set, so the only sunlight I see is through the tinted glass windows from where I work or from my car.  If my situation sounds anything like yours, its not hard to understand why you may be feeling anxious or depressed around this time of year.  And with no real holiday's in sight after MLK day (Valentine's day does not count in my book), this definitely makes the winter seem that much longer.

   So how can we combat this yearly struggle of boredom and depression?  Should we run to our doctor and beg for a two month supply of Prozac?  Or maybe we should join our local tanning salon and bake for  20 minutes a couple times a week to get an extra does of UV rays we're so desperately missing. 

  Truth is, the best and simplest way to break out of our mid winter slump is to get off our couch and MOVE!  The fact is that many studies have concluded that regular exercise can improve your mood and lower your chances of feeling depressed.  WebMD explains that "when you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain."  In addition that that, endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, a feeling best related to "Runner's High" which is a feeling a euphoria some runner's feel after a long, intense run. 

  Now I know for a fact that whenever I complete an aggressive or difficult workout, I wouldn't exactly call what I feel "euphoric," but I do feel good.  And let's be honest, if working out felt THAT GOOD, a lot more people would be doing it on a regular basis.  So let's put that into some perspective. 

  The facts are that regular exercise have been proven to :

         1. Reduce Stress
         2. Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression
         3. Boost self-esteem
         4. Improve Sleep.

   That's all well and good and it's probably something that you've heard before.  And chance's are simply knowing these facts hasn't made you leave your couch and start exercising just yet.  But really, these are the reason I find working out a regular basis helps me improve my mood, and get through the dog days of winter:

       1. I Sweat!
  Challenging my body and sweating on a daily basis really helps me release some frustration I have built up throughout my day.  Because of that, I'm a more pleasant person to be around and I can better enjoy spending time with friends and family. 

      2.  It's MY TIME
   When I work out, I think of no one else but myself.  How much of your day is spent trying to please someone else or spent doing things that have to be done, but you don't necessarily like doing them?  My point is that if you don't MAKE time for yourself, who will?  Exercising is my time, and I spend it doing something I like.

    3. I MIX UP my exercise routine.
  My whole day is a routine.  For the most part, that's a good thing but it can get monotonous and boring after awhile.  My workout is anything but routine.  I'll lift weights one day, run outside go snowboarding another. Hell, I'll even enter into an occasional hula hooping contest with my niece.  I don't worry about what the standards experts say I must do, I do what I like, because I won't do it otherwise.

    4.  I know it's GOOD for me.
   Working out is a hobby that I know will be 99% good for me.  Other hobbies that are easily done in the winter like baking, gambling, and drinking will only leave me fat, drunk and poor.  When I'm exercising I know I'm improving myself and feeling better about myself in the process. 

   So defeat cabin fever today!  The only person that can pull you out of this mid winter slump is yourself.   Take control and don't let this winter end up like your last winter.

Is Your Free Will Holding You Back?

  Over the holiday's, I began reading a book called, Never Let Go by Dan John.  By all accounts, Dan John is a legendary and well respected strength coach for high school, college, and Olympic athletes.  In addition to that, he is also a stellar author.  Never Let Go is a fantastic book that gives Dan's personal philosophy on lifting, living and learning in a very easy, matter-of-fact way that I think anyone can connect with.  In the first chapter, Dan explains why your free will may be holding you back from your fitness goals as well as personal goals.  I thought I'd share these thoughts with you, as well as adding some of my own.

  If you're like me and went through catholic schooling for the majority of your life, then you without a doubt understand the concept of "free will."  However, Dan does not turn this topic into a religious discussion.  He mentions that one of the things people talked about during his days doing work with prison ministry is how buff the inmates are. And what is (hopefully) the main difference between you and a prison inmate?  Free will.

  That's right, free will.  And for me, this is what I took away from that statement:

          What do I do when I have no other choice?

  It's easy to put things off when you know you DON'T HAVE to do them.  But it's amazing to see the motivation I have when I'm up against the wall and have no other choice.  How many rags to riches stories have you heard that you think to yourself, "Man, how on earth did that person start something from absolutely nothing?"  My simple opinion, because they had to.  If they wanted to change their situations, they had no other choice . 

  But how can you relate this to workin' out and eating right? 

  My question to you is, "How long will you wait until you have no other choice but to start taking your health seriously?"  Does your free will run out when you are diagnosed with diabetes?  Or does it run out when your blood pressure is 160 over 90 (if you don't know if that's bad or not, your free will has run out)?  Or does it only run out when you can't see your feet anymore?

  Here's a thought.  Why wait until there is no other choice?  Let's take responsibility now while we're still reasonably healthy  and never let ourselves get to the point where we lose our free will.  And while we're at it, let's have some fun and spend some time doing something for ourselves for a change.  Man, that's some free will I can get with......

Happy New Year!

    First off, I'd like to wish everyone a very happy New Year.  For many people, the start of a new year is a time to have a fresh start, set new goals, and reflect on the events of the past year.  Here at Plexus Fitness in downtown Wilmington, DE, we are using the start of 2011 in a similar fashion.  We are very excited about the growth of our club over the past year and we anxious to give more to all of our customer's and clients in 2011.

   With that being said, we have added some additional resources that will enable us to provide you with fitness tips, nutritional information, and thought provoking and motivational pieces that YOU requested through your responses in our questionnaires and from what you have told us directly.  We will be making weekly updates to our Facebook page and YouTube channel, tweets from our new Twitter page and weekly additions to this new blog! 
  
   These new additions will keep US directly connected with YOU!  So please add us as a friend, become a follower, and tweet us as we head into the new year!  We hope grow in serving Delaware by helping those who want to commit to a healthy lifestyle.