Lately everyone has been asking me, "what is the best type of cardio to lose body fat?"
The answer is Interval Cardio Training!
Interval Cardio Next Level Style is set up in "levels", oh yeah! you like that snazzy play on words? I know I'm a genius right? ;-)
By "Levels" I mean timed intervals varying in intensity. The best example would be:
level 1= go 1 minute as hard as you can (on an intensity scale that would = a 9 or 10)
level 2= 1 minute of moderate intensity ( like a 5 or 6 on the same scale)
level 3= 1 minute of light intensity ( 2 or 3 on the scale= walk)
These 3 levels make up a "round", you should begin by doing at least 3-4 rounds.
This brand of cardio training should be done either post-strength training or on your "off" days. By the way you should definitely be strength training total body at least 3 days a week!
Make sure to include a 5 minute steady state warm up before attempting this more difficult cardio routine! Steady state means staying at the same speed and intensity for the entire duration of the warm up.
Next Level Interval Cardio for Fat Loss can be done in a variety of ways, tread mill, eliptical, track, running hills, running sprints, etc. etc. etc.
Follow the Next Level Motto of "break a good sweat every day" and you will find yourself beach ready in no time!
Now lets take your Fat Loss to the NEXT LEVEL!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
P.S.- Welcome back to all my loyal Boot Camp Veterans! You girls are awesome, keep up the hard work!
welcome to all the new Boot Campers! Follow the meal plan!
Showing posts with label Top Utica Personal Trainer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top Utica Personal Trainer. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Celebrate Women's Health this Month with the Beach Body Boot Camp!
May is National Women's Health Month, what are you doing for yourself this month to get or remain fit?
Do you exercise regularly?
Do you follow a sound nutrition program?
Are you taking Prograde Supplements?
These are questions you should answer yes to across the board!
If you answered NO to any of those questions than you need to make sure that you make a change in the month of May, and continue on with these great healthy habits for the remainder of your lives!
The only thing we truly have in life is our health! Do NOT take your health and fitness for granted. Be there to see your children and their children graduate, get married, etc.
Please do not sell yourselves short!
To help local women get moving I am offering free 1 week unlimited free trials to the premier womens only fat loss boot camp in the State, the Next Level Beach Body Boot Camp.
Call Now to get your free week trial! 315-790-5851
We are also opening up a morning session starting Tuesday May 26th @ 5:30 AM! Spots Limited!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
Do you exercise regularly?
Do you follow a sound nutrition program?
Are you taking Prograde Supplements?
These are questions you should answer yes to across the board!
If you answered NO to any of those questions than you need to make sure that you make a change in the month of May, and continue on with these great healthy habits for the remainder of your lives!
The only thing we truly have in life is our health! Do NOT take your health and fitness for granted. Be there to see your children and their children graduate, get married, etc.
Please do not sell yourselves short!
To help local women get moving I am offering free 1 week unlimited free trials to the premier womens only fat loss boot camp in the State, the Next Level Beach Body Boot Camp.
Call Now to get your free week trial! 315-790-5851
We are also opening up a morning session starting Tuesday May 26th @ 5:30 AM! Spots Limited!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
Monday, April 6, 2009
5 Top SECRET Next Level Tips for FAT LOSS!
Hey Everybody,
Summer is approaching fast, that means bikinis and swim trunks! The time to shed that unwanted body fat is NOW! Below I have listed my top 5 tips for fat loss:
1) Eat More! Eating more of the "right" foods can fire up your internal calorie burning "furnace".
Lean Protein and green vegetables should take up the majority of your plate at all meals!
2) No More Cardio! Substitute High Intensity Interval Training for old school "steady state" cardio. H.I.I.T. has been proven to be the most effective protocol for fat loss. For examples of these workouts go to www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com and watch my videos!
3) Stay Away from the "Machines"! Many health clubs and gyms are full of useless gadgets, and machines. Use your bodyweight, and other tools like kettlebells and dumbells to get the most out of your fat burning workouts.
4) No MORE "Fat Free", "Sugar Free", or "Reduced" foods! Anytime you remove fat, sugar, or calories from a food, they are replaced with "fillers". These preservatives will shut down your fat burning process!
5) Take your Supplements! Everyone should be taking a 100% Organic Multi-Vitamin, fish oil, and a post workout drink. Prograde supplements have a the best line of Organic supplements on the market: www.nextlevel.getprograde.com.
For best results you should aim to put your body in the best state possible by following these tips. For more information or a free 2 week trial to the Next Level Beach Body Boot Camp call 315-790-5851.
