This marks the end of Week Seven and we still have very high participation. Of the remaining 30 people, 22 made the weigh-in, and 20 made the workout.
If you’ve been reading the articles over the last few weeks, you know they’ve been doing some pretty high intensity workouts, and I wanted to continue with that. This week we combined 60 second cardio intervals with 60 seconds on the Maxicam weight machines.
Group One started in the cardio area while Group Two started on the weight machines. They could use any piece of cardio equipment whether it was a treadmill, elliptical, recumbent bike, Schwinn Air Dyne, Stepper, or Rower.
After 60 seconds, they switched places and Group Two hit the cardio machines. After another minute, they switched again. The goal was to minimize the transition time and to get on a different cardio machine each time. On the weight machines, they moved through them in a circuit, hitting the next machine in line each time.
They did 10 rounds, 60 seconds cardio, 60 seconds weights, for a total of 20 minutes. It was probably 25 minutes if you count travel time between the machines, but as I said, they were moving quickly back and forth.
I told them to hold back a bit the first couple rounds to get completely warmed up. Then they cranked up the levels or speed in the cardio area. On the weights, the goal was to keep using the machine the entire 60 seconds, even if they had to lower the weight a couple of times.
This is the kind of workout that really starts adding up, and by the halfway point at the end of the fifth round, everyone was feeling it. To their credit, they kept pushing, and the last ten minutes were pretty tough.
Afterward, we talked about how to use the concept, and make up different workouts. I also gave them a few ideas from my own workout log during the last week:
• Run ¼ mile, Leg Press, Calf Raises, Leg Extension, and Leg Curls. 5x. (A leg workout).
• Ride the Schwinn Air Dyne for 5 minutes, and then row on the Concept 2 Rower for 5 minutes. 8x. (A cardio workout that can be scaled back both in minutes, and total rounds).
• Ride the Schwinn Air Dyne for 5 minutes, and then do 25 Pushups, 25 Body Squats, 25 Sit-ups, and 25 Hyper-extensions. 6x. (A total body workout that also has a lot of cardio. Modify it any way you need to).
• Run ½ mile, Row 1000 meters, Ride 1.5 miles on the Air Dyne. 6x. (This was a wicked cardio workout that uses a ton of muscle! Again, feel free to modify it for distance, or total workout time).
This week’s winner was Laken Pennington, who lost 2.5% of her body weight and 3.8 lbs. Sandra Soberg was second, losing 1.5% and 1.8 lbs. Jennifer Abernathy and Beverly Weger tied for third, both losing 1.4%, and 2.6 lbs and 2.4 lbs respectively.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Monday, February 27, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
BIGGEST LOSER "15" -- WEEK SIX
This marks the halfway point in the twelve week program. We started out with thirty two, and have lost two people to attrition. One never really showed up, and the other just moved away from the area.
Last week, 27 of the remaining 30 weighed in, and this week 24 made the weigh-in. Over the course of the program, half the group drops out for one reason or another, so we’re doing pretty well at this point.
You might recall that last time in Biggest Loser “14”, we had a much higher dropout rate than usual, so it’s good to see that was probably just a fluke. In fact, it’s looking like we might finish with well more than half the group!
Of the 15 groups we’ve done, I recall that groups five through eight seemed to set most of the weight loss records. The most pounds lost for a guy was 60 lbs, and we’ve had a couple people hit it. Since then, no one has been able to get close. The most lost for a gal was 43 lbs, and it’s been a long time since anyone has gotten close to that either.
Typically, we’ll see one or two people get to around 40 lbs or so, with a couple more in the 30’s. Usually, the bulk of the weight loss is around 15-20 lbs for most people. Remember, a pound a week is good, two pounds a week is great, and three or more pounds a week is fantastic—and hard to keep up.
The results you see on TV, while outstanding, aren’t anywhere close to typical. They live on a ranch, don’t have jobs, or kids to raise and transport in multiple directions. They also work out 6-8 hours a day. My goal is to get these people moving twice a day—for at least 20 minutes early, and then 45 minutes to an hour later in the day.
One thing that has really impressed me is the extent to which some people from the group have taken the Monday night workouts and set them up again on Wednesdays and sometimes even on Fridays too. They’re tough workouts once a week, much less repeating them. It will be interesting to see if they repeat this week’s workout!
(1) Burpees, (2) Pull-ups, (3) Leg/Knee Raises, (4) Kettle Bell Swings, (5) Body Squats, (6) Mountain Climbers. 25 seconds at each station and 5 seconds to move to the next station. Each round lasted three minutes with a 30 second rest break between rounds. Ten rounds total!
This week’s winner was Jodi Thierl, who lost 2.2% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs. Second place went to Mandi Stuck, who lost 1.8% and 2.2 lbs. Amy Church, Kit Kirby, and Debbie Eveland tied for third, all losing 1.4%, and 1.8 lbs, 2.8 lbs, and 1.8 lbs respectively. Laken Pennington and Greg Stuck tied for fourth, losing 1.2%, and 1.8 lbs and 2.2 lbs respectively.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Last week, 27 of the remaining 30 weighed in, and this week 24 made the weigh-in. Over the course of the program, half the group drops out for one reason or another, so we’re doing pretty well at this point.
You might recall that last time in Biggest Loser “14”, we had a much higher dropout rate than usual, so it’s good to see that was probably just a fluke. In fact, it’s looking like we might finish with well more than half the group!
Of the 15 groups we’ve done, I recall that groups five through eight seemed to set most of the weight loss records. The most pounds lost for a guy was 60 lbs, and we’ve had a couple people hit it. Since then, no one has been able to get close. The most lost for a gal was 43 lbs, and it’s been a long time since anyone has gotten close to that either.
Typically, we’ll see one or two people get to around 40 lbs or so, with a couple more in the 30’s. Usually, the bulk of the weight loss is around 15-20 lbs for most people. Remember, a pound a week is good, two pounds a week is great, and three or more pounds a week is fantastic—and hard to keep up.
The results you see on TV, while outstanding, aren’t anywhere close to typical. They live on a ranch, don’t have jobs, or kids to raise and transport in multiple directions. They also work out 6-8 hours a day. My goal is to get these people moving twice a day—for at least 20 minutes early, and then 45 minutes to an hour later in the day.
One thing that has really impressed me is the extent to which some people from the group have taken the Monday night workouts and set them up again on Wednesdays and sometimes even on Fridays too. They’re tough workouts once a week, much less repeating them. It will be interesting to see if they repeat this week’s workout!
(1) Burpees, (2) Pull-ups, (3) Leg/Knee Raises, (4) Kettle Bell Swings, (5) Body Squats, (6) Mountain Climbers. 25 seconds at each station and 5 seconds to move to the next station. Each round lasted three minutes with a 30 second rest break between rounds. Ten rounds total!
This week’s winner was Jodi Thierl, who lost 2.2% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs. Second place went to Mandi Stuck, who lost 1.8% and 2.2 lbs. Amy Church, Kit Kirby, and Debbie Eveland tied for third, all losing 1.4%, and 1.8 lbs, 2.8 lbs, and 1.8 lbs respectively. Laken Pennington and Greg Stuck tied for fourth, losing 1.2%, and 1.8 lbs and 2.2 lbs respectively.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Friday, February 10, 2012
BIGGEST LOSER "15" -- WEEK FIVE
This week we set up another “Super Station” circuit in the mat room for the Biggest Losers. The goal was to not only give them a tough workout, but also teach them some more new exercises that they can then do on their own during the week.
As usual we had to divide them into several groups to accommodate everyone. Group One started with a straight bar with plates on it and a new movement: squats w/overhead press (thrusters). After a minute of thrusters, they then rotated to a minute of kettlebell swings, and then repeated both exercises.
Group Two started with pull-ups and burpees, two times through, for a minute each. Group Three started with tractor tire flips, rope flips, a rower, and a Schwinn Air Dyne. They did each exercise for a minute, while a fourth group used the treadmills and ellipticals in the cardio room.
After rotating through all the exercises, everyone moved on to the next area, and what a workout it was! By the end, they were sweaty, gassed, and had learned some new things to through into their regular workouts.
We also talked about making changes long-term. Lots of people get to the end of a program and lose some weight, but then for some reason, go back to their old ways. They start surrendering to poor food choices, and sometimes even quit moving altogether. It’s such a shame, after all that hard work.
Hopefully, it will be something they’ll be thinking about as they work through the rest of this twelve week program. To truly succeed, they’ll need to find a way to make the changes part of a new life style!
This week’s winner was Greg Stuck, who lost 2.3% of his body weight and 4.4 lbs. Leslie Shanks was second, losing 1.8% and 3.0 lbs, and Amy Church placed third, losing 1.3% and 1.6 lbs. Brad Adams, Dale Rasmussen and Karen Brown tied for fourth place, all losing 1.1% and 2.5 lbs, 2.8 lbs and 2.8 lbs respectively.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
As usual we had to divide them into several groups to accommodate everyone. Group One started with a straight bar with plates on it and a new movement: squats w/overhead press (thrusters). After a minute of thrusters, they then rotated to a minute of kettlebell swings, and then repeated both exercises.
Group Two started with pull-ups and burpees, two times through, for a minute each. Group Three started with tractor tire flips, rope flips, a rower, and a Schwinn Air Dyne. They did each exercise for a minute, while a fourth group used the treadmills and ellipticals in the cardio room.
After rotating through all the exercises, everyone moved on to the next area, and what a workout it was! By the end, they were sweaty, gassed, and had learned some new things to through into their regular workouts.
We also talked about making changes long-term. Lots of people get to the end of a program and lose some weight, but then for some reason, go back to their old ways. They start surrendering to poor food choices, and sometimes even quit moving altogether. It’s such a shame, after all that hard work.
Hopefully, it will be something they’ll be thinking about as they work through the rest of this twelve week program. To truly succeed, they’ll need to find a way to make the changes part of a new life style!
This week’s winner was Greg Stuck, who lost 2.3% of his body weight and 4.4 lbs. Leslie Shanks was second, losing 1.8% and 3.0 lbs, and Amy Church placed third, losing 1.3% and 1.6 lbs. Brad Adams, Dale Rasmussen and Karen Brown tied for fourth place, all losing 1.1% and 2.5 lbs, 2.8 lbs and 2.8 lbs respectively.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Thursday, February 02, 2012
BIGGEST LOSER "15" -- WEEK FOUR
This week marked the end of the first month of training for the Biggest Losers. Four weeks ago, they took starting measurements of their Right & Left Arm, Chest, Stomach, Hips, Right & Left Thigh, and Right & Left Calf.
