6 Quick Steps to Fitness Goal Setting

Are exercise goals really important? Well, I was talking with somebody the other day about training (exercising) and this topic came up. Here's how that happened.

After a brief discussion with this person, I realized they were not happy with the results they have achieved after years of training at the local "gym." Well, trying to help them in some way, I asked a very simple and obvious question (to me). I asked them what their goal was for exercising. There was a very long pause. The pause was long enough for me to realize that this could be a part of the problem. That's why I decided to post on this topic.

This is a very simple list by design. I could have made it longer and more complicated. But that didn't seem right. Please send me your comments on this or let me know of your personal successes when it comes to goal setting. I would love to hear about it.

On a personal note, the 2 most important things that have helped me in achieving goals in my life were #1 and #2. I still have the notebook I bought 12 years ago to write my professional goals in. I look at it often. Now more about the list.

1). What do YOU really want? Identify your goals. Keep the list simple and short. One or two things (i.e. lose 20 lbs, get fit enough to finish a 10k) and that's it.

2). Read Your Fitness Goal(s) every day. Review your goal(s) and the plan you have created to achieve your goal(s).

3). Create your plan to achieve your goals. Don't leave out any details. If this is where you get stuck. Get professional help. Write down your plan and read it every day. You must keep this vision fresh in your mind. Do all of this in your training journal.

4). Keep it real! Set ATTAINABLE goals. Don't set yourself up for failure but also, don’t set goals that are a slam dunk.

5). Tell everyone within 5 feet! If you are serious that is. Don't be shy to talk about your goals with anyone interested. Every time you talk about your goals with anyone that will listen, you are re-stating them to yourself as well. You must be accountable to yourself first and then anyone that can remember your goals enough to call you on them.

6). Keep track of your progress. Keep a training journal and use it every day. If this mission is important, write it down. You will love to look back on this journey later to appreciate every bit of sweat and effort that went into achieving your personal training goals. List your goal(s) at the front of this training journal so you can read it everyday.

Good luck! If you need help, email Eric and Darrell at info@fit224.com

2 Days To a More Stable Core… A Quick Look at Core Stability

Everywhere you turn you hear, “you need to focus on your core.” It is truly the deal-a-meal for the current fitness industry, only without the curly haired tank top dancing fiend. Most couldn’t tell you exactly what the core is or where it is. Not unlike our uniquely American inability to locate Wyoming on a map. We know that the core is right around the abdomen and lower back but, for the most part, we really don’t know what the core is.

I frequently find my patients state that they need to work on their core when I ask them if they exercise or are interested in advice on exercise. That’s where this blog post comes from. I will give you another couple hundred words or so about what makes up the core and then a simple 2 day approach to improving your core strength and stability. In later blog posts I will teach you more about different aspects to Core Training.

Nuts and bolts of the Core

The primary objective of the core is to stabilize the spine and lumbo-pelvic region and provide an efficient translation of force from the legs into the trunk and upper extremities. The human spine does not support itself independently of the supporting lumbo-pelvic musculature. The spine is most stable under submaximal musculature effort in response to the physical / biomechanical demand of life’s daily activities. The lumbopelvic musculature requires training in both strength and endurance to effectively protect the lumbar spine. The lumbopelvic musculature also requires training in both static and dynamic environments. When trained properly, a strong and stable lumbopelvic region facilitates the efficient transfer of forces from the ground to produce movement and generate torque at the extremities. You will find most athletic events require extremity strength and power. With this understanding, every person or athlete should begin with a foundation of improving motor control and muscular capacity with their lumbo-pelvic-hip complex. It is no coincidence that most people lack proper core stability and therefore suffer a higher frequency of lower back, upper and lower extremity injuries.

Here’s an example of a 2 day core stability workout that can be performed anywhere from 4-6 days per week (in alternating fashion for Day1 & Day 2)


Simple 2 Day Core Workout

Day 1 Linear Stability:

Tripod scapular push up

Mini Band Walking

Straight Leg Glute Bridge on Stability Ball

Day 2 Lateral & Rotational Stability:

Stability Push

Glute Bridge-1 Leg w/Leg Lock

Lateral Pillar Bridge w/Abduction

There you go. It is a simple start to core training.

I will elaborate more on the details to this Core Workout in later posts. If you have an urgent question, send us an email. Good luck sweating to the oldies and getting your Core strong.

Post Workout Shake-Berry Blast Super Shake

Now that your working out hard you've gotta be dying to know what's best to put in your body. You want to have a great source of quality protein and carbs right after your workout (about 30-60 minutes). Here you go.