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
Summer is approaching fast, that means bikinis and swim trunks! The time to shed that unwanted body fat is NOW! Below I have listed my top 5 tips for fat loss:
1) Eat More! Eating more of the "right" foods can fire up your internal calorie burning "furnace".
Lean Protein and green vegetables should take up the majority of your plate at all meals!
2) No More Cardio! Substitute High Intensity Interval Training for old school "steady state" cardio. H.I.I.T. has been proven to be the most effective protocol for fat loss. For examples of these workouts go to www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com and watch my videos!
3) Stay Away from the "Machines"! Many health clubs and gyms are full of useless gadgets, and machines. Use your bodyweight, and other tools like kettlebells and dumbells to get the most out of your fat burning workouts.
4) No MORE "Fat Free", "Sugar Free", or "Reduced" foods! Anytime you remove fat, sugar, or calories from a food, they are replaced with "fillers". These preservatives will shut down your fat burning process!
5) Take your Supplements! Everyone should be taking a 100% Organic Multi-Vitamin, fish oil, and a post workout drink. Prograde supplements have a the best line of Organic supplements on the market: www.nextlevel.getprograde.com.
For best results you should aim to put your body in the best state possible by following these tips. For more information or a free 2 week trial to the Next Level Beach Body Boot Camp call 315-790-5851.
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
If you love the GYM DON'T Read this!
This post is going to piss people off, that is not my intention, but I have to speak the truth!
I remember the days when I used to workout and work at a gym exclusively. I used to think it was absolutely necessary to be in a gym to get results- that a good workout required you to be in a health club or weight room of some sort. Today I find myself at the best point of my life, from both a business and fitness standpoint, and I haven’t stepped a foot in a typical gym for almost 2 years now. After some thought, I put on paper what I feel to be the top 10 reasons NOT to go to the gym:
1)Unused Memberships: Almost 85% of Gym Memberships go UNUSED! Most people end up paying for a year, and don't even go. What a waste of money $$$$$$!
2)The Sheep Mentality: Everybody is doing the same thing. Most men and women are just sheep- slaves to all of the misinformation provided in the form of sensational fitness magazines, infomercials and awful, uneducated meat head trainers. People just go to the gym and do whatever everybody else is doing.
3)Needless Waiting Time for Equipment or Space: I remember when I used to workout at a gym that I would spend about an average of at least 15-20 minutes per workout waiting on a piece of equipment or a certain space of the gym to complete my daily routine.
4)Sickness and Disease: Beyond catching the common cold, there are some other real serious things that have been spreading at gyms like wildfire like the recent merca staph infection epidemic. Most GYMs are filthy! PERIOD.
5)Annoying People: For most people going to the gym isn’t about getting results, it’s about socializing. Many GYMS are used as a singles pick up joint, guys oogling you while you try to work out or vice versa.
6)Expensive Memberships: Paying money for a place to workout. Isn’t your current rent or mortgage enough of a monthly overhead! Many GYMs have outdated useless equipement! Are you paying $10-$50 bucks a month to rent a tread mill or eliptical?
7)Useless Equipment: Machines suck- I haven’t used a machine in years. They don’t allow your body to train that way it was designed to move and function and they cause many overuse injuries. If you want to be lean, tight, and muscular, all you need is your body weight, some bands, and a few free weight options like dumbbells or kettlebells to get the job done at home or on the road.
8)Lack of Open Training Space: Idiot club owners focus on all the frills with substance by filling the training floor up with overpriced, oversized machines that take up all of the prime real estate. All you need is space- space to move freely and explore your own body’s capabilities. At Next Level we teach you how to move your body, not MACHINES!
9)Crippling Dependence: I mentioned this earliest- gyms force you to create a dependence on them. So, show yourself that you can get results without the gym. I promise you that the best workouts of your life are waiting for you at Next Level or in new places like a park, beach, hotel room, etc. Step outside of the box!
10)Bad Trainers: When you go to the typical gym for personal training, you enter a factory. They are trying to get you in and out. They don’t care if your reach your goals nor do they have the desire to build lasting relationships with you. They just need to hit their quota- you are just another number for them. The majority of GYM Trainers are uneducated= no college degree. Just because someone is a body builder does not make them a fitness expert! These are usually the guys that are steroid free NOW. Meaning they got so big by cheating!!!!! i.e. taking roids!
All trainer should have an exercise science/health science background! For more information on what to ask before hiring a personal trainer call 790-5851 or go to www.nxtleveltraining.com and sign up for that free report!