People burn fat differently, so this would help us see if they’d lost fat anywhere. After the weigh-in this week, they took measurements again so they could compare with the earlier readings from a month ago.
While most people didn’t have time to do all the math, one person was able to quickly calculate that they’d lost over 10 inches in just the four weeks! I should be able to give you more information about that next week when everybody reports back in.
I’m also going to encourage them to take another set of pictures from the front and side profiles like they did when they began Biggest Loser “15.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell your body is changing, especially if it’s not showing up on the scale. But actually measuring inches lost, and seeing a smaller you in a picture, can help keep you motivated over the long haul.
This is especially important as we start moving into the time when many people find it hard to keep going. So this group has passed two major milestones. The first was simply finishing Week One.
With all the discomfort as your body adjusts to a new workout routine, sometimes people just can’t deal with it. And with all the hassles that come trying to fit workouts into their daily schedule, it’s no surprise that many people just give up.
If we can get them through the first month, though, their odds of success go up dramatically. They’ve adapted to the scheduling issues, and their bodies are much stronger, so the workouts and recovery won’t be quite so hard for them.
This was pretty evident during the workout, which was their toughest yet. One of them said “we never push ourselves as hard as you push us.” That said, this time they all did much more work than they were able to do just four short weeks ago. Here’s what they did:
Wall Ball, Dumbbell Curls, Walking Pushups, Pull-ups, Leg Raises, Pullovers on a Ball, and Running the lines (wind sprints). 1 min rounds, 4 complete circuits (28 minutes total). Give it a try sometime.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
People burn fat differently, so this would help us see if they’d lost fat anywhere. After the weigh-in this week, they took measurements again so they could compare with the earlier readings from a month ago.
While most people didn’t have time to do all the math, one person was able to quickly calculate that they’d lost over 10 inches in just the four weeks! I should be able to give you more information about that next week when everybody reports back in.
I’m also going to encourage them to take another set of pictures from the front and side profiles like they did when they began Biggest Loser “15.” Sometimes it’s hard to tell your body is changing, especially if it’s not showing up on the scale. But actually measuring inches lost, and seeing a smaller you in a picture, can help keep you motivated over the long haul.
This is especially important as we start moving into the time when many people find it hard to keep going. So this group has passed two major milestones. The first was simply finishing Week One.
With all the discomfort as your body adjusts to a new workout routine, sometimes people just can’t deal with it. And with all the hassles that come trying to fit workouts into their daily schedule, it’s no surprise that many people just give up.
If we can get them through the first month, though, their odds of success go up dramatically. They’ve adapted to the scheduling issues, and their bodies are much stronger, so the workouts and recovery won’t be quite so hard for them.
This was pretty evident during the workout, which was their toughest yet. One of them said “we never push ourselves as hard as you push us.” That said, this time they all did much more work than they were able to do just four short weeks ago. Here’s what they did:
Wall Ball, Dumbbell Curls, Walking Pushups, Pull-ups, Leg Raises, Pullovers on a Ball, and Running the lines (wind sprints). 1 min rounds, 4 complete circuits (28 minutes total). Give it a try sometime.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Monday, January 30, 2012
BIGGEST LOSER "15" -- WEEK THREE
It’s always good to change things up—it keeps the body guessing and makes your workouts interesting. To that end, I gave the group their first Kickboxing workout.
The class starts with some basic movement skills and what I like to call the duck-duck drill. This is where one person swings their hand (slowly) toward their partner’s head, who ducks under it with their hands up. Then the other hand comes at them, forcing them to duck that too.
After that, they learned how to Jab & Cross, using open palms as targets. Along the way, we worked on getting their punching hands tight, and their stances less squared off so they could move better and be smaller targets.
Then they learned how to defend against knee strikes and finally the cover-cover drill, where they don’t have time to duck or move—just place their palms on the front of their forehead and use their arms to cover their face and head.
Once they had the basics, we let them start hitting targets, and that’s when it really gets fun. It also turns into quite a bit of exercise. They did all the drills again with targets, alternating back and forth, along with front kicks to the body, round kicks to the leg, and even jump front kicks!
The group also learned how to sink-tuck-slap so they could fall backward without landing on and hurting their hands and wrists. Then they learned how to sprawl forward so they wouldn’t get hurt that way. Then we added those skills to the training drills. By now, it’s so intense that even a one minute round gets everyone huffing and puffing.
The last part of the class was perhaps the most fun, and certainly the most tasking. Now they applied everything they learned to large kicking pads and heavy bags.
Previously, they’d been working on getting comfortable with combinations, and aiming at a target. Now, the goal is to put as much power as possible in the techniques so they’d have a chance at stopping somebody if they had to.
We did 30 second rounds, alternating between partners on the bag. It sounds pretty easy, but believe me, 30 seconds of full-bore action and hitting as hard as you can is a real gasser!
In the end, they worked out for 40 minutes, and probably burned 60 minutes worth of calories—it can be that intense! Some of the group even stayed after for the next class, which just happened to be—more kickboxing!
This week we had a tie for first place between Amy Church and Jennifer Abernathy, both losing 2.1% of their body weight and 2.8 lbs and 4.0 lbs respectively. Jaymi Warner and laken Pennington tied for second, losing 1.9% and 3.2 lbs and 3.0 lbs respectively. Leslie Shanks was third, losing 1.8% and 3.2 lbs.
This week we had a tie for first place between Amy Church and Jennifer Abernathy, both losing 2.1% of their body weight and 2.8 lbs and 4.0 lbs respectively. Jaymi Warner and laken Pennington tied for second, losing 1.9% and 3.2 lbs and 3.0 lbs respectively. Leslie Shanks was third, losing 1.8% and 3.2 lbs.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
The class starts with some basic movement skills and what I like to call the duck-duck drill. This is where one person swings their hand (slowly) toward their partner’s head, who ducks under it with their hands up. Then the other hand comes at them, forcing them to duck that too.
After that, they learned how to Jab & Cross, using open palms as targets. Along the way, we worked on getting their punching hands tight, and their stances less squared off so they could move better and be smaller targets.
Then they learned how to defend against knee strikes and finally the cover-cover drill, where they don’t have time to duck or move—just place their palms on the front of their forehead and use their arms to cover their face and head.
Once they had the basics, we let them start hitting targets, and that’s when it really gets fun. It also turns into quite a bit of exercise. They did all the drills again with targets, alternating back and forth, along with front kicks to the body, round kicks to the leg, and even jump front kicks!
The group also learned how to sink-tuck-slap so they could fall backward without landing on and hurting their hands and wrists. Then they learned how to sprawl forward so they wouldn’t get hurt that way. Then we added those skills to the training drills. By now, it’s so intense that even a one minute round gets everyone huffing and puffing.
The last part of the class was perhaps the most fun, and certainly the most tasking. Now they applied everything they learned to large kicking pads and heavy bags.
Previously, they’d been working on getting comfortable with combinations, and aiming at a target. Now, the goal is to put as much power as possible in the techniques so they’d have a chance at stopping somebody if they had to.
We did 30 second rounds, alternating between partners on the bag. It sounds pretty easy, but believe me, 30 seconds of full-bore action and hitting as hard as you can is a real gasser!
In the end, they worked out for 40 minutes, and probably burned 60 minutes worth of calories—it can be that intense! Some of the group even stayed after for the next class, which just happened to be—more kickboxing!
This week we had a tie for first place between Amy Church and Jennifer Abernathy, both losing 2.1% of their body weight and 2.8 lbs and 4.0 lbs respectively. Jaymi Warner and laken Pennington tied for second, losing 1.9% and 3.2 lbs and 3.0 lbs respectively. Leslie Shanks was third, losing 1.8% and 3.2 lbs.
This week we had a tie for first place between Amy Church and Jennifer Abernathy, both losing 2.1% of their body weight and 2.8 lbs and 4.0 lbs respectively. Jaymi Warner and laken Pennington tied for second, losing 1.9% and 3.2 lbs and 3.0 lbs respectively. Leslie Shanks was third, losing 1.8% and 3.2 lbs.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Thursday, January 19, 2012
BIGGEST LOSER "15" -- WEEK TWO
I ran a contest to see who could log the most workout hours. Of course the idea was to try and get them moving more. More moving means more calories burned, which means more pounds lost in the end (and their ends).
I can’t really be sure it actually resulted in more exercise time because of the 29 people who weighed in this week (out of the original 32), only 6 turned in their workout times! But, those 6 people accounted for a whopping 66 ¼ hours. I wonder what the real number is.
Dale Rasmussen logged 6 ¼ hrs, Angie Adams logged 7 hrs, and Shirley Fiscus had 8 hrs. Jodi Theirl had 10 ¾ hrs working out while Kara Englum logged 13 ½ hrs. Michelle Clark had an amazing 20 ¾ hrs, winning a 60 minute massage from Soleil Body Salon! She earned it.
Michelle was last season’s Biggest Loser, and it’s clear she’s using everything she learned this time around, too. A full-time teacher with kids, she’s proof that you can find time to do this if you really want to.
For the workout, we combined resistance training with cardio. Half the group did several minutes at increasing intensity on the cardio equipment (treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, stepper), while the other half worked out on two Maxicam weight machines in the circuit. Then both groups switched places. Here’s what this type of workout looks like:
1. Jog ¼ mile on the Treadmill
2. Chest Press Machine & Seated Row Machine back-to-back without any rest. Repeat.
3. Do 3 minutes on the Recumbent Bike
4. Pec Fly Machine & Lat Pulldown Machine, repeat
5. Do 3 minutes on the Elliptical
6. Shoulder Press Machine & Rear Delt Machine, repeat
7. Do 3 minutes on the Schwinn Airdyne
8. Tricep Press Machine & Bicep Curl Machine, repeat
9. Do 3 minutes on the Stair-Stepper
10. Leg Press Machine & Seated Calves, repeat
11. Jog ¼ mile on the Treadmill
12. Leg Curl Machine & Leg Extension Machine, repeat
13. Do 3 minutes on the Recumbent Bike
14. Ab Machine & Lower Back Machine, repeat
15. Do 3 minutes on the Elliptical
This week’s winner was Sandra Soberg, who lost 2.9% of her body weight and 3.6 lbs. Second place went to Michelle Clark, losing 2.2% and 3.0 lbs. There was a four way tie for third place between Beverly Weger, Kara Englum, Sande Sherer, and Stacey Reed, all losing 1.8% of their body weight and 3.4 lbs, 2.8 lbs, 3.0 lbs, and 4.4 lbs respectively.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
I can’t really be sure it actually resulted in more exercise time because of the 29 people who weighed in this week (out of the original 32), only 6 turned in their workout times! But, those 6 people accounted for a whopping 66 ¼ hours. I wonder what the real number is.
