Brunos Fitness

Posts Tagged ‘Abs’

Below are 10 reasons why you should hire me as your trainer.

1. I am always honest and reliable

I have over 5 years experience as being a personal trainer. I have a lot of passion for my job, I have been training in and out of gyms since I was 14 years old. I have studied and have over a decade of knowledge along the way. I am not that sort of trainer who has been training for 2 years or has gotten his/her Personal training certification, and then pretends I he or she knows everything. That is not my style or my character. Along the way I have done both, studied the physiology of the human body and have trained at the highest physical possible level.

2. I always plan and organize realistic goals and expectations for my clients

Again I am not one of those trainers who will put you on a ridiculous diet and put you on supplements. Which will only give you quick-short term result, which will only be wasting your time and your money. I never take short cuts with my training and dieting, so why should my clients?

3. My clients come first

I always find time to get back to all my clients questions and demands. Some trainers leave there clients with a program and diet plan. But don’t bother explaining to there clients what is going on with the program. Its like a doctor giving you a program for your sore lower back, and not telling you why its going to work for you. So why should you hang onto his or her words?

4. I give out proper programs

I give out workouts and nutrition programs to all my clients, which are easy to follow.
While other trainers can’t be bothered and simply copy and paste there workouts and diets off other websites, or even had out there own workout or diet programs. God made us all made different, so why would a work out or diet program from someone else work for you? Simple answer is: it wont! We are all born different from one another, and our bodies are all unique. So in the end, we all need a workout program and diet program that is specific to our body, shape and size needs.

5. I have never used steroids

Why have a trainer who has taken the easy road? I don’t understand how people can pay someone money, who has taken the easy way. Its like going to church and the priest telling you cheating on your wife is a sin, yet he goes out on the weekend and has sex with married women at the local pub.

6. My physique never changes

You can have a look at my photo gallery and progress results at
http://bodyspace.bodybuilding.com/Scarfdaddy

Why have a physique that changes? My body stays the same all year round, wouldn’t you like your body looking great all year round? Why go threw those ridiculous cutting and bulking diets? Its very taxing and unhealthy on your body, also majority of body builders are on steroids. Also a study was done saying symmetrical bodies attract the opposite sex. Makes sense, seeing as there was another study done saying symmetrical facial features attract the opposite sex. So why wouldn’t you want to look and stay symmetrical to your body type all the time?

7. I evaluate my personal training sessions

When I was getting my business started, I used to watch other trainers. I would look on and question, would I pay money to be trained like that? So in doing that, I have a lot of pride that comes along with my training sessions. So I make my sessions that good, that I even I would pay for them.

8. I have friends who are professional athletes, doctors, nutritionists and kinesiologists-Sports doctors, surgeons and lawyers

My life is always heavily influenced in the right way, sometimes its good getting other opinions. While other trainers will get opinions and ideas they have either heard at the gym or off the internet. They follow myths and stories of secret supplements, myth diets, and all sorts of bizarre ideas based on myths. Just have a look at my body building myths on this web page. So my views and opinions are always approved by all the right sort of people that they should be approved by. I Consult with doctors, physiotherapists, dietitians and other allied health professionals to create health and fitness programs for my clients.

9. You get educated

I don’t simply tell you do this and eat this. Without first knowing, how, why, what, where and when.
Most trainers will get you to do this and take these supplement shakes in your diet. I will tell you why and what is going on with the program. I will never put you on supplement shakes or even supplements for that matter. Would you like drinking meal replacing supplements your whole life?
Supplement means to: to make up for a deficiency.
So its obvious the trainer, is to lazy or does not want to go threw the effort of making you a proper program or diet. When you have a proper diet, you don’t need any sort of supplement. I give you results you keep for the rest of your life. You will never be given diets and workouts that you cannot maintain for the rest of your life. For me its never about the money, the fitness industry is embarrassing.
Lucky enough if you choose me to be your trainer, you wont have to deal with cons and scams ever again.

10. I TRAIN AND HAVE TRAINED WITH FRIENDS COMPETING AND TRAINING AT OLYMPIC AND PROFESSIONAL LEVELS

WHY SETTLE FOR A SECOND RATE TRAINER? FUNCTIONAL-PRODUCTIVE MUSCLE IS THE WAY TO GO. HOW CAN YOU TAKE GUIDANCE OR PAY SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT COMPETED AT OR IS EVEN TRAINING AT THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE LEVEL. WHY PAY AND SETTLE FOR A SECOND RATE TRAINER???????????

