4 Moves to a Fantastic Body!!!

I've compiled a list of my favorite moves to get a sexy and sculpted body. These moves are multi-joint exercises and can be done in a circuit or combined with other exercises. Be sure to use precise technique with these moves (I've listed a few tips). If you feel unsure in your ability to master these moves, get a trainer. Yes, you'll spend a few bucks, but you'll get the most out of your exercise, avoid injury, and you'll have the reassurance and confidence of a health professional.

Happy Workouts!!!!
Deadlift: I love love love this exercise. Not only does it work the core and hamstrings, it works the glutes and some calves too. It is my one stop exercise stop to work all areas below the waist on the back side. Of course there are different methods to this exercise. A stiff-legged deadlift with target more lowback and hamstrings. Personally, I prefer to bend my knees a bit, shift the weight into my heels consciously and isometricly contract all of my muscles in my legs to create more resistance, and sync the lifting of my upper body with the micro-movement straightening of my legs. If you want to lift your butt, firm your hamstrings, activate your quads, and strengthen your core, try this move.

Bench Press: I love the results I get with my bench press. I like to mix it up and do wide and close grip presses to hit slightly different areas of the chest. To get the maximum results from this exercise, it is best to have a buddy or trainer there to spot you. I like to go to exhaustion; to where a would not be able to complete a rep unless I had someone there to give me a boost at the end. Some tips for this move, make sure your traps are down and your shoulder blades are rolled up, back, and down into place and make sure the bar is right across the center of the chest.

Arnolds: I don’t know about you, but I love sexy defined shoulders and this move is full-spectrum. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Arnolds, you hold your barbells right in front of you to start with palms facing you and elbows together. The first move is reminescient of a reverse fly so you will end with your palms facing straight away from you. Once you’ve opened up your elbows and shoulders press up like a standard shoulder press and almost touch the weights together at the top. Bring the weights down and go wide again so your elbow are out to your sides. Rotate the weights so your palms with face each other and elbows and wrists come close together. You can also reverse this move and start by lifting up the weights and your palms face you and the weights are together and then spread them at the top. Either way, if you can pound out a couple sets of these bad boys, your shoulders are on their way to becoming sexified.

Lat Pull Down: When I was first personal training, this move was my first love. You can vary this move in so many different ways. You can use a standard cable or modify with lighter hand weights and keep your arms in a V. I also picture my elbows going into my ribcage as I pull down and I always make sure my wrists stay straight and that my chest pops out so I can hit my lats and really squeeze them good. One caution with this exercise…if your traps are really tight, they’re going to steal the exercise from your lats. If this is the case, try taking a tennis ball or a body rolling class and roll out any tight spots or knots around the shoulder blades.

4 Moves to a Fantastic Body!!!

I've compiled a list of my favorite moves to get a sexy and sculpted body. These moves are multi-joint exercises and can be done in a circuit or combined with other exercises. Be sure to use precise technique with these moves (I've listed a few tips). If you feel unsure in your ability to master these moves, get a trainer. Yes, you'll spend a few bucks, but you'll get the most out of your exercise, avoid injury, and you'll have the reassurance and confidence of a health professional.

Happy Workouts!!!!
Deadlift: I love love love this exercise. Not only does it work the core and hamstrings, it works the glutes and some calves too. It is my one stop exercise stop to work all areas below the waist on the back side. Of course there are different methods to this exercise. A stiff-legged deadlift with target more lowback and hamstrings. Personally, I prefer to bend my knees a bit, shift the weight into my heels consciously and isometricly contract all of my muscles in my legs to create more resistance, and sync the lifting of my upper body with the micro-movement straightening of my legs. If you want to lift your butt, firm your hamstrings, activate your quads, and strengthen your core, try this move.

Bench Press: I love the results I get with my bench press. I like to mix it up and do wide and close grip presses to hit slightly different areas of the chest. To get the maximum results from this exercise, it is best to have a buddy or trainer there to spot you. I like to go to exhaustion; to where a would not be able to complete a rep unless I had someone there to give me a boost at the end. Some tips for this move, make sure your traps are down and your shoulder blades are rolled up, back, and down into place and make sure the bar is right across the center of the chest.