Dale Rasmussen logged 6 ¼ hrs, Angie Adams logged 7 hrs, and Shirley Fiscus had 8 hrs. Jodi Theirl had 10 ¾ hrs working out while Kara Englum logged 13 ½ hrs. Michelle Clark had an amazing 20 ¾ hrs, winning a 60 minute massage from Soleil Body Salon! She earned it.
Michelle was last season’s Biggest Loser, and it’s clear she’s using everything she learned this time around, too. A full-time teacher with kids, she’s proof that you can find time to do this if you really want to.
For the workout, we combined resistance training with cardio. Half the group did several minutes at increasing intensity on the cardio equipment (treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, stepper), while the other half worked out on two Maxicam weight machines in the circuit. Then both groups switched places. Here’s what this type of workout looks like:
1. Jog ¼ mile on the Treadmill
2. Chest Press Machine & Seated Row Machine back-to-back without any rest. Repeat.
3. Do 3 minutes on the Recumbent Bike
4. Pec Fly Machine & Lat Pulldown Machine, repeat
5. Do 3 minutes on the Elliptical
6. Shoulder Press Machine & Rear Delt Machine, repeat
7. Do 3 minutes on the Schwinn Airdyne
8. Tricep Press Machine & Bicep Curl Machine, repeat
9. Do 3 minutes on the Stair-Stepper
10. Leg Press Machine & Seated Calves, repeat
11. Jog ¼ mile on the Treadmill
12. Leg Curl Machine & Leg Extension Machine, repeat
13. Do 3 minutes on the Recumbent Bike
14. Ab Machine & Lower Back Machine, repeat
15. Do 3 minutes on the Elliptical
This week’s winner was Sandra Soberg, who lost 2.9% of her body weight and 3.6 lbs. Second place went to Michelle Clark, losing 2.2% and 3.0 lbs. There was a four way tie for third place between Beverly Weger, Kara Englum, Sande Sherer, and Stacey Reed, all losing 1.8% of their body weight and 3.4 lbs, 2.8 lbs, 3.0 lbs, and 4.4 lbs respectively.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
BIGGEST LOSER "15" -- WEEK ONE
Well, we made it through Week One of Biggest Loser “15.” It was actually an outstanding first week. Of all the different groups we’ve had, I think this one might have lost the most weight. There were a couple other interesting dynamics happening too.
Of the 32 people who started, 30 made the weigh-in, and all but three lost weight. 27 people lost at least a pound or more, which is good. 18 people lost two pounds or more, which is great, and 10 people lost three pounds or more, which is awesome.
Instead of gradually adding things, and slowly ramping up, this time I’m hammering them from the get-go. That means they’re learning all the cool stuff right away.
It was great watching many of them get together during the week and doing high-intensity, high-level workouts with things they learned just last week. Some of the veteran Biggest Losers took charge, and pulled the new ones right in with them.
I can’t say for sure that accounted for all the great results, but I’ll bet it helped! I think it also contributed to their enthusiasm, and the group dynamic was really working for them.
For their second group workout, we jumped right in with more free weight exercises and a couple new things like pull-ups, and leg-raises. In some cases, we modified the movements to accommodate varying levels of strength. Everyone did two rounds of the following six exercises that hit their entire body:
1. Dumbbell (DB) Press on Ball
2. DB Front Squats (weights held on shoulders)
3. Leg/Knee Raises (Round 1), Pull-ups (Round 2)
4. DB Single Arm Rows
5. DB Straight Leg (slightly bent) Dead Lifts
6. Planks
Down the road, they’ll want to work up to 4-5 sets of everything. They’ll also work on using progressively heavier dumbbells as they get stronger. Next week, I’m going to introduce them to a bunch of different exercises on the stability ball, and also some new exercises with curl bars and straight bars!
For Week One, we had a three-way tie for 1st place, with Laken Pennington, Amy Church, and Jodi Theirl all losing 3.0% of their body weight, and 5.4 lbs, 4.0 lbs, and 4.2 lbs respectively!
Greg Stuck, Karen Brown, Brad Adams, Jennifer Bowers, Stacey Reed, Dale Rasmussen, Nicole Clodfelter, and Angie Adams all tied for 2nd place, losing 2.0% of their body weight! Greg lost 4.6 lbs, Karen lost 5.8 lbs, Brad lost 4.4 lbs, Jennifer lost 4.8 lbs, Stacey lost 4.2 lbs, Dale lost 3.8 lbs, Nicole lost 4.2 lbs, and Angie lost 2.2 lbs!
With such a dynamic group, we’re going to have to take the percentage of weight loss out to another digit next week. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Of the 32 people who started, 30 made the weigh-in, and all but three lost weight. 27 people lost at least a pound or more, which is good. 18 people lost two pounds or more, which is great, and 10 people lost three pounds or more, which is awesome.
Instead of gradually adding things, and slowly ramping up, this time I’m hammering them from the get-go. That means they’re learning all the cool stuff right away.
It was great watching many of them get together during the week and doing high-intensity, high-level workouts with things they learned just last week. Some of the veteran Biggest Losers took charge, and pulled the new ones right in with them.
I can’t say for sure that accounted for all the great results, but I’ll bet it helped! I think it also contributed to their enthusiasm, and the group dynamic was really working for them.
For their second group workout, we jumped right in with more free weight exercises and a couple new things like pull-ups, and leg-raises. In some cases, we modified the movements to accommodate varying levels of strength. Everyone did two rounds of the following six exercises that hit their entire body:
1. Dumbbell (DB) Press on Ball
2. DB Front Squats (weights held on shoulders)
3. Leg/Knee Raises (Round 1), Pull-ups (Round 2)
4. DB Single Arm Rows
5. DB Straight Leg (slightly bent) Dead Lifts
6. Planks
Down the road, they’ll want to work up to 4-5 sets of everything. They’ll also work on using progressively heavier dumbbells as they get stronger. Next week, I’m going to introduce them to a bunch of different exercises on the stability ball, and also some new exercises with curl bars and straight bars!
For Week One, we had a three-way tie for 1st place, with Laken Pennington, Amy Church, and Jodi Theirl all losing 3.0% of their body weight, and 5.4 lbs, 4.0 lbs, and 4.2 lbs respectively!
Greg Stuck, Karen Brown, Brad Adams, Jennifer Bowers, Stacey Reed, Dale Rasmussen, Nicole Clodfelter, and Angie Adams all tied for 2nd place, losing 2.0% of their body weight! Greg lost 4.6 lbs, Karen lost 5.8 lbs, Brad lost 4.4 lbs, Jennifer lost 4.8 lbs, Stacey lost 4.2 lbs, Dale lost 3.8 lbs, Nicole lost 4.2 lbs, and Angie lost 2.2 lbs!
With such a dynamic group, we’re going to have to take the percentage of weight loss out to another digit next week. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Saturday, January 07, 2012
BIGGEST LOSER "15" -- FIRST WORKOUT!
We had our first workout last Monday night with the new group in Biggest Loser “15.” It’s hard to believe we’ve done this 15 times! So this time, after the initial weigh-in and measurements, I decided to do something a little different.
Instead of the regular fitness tests: pushups, sit-ups, and body squats for 60 seconds, and 1 mile walk/run, I thought I’d throw them to the wolves by giving them a Level IV workout like we do at the end of the program. That way when they do it again after 12 weeks, they’d have a real idea of how much their fitness has improved.
I took the idea from the TV show, where they show them working out at the end, a lot lighter and feeling strong. Then they go back and show them doing the same thing at the beginning, where they’re all just dying. Here’s what we did:
The Biggest Loser veterans were used to working out at this intensity. The new ones had it a little rougher so some of them had to modify things a little bit by going slower, stopping sooner, and using lighter weights.
Before they finish the 12 weeks, I’m going to throw this workout at them again. They’re going to be very surprised at how much easier it will be then.
They’ll be lighter and lots stronger, plus their endurance will be through the roof! This means they’ll be able to push much harder through the workout, and believe me, it will show.
They got a calorie log to start tracking their calories. The goal is to figure out how much they’re eating, and their assignment is to turn one log in next week. We also talked about resources like www.calorieking.com , www.myfooddiary.com , and www.myfitnesspal.com that they can use online or with their smart phone.
It’s not too late, if you’d like to take part in Biggest Loser “15.” We’ll be meeting each Monday night at 6pm for 12 weeks. After the weigh-in, they’ll be doing high energy group workouts like the one you just saw. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Instead of the regular fitness tests: pushups, sit-ups, and body squats for 60 seconds, and 1 mile walk/run, I thought I’d throw them to the wolves by giving them a Level IV workout like we do at the end of the program. That way when they do it again after 12 weeks, they’d have a real idea of how much their fitness has improved.
I took the idea from the TV show, where they show them working out at the end, a lot lighter and feeling strong. Then they go back and show them doing the same thing at the beginning, where they’re all just dying. Here’s what we did:
- Wall Ball (Squatting and then throwing a medicine ball up overhead on the wall)
- Standing Dumbbell (DB) Curls
- AB Routine #1, 2, 3 (Crunches, Crunches with legs up, Sit-ups crossing L & R)
- Box Jumps
- Ball Twists (Side-to-side, over-under)
- Kettle
- Plank Routine (Mountain Climbers, Regular Plank, Side-to-side reaches
The Biggest Loser veterans were used to working out at this intensity. The new ones had it a little rougher so some of them had to modify things a little bit by going slower, stopping sooner, and using lighter weights.
Before they finish the 12 weeks, I’m going to throw this workout at them again. They’re going to be very surprised at how much easier it will be then.
They’ll be lighter and lots stronger, plus their endurance will be through the roof! This means they’ll be able to push much harder through the workout, and believe me, it will show.
They got a calorie log to start tracking their calories. The goal is to figure out how much they’re eating, and their assignment is to turn one log in next week. We also talked about resources like www.calorieking.com , www.myfooddiary.com , and www.myfitnesspal.com that they can use online or with their smart phone.