11. I Help you to Become a Personal Trainer
How do I do this for you? Read all of they above.

About the Core Muscles:

There are hundreds of muscles in the core of the body – the abs (all layers), lower to mid back, upper pelvic region, the obliques and the world famous ‘love handles’ areas are loaded with muscles of all different sizes, shapes, lengths and angles – which require specific core exercises to produce the desired core strength training effect.

What is amazing is, these core muscles are all so close together, some of which are layered – meaning muscle behind muscle. And if all of these core muscles are worked out properly with the right exercise program and workouts – it is not a question of “Will I be able to get a great core?” but a question of “When will I have my great core?”

Unlike 97% of core fitness workouts that are in existence, the best core workout, is designed to provide a training stimulus to every single muscle in the body’s core a with the right exercises.

The upper, middle and lower core – the love handles – the obliques – the lower and mid back areas (avoiding these will not only prevent you from ever getting killer abs, but can lead to serious injury – this happens EVERY DAY to people who try to exercise without proper guidance – & it is one the reasons why physical therapists are so busy!)

The best core workout does not rely on big expensive fitness machines or silly exercise gadgets.

It does rely on the body itself, its natural movement patterns and how the muscles of the body work in relation to gravity. This means the ideal core workout can be done anywhere, anytime.

A big mistake many people, even trainers, make is to mimic the core routines of bodybuilders or powerlifters. The problem with that is most people are not bodybuilders or powerlifters – and these people tend to overtrain anyway (I know this because I used to do it myself!). The problems here range from a lot of wasted time to serious, long term injuries.

Core Exercises:

Side Bridge

Lie on your side with your forearm on the floor under your shoulder to prop you up, and your feet stacked. Contract your core and press your forearm against the floor to raise your hips until your body is straight from ankles to shoulders. Hold for 15 to 45 seconds, then repeat on the other side. Contract your abs and butt muscles forcefully to keep your body straight.

Plank with Diagonal Arm Lift

Assume a modified pushup position with your feet shoulder-width apart, forearms on the floor. Keeping your torso steady, raise your right arm for-ward and to the right, so that it points to 2 o’clock. Hold for 2 seconds, then lower and repeat with your left arm, raising it to 10 o’clock. That’s one rep. Your elbows should be bent 90 degrees and directly under your shoulders.

Single-Leg Lowering

Lie on your back with your legs extended straight up. Keeping your legs straight, lower your left leg until your foot is 2 to 3 inches off the floor. Return to the starting position, then repeat with your right leg; that’s one repetition. Think about pushing the bottom of your heel away from your hip as you lower your leg. Don’t point your toes; keep your foot flexed toward you. Lead with your heel.

Swiss-Ball Knee Tuck

Assume the pushup position with your shins resting on a Swiss ball, hands slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your abs tight, draw your knees toward your chest until your toes are on top of the ball. Slowly straighten your legs so the ball rolls back to the starting position. Lift your hips as you bring your knees toward you so your shins rise off the ball.

Cable Kneeling Chop

At a high-pulley cable, grab an end of rope with each hand. Go down on your right knee, with your left knee pointing toward the weight stack; this is the starting position. Rotate your torso away from the stack as you pull your hands to your chest, then down and away from you. Reverse to the start. Keep your torso upright as you extend your arms away from your body.

Glute-Bridge March

Lie with your knees bent and your arms and heels on the floor. Push down through your heels and squeeze your glutes to raise your body into a straight line from knees to shoulders. Next, bring a knee toward your chest. Reverse the move, then repeat with your other leg. That’s one rep. Don’t allow your hips to sag at any time during the movement.

The most important thing to always remember. Is to get abs to show in the first place, is to attain a low body fat percentage. If too much body fat is covering your ab muscles, no definition will show.

Try to perform the following exercises 2 to three 3 a week either before or after your other weight lifting exercises or on the off days, you’ll be well on your way to improving the looks and strength of your abs and core muscles.