Steve Krebs is a local Utica fitness boot camp instructor and real world fat loss expert. To book him/her to speak at your local company, club, or organization please contact him/her by email at stevenrkrebs@hotmail.com or by phone at 315-790-5851. For a free one-week trial to his beach body boot camp to experience the best personal training Utica please visit www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com
I remember the days when I used to workout and work at a gym exclusively. I used to think it was absolutely necessary to be in a gym to get results- that a good workout required you to be in a health club or weight room of some sort. Today I find myself at the best point of my life, from both a business and fitness standpoint, and I haven’t stepped a foot in a typical gym for almost 2 years now. After some thought, I put on paper what I feel to be the top 10 reasons NOT to go to the gym:
1)Unused Memberships: Almost 85% of Gym Memberships go UNUSED! Most people end up paying for a year, and don't even go. What a waste of money $$$$$$!
2)The Sheep Mentality: Everybody is doing the same thing. Most men and women are just sheep- slaves to all of the misinformation provided in the form of sensational fitness magazines, infomercials and awful, uneducated meat head trainers. People just go to the gym and do whatever everybody else is doing.
3)Needless Waiting Time for Equipment or Space: I remember when I used to workout at a gym that I would spend about an average of at least 15-20 minutes per workout waiting on a piece of equipment or a certain space of the gym to complete my daily routine.
4)Sickness and Disease: Beyond catching the common cold, there are some other real serious things that have been spreading at gyms like wildfire like the recent merca staph infection epidemic. Most GYMs are filthy! PERIOD.
5)Annoying People: For most people going to the gym isn’t about getting results, it’s about socializing. Many GYMS are used as a singles pick up joint, guys oogling you while you try to work out or vice versa.
6)Expensive Memberships: Paying money for a place to workout. Isn’t your current rent or mortgage enough of a monthly overhead! Many GYMs have outdated useless equipement! Are you paying $10-$50 bucks a month to rent a tread mill or eliptical?
7)Useless Equipment: Machines suck- I haven’t used a machine in years. They don’t allow your body to train that way it was designed to move and function and they cause many overuse injuries. If you want to be lean, tight, and muscular, all you need is your body weight, some bands, and a few free weight options like dumbbells or kettlebells to get the job done at home or on the road.
8)Lack of Open Training Space: Idiot club owners focus on all the frills with substance by filling the training floor up with overpriced, oversized machines that take up all of the prime real estate. All you need is space- space to move freely and explore your own body’s capabilities. At Next Level we teach you how to move your body, not MACHINES!
9)Crippling Dependence: I mentioned this earliest- gyms force you to create a dependence on them. So, show yourself that you can get results without the gym. I promise you that the best workouts of your life are waiting for you at Next Level or in new places like a park, beach, hotel room, etc. Step outside of the box!
10)Bad Trainers: When you go to the typical gym for personal training, you enter a factory. They are trying to get you in and out. They don’t care if your reach your goals nor do they have the desire to build lasting relationships with you. They just need to hit their quota- you are just another number for them. The majority of GYM Trainers are uneducated= no college degree. Just because someone is a body builder does not make them a fitness expert! These are usually the guys that are steroid free NOW. Meaning they got so big by cheating!!!!! i.e. taking roids!
All trainer should have an exercise science/health science background! For more information on what to ask before hiring a personal trainer call 790-5851 or go to www.nxtleveltraining.com and sign up for that free report!
Steve Krebs is a local Utica fitness boot camp instructor and real world fat loss expert. To book him/her to speak at your local company, club, or organization please contact him/her by email at stevenrkrebs@hotmail.com or by phone at 315-790-5851. For a free one-week trial to his beach body boot camp to experience the best personal training Utica please visit www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com
Monday, February 16, 2009
Workout like a President Today!
This President’s Day clearly signifies a special moment in history. Regardless of your political views, the recent election of President Barack Obama has brought great change and hope in many. Though we’ll have to let President Obama’s accomplishments in office dictate what type of change it will be, it is very clear that this is a man who was born to lead. Obama has an undeniable aura about him, a certain calming confidence that is truly contagious. These are traits he will surely need in the face of a continually dwindling economy and the many other challenges facing our country and our world.
Seriously, how can someone handle the stress of being the leader of the free world? I can’t even begin to grasp the scope of something like that, can you?
One thing that has always struck me about Obama is his relentless daily workout routine. He plays a ton of basketball and puts in his 45-60 minute workout day in and day out. He claims it sets the tone for his entire day- that it gives him the energy he needs to grapple with the world’s problems.