It’s not too late, if you’d like to take part in Biggest Loser “15.” We’ll be meeting each Monday night at 6pm for 12 weeks. After the weigh-in, they’ll be doing high energy group workouts like the one you just saw. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
KEEP MOVING!
I noticed something during our Christmas shopping this year. People seemed to fall into two groups. One was pretty healthy, but there were quite a few who were overweight.
I didn’t see many people in the middle. And the older they got, the more extreme the differences. It seemed like there were those who were moving well, and those who weren’t. Is it just me, or our there more people in motorized carts these days?
“Use it or lose it” is just as applicable as it ever was. As we stop moving, our muscles atrophy (get smaller), our bones weaken, and we accumulate excess fat. Even if our weight hasn’t changed, our body composition has. And if our weight has gone up, our body fat has really gone up!
I’ve got a toddler, and he’s a machine. He’s up and down, all around, moving constantly. Picking things up, throwing them down. He does hundreds of body squats. One of these days I’m going to put a pedometer on him just to see how far he goes!
But I’ve noticed that at a certain age, kids start slowing down. They’ll start spending more time watching TV and playing video games. Every minute they spend sitting on the couch, is a minute they’re not moving anymore.
Kids involved in sports have the opportunity to stay in shape, but the ones that don’t participate will slow down even more. And it’s tough to catch up, because even gym classes aren’t offered every day at many schools these days.
That’s why I’m a big believer in having kids in something, whether it’s team sports, or an individual sport like gymnastics or Taekwondo. We’ve got to keep them moving.
It applies to adults too. Young adults that were active in high school or college sports often stop playing altogether once they enter the real world and start jobs and families. And most of our jobs don’t involve enough real activity to keep us healthy.
It takes a concerted effort to get in shape and stay there. But it’s not impossible. Plenty of people have made the commitment to stay moving. I’ve even got 60, 70 and 80 year olds I’ll see in the gym exercising every day. They want to keep moving.
Of course, the other part of the problem is the changes we’ve made to our diet. There was a time when eating fast foods were the exception. Now they’re often the rule. Junk foods have become staples in our pantries.
Unfortunately, they’re filled with empty calories that don’t provide the same nutritional value. At least if you’re active, you’ll probably burn them off. But if consumed by someone who isn’t very active, junk foods are usually excess calories, which are stored as fat.
It comes down to this. You can get moving, or get fat. You can eat right, or get fat. That sounds harsh, but in the end, if you’re not moving, and you’re not eating right, it’s going to go to your end!
The good news is that for most people, even if you’re overweight, you can turn it around. I’ve seen plenty of people lose 30, 40, 50, 60, and even 100 lbs. I personally lost 35 lbs last year and it’s changed my life. I want to keep moving.
So do you want to get moving, and learn how to start eating better? You might try our community-wide Biggest Loser “15” which starts Monday, January 2nd. If you have questions, feel free to contact Tom through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
I didn’t see many people in the middle. And the older they got, the more extreme the differences. It seemed like there were those who were moving well, and those who weren’t. Is it just me, or our there more people in motorized carts these days?
“Use it or lose it” is just as applicable as it ever was. As we stop moving, our muscles atrophy (get smaller), our bones weaken, and we accumulate excess fat. Even if our weight hasn’t changed, our body composition has. And if our weight has gone up, our body fat has really gone up!
I’ve got a toddler, and he’s a machine. He’s up and down, all around, moving constantly. Picking things up, throwing them down. He does hundreds of body squats. One of these days I’m going to put a pedometer on him just to see how far he goes!
But I’ve noticed that at a certain age, kids start slowing down. They’ll start spending more time watching TV and playing video games. Every minute they spend sitting on the couch, is a minute they’re not moving anymore.
Kids involved in sports have the opportunity to stay in shape, but the ones that don’t participate will slow down even more. And it’s tough to catch up, because even gym classes aren’t offered every day at many schools these days.
That’s why I’m a big believer in having kids in something, whether it’s team sports, or an individual sport like gymnastics or Taekwondo. We’ve got to keep them moving.
It applies to adults too. Young adults that were active in high school or college sports often stop playing altogether once they enter the real world and start jobs and families. And most of our jobs don’t involve enough real activity to keep us healthy.
It takes a concerted effort to get in shape and stay there. But it’s not impossible. Plenty of people have made the commitment to stay moving. I’ve even got 60, 70 and 80 year olds I’ll see in the gym exercising every day. They want to keep moving.
Of course, the other part of the problem is the changes we’ve made to our diet. There was a time when eating fast foods were the exception. Now they’re often the rule. Junk foods have become staples in our pantries.
Unfortunately, they’re filled with empty calories that don’t provide the same nutritional value. At least if you’re active, you’ll probably burn them off. But if consumed by someone who isn’t very active, junk foods are usually excess calories, which are stored as fat.
It comes down to this. You can get moving, or get fat. You can eat right, or get fat. That sounds harsh, but in the end, if you’re not moving, and you’re not eating right, it’s going to go to your end!
The good news is that for most people, even if you’re overweight, you can turn it around. I’ve seen plenty of people lose 30, 40, 50, 60, and even 100 lbs. I personally lost 35 lbs last year and it’s changed my life. I want to keep moving.
So do you want to get moving, and learn how to start eating better? You might try our community-wide Biggest Loser “15” which starts Monday, January 2nd. If you have questions, feel free to contact Tom through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Friday, December 23, 2011
RESOLUTIONS ANYONE?
Can you believe it? We’re about to reach the end of another year. When I was younger, each year went on forever and I couldn’t wait to be older. These days, I wonder where the years go!
But like most people, at least once a year, I like to spend a little time looking back to see what I’ve accomplished. Sometimes it’s a pretty short list!
We can get so caught up in the process of doing stuff, that a little reflection can help you gain perspective. When you look back, you can remember what goals were attained, identify mistakes that were made, and make some course corrections if necessary.
Maybe you lost some weight but then put some of it back on. You need to recognize you did a good job losing the weight. What you learned then will help you out this next year.
But what went wrong that let you put the weight back on? If you can figure that out, you can take steps to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen again. Maybe you just quit working out. Perhaps you fell off your diet.
Maybe you’ve just been thinking about trying to get your weight under control but it hasn’t happened yet. You might even have started a couple of times, but just got off track.
The good news is that 2012 can be a new year in lots of ways. If you need to lose weight and get yourself healthy, here’s what you need to do to start getting prepared.
Develop an action plan designed to help get you started. Find out about gym memberships. Talk to friends that lost weight. Ask them what they’ve been doing.
Take a look at some websites like www.calorieking.com or www.myfooddiary.com . Look at phone apps for your smart phone that will help you stay on top of things.
Start telling yourself that this time you’re going to do it. It’s not a resolution that can fail. It’s a fact. You’re going to do it. This is going to be your year. Tell a friend what your plan is. If someone else knows, you just became accountable. Write it down, too. Goals written down are much more likely to be achieved.
Have someone take a picture of you in your knickers, front and side views. Put it on your bathroom mirror. Weigh in. Do your body fat. Take some measurements. Then set some reasonable goals about what you’d like to see happen.
Most people can lose 1-1 ½ pounds a week if they start exercising daily and watching what they eat. With a little more effort, you can take that up to 2-3 pounds a week.
This can be your year. The year you get it together and get thinner. I’m telling you, you won’t believe how good it’s going to feel, and how good you’ll feel about yourself. You just have to take my word for it.
I lost 35 lbs in 2011, over 7 months, and have maintained it over the last few months. Now, everything feels different. It’s so much easier to move and run, and grapple, and do all the other things I like to do. My goal is to keep it off in 2012 while building some more muscle.
So what’s your goal? You better get cracking, because the New Year’s almost here! If you have any questions about exercise, weight loss, or Biggest Loser “15” which starts Monday, January 2nd, contact Tom through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
But like most people, at least once a year, I like to spend a little time looking back to see what I’ve accomplished. Sometimes it’s a pretty short list!
We can get so caught up in the process of doing stuff, that a little reflection can help you gain perspective. When you look back, you can remember what goals were attained, identify mistakes that were made, and make some course corrections if necessary.
Maybe you lost some weight but then put some of it back on. You need to recognize you did a good job losing the weight. What you learned then will help you out this next year.
But what went wrong that let you put the weight back on? If you can figure that out, you can take steps to ensure that the same thing doesn’t happen again. Maybe you just quit working out. Perhaps you fell off your diet.
Maybe you’ve just been thinking about trying to get your weight under control but it hasn’t happened yet. You might even have started a couple of times, but just got off track.
The good news is that 2012 can be a new year in lots of ways. If you need to lose weight and get yourself healthy, here’s what you need to do to start getting prepared.
Develop an action plan designed to help get you started. Find out about gym memberships. Talk to friends that lost weight. Ask them what they’ve been doing.
Take a look at some websites like www.calorieking.com or www.myfooddiary.com . Look at phone apps for your smart phone that will help you stay on top of things.
Start telling yourself that this time you’re going to do it. It’s not a resolution that can fail. It’s a fact. You’re going to do it. This is going to be your year. Tell a friend what your plan is. If someone else knows, you just became accountable. Write it down, too. Goals written down are much more likely to be achieved.
Have someone take a picture of you in your knickers, front and side views. Put it on your bathroom mirror. Weigh in. Do your body fat. Take some measurements. Then set some reasonable goals about what you’d like to see happen.
Most people can lose 1-1 ½ pounds a week if they start exercising daily and watching what they eat. With a little more effort, you can take that up to 2-3 pounds a week.
This can be your year. The year you get it together and get thinner. I’m telling you, you won’t believe how good it’s going to feel, and how good you’ll feel about yourself. You just have to take my word for it.
I lost 35 lbs in 2011, over 7 months, and have maintained it over the last few months. Now, everything feels different. It’s so much easier to move and run, and grapple, and do all the other things I like to do. My goal is to keep it off in 2012 while building some more muscle.
So what’s your goal? You better get cracking, because the New Year’s almost here! If you have any questions about exercise, weight loss, or Biggest Loser “15” which starts Monday, January 2nd, contact Tom through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Thursday, December 15, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK TWELVE (FINAL RESULTS)
Another Biggest Loser finally came to an end. While 25 people started, only five people made it to the final workout, with six weighing in—a completion rate of just 24%. That’s about half of what it usually is (typically it’s around 50%).