Berry Blast Super Shake

1 cup iced green tea
1 scoop vanilla flavored milk protein blend
1 serving greens supplement
3 tbsp plain yogurt
3 tbsp whole grain oatmeal (dry)
1 cup frozen berries

Add green tea, protein, greens, yogurt and oats to a blender on high for 1 minute. Next add berries to the blender and blend again for 1 minute. Makes 1 Berry Blast Super Shake

This recipe comes courtesy of Dr. John Berardi and his Precision Nutrition.

Precision Nutrition is a comprehensive nutrition and body transformation system. The Advanced Fitness trainers are licensed through Precision Nutrition to provide biweekly coaching and implementation of Dr. John Berardi's program. Ask us for more info.

3 Common Exercise Mistakes Most People Make

Before we get to the mistakes, we must assume what our training goal is. In this instance let’s say your goal is to gain lean body mass, muscle.

I will cover three very common ways that you could fail at gaining lean body mass. The common thread among these three training mistakes is that they all involve training techniques that are not congruent or in agreement with the training goal, increasing lean body mass.

Mistake #1: Exercise selection


The most obvious training faux pas can be realized when we consider the lack of attention your gym’s power rack receives on a day-to-day basis. There is the occasional guy doing standing barbell curls in the rack. However, besides that rarely do you have to wait long to find it available.

Why is the power rack important? Consider this very important fact of muscle physiology: the greater the demand placed on the largest muscle systems of the body, the greater the response you will have from the body in producing anabolic hormones (the body’s natural hormones that drive muscular development) like growth hormone and testosterone. When you perform full body compound movements like the squat, dead lift and chin ups at the appropriate intensity and volume (amount of work performed) your body will respond by producing more muscle in response to the demand of your training. You cannot expect to create more muscle mass when exercising the smaller muscle groups with single joint movements like bicep curls and lateral dumb bell raises. Get in the rack and start squatting!


Mistake #2: Training intensity


The next very common training mistake is one very few people realize that they are making, even when you ask them about it. Most people will tell you that they train hard. However, it’s been my experience that very few people are training at a high enough intensity consistently enough to stimulate growth. When you consider that the body will only change when presented with an adequate physical stress it makes obvious sense. The intensity with which each exercise is performed is a critical factor that cannot be overlooked. No matter what your selection of exercise, if you perform it at low intensity, you will never achieve your desired goal. So consider this during your next workout. Are you exercising with enough intensity?


Mistake #3: Wrong rest period


Now finally an overlooked weight-training variable that is extremely under appreciated. Rest. Seemingly mastered by the masses of people utilizing 6 to 9 month rest periods between workouts, this term has nothing to do with leisure and everything to do with that brief period of time with which you allow your body to recover from a weight training set before performing the next set. The rest period can be defined as the time you rest between sets of a particular exercise. It can be as short as 10 to 30 seconds or as long as 5 minutes. By manipulating your rest period you can challenge the body’s different energy systems and increase your potential for muscular hypertrophy (increased muscle mass). The biggest mistake with respect to the rest period is that most people rest too long. Rest periods that last longer than 1.5 to 2 minutes can diminish your potential for gaining lean muscle mass. Longer rest periods, like 3 to 5 minutes, can be valuable when training for strength but will not help you increase lean muscle mass. If your goal is to increase strength as in your 1 repetition maximum lift so you can boast about your bench press, you should be training at extreme levels of intensity for smaller numbers of repetitions and resting as I previously described, 3 minutes plus.


Wrapping it up!

There are many methods to increase strength and that deserves more explanation than I can offer here. It suffices to say you cannot mix up the different training methodologies and expect to get a predictable result.

I can wrap this post up with a brief summary. I know the information in this article will assist you if your weight training goal is to increase your lean body mass.

If we begin with the planning component of a good workout, then we should make sure to write down our exercises and select compound body movements (multiple joint movements) that will challenge the larger muscle groups of the body.

Secondly, we should remember the relationship between shorter rest periods and increased intensity. Rest periods should be around 2 minutes or less and you should continually strive to push yourself to higher levels of intensity with each repetition you perform.

Finally you need to train with the greatest level of intensity or effort that you can. This is often where having a personal trainer or training partner can help make sure you are working as hard as possible. Training intensity and achieving the results you desire go hand in hand.

If your time is as valuable as I believe it is, you owe it to yourself to make the most of it. Train hard but train correctly and effectively.