Set the tone of your day everyday with a workout, and a positive outlook. My physical fitness sets the tone for everything I tackle in business on a daily basis. I train hard and I never miss a workout. I bring this same intensity and persistence to my business. And I can honestly say that my ability to mentally and physically stick to my routine has prepared me for any and all challenges that I may face. Everything just seems “easier” in comparison to a killer total body workout. I truly mean that.
Now, I am just going to assume that there are going to be some days when President Obama might not have time to get in his typical 45-60 minute workout. After all, since the first 100 days seem to set the tone of each presidency, Obama is going to have a pretty full plate these days!
So, I am going to lend my expertise in this regard to cut Obama’s workout routine by more than half to keep him on track in case any last minute issues may arise. I personally guarantee this will not only help him maintain, if not increase, his current strength and conditioning level.
And I am going to go ahead and further simplify the process for Obama by designing body weight based workouts involve nothing more than resistance bands and dumbbells that can be done in the comfort of the oval office.
Furthermore, every workout will start “outside in” by first recognizing how much time President Obama has to workout each day and then matching the appropriate workout for that time frame.
The President’s Day Workout- Obama Style
Perform all strength workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
Perform all cardio workouts on Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays
Play some hoops anytime you can get
If Obama has five minutes to workout:
Strength Workout- Continuous Work: Perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body exercise (push-ups, rows, pull-ups, dips, etc.) and 20 reps of a lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, hip extensions, lunges, etc.) for time.
Cardio Workout- Tabata Intervals: Select one body weight cardio exercise (stationary running, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, alternating split jumps, ice skater jumps, etc.) OR one total body exercise (squat to presses, deadlift + curls, lunge + curl to press, swings, etc.) and perform 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four straight minutes, followed by a one-minute rest.
If Obama has 10 minutes to workout:
Strength Workout- Continuous Work: Perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body exercise (push-ups, rows, pull-ups, dips, etc.) and 20 reps of a lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, hip extensions, lunges, etc.) for time.
Cardio Workout- Tabata Intervals: Select one body weight cardio exercise (stationary running, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, alternating split jumps, ice skater jumps, etc.) OR one total body exercise (squat to presses, deadlift + curls, lunge + curl to press, swings, etc.) and perform 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four straight minutes, followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat this five-minute sequence one more time with the same exercise or with the exercise(s) of your choice.
If Obama has 20 minutes to workout:
Strength Workout- Continuous Work: Perform two different 10-minute work zones. For work zone one, perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body pushing exercise (push-ups, dips, presses, etc.) and 20 reps of a double-leg lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, hip extensions, etc.) for time. For work zone two, perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body pulling exercise (pull-ups, rows, curls, etc.) and 10 reps/leg of a single-leg lower body exercise (lunges, step-ups, single-leg hip extensions, etc.) for time.
Cardio Workout- Tabata Intervals: Select one body weight cardio exercise (stationary running, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, alternating split jumps, ice skater jumps, etc.) OR one total body exercise (squat to presses, deadlift + curls, lunge + curl to press, swings, etc.) and perform 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four straight minutes, followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat this five-minute sequence three more times with the same exercise or with the exercise(s) of your choice.
I’m sure the President will appreciate this killer fitness plan that works with, not against, his schedule as a courageous world leader. And if Obama can fit in his own personal workouts, you best believe there are no excuses for you not to do the same.
Seriously, how can someone handle the stress of being the leader of the free world? I can’t even begin to grasp the scope of something like that, can you?
One thing that has always struck me about Obama is his relentless daily workout routine. He plays a ton of basketball and puts in his 45-60 minute workout day in and day out. He claims it sets the tone for his entire day- that it gives him the energy he needs to grapple with the world’s problems.
Set the tone of your day everyday with a workout, and a positive outlook. My physical fitness sets the tone for everything I tackle in business on a daily basis. I train hard and I never miss a workout. I bring this same intensity and persistence to my business. And I can honestly say that my ability to mentally and physically stick to my routine has prepared me for any and all challenges that I may face. Everything just seems “easier” in comparison to a killer total body workout. I truly mean that.
Now, I am just going to assume that there are going to be some days when President Obama might not have time to get in his typical 45-60 minute workout. After all, since the first 100 days seem to set the tone of each presidency, Obama is going to have a pretty full plate these days!