Part of it was the holidays, shopping, and a few people had injuries or illness. But I always wonder why many of the others simply couldn’t make it. Dropping out is all too common a problem these days, especially with exercise programs and weight loss.
People can know they need to change, even want to change, but it’s often hard finding the will to change. It’s tough coming up with that thing deep inside where quitting is not an option, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes.
12 weeks seems like such a long time when you’re in it, but when you look back, it’s over pretty fast. Compared to a year, it’s pretty short. Compared to a life, it’s not even a blip on the screen. But if you can finish, it’s often produces lasting change. So how do you stick it out? Five women finished the program, so what made them different? I asked them how they did it:
Four of the five women only missed one of the 13 sessions; the other had perfect attendance. That alone goes a long way to explain their success. So I asked them what difficulties they’d faced along the way:
If you have any questions about exercise or weight loss, or would like to weigh in on whether we should do another Biggest Loser “15” after the New Year, feel free to contact Tom through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Part of it was the holidays, shopping, and a few people had injuries or illness. But I always wonder why many of the others simply couldn’t make it. Dropping out is all too common a problem these days, especially with exercise programs and weight loss.
People can know they need to change, even want to change, but it’s often hard finding the will to change. It’s tough coming up with that thing deep inside where quitting is not an option, and you’re willing to do whatever it takes, no matter how long it takes.
12 weeks seems like such a long time when you’re in it, but when you look back, it’s over pretty fast. Compared to a year, it’s pretty short. Compared to a life, it’s not even a blip on the screen. But if you can finish, it’s often produces lasting change. So how do you stick it out? Five women finished the program, so what made them different? I asked them how they did it:
- “The knowledge of the scale helped a lot—seeing those extra parameters like water percentage and metabolic age kept me motivated.”
- “Having someone to workout with every time—we scheduled it. It made us more accountable.”
- “I became moody if I didn’t go.”
- “I learned that when I weighed in, it was a new week—even if I messed up, ate too much, or didn’t workout, it was a new week and a new start.”
- “Writing down the calories.”
- “Being honest—realizing that I was fatter than I thought.”
- “I wasn’t going to go into another New Years and have to make another resolution.”
Four of the five women only missed one of the 13 sessions; the other had perfect attendance. That alone goes a long way to explain their success. So I asked them what difficulties they’d faced along the way:
- “Scheduling my workouts.”
- “My guilty feelings—taking away from family and work.”
- “Laziness.”
- “Being motivated.”
- “Being honest.”
- “Do something.”
- “Get started.”
- “Everybody has time.”
- “Quit making excuses.”
- “I wish I’d done this earlier.”
If you have any questions about exercise or weight loss, or would like to weigh in on whether we should do another Biggest Loser “15” after the New Year, feel free to contact Tom through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
Friday, December 09, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK ELEVEN "LEVEL IV WORKOUTS (CONTINUED)"
We’ve been talking about raising the level of your workouts by doing high intensity interval training (HIIT). Two weeks ago, I introduced the group to another great set of exercises they could do with just a 30 lb bar and two 5 lb plates (40 lbs total). The guys started with a 45 lb bar and two 10 lb plates (65 lbs total).
The first exercise was 10 deadlifts. Without stopping, they then performed 10 reps of upright rows. Then they did 10 front squats, holding the bar on their chest. Finally, they did 10 front shoulder presses or push-presses (using their legs a bit if necessary).
After the 40 reps, they put the bar down and did 20 sit-ups which gave them a bit of a break. They did 5 rounds of the deadlifts, upright rows, squats and shoulder presses, and sit-ups.
This week, since it was the last real workout with the group, I wanted to make sure they got one more chance to see how to turn it up! I decided to challenge them by adding a couple new things (pull-ups and handstand pushups), to a long list of other exercises they’ve done.
Instead of doing several exercises interval style for 4-5 rounds, this time they did a bunch of different exercises for 25 reps each. They couldn’t move on to the next station until they’d completed all the reps at the current station.
Each movement uses Pushing muscles (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps), Pulling muscles (Back, Biceps, Forearms), Lower Body (Hips & Thighs), Core (Abdominals & Obliques), or sometimes a combination of muscle groups. Feel free to contact me at www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness if you have any questions.
The first exercise was 10 deadlifts. Without stopping, they then performed 10 reps of upright rows. Then they did 10 front squats, holding the bar on their chest. Finally, they did 10 front shoulder presses or push-presses (using their legs a bit if necessary).
After the 40 reps, they put the bar down and did 20 sit-ups which gave them a bit of a break. They did 5 rounds of the deadlifts, upright rows, squats and shoulder presses, and sit-ups.
This week, since it was the last real workout with the group, I wanted to make sure they got one more chance to see how to turn it up! I decided to challenge them by adding a couple new things (pull-ups and handstand pushups), to a long list of other exercises they’ve done.
Instead of doing several exercises interval style for 4-5 rounds, this time they did a bunch of different exercises for 25 reps each. They couldn’t move on to the next station until they’d completed all the reps at the current station.
Each movement uses Pushing muscles (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps), Pulling muscles (Back, Biceps, Forearms), Lower Body (Hips & Thighs), Core (Abdominals & Obliques), or sometimes a combination of muscle groups. Feel free to contact me at www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness if you have any questions.
- Ran ¼ mile
- 25 Handstand Pushups
- 25 Pull-ups
- 25 Body Squats
- 25 Sit-ups
- 25 Dumbbell Lateral Raises
- 25 Kettle
- 25 Knee-Raises
- 25 Pushups
- 25 Dumbbell Curls
- 25 Box Jumps
- 25 Mountain Climbers
- 25 Pilate Crunches
- Ran ¼ mile
Friday, December 02, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK TEN "LEVEL III & IV WORKOUTS"
Last week we talked about High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) cardio workouts. This week I’d like to tell you about a couple other types of interval training workouts.
Whether it’s with Biggest Loser groups, or folks in the gym, I like to teach four levels of workouts. They range from basic to difficult in a progression that keeps the body changing.
Level 1 workouts use the machines; Level 2 workouts use basic free weight exercises with dumbbells and exercise balls. Level 3 workouts start combining the high intensity interval training (HIIT) with strength training.
Level 4 workouts are the toughest, using both free weights and body weight movements and sometimes, cardio, in a circuit that keeps the heart rate up while still giving you a great muscular strength and endurance workout. They are real calorie blasters!
After showing the Biggest Losers how to do HIIT on the cardio equipment, the next step was teaching them a Level 3 workout where they start to combine the HIIT workouts with their strength training workouts. They did this one a couple weeks ago.
They ran ¼ mile on the treadmill, then went in the workout room and did 25 pushups, 25 body squats, and 25 sit-ups. They did this four times (4x) for a total of one mile running, and 100 pushups, 100 body squats, and 100 sit-ups.
When the weather’s nice and it isn’t dark outside, that’s a good one to do at the football field. That way they can run their ¼ miles around the track, and the pushups, squats and sit-ups on the grass. It was just as intense in the gym, though.
The Level 4 workout they learned was pretty tough, too. Each person started at a different station and did 50 seconds of one exercise, and then had 10 seconds to switch stations.
They did each exercise until they’d completed one circuit. Then they repeated the whole thing until they had gone around a total of four times, in just 24 minutes.
Give it a try. If you’re not sure how to do some of the movements, get with someone who does. Feel free to contact me with questions at www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness .
This week’s Biggest Loser was Michelle Clark, who lost 2.2% of her body weight and 3.2 lbs. Nikki Johnson was second, losing 1.3% and 3.0 lbs, and Darcy Midgley placed third, losing 1.2% and 2.6 lbs.
Whether it’s with Biggest Loser groups, or folks in the gym, I like to teach four levels of workouts. They range from basic to difficult in a progression that keeps the body changing.
Level 1 workouts use the machines; Level 2 workouts use basic free weight exercises with dumbbells and exercise balls. Level 3 workouts start combining the high intensity interval training (HIIT) with strength training.
Level 4 workouts are the toughest, using both free weights and body weight movements and sometimes, cardio, in a circuit that keeps the heart rate up while still giving you a great muscular strength and endurance workout. They are real calorie blasters!
After showing the Biggest Losers how to do HIIT on the cardio equipment, the next step was teaching them a Level 3 workout where they start to combine the HIIT workouts with their strength training workouts. They did this one a couple weeks ago.
They ran ¼ mile on the treadmill, then went in the workout room and did 25 pushups, 25 body squats, and 25 sit-ups. They did this four times (4x) for a total of one mile running, and 100 pushups, 100 body squats, and 100 sit-ups.
When the weather’s nice and it isn’t dark outside, that’s a good one to do at the football field. That way they can run their ¼ miles around the track, and the pushups, squats and sit-ups on the grass. It was just as intense in the gym, though.
The Level 4 workout they learned was pretty tough, too. Each person started at a different station and did 50 seconds of one exercise, and then had 10 seconds to switch stations.
1. Wall Ball—tossing a soft 10 lb medicine ball on the wall, catching it, and squatting; works the lower body (hips & thighs), and your pushing muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps).
2. Kettle Bell
3. BOSU Pushups—on a BOSU trainer; works pushing muscles and your core.
4. Box Jumps—on a 12-24” step; works the lower body muscles.
5. Single Arm (SA) Dumbbell (DB) Curls—works the pulling muscles.
6. AB Routine #1-4—crunches, crunches with legs in the air, sit-ups crossing to each side, and leg lifts; works your upper and lower abdominals and your obliques.
They did each exercise until they’d completed one circuit. Then they repeated the whole thing until they had gone around a total of four times, in just 24 minutes.
Give it a try. If you’re not sure how to do some of the movements, get with someone who does. Feel free to contact me with questions at www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness .
This week’s Biggest Loser was Michelle Clark, who lost 2.2% of her body weight and 3.2 lbs. Nikki Johnson was second, losing 1.3% and 3.0 lbs, and Darcy Midgley placed third, losing 1.2% and 2.6 lbs.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK EIGHT "ADD SOME INTENSITY"
A couple weeks ago, I gave the Biggest Losers a killer cardio workout based on high intensity interval training (HIIT). A friend of mine calls this type of workout the “Death Run!”
You’ll often see HIIT programs show up in fitness magazines. While they might change the progressions and work and rest intervals, or even use different workout platforms, they’re all pretty much the same thing.