*Remember: To really zero in on the ab muscles that you’re working, think about and feel the contraction take place.

Aim to maintain about 30 seconds of rest between sets, completing 3 to 4 sets of each of these exercises.

Leg raises

To do leg raises without equipment, lie on the floor on your back. Keep the lower back in contact with the floor and place hands to sides or under lower back for support. Lift legs upward as far as possible. Lower down to starting position slowly and with control. Make sure back stays flat on floor and abdominals are tight. The exercise is easier if legs are bent, harder if legs are straight.

The prone ball roll

The prone ball roll-outs are another great movement for targeting the lower abs as well as the hip flexors. To perform these simply place the feet up on an exercise ball while the body is face down towards the ground. While in this position you want to be balancing on the hands which are placed directly below the shoulders.

From there, slowly roll the ball in towards the body until you’re in a fully contracted position. Pause for a brief second at the top and then extend back out again to complete the rep. Note that this one may take a bit of practice to get your balance right on the ball so don’t give up if you struggle at first. If you keep at it, it won’t be long before you’re seeing the full benefits.

Exercise ball sit-up with a dumbbell

Regular exercise ball sit-ups are a great way to fully stimulate the muscle fibres in the abs, but for many of you, it’s no longer challenging enough. To up the intensity of this movement, add a dumbbell behind your head.
By placing it behind the head rather than over the chest as many people do with decline-weighted sit-ups, you lengthen the distance from the weight to the core, really adding to the difficulty.

As you move through the exercise, be sure to focus on the bottom half of the movement as this is where the muscles are extended the most, which will force them to contract harder.

Russian Twists On An Exercise Ball

Russian twists on the ball are an interesting exercise that is commonly forgotten about. To perform these lie again with the middle of the back against the ball but this time you want to hold a single dumbbell directly above you with both hands.

Once you’re balanced, slowly rotate the body (and dumbbell) to one side while keeping the arms fully extended.

After you’re as far as you can go while maintaining control and balance, lift back up to the starting position and then begin to twist to the other side.

*Also Note

The abs are one of the quickest-adapting muscle groups in the body, so it’s vital that you’re always trying something new to take them to the next level of development. Remember that one of the most critical elements to a successful ab routine is to always maintaining a focus on those ab muscles to prevent other muscles from helping out with the action.

One of the most frequently stated goals of men in the gym is to “get ripped abs.” The ab muscles are what really identify someone who is serious about their fitness and diet plan, because without determination and a fair amount of effort, getting ripped abs is a goal that will never be reached.

While everyone has developed ab muscles to some extent, it’s getting them to show that becomes the biggest issue for most. This is due to the fact that most of us tend to store our body fat, at least partially, in the abdominal region. This is also one of the most stubborn places to lose fat from.

That said, if you know the principles for how to get ripped abs, you can make this goal a reality.
Genetic factor
The first thing you must realize is that every guy has his own uniquely shaped abs. Randomly selecting a picture out of some men’s magazine or billboard and saying that’s what you want your abs to be like could be slightly self-defeating, because even if you did get to low enough body fat levels, your abs may not be genetically shaped in a similar way; therefore, the appearance of your abs will still be different.

Recognizing that this factor is out of your control and not getting hung up on it is one step forward on your quest to get ripped abs. If you are unable to do this, you’ll only become more frustrated as time progresses, which is a serious motivational killer.

Rest assured, though, that if you can get your body fat levels low enough and perform correct, targeted exercises for this muscle group, your midsection will garner second glances.

Next comes the diet aspect of the equation. Ever heard the saying, “Abs are made in the kitchen”? Nothing could speak the truth more. As stated, everyone has some ab muscles, but most have a layer of body fat hiding them. Removing this layer is going to be about 90% dietary effort and 10% exercise effort when it comes right down to it. If you aren’t ready to take control over the foods you are putting in your mouth, getting ripped abs should not be a goal for you.

While the old notion used to be that you should eat a diet as low in fat as possible in order to remove body fat, this has changed in modern times. Now, diets that are higher in protein, moderate in fat and low or moderate in carbs are making headway, as this helps to control insulin levels better, and insulin happens to be the prime hormone that stores body fat (in a hypercaloric balance).