So, I am going to lend my expertise in this regard to cut Obama’s workout routine by more than half to keep him on track in case any last minute issues may arise. I personally guarantee this will not only help him maintain, if not increase, his current strength and conditioning level.
And I am going to go ahead and further simplify the process for Obama by designing body weight based workouts involve nothing more than resistance bands and dumbbells that can be done in the comfort of the oval office.
Furthermore, every workout will start “outside in” by first recognizing how much time President Obama has to workout each day and then matching the appropriate workout for that time frame.
The President’s Day Workout- Obama Style
Perform all strength workouts on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays
Perform all cardio workouts on Tuesdays, Thursday, and Saturdays
Play some hoops anytime you can get
If Obama has five minutes to workout:
Strength Workout- Continuous Work: Perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body exercise (push-ups, rows, pull-ups, dips, etc.) and 20 reps of a lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, hip extensions, lunges, etc.) for time.
Cardio Workout- Tabata Intervals: Select one body weight cardio exercise (stationary running, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, alternating split jumps, ice skater jumps, etc.) OR one total body exercise (squat to presses, deadlift + curls, lunge + curl to press, swings, etc.) and perform 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four straight minutes, followed by a one-minute rest.
If Obama has 10 minutes to workout:
Strength Workout- Continuous Work: Perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body exercise (push-ups, rows, pull-ups, dips, etc.) and 20 reps of a lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, hip extensions, lunges, etc.) for time.
Cardio Workout- Tabata Intervals: Select one body weight cardio exercise (stationary running, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, alternating split jumps, ice skater jumps, etc.) OR one total body exercise (squat to presses, deadlift + curls, lunge + curl to press, swings, etc.) and perform 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four straight minutes, followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat this five-minute sequence one more time with the same exercise or with the exercise(s) of your choice.
If Obama has 20 minutes to workout:
Strength Workout- Continuous Work: Perform two different 10-minute work zones. For work zone one, perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body pushing exercise (push-ups, dips, presses, etc.) and 20 reps of a double-leg lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, hip extensions, etc.) for time. For work zone two, perform max rounds of 10 reps of an upper body pulling exercise (pull-ups, rows, curls, etc.) and 10 reps/leg of a single-leg lower body exercise (lunges, step-ups, single-leg hip extensions, etc.) for time.
Cardio Workout- Tabata Intervals: Select one body weight cardio exercise (stationary running, jumping jacks, squat thrusts, alternating split jumps, ice skater jumps, etc.) OR one total body exercise (squat to presses, deadlift + curls, lunge + curl to press, swings, etc.) and perform 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for four straight minutes, followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat this five-minute sequence three more times with the same exercise or with the exercise(s) of your choice.
I’m sure the President will appreciate this killer fitness plan that works with, not against, his schedule as a courageous world leader. And if Obama can fit in his own personal workouts, you best believe there are no excuses for you not to do the same.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Valentines Day and Mullets.......
Happy Valentines Day,
This Saturday at 11 A.M. is the Next Level St. Valentines Day Boot Camp Massacre, it's FREE to attend, and it will be alot of FUN and a great Workout!
As for the Mullets..... Click the link below to see what thats all about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3_-FpBKdtM
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
This Saturday at 11 A.M. is the Next Level St. Valentines Day Boot Camp Massacre, it's FREE to attend, and it will be alot of FUN and a great Workout!
As for the Mullets..... Click the link below to see what thats all about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3_-FpBKdtM
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Valentines Day Massacre Workout at Next Level on V-Day!
For most people Valentine’s Day is an excuse to cuddle up to that special someone, eat chocolates, and make sweet sweet "music". Hey, sounds good to me too, but surely we can be more creative than that!
This Saturday at Next Level its a chance for all my boot campers, personal training clients, and anyone else interested, to bring in their significant other to the Next Level Boot Camp for LUVAHS! Saturday 11 A.M. Its an all partner workout for the national day of LOVE!
Why not mix things up this Valentintes Day with a fun workout you can do in the comfort of your home with your significant other?
Today I am going to introduce you to the concept of partner training. Partner training is essentially a workout that involves performing joint exercises with at least one other person or more.
There are a ton of benefits to partner training, including:
Social Support and Accountability
No Equipment Needed
Provides a Ton of Variety
Breeds Competition and Drives Better Results
It’s FUN!
Partner training is something that I am going to introduce into our Next Level Boot Camps. The inner "hulk" seems to come out of the woodwork whenever people workout with someone else- you are simply pushed to the limit and there is no better way to make your body change and break out of a frustrating training rut.