You can do them on treadmills, ellipticals, or a bike, but say you’re on the treadmill and you’ve never done any running. After a 5-minute warm-up walking at 3.0 mph, turn the speed up to 4.0 mph. This is about the slowest possible speed that you can still be running (anything slower and you’d just be walking fast).
Whatever it takes, keep jogging at 4.0 mph for exactly 1 minute. If you’ve been seriously overweight, or just haven’t ever been a runner, even that slow pace might get difficult. Force yourself to hang in there for a minute.
At the end of the minute, back off the speed and take it down to 3.0 mph and walk for a minute. By the end of the minute you’ll be ready to go again. This time, take it up to 4.5 mph and jog for a minute, and then walk a minute at 3.0 mph.
Now run at 5.0 mph for a minute and then walk a minute at 3.0 mph. Next do a minute at 5.5 mph and another minute walking. Then do a minute at 6.0 mph, a minute walking, and then a minute at 6.5 mph, followed by another rest interval. If you think you can do it, try a minute at 7.0 mph with a minute rest, and then a minute at 7.5 mph and a minute rest.
Don’t worry if you can’t make it the full minute at the higher speeds. Do what you can, and then jump off (feet to the sides on the rails) while holding on to the handles. Then just walk a little extra. Later, you’ll be able to finish the full minute.
Do five minutes of cool-down at the end. That will be 5 minutes for warming up, 16 minutes of work/rest intervals (6-8 minutes running, 8 minutes walking), and 5 minutes cooling down. That’s only about 25 minutes, so I don’t want to hear you don’t have time to work out.
As you get better, you can always add a couple faster intervals to make your HIIT last longer. Or, you can do 90 seconds or even two minutes of running. If you’re already a runner, try faster speed intervals and back down to a comfortable jogging pace for your rest intervals!
These workouts will give you a longer after-burn, which means you’ll burn more calories, which will help you lose the weight faster. You can follow the same program on an elliptical, bike, rower, by simply increasing the work levels, while keeping your rpm (speed) the same. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
This week’s Biggest Loser was Vince Porter, who lost 2.1% of his body weight and 4.8 lbs. Michelle Clark placed second, losing 1.8% and 2.6 lbs. Sande Sherer was third, losing 1.7% and 3.0 lbs, and Kara Englum finished fourth, losing 1.5% and 2.4 lbs. Michelle and Sande also represented the Biggest Losers in theMarshall
You’ll often see HIIT programs show up in fitness magazines. While they might change the progressions and work and rest intervals, or even use different workout platforms, they’re all pretty much the same thing.
You can do them on treadmills, ellipticals, or a bike, but say you’re on the treadmill and you’ve never done any running. After a 5-minute warm-up walking at 3.0 mph, turn the speed up to 4.0 mph. This is about the slowest possible speed that you can still be running (anything slower and you’d just be walking fast).
Whatever it takes, keep jogging at 4.0 mph for exactly 1 minute. If you’ve been seriously overweight, or just haven’t ever been a runner, even that slow pace might get difficult. Force yourself to hang in there for a minute.
At the end of the minute, back off the speed and take it down to 3.0 mph and walk for a minute. By the end of the minute you’ll be ready to go again. This time, take it up to 4.5 mph and jog for a minute, and then walk a minute at 3.0 mph.
Now run at 5.0 mph for a minute and then walk a minute at 3.0 mph. Next do a minute at 5.5 mph and another minute walking. Then do a minute at 6.0 mph, a minute walking, and then a minute at 6.5 mph, followed by another rest interval. If you think you can do it, try a minute at 7.0 mph with a minute rest, and then a minute at 7.5 mph and a minute rest.
Don’t worry if you can’t make it the full minute at the higher speeds. Do what you can, and then jump off (feet to the sides on the rails) while holding on to the handles. Then just walk a little extra. Later, you’ll be able to finish the full minute.
Do five minutes of cool-down at the end. That will be 5 minutes for warming up, 16 minutes of work/rest intervals (6-8 minutes running, 8 minutes walking), and 5 minutes cooling down. That’s only about 25 minutes, so I don’t want to hear you don’t have time to work out.
As you get better, you can always add a couple faster intervals to make your HIIT last longer. Or, you can do 90 seconds or even two minutes of running. If you’re already a runner, try faster speed intervals and back down to a comfortable jogging pace for your rest intervals!
These workouts will give you a longer after-burn, which means you’ll burn more calories, which will help you lose the weight faster. You can follow the same program on an elliptical, bike, rower, by simply increasing the work levels, while keeping your rpm (speed) the same. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at www.facebook.com/tomdolanfitness !
This week’s Biggest Loser was Vince Porter, who lost 2.1% of his body weight and 4.8 lbs. Michelle Clark placed second, losing 1.8% and 2.6 lbs. Sande Sherer was third, losing 1.7% and 3.0 lbs, and Kara Englum finished fourth, losing 1.5% and 2.4 lbs. Michelle and Sande also represented the Biggest Losers in the
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK EIGHT "GOOD EATIN' "
This week I’d like to share some meal ideas with you. Remember, I’m not a nutritionist, just a fitness guy, but these are ideas I’ve seen work with other people. They’re also meals I ate on the way to losing 35 lbs over the last 6 months (I still eat them every day).
All are common foods you can get at your regular grocery. Adjust your total calories to your specific needs. Remember, women should never go below 1,200 calories/day and men should never go below 1,800. I’ve found, though, that people are happier when they come in around 1,500-1,650 calories/day (women) or 2,000-2,400 calories/day (men).
Feel free to substitute to take advantage of other wholesome foods in the same categories. Complex carbs found in healthy starches (ST) give you long-lasting energy. Protein builds muscle and bone. Fruits (F) give lots of quick energy while vegetables (V) have lots of fiber, and both have lots of vitamins & minerals! Add 2-3 healthy snacks between meals.
BREAKFAST
All are common foods you can get at your regular grocery. Adjust your total calories to your specific needs. Remember, women should never go below 1,200 calories/day and men should never go below 1,800. I’ve found, though, that people are happier when they come in around 1,500-1,650 calories/day (women) or 2,000-2,400 calories/day (men).
Feel free to substitute to take advantage of other wholesome foods in the same categories. Complex carbs found in healthy starches (ST) give you long-lasting energy. Protein builds muscle and bone. Fruits (F) give lots of quick energy while vegetables (V) have lots of fiber, and both have lots of vitamins & minerals! Add 2-3 healthy snacks between meals.
BREAKFAST
- One serving of Honey Nut Cheerios (ST), ½ cup of 2% milk (P), ½ cup of frozen blueberries (F)
- One whole grain waffle with a little butter and syrup (ST), one small low fat yogurt (P), and ½ a banana (F)
- One serving of oatmeal, ½ cup of 2% milk, ½ a banana.
- ½ Pastrami & Cheese on rye (P, ST), or ½ Turkey & Cheese on whole grain (P, ST), or ½ Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwich on wheat bread (P, ST) and a Fruit Cup (F)
- One serving of meatloaf (P), ½ baked sweet potato (ST), and fresh cut green beans (V)
- One fried chicken leg or wing and a thigh or rib (P), a serving of mashed potatoes and gravy (ST), and cole slaw (V)
- A 6” chicken sub (P) on whole grain bread (ST), loaded with veggies (V)
- Low fat Yogurt or Cottage Cheese (P) with fresh fruit (F)
- Fruit Cup (F) & Granola (ST)
- Apple slices (F) with Peanut Butter (P)
- Peanut Butter Crackers (P & ST)
- Protein Shake (P & Carbs)
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK SEVEN
When people ask for help figuring out their diets, I like to pass along the same information that we give our Biggest Losers. So unless you have a specific medical issue you’re dealing with such as diabetes, this might work for you, but sure and follow your doctor’s advice.
If you recall from last week, I believe the best diet is “no diet!” I think the best results over the long haul always come from eating a normal healthy diet that you can maintain for life. The first thing is to get off the pop and junk, and drink more water.
The next thing is to work on having a balanced meal that has servings of Protein, Complex Carbs (Starches), and Fruits & Greens. If you do this, you’ll feel better right away, and your body will start working better, especially when you’re working out. Here’s why.
Protein is used by the body to build and preserve muscle and bone. While your body can use protein for fuel, it’s not very efficient. Glucogenesis (creating carbs from protein) is very inefficient and produces extra byproducts that your kidneys then have to deal with.
Sources of protein include lean cuts of beef and pork, chicken and turkey, dairy products like low fat milk, yogurt and cottage cheese, fish, nuts (including peanut butter), and some beans. Sometimes it’s useful to supplement with a protein shake, especially when you’re very active.
Your best choices for long-lasting energy are complex carbohydrates called starches. It takes longer for your body to break them down than simple sugars, but it’s much more efficient than trying to use protein for fuel. Starches give you the time you need to complete your workout or get to the next meal.
Complex carbs include whole grain breads and cereals, whole grain pastas, long grain wild rice, oats, potatoes and sweet potatoes, corn and some beans. Our problem is that we tend to eat too many complex carbs and processed, refined foods.
The trick is to eat just one reasonably sized complex carb with each meal. Then you’ll get the long-lasting fuel you need. Go whole grain—it takes longer to breakdown, and you’ll get more nutrition too!
The last category is fruits and greens (vegetables). Self-explanatory, fruits and vegetables are probably the least consumed foods these days. That’s a shame, because they’ll give you some excellent benefits.
Fruits provide quick energy—the kind that gets you going in just minutes. They also have lots of vitamins and minerals and some fiber. Vegetables give you lots of vitamins and minerals too, that will make you feel and perform better. Because they’re packed with fiber, they also contain fewer calories which help fill you fill up.
A complete mixed salad with lettuce, spinach greens, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green onions, green peppers, and low fat dressing tops out at just 100 calories. Most other single servings of vegetables will only run you around 50 calories. That’s a great deal!
If you’re eating this way, the fats pretty much take care of themselves, too. All you really need to add is an Omega 3, 6 & 9 supplement to be sure you’re getting the good fats you need. Next week I’ll give you some sample meals to look at.
This week’s Biggest Loser was Michelle Clark, who lost 2.4% of her body weight and 3.6 lbs. Sande Sherer was second, losing 2.0% and 3.6 lbs. Kara Englum placed third, losing 1.6% and 2.6 lbs, and Nikki Johnson finished fourth, losing 1.0% and 2.4 lbs.
If you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook!
If you recall from last week, I believe the best diet is “no diet!” I think the best results over the long haul always come from eating a normal healthy diet that you can maintain for life. The first thing is to get off the pop and junk, and drink more water.