Arnolds: I don’t know about you, but I love sexy defined shoulders and this move is full-spectrum. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Arnolds, you hold your barbells right in front of you to start with palms facing you and elbows together. The first move is reminescient of a reverse fly so you will end with your palms facing straight away from you. Once you’ve opened up your elbows and shoulders press up like a standard shoulder press and almost touch the weights together at the top. Bring the weights down and go wide again so your elbow are out to your sides. Rotate the weights so your palms with face each other and elbows and wrists come close together. You can also reverse this move and start by lifting up the weights and your palms face you and the weights are together and then spread them at the top. Either way, if you can pound out a couple sets of these bad boys, your shoulders are on their way to becoming sexified.

Lat Pull Down: When I was first personal training, this move was my first love. You can vary this move in so many different ways. You can use a standard cable or modify with lighter hand weights and keep your arms in a V. I also picture my elbows going into my ribcage as I pull down and I always make sure my wrists stay straight and that my chest pops out so I can hit my lats and really squeeze them good. One caution with this exercise…if your traps are really tight, they’re going to steal the exercise from your lats. If this is the case, try taking a tennis ball or a body rolling class and roll out any tight spots or knots around the shoulder blades.

Evolution of Diet and Mindset

I must say that I have been evolving and changing my diet for the past 3 years. I like to think of it as weeding. For some background on me, a little over 3 years ago I became very sick with some sort of bacterial infection in my digestive system. I dealt with sharp pains in my stomach, unbearable heart burn, fatigue, fuzziness in thinking and concentrating, and many other ailments. That kept on until one day I just could not get out of bed. I called in sick and I called my doctor (that’s what you’re supposed to do right)?

I wish I knew then what I know now. My doctor spent 7 minutes with me….yes, just 7 minutes and he told me I had an ulcer and something else he wasn’t sure of, so he sent me off with 3 packs of antibiotics and requested testing and x-rays at the hospital. He gave me 4 pints of barium that I was to drink the night before the exam. Can I just say that banana flavored barium does not taste like bananas. It tastes awful like sugared chalk.
So I drank all 4 pints and I went to the hospital and waited for 2 hours for them to finally tell me that my insurance wouldn’t cover any of the tests and they had called my doctor a week ago to have him tell me. Frustrated, I said aloud, “Alright then, I’m going into work.” At that point the nurse told me that as soon as I have a cup of water, barium acts as a laxative. I showed the greatest restraint when the nurse handed me a bill for the barium.

That was when I realized that I had to do something. The healthcare system had failed me, my ailments were worse than ever and my flora was unbalanced (thank you anti-biotics). I couldn’t continue to live like this….sick all the time, too tired to be coherent, constant pain. I was 23. Is this what it’s like to get old? Man, they sure don’t make em’ like they used to. I had to take matters into my own hands.

During this turning point, I began the long process of cleaning up my diet. For some people this maybe simple, like grabbing a trash bag and with one easy swoop, emptying out the cupboards. For me, it was a process. I began paying more attention to food labels and reading almost anything I could get my hands on about nutrition, organic produce, GMOs, Sugar cravings, Food and Mood, Herbal Remedies, Orthomolecular Science, Japanese Cook Books, and so forth. I started meeting with nutritionists, other personal trainers, and I began going to seminars.

As time went on my pantry and refrigerator evolved many times. For example, I went from Jif peanut butter to Nutella to organic peanut butter to almond butter and finally to sun butter (sun flower seed butter). I eliminated things like MSG, HFCS, Sodium Benzoate, Soy and Canola Oil (non organic), anti-biotic laden meats and dairy, and recently gluten and wheat. Now if I have meat or dairy, it is almost always organic and I eat lots of veggies and I feel better everyday.

The toughest part about this evolution is that America’s concept of diet is so backwards. Your diet should not be a “one size fits all” concept. It should be tailored to meet your individual needs and lifestyle. Although it is common, it is not healthy to have to rely on coffee or sugar to get you through the day. Just because a sandwich comes with toppings, doesn’t mean you have to eat it that way. Stand up for your Mind Body Spirit and treat yourself with respect. Consider and evaluate any food allergies or sensitivities. Pay attention to your mood and energy levels after eating a meal. Educate yourself about the dangers of GMOs and preservatives and then start weeding them out of your diet. Keep a food diary so you can accurately keep track of what you ate, at what time you ate it, and how you felt afterwards. The first step is always the toughest, but do this for yourself. It can only lead to good things

“To be passive about health is to be lacking in self-respect and taking for granted our own capacity for beauty and happiness.” ( The Truth About Beauty, James).