But, being that it’s the most "important" holiday of the year (yeah, I am being a sarcastic smart ass), let’s make today’s partner training workout a little more intimate if you will. ooooh lah lah!
So grab your honey pie and try this bad boy out!
The Valentine’s Day Workout for Couples- Tabata Style Partner Training
This 20-minute total body partner workout will consist of all body weight-based exercises. For each exercise at each outlined station below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest and transition before moving on to the next station listed:
Station#1- Partner Push-up-Row Combo
Station #2- Partner Resisted Stationary Lunges- Static or Dynamic
Station #3- Partner Resisted Pillar Circuit
Station #4- Partner Resisted Squats- Static or Dynamic
Now go ask someone to be your valentine and take your partner workout to the next level! They say that sweat-driven pheromones are one of nature’s most powerful aphrodisiacs… you tell me ;)
Yours In Fitness,
Steverino
P.S.- Thanks for all the get well wishes!!!!!!
This Saturday at Next Level its a chance for all my boot campers, personal training clients, and anyone else interested, to bring in their significant other to the Next Level Boot Camp for LUVAHS! Saturday 11 A.M. Its an all partner workout for the national day of LOVE!
Why not mix things up this Valentintes Day with a fun workout you can do in the comfort of your home with your significant other?
Today I am going to introduce you to the concept of partner training. Partner training is essentially a workout that involves performing joint exercises with at least one other person or more.
There are a ton of benefits to partner training, including:
Social Support and Accountability
No Equipment Needed
Provides a Ton of Variety
Breeds Competition and Drives Better Results
It’s FUN!
Partner training is something that I am going to introduce into our Next Level Boot Camps. The inner "hulk" seems to come out of the woodwork whenever people workout with someone else- you are simply pushed to the limit and there is no better way to make your body change and break out of a frustrating training rut.
But, being that it’s the most "important" holiday of the year (yeah, I am being a sarcastic smart ass), let’s make today’s partner training workout a little more intimate if you will. ooooh lah lah!
So grab your honey pie and try this bad boy out!
The Valentine’s Day Workout for Couples- Tabata Style Partner Training
This 20-minute total body partner workout will consist of all body weight-based exercises. For each exercise at each outlined station below you will alternate between 20 s of work and 10 s of rest. You will repeat this 30-second sequence eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest and transition before moving on to the next station listed:
Station#1- Partner Push-up-Row Combo
Station #2- Partner Resisted Stationary Lunges- Static or Dynamic
Station #3- Partner Resisted Pillar Circuit
Station #4- Partner Resisted Squats- Static or Dynamic
Now go ask someone to be your valentine and take your partner workout to the next level! They say that sweat-driven pheromones are one of nature’s most powerful aphrodisiacs… you tell me ;)
Yours In Fitness,
Steverino
P.S.- Thanks for all the get well wishes!!!!!!
Monday, February 2, 2009
Get Next Level Beach Body Abs without doing any crunches!
Face it- we all want a flat, beach ready tummy! But for many of us no amount of crunches or sit-ups seems to get the job done. I can’t tell you how many times people have asked me the following question:
“I do tons of core work every day and I still have a flabby midsection. What is the deal?”
Well, before I reveal the Next Level Beach Body abs blueprint, let’s first disprove some very important myths about how to get the elusive six-pack abs:
Myth#1- Weight loss is the key to seeing your abs
WRONG!
The key to getting those flat, beach body abs is FAT LOSS, not weight loss. Let me further explain: your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (water, muscle, bone, organs, etc.). You want to minimize your fat mass and maximize your lean body mass to build a Beach Body metabolism: one that starves fat and builds muscle like a well oiled machine. By improving body composition you will put yourself in the best position to rock that coveted six-pack.
So if you lose 17 lbs on the scale at the expense of losing some lean muscle mass in the process you will end up slowing your metabolism, decreasing performance, and losing that good looking muscle tone. But if you lose 17 lbs on the scale and you manage to keep or gain lean muscle mass you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose primarily body fat.
Watching the scale like a crazy person does not help! The Scale can show major fluctuations, caused by things like; hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. I believe YOU should NOT keep a scale at your home- it for the most part is negative reinforcement, particularly for women. What happens when you have been busting your butt in your workouts, you get on that scale and it shows no change. Instant defeat! The problem is your body has changed, but the scale might not show it. Get off the scale and get over the numbers. The true goal is fat loss, not weight loss. Focus on clothing size reduction, digital before and after pictures, and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking.
Myth#2- The more abdominal work you do the more stomach fat you will lose!