The next thing is to work on having a balanced meal that has servings of Protein, Complex Carbs (Starches), and Fruits & Greens. If you do this, you’ll feel better right away, and your body will start working better, especially when you’re working out. Here’s why.
Protein is used by the body to build and preserve muscle and bone. While your body can use protein for fuel, it’s not very efficient. Glucogenesis (creating carbs from protein) is very inefficient and produces extra byproducts that your kidneys then have to deal with.
Sources of protein include lean cuts of beef and pork, chicken and turkey, dairy products like low fat milk, yogurt and cottage cheese, fish, nuts (including peanut butter), and some beans. Sometimes it’s useful to supplement with a protein shake, especially when you’re very active.
Your best choices for long-lasting energy are complex carbohydrates called starches. It takes longer for your body to break them down than simple sugars, but it’s much more efficient than trying to use protein for fuel. Starches give you the time you need to complete your workout or get to the next meal.
Complex carbs include whole grain breads and cereals, whole grain pastas, long grain wild rice, oats, potatoes and sweet potatoes, corn and some beans. Our problem is that we tend to eat too many complex carbs and processed, refined foods.
The trick is to eat just one reasonably sized complex carb with each meal. Then you’ll get the long-lasting fuel you need. Go whole grain—it takes longer to breakdown, and you’ll get more nutrition too!
The last category is fruits and greens (vegetables). Self-explanatory, fruits and vegetables are probably the least consumed foods these days. That’s a shame, because they’ll give you some excellent benefits.
Fruits provide quick energy—the kind that gets you going in just minutes. They also have lots of vitamins and minerals and some fiber. Vegetables give you lots of vitamins and minerals too, that will make you feel and perform better. Because they’re packed with fiber, they also contain fewer calories which help fill you fill up.
A complete mixed salad with lettuce, spinach greens, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, green onions, green peppers, and low fat dressing tops out at just 100 calories. Most other single servings of vegetables will only run you around 50 calories. That’s a great deal!
If you’re eating this way, the fats pretty much take care of themselves, too. All you really need to add is an Omega 3, 6 & 9 supplement to be sure you’re getting the good fats you need. Next week I’ll give you some sample meals to look at.
This week’s Biggest Loser was Michelle Clark, who lost 2.4% of her body weight and 3.6 lbs. Sande Sherer was second, losing 2.0% and 3.6 lbs. Kara Englum placed third, losing 1.6% and 2.6 lbs, and Nikki Johnson finished fourth, losing 1.0% and 2.4 lbs.
If you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook!
Friday, November 04, 2011
WOMEN OFTEN UNDERESTIMATE WHAT THEY CAN DO!
After working with both men and women over the years, I’ve noticed that women are usually pretty different from men. It’s true.
While men tend to overestimate their capabilities (“no, I don’t need to read the map,” “I can lift it,” etc…), women often underestimate what they can do. Men just take off, confident they can handle, solve, or fix anything. Women tend to want to talk about it first—then they’ll do some research—then they’ll talk about it some more.
Men starting a workout program will often overdo it and get really sore, and ultimately quit. But many women starting a workout program will underdo it, get little or no results, and then quit too!
For both groups, the trick is to help them get a better start. With guys, I often try to slow them down a bit and help them avoid overtraining and injuries.
But women often need an extra push to help them “speed” things up. Just a couple days ago, I worked with a woman who’d been walking four miles a day but not losing as much weight as she’d like.
After a warm-up, I asked her if she’d ever gone uphill before. She told me she had “a little bit, on 1% and 2%.” I cranked the grade all the way up to 10% and had her walk ¼ mile. Now that was a hill!
She handled it well, so I asked her if she’d ever done any running or jogging. She said no, but she’d been wanting to. After a little while to recover, I increased the speed to 4.0 mph (about the slowest speed you can go, and still be running).
I kept her running for 100 yards (the length of a football field), and it took a little more than a minute.
She got to the end and said “Wow, I didn’t know I could do that!”
I told her she hadn’t seen anything yet, and after walking another 100 yards, had her do it again, but at 4.2 mph. After another walk break, she did another interval at 4.5 mph, and then one at 5.0 and 5.5 mph!
She’d been disciplined enough to walk four miles a day, but never tried to run—not even a little bit. When we got done, I told her that now she knew she could do it, she should start working in some big hills, and walking/running intervals.
We’ve had lots of women work up to running a 5K (3.1 mi), half marathons (13.1 mi) and a couple even did a full marathon (26.2 mi). Several of our “Wood Street Warriors” recently took on not one, but two “Century” bike rides (100 mi)!
You never know what you can do unless you try, so go ahead and talk about it, do some research, but then, jump right in—I’ll just bet you can do it!
If you have any questions about working out, feel free to contact me on Facebook at “Tom’s Fitness.”
While men tend to overestimate their capabilities (“no, I don’t need to read the map,” “I can lift it,” etc…), women often underestimate what they can do. Men just take off, confident they can handle, solve, or fix anything. Women tend to want to talk about it first—then they’ll do some research—then they’ll talk about it some more.
Men starting a workout program will often overdo it and get really sore, and ultimately quit. But many women starting a workout program will underdo it, get little or no results, and then quit too!
For both groups, the trick is to help them get a better start. With guys, I often try to slow them down a bit and help them avoid overtraining and injuries.
But women often need an extra push to help them “speed” things up. Just a couple days ago, I worked with a woman who’d been walking four miles a day but not losing as much weight as she’d like.
After a warm-up, I asked her if she’d ever gone uphill before. She told me she had “a little bit, on 1% and 2%.” I cranked the grade all the way up to 10% and had her walk ¼ mile. Now that was a hill!
She handled it well, so I asked her if she’d ever done any running or jogging. She said no, but she’d been wanting to. After a little while to recover, I increased the speed to 4.0 mph (about the slowest speed you can go, and still be running).
I kept her running for 100 yards (the length of a football field), and it took a little more than a minute.
She got to the end and said “Wow, I didn’t know I could do that!”
I told her she hadn’t seen anything yet, and after walking another 100 yards, had her do it again, but at 4.2 mph. After another walk break, she did another interval at 4.5 mph, and then one at 5.0 and 5.5 mph!
She’d been disciplined enough to walk four miles a day, but never tried to run—not even a little bit. When we got done, I told her that now she knew she could do it, she should start working in some big hills, and walking/running intervals.
We’ve had lots of women work up to running a 5K (3.1 mi), half marathons (13.1 mi) and a couple even did a full marathon (26.2 mi). Several of our “Wood Street Warriors” recently took on not one, but two “Century” bike rides (100 mi)!
You never know what you can do unless you try, so go ahead and talk about it, do some research, but then, jump right in—I’ll just bet you can do it!
If you have any questions about working out, feel free to contact me on Facebook at “Tom’s Fitness.”
Tuesday, November 01, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK SIX
This week let’s talk about the diet we’ve recommended to our Biggest Losers. I’ve always been a big believer that the best diet is… no diet! Now I know there are some very well known diets and meal plans out there and you can lose weight on them.
I’ve come to believe, though, that most diets really work because they impose discipline on the eater, typically by restricting certain “bad” foods and encouraging “good” foods. In many (if not most) cases, diets almost always end up being too hard to maintain over the long haul.
A much better approach is to learn how to eat correctly. I call it “eating right.” For most of us, its also comes down to learning how to manage your portions.
Women usually need to learn how to start eating breakfast and midmorning snacks. This means they need to learn how to eat more. This is a real paradigm shift for most ladies who’ve typically beaten themselves up about food, and are now scared of every single calorie.
Guys typically need to learn how to eat less, by learning some portion control. For guys, this also means they need to quit eating all the junk they shove in their mouths.
It also helps to slow down a little bit. When I was losing my 32 lbs, I realized that a lot of times, I’d eat past the point of being full—just to be eating. Later, it got easier to eat less, and now I find myself filling full sooner, on smaller portions!
This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of the foods you like. You should be able to enjoy them—once in awhile. We’ve been given a palate for a reason. Foods are for fuel and enjoyment.
A good plan is to have a cheat meal or even a cheat day once in awhile. Another is to pick your times. If you know you’re going to have something higher in calories you can plan for it by pulling back earlier, perhaps missing a snack. You can also plan in extra activities to burn it off.
Remember, food is fuel. If you’re eating in the right amounts and covering your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which I talked about a few weeks ago, you’ll just burn what you eat. It won’t be stored as fat.
With all your new activity, you’ll also be coming up a little short during the day so your body will go to fat stores for fuel. This is called a calorie deficit and the basis for weight loss.
If you don’t lose a lot of pounds right away don’t worry too much—people often see changes in their clothing first. Last week, two ladies told me that while they both only lost four pounds in the first five weeks, they’d each lost 10 inches around their midsection and hips!
So here’s the Meal Plan: eating right means eating a balanced diet that contains a serving of Protein, Starch, and Fruits or Greens (vegetables). If your plate looks like this, you’re probably doing fine.
Next week, we’ll talk about food choices from each category, how your body uses them, and how this can help you feel and perform better!
This week’s Biggest Loser was Jennifer Bell, who lost 1.8 percent of her body weight and 3.6 lbs! Michelle Clark was second, losing 1.7% and 2.6 lbs. She also won the workout challenge this week, logging 16 hours, 10 min total workout time! Vince Porter placed third, losing 1.6% and 3.8 lbs.
If you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook!
I’ve come to believe, though, that most diets really work because they impose discipline on the eater, typically by restricting certain “bad” foods and encouraging “good” foods. In many (if not most) cases, diets almost always end up being too hard to maintain over the long haul.
A much better approach is to learn how to eat correctly. I call it “eating right.” For most of us, its also comes down to learning how to manage your portions.
Women usually need to learn how to start eating breakfast and midmorning snacks. This means they need to learn how to eat more. This is a real paradigm shift for most ladies who’ve typically beaten themselves up about food, and are now scared of every single calorie.
Guys typically need to learn how to eat less, by learning some portion control. For guys, this also means they need to quit eating all the junk they shove in their mouths.
It also helps to slow down a little bit. When I was losing my 32 lbs, I realized that a lot of times, I’d eat past the point of being full—just to be eating. Later, it got easier to eat less, and now I find myself filling full sooner, on smaller portions!
This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of the foods you like. You should be able to enjoy them—once in awhile. We’ve been given a palate for a reason. Foods are for fuel and enjoyment.