That’s not to say you can’t get lean on a higher-carbohydrate diet; you most certainly can — and some guys do — but for the vast majority, hunger levels are much more manageable on a low to moderate carb approach, which correspondingly makes eating fewer calories easier.

At the end of the day, it’s really going to come down to your total calorie intake, with less importance placed on how you get there — assuming sufficient protein is present, of course.

Finally, you have the actual ab routine. The regular performance of these exercises will play a large role in shaping the way your abs look once the fat is removed and they are visible.

Furthermore, since your ab muscles form the core of your body and are recruited for all other lifting exercises, it only makes sense that you’d want to dedicate some time to strengthening them.

When selecting ab exercises, think of anything that will decrease your stability — this effectively causes the abs to work harder as they are recruited. Exercise balls are the perfect tool for this, and there are a variety of movements you can do with them.

Examples of such exercises include basic front and side crunches, ball kick-outs (lying on the floor with feet on either side of the ball and palms on the floor, squeeze the ball with your legs and move from a crunched to a straightened position), and lying leg raises with the ball between your legs.

If you are looking to actually increase the size of your ab muscles, weighted ab work will be your best bet. Since muscle tissue will only grow significantly when an overloading weight is placed upon it, you must treat your ab muscles like you would any other muscle in the body. You wouldn’t get as developed doing push-up after push-up as you would with heavy bench pressing, so the same principle applies here.

Terrific options here include decline weighted sit-ups, weight abdominal twists (moving from side to side), and hanging leg raises with weight strapped onto your ankles.

Finally, the last types of ab exercises to include in your program are ones that have you contracting the ab muscles and holding this contraction for an extended duration of time. The benefit to this is that it will help the abs learn how to remain contracted, which will help when it comes to keeping them slightly flexed, allowing the muscularity to show even more.

As you’ve likely done before, if you stand in the mirror and flex your abs they look better, right? Well, the more isometric contractions you do, the more habitual this type of positioning will become, and you’ll likely start to keep them contracted to a slight degree all the time without really noticing it.

This could include performing the plank exercise and variations of that or simply tensing your abs, holding for 10 seconds and releasing. Repeat this tense/hold combo 5 to 10 times a couple of times a day and you should notice a difference in a few weeks.
abdominal greatness

If you are trying to get ripped abs, be sure to keep these major factors in mind. Most importantly, do not overlook the importance of your diet. Far too many guys think that they can just be sure to do enough ab work and cardio to make up for a less-than-stellar diet, but this kind of thinking almost always leads to less-than-stellar results.

In general, people will practice cardiovascular activities and forget about weight bearing exercises when it comes to burning fat. Yet there are still many trainers who will say that aerobic exercises burn off fat and weightlifting is only used to build muscle bulk. This statement is not entirely correct because the more muscle mass one acquires through weight-bearing exercises, the more he will burn fat calories even at rest.

Cardiovascular activity combined with weight training will result in much more effective fat loss. Cardiovascular exercises will raise muscle metabolism during the activity and for a short time after the exercise session. Weight training, on the other hand, will raise your muscle metabolism during the exercise session and for a long time after the exercise session. Some high intensity trainers have even seen their metabolism rise for several days following their training session.

Performing adequate weight training exercises should limit your repetitions anywhere from 1 to 20 (more or less). Such resistance on muscles will make their tissue leaner and stronger. The muscle development will take place during the rest period following the resistance training. Therefore, sufficient rest periods are essential.

Whether your goal is to tone or build muscles, it is important to know what happens during the muscle training process. When lifting weights, muscle tissues are torn apart (at the microscopic level) from the stress, and it’s in the recuperation period that your muscles become stronger and, therefore, able to support the extra stress. Usually the recuperation period required is 24 to 48 hours after the weight lifting activity.

The last most important factor to consider when trying to burn fat or lose weight is that lots of muscle mass can be lost as a result. As muscle mass will keep your metabolism high, try to avoid quick weight loss through miracle diets or starvation. This weight loss will be regained just as quickly. Instead, opt for a gradual fat loss routine by combining weight training and cardiovascular activities, and allow muscle mass to build up and increase your metabolism. Results may take a little longer, but they will last for a longer period of time.