BULL POOP!
Spot reduction doesn’t work! It is the biggest fitness myth on the planet, and it is the thing most programs, fitness gadgets, and trainers use to market! You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region go away. Think about it: almost everyone does crunches but proportionately very few people perform total body workouts. So, with all of these crunches, we’d expect to see nothing but people with flat tummies and fat depots everywhere else on their body (arms, legs, etc.). But think of how many people you know and see on a regular basis whom have more than a few inches to lose in their midsection. See what I mean- spot reduction doesn’t work!
See, your body loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when there is the appropriate caloric deficit AND hormonal environment created by proper eating and training. So your best bet is to focus on burning as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs). Compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to presses) burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups. So be sure to focus on these movements first and then if you have time, you can do some extra core work to make yourself feel better!
Myth#3- Crunches and Sit-ups are the best, most effective exercises for your abs.
WRONG!
The scientific term for your six-pack muscles are your rectus abdominis. For years now, we have been conditioned to think that the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these trunk flexion exercises make the muscles you want to see in the mirror “burn.” However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension, not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position, your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.
So, we focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (also know as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your superficial ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscles, or your deep abdominal stabilizers, that wrap around your spine and support your internal organs. Strengthening these inner ab muscles is the key to optimal posture and performance in addition to injury prevention, yet another benefit to performing pillars over primitive crunches and sit-ups that often cause unwanted neck and back pain.
Myth#4- Do lots of long-duration (steady state) cardio to burn the fat covering your abs
WRONG!
Both scientific research and real world case studies show that aerobic training for fat loss alone doesn’t work. Total body strength training is the true foundation of any solid fat loss plan. In addition, interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery, is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise. Please note that you can perform both strength interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds. Be on the look out for Part II of this post!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
“I do tons of core work every day and I still have a flabby midsection. What is the deal?”
Well, before I reveal the Next Level Beach Body abs blueprint, let’s first disprove some very important myths about how to get the elusive six-pack abs:
Myth#1- Weight loss is the key to seeing your abs
WRONG!
The key to getting those flat, beach body abs is FAT LOSS, not weight loss. Let me further explain: your body consists of fat mass and lean body mass (water, muscle, bone, organs, etc.). You want to minimize your fat mass and maximize your lean body mass to build a Beach Body metabolism: one that starves fat and builds muscle like a well oiled machine. By improving body composition you will put yourself in the best position to rock that coveted six-pack.
So if you lose 17 lbs on the scale at the expense of losing some lean muscle mass in the process you will end up slowing your metabolism, decreasing performance, and losing that good looking muscle tone. But if you lose 17 lbs on the scale and you manage to keep or gain lean muscle mass you will increase performance, see more visible definition throughout your body, and lose primarily body fat.
Watching the scale like a crazy person does not help! The Scale can show major fluctuations, caused by things like; hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. I believe YOU should NOT keep a scale at your home- it for the most part is negative reinforcement, particularly for women. What happens when you have been busting your butt in your workouts, you get on that scale and it shows no change. Instant defeat! The problem is your body has changed, but the scale might not show it. Get off the scale and get over the numbers. The true goal is fat loss, not weight loss. Focus on clothing size reduction, digital before and after pictures, and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking.
Myth#2- The more abdominal work you do the more stomach fat you will lose!
BULL POOP!
Spot reduction doesn’t work! It is the biggest fitness myth on the planet, and it is the thing most programs, fitness gadgets, and trainers use to market! You can’t just work the muscles of a certain area of your body and expect to have the fat in that region go away. Think about it: almost everyone does crunches but proportionately very few people perform total body workouts. So, with all of these crunches, we’d expect to see nothing but people with flat tummies and fat depots everywhere else on their body (arms, legs, etc.). But think of how many people you know and see on a regular basis whom have more than a few inches to lose in their midsection. See what I mean- spot reduction doesn’t work!
See, your body loses fat in a genetically pre-determined way when there is the appropriate caloric deficit AND hormonal environment created by proper eating and training. So your best bet is to focus on burning as many calories during your workouts as possible by engaging your whole body each and every training session (not just your abs). Compound, multi-joint movements like squats, push-ups, lunges, etc. (or better yet, total body exercises like squat to presses) burn a lot more calories than isolation movements like crunches and sit-ups. So be sure to focus on these movements first and then if you have time, you can do some extra core work to make yourself feel better!
Myth#3- Crunches and Sit-ups are the best, most effective exercises for your abs.
WRONG!
The scientific term for your six-pack muscles are your rectus abdominis. For years now, we have been conditioned to think that the best way to work your rectus abdominis is by doing endless crunches and sit-ups since these trunk flexion exercises make the muscles you want to see in the mirror “burn.” However, the true function of the rectus abdominis is to prevent hyperextension, not to flex forward over and over again. Anytime you brace your abs (think slight crunch before you get punched in the gut) and pull your navel into your spine you effectively stabilize your spine into a safe, neutral position. And the moment you relax your abs and lose that braced abs position, your back will begin to hyperextend putting you at greater risk for injury.
So, we focus on stabilization exercises in all three planes of movement (saggital- front to back, frontal- side to side, and transverse- rotational) by using pillar exercise variations (also know as planks). Besides training the true “anti-extension” function of your superficial ab muscles, these bridging/stabilization exercises also activate the key transverse abdominus muscles, or your deep abdominal stabilizers, that wrap around your spine and support your internal organs. Strengthening these inner ab muscles is the key to optimal posture and performance in addition to injury prevention, yet another benefit to performing pillars over primitive crunches and sit-ups that often cause unwanted neck and back pain.
Myth#4- Do lots of long-duration (steady state) cardio to burn the fat covering your abs
WRONG!
Both scientific research and real world case studies show that aerobic training for fat loss alone doesn’t work. Total body strength training is the true foundation of any solid fat loss plan. In addition, interval training, where you alternate between bouts of maximum effort and active recovery, is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise. Please note that you can perform both strength interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds. Be on the look out for Part II of this post!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
Monday, January 26, 2009
Cut thousands of Calories this Super Bowl Sunday the Next Level Way!
With Super Bowl Sunday less than a week away, now is the time to start preparing for the smorgasbord of goodies for your football party. However, why not make a couple important changes to some of your favorite super bowl party food recipes to make them healthier and more beach body friendly come kickoff?
The following is the Next Level Super Bowl food list, which contains both approved food choices and/or healthier substitutes for traditional super bowl party foods. Use this list to satisfy your cravings while saving hundreds if not thousands of calories in the process. If you use these strategies consistently for parties and social gatherings over the course of the year, this could prevent 10-15 lbs of fat gain!
Section I- Appetizers
Naked Sandwiches (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
Thin Crust Whole Grain Pizza
Fruit Salad (throw low carb whipped cream and dash of splenda/stevia on top as desired)
Super Salad Bowl (use unlimited veggies and meats, dip dressing on the side or use low calorie substitutes)
Sweet Potato Fries
Tuna or Chicken Salad
Nut Butter on Celery Sticks
Mixed Nuts (no sugar, unroasted, low in salt)
Cheese, Eggs, and Meat Tray
Caprese Salad
Raw Veggies (use dip sparingly)
Grilled/Sauteed Veggies (use extra virgin olive or coconut oil)
Figure-Friendly Nachos (see “accessories” below for ingredients: tortillas, cheese, salsa, and guac)
Buffalo Chicken Bites (skinless, no breading, use low calorie buffalo sauce sparingly)
Pasta Salad (use whole grain pasta and go easy on the dressings, choosing marina based sauces over creamier versions)
Section II- Accessories
Natural Whole Grain Tortillas
Natural Baked Chips
Natural Cheetohs
Diet Lipton Green Teas (or other low calorie/carb beverages)
Water
Natural Salsa
Guacamole
Salad Dressings: Vinegars of choice (apple cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.)
Other Low Calorie Condiments of Choice: mustard, hot sauce, horseradish, etc.
Section III- Main Courses
Lettuce Burgers (use extra lean sirloin or bison, preferably bun-less only using whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
Rotisserie Chicken (choose “plain” and remove skin and dab off any grease as needed with paper towel)
Extra Lean Kosher Hot Dogs (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
Chili (preferably bean-less, only use if absolutely needed and feel free to swap extra lean turkey for the beef version to cut down fat intake)
Pizza (see “appetizers” above or use whole grain/thin crust options from restaurants or frozen food isles)
Section IV- Desserts
Edy’s Grand Light Ice Cream
Prograde Cravers (100% organic chocolate snacks bars)
Larabars
Cocoa Via Bars or Packs
Low Carb Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory
Protein Cookies (swap in protein powder for flour)
BONUS- Top 10 Next Level Tips to Save Thousands of Calories on Super Bowl Sunday
1.) Go Naked: Replace all buns or breading for sandwiches with a lettuce wrap