A good plan is to have a cheat meal or even a cheat day once in awhile. Another is to pick your times. If you know you’re going to have something higher in calories you can plan for it by pulling back earlier, perhaps missing a snack. You can also plan in extra activities to burn it off.
Remember, food is fuel. If you’re eating in the right amounts and covering your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) which I talked about a few weeks ago, you’ll just burn what you eat. It won’t be stored as fat.
With all your new activity, you’ll also be coming up a little short during the day so your body will go to fat stores for fuel. This is called a calorie deficit and the basis for weight loss.
If you don’t lose a lot of pounds right away don’t worry too much—people often see changes in their clothing first. Last week, two ladies told me that while they both only lost four pounds in the first five weeks, they’d each lost 10 inches around their midsection and hips!
So here’s the Meal Plan: eating right means eating a balanced diet that contains a serving of Protein, Starch, and Fruits or Greens (vegetables). If your plate looks like this, you’re probably doing fine.
Next week, we’ll talk about food choices from each category, how your body uses them, and how this can help you feel and perform better!
This week’s Biggest Loser was Jennifer Bell, who lost 1.8 percent of her body weight and 3.6 lbs! Michelle Clark was second, losing 1.7% and 2.6 lbs. She also won the workout challenge this week, logging 16 hours, 10 min total workout time! Vince Porter placed third, losing 1.6% and 3.8 lbs.
If you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK FIVE
This week the group got their second free weight workout. After a month of using the machines to build a base of muscular strength and endurance, we taught them their first workout with dumbbells (DB) and an exercise ball.
We try and shift people over to free weights whenever possible. Machines are great for stabilizing the body and targeting specific muscles, but doing exercises with dumbbells and barbells, forces you to use more accessory and stabilizers muscles to control the movement and maintain your posture.
Using more muscle means you’re burning more calories which will help with weight loss. It also means you’re more fully developing the body. There are hundreds of different exercises that exercise the body as a whole, or that zero in on specific muscle groups.
Start with a pair of dumbbells that you can easily hold in each hand. It keeps you from lifting too much weight too soon. If it seems too heavy, it probably is.
Have someone that knows what they’re doing show you the movements, and then try them with a fairly light pair of dumbbells. If you don’t have access to anyone, get a magazine or go online. There are lots of resources out there.
When you do the exercise, shoot for 10-15 repetitions. If you can’t do 10 reps, it’s too heavy. If it was easy to do it 15 times, then the weight is too light and you need to use try the next heavier dumbbell.
Do the movements slowly, making sure you are in complete control of the weights. Keep your posture correct by tightening your core. Make sure you don’t hold your breath. If possible, watch yourself in the mirror to keep an eye on things.
Start with a whole body program three days a week, (M, W, F). Later, if you want to split things up, there are lots of ways to do that. For best results, do opposing body part exercises back-to-back with no break in between. That will keep you burning more calories!
Here are the two full body programs they learned. They did the first one last week, and will be doing the second one this week. They’re both similar, working the same body parts, but using different exercises to do it.
Workout #1: Chest Press on Ball, Squats (3x); Single Arm Row, Deadlifts (3x); Lateral Raises, DB Curls, Overhead Tricep Press (3x); Assorted Ab Crunches on Ball.
Workout #2: Pec Fly’s on Ball, Walking Lunges (3x); DB Pullovers on Ball, Deadlifts (3x); Arnold Press, Double Curl, Tricep Kickbacks; more assorted Ab Crunches on Ball, planks.
Our Week Five winner was Sande Sherer, who lost 2.6% of her body weight and 4.8 lbs. Kara Englum and Shirley Fiscus tied for second place, both losing 1.9% and 3.2 lbs and 3.8 lbs respectively. Kelli Stidham placed third, losing 1.7% and 4.4 lbs.
If you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook!
We try and shift people over to free weights whenever possible. Machines are great for stabilizing the body and targeting specific muscles, but doing exercises with dumbbells and barbells, forces you to use more accessory and stabilizers muscles to control the movement and maintain your posture.
Using more muscle means you’re burning more calories which will help with weight loss. It also means you’re more fully developing the body. There are hundreds of different exercises that exercise the body as a whole, or that zero in on specific muscle groups.
Start with a pair of dumbbells that you can easily hold in each hand. It keeps you from lifting too much weight too soon. If it seems too heavy, it probably is.
Have someone that knows what they’re doing show you the movements, and then try them with a fairly light pair of dumbbells. If you don’t have access to anyone, get a magazine or go online. There are lots of resources out there.
When you do the exercise, shoot for 10-15 repetitions. If you can’t do 10 reps, it’s too heavy. If it was easy to do it 15 times, then the weight is too light and you need to use try the next heavier dumbbell.
Do the movements slowly, making sure you are in complete control of the weights. Keep your posture correct by tightening your core. Make sure you don’t hold your breath. If possible, watch yourself in the mirror to keep an eye on things.
Start with a whole body program three days a week, (M, W, F). Later, if you want to split things up, there are lots of ways to do that. For best results, do opposing body part exercises back-to-back with no break in between. That will keep you burning more calories!
Here are the two full body programs they learned. They did the first one last week, and will be doing the second one this week. They’re both similar, working the same body parts, but using different exercises to do it.
Workout #1: Chest Press on Ball, Squats (3x); Single Arm Row, Deadlifts (3x); Lateral Raises, DB Curls, Overhead Tricep Press (3x); Assorted Ab Crunches on Ball.
Workout #2: Pec Fly’s on Ball, Walking Lunges (3x); DB Pullovers on Ball, Deadlifts (3x); Arnold Press, Double Curl, Tricep Kickbacks; more assorted Ab Crunches on Ball, planks.
Our Week Five winner was Sande Sherer, who lost 2.6% of her body weight and 4.8 lbs. Kara Englum and Shirley Fiscus tied for second place, both losing 1.9% and 3.2 lbs and 3.8 lbs respectively. Kelli Stidham placed third, losing 1.7% and 4.4 lbs.
If you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
BIGGEST LOSER "14" -- WEEK FOUR
This week I want to talk about the final parameter we measure each week: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). A lot of people confuse this with BMI (body mass index) but it’s quite different.
While Body Mass Index is a fairly common measure that can help you know if you’re overweight, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is a much more specific measure of how many calories your body needs to maintain it’s current state. Put simply, your BMR is how many calories you need to live. I like to call it “hitting your minimum.”
The value of knowing your BMR is pretty high, especially for women. Typically, 9 out of 10 women aren’t eating enough, although most of them believe that they are. We’ve seen this time and time again in Biggest Loser.
I know I keep harping on this, but it keeps coming up. TheAmerican College
As a practical matter, most women’s BMR will come out higher than that. In this latest group, most of the women had a BMR between 1,300 & 1,400 calories. That means that they need to consume 1,300-1,400 calories each day to maintain, without regard to exercise.
It’s pretty simple. Eat that many calories, add some exercise, and you’ll start losing weight. While there are some other factors that play in, it pretty much comes down to math. Do more exercise, burn more calories, and you’ll lose more weight.
This is why I like to call that 2nd daily workout the secret weapon. It makes a huge difference in weight loss—even if it’s just walking a mile or two.
We used to have to do a calculation to determine BMR for people. Now it’s easy to measure, just by stepping on the scale. This means there’s no excuse not to hit your minimum, since it’s so easy to figure it out!
If you don’t, you’re really fighting yourself. Your metabolism will stay artificially low, you won’t operate at peak efficiency, and you won’t recover from exercise as well either. This can lead to feeling run down, and even illness or injury.
While guys tend to be over-eaters, I’ll occasionally run across one who isn’t, so here’s the guideline for men: never go below 1,800 calories. Holding to 2,000 calories is pretty strict, and 2,200-2,400 calories a day is usually pretty comfortable.
Our Week Four winner was Alexa Stidham, who lost 1.6% of her body weight and 2.6 lbs. Shawn Bowers and Steve Jones tied for second, losing 1.2% of their body weight and 4.0 lbs and 3.2 lbs respectively. Nicole Clodfelter and Karen Wolfe tied for third place, both losing 1.0% of their body weight, 2.6 lbs and 1.6 lbs.
Next week we’ll look at how we’re using free weight exercises to change things up with the group. Don’t forget, if you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook.
While Body Mass Index is a fairly common measure that can help you know if you’re overweight, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is a much more specific measure of how many calories your body needs to maintain it’s current state. Put simply, your BMR is how many calories you need to live. I like to call it “hitting your minimum.”
The value of knowing your BMR is pretty high, especially for women. Typically, 9 out of 10 women aren’t eating enough, although most of them believe that they are. We’ve seen this time and time again in Biggest Loser.
I know I keep harping on this, but it keeps coming up. The
As a practical matter, most women’s BMR will come out higher than that. In this latest group, most of the women had a BMR between 1,300 & 1,400 calories. That means that they need to consume 1,300-1,400 calories each day to maintain, without regard to exercise.
It’s pretty simple. Eat that many calories, add some exercise, and you’ll start losing weight. While there are some other factors that play in, it pretty much comes down to math. Do more exercise, burn more calories, and you’ll lose more weight.
This is why I like to call that 2nd daily workout the secret weapon. It makes a huge difference in weight loss—even if it’s just walking a mile or two.
We used to have to do a calculation to determine BMR for people. Now it’s easy to measure, just by stepping on the scale. This means there’s no excuse not to hit your minimum, since it’s so easy to figure it out!
If you don’t, you’re really fighting yourself. Your metabolism will stay artificially low, you won’t operate at peak efficiency, and you won’t recover from exercise as well either. This can lead to feeling run down, and even illness or injury.
While guys tend to be over-eaters, I’ll occasionally run across one who isn’t, so here’s the guideline for men: never go below 1,800 calories. Holding to 2,000 calories is pretty strict, and 2,200-2,400 calories a day is usually pretty comfortable.
Our Week Four winner was Alexa Stidham, who lost 1.6% of her body weight and 2.6 lbs. Shawn Bowers and Steve Jones tied for second, losing 1.2% of their body weight and 4.0 lbs and 3.2 lbs respectively. Nicole Clodfelter and Karen Wolfe tied for third place, both losing 1.0% of their body weight, 2.6 lbs and 1.6 lbs.
Next week we’ll look at how we’re using free weight exercises to change things up with the group. Don’t forget, if you have any questions about fitness or working out, please feel free to contact me at Tom’s Fitness on Facebook.
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