The days of trying to bulk up as much as possible and look like a bodybuilder are out. Now the body image most men are looking for and most women find attractive is that of a professional sprinters and swimmers. They are lean and toned with just the right amount of muscle and body fat to turn heads wherever they go. This is not a simple look to achieve, though. You must follow the right training protocols and make sure your diet is in check.

Top 3 things to avoid at all costs.

1. Taking long rest periods during sets

The general guideline for building a great deal of mass states that you should allow ample rest time between sets to let your muscles recover. This enables you to lift maximally on your next set. While this principle still holds true for putting getting big, reducing this rest time will increase your metabolism, helping you get leaner.

Since your goal is not to achieve your maximum size, the shortened rest breaks will not hinder you in getting good muscle definition. You still need to rest enough so that you can challenge yourself, but there is no need for two-minute rest periods anymore.

2. Neglecting all forms of cardio

If you want to get that lean look, you have to do some cardio training. Former methods enforced the principle of boycotting all cardio as it burned precious calories that could potentially go toward muscle growth. This is fine if you don’t wish to control your body-fat levels, but in order to see your hard-earned muscles, cardio is essential.

3. Eating everything in sight

This was fairly typical during the “beefcake” days when every guy wanted to pack on as much mass as possible. He would eat anything he could get his hands on in the hopes that it would help add muscle to his frame. Doing this will add mass, but a greater portion of it will be body fat, bringing you further away from the toned physique you’re looking for.

Top 4 things you should do.

1. Cardio sprint training

When it comes to cardio, the preferred method is interval training. This allows you to push your body for a short period of time, and then take a period to rest and recover before going once again. It is preferable because it will also help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers and will kick your metabolism into high gear.

Any form of exercise that is very intense will help with your fat-burning process as the body will expend a great deal of calories repairing the damaged muscle tissue once you are finished your workout. Try to incorporate at least two sessions of interval training into your week — one focusing on longer intervals of one minute with two minutes of rest, and the other focusing on shorter intervals of 20 to 30 seconds with one to one and a half minutes of rest. Note: The shorter the interval, the more intense it should be.

2.Plyometric training

Plyometric training uses exercises that require you to move very quickly using only your body weight. They are great for developing explosive power and strength. Since you are not acting against a heavy weight load, you will not get the same hypertrophy effects that result in the bulky muscle look. Typical plyometric exercises are:

Box jumps: Jump onto as high of a box as you can, and then back down again. For added difficulty, try doing this off one leg.

Squat jumps: Begin by moving from a standing position down into a full squat, then rapidly push off the ground using your thigh muscles to propel yourself as high as possible. Land once again in a full squat position and repeat 10 to 15 times.

Clap push-ups: Perform the normal push-up action, but use your muscles to propel your body off the ground in the up phase. While in the air, clap your hands together and then land back into the push-up position to complete the downward portion of the exercise.

3. Circuit speed training

Circuit training is another good option for those looking to get lean and toned. It works in a similar way to supersets, but instead of working opposing muscle groups, you complete an entire circuit of exercises for your whole body. Perform one set of each exercise before moving onto the next one with little or no rest in-between. Once you finish one whole circuit, take a few minutes to rest, and then complete it again one to three more times.

Additionally, you may want to focus on increasing the velocity in which you perform the concentric (working portion) of your exercise, as this will help develop your fast twitch muscle fibers more.

4. Supersets

Supersets are an exercise technique in which you perform one set of an exercise for one muscle group, and then another set for an antagonistic group. For example, complete one set of bicep curls followed by one set of overhead tricep presses. Since these muscles oppose one another, while one is working, the other can rest. This both cuts down on your total workout time and increases the overall amount of calories burned during your training session.

Getting lean and toned is dependent on burning more calories than you take in to remove excess body fat, so anything that helps you accomplish this is a step in the right direction. Try to incorporate these types of exercises into your workout as much as possible. Good examples are chest presses supersetted with bent-over rows and leg extensions supersetted with hamstring curls.

*Also note
If you are looking to develop a defined yet muscular body, put some of these principles into effect. You do not have to be huge to be strong, and most people these days prefer a more toned appearance over a bulky look. Don’t forget to stretch, make sure your diet is free from all junk and processed foods, and make sure you are eating five to six times a day to keep your metabolism up. Once you have mastered both the workout and the diet, your physique will get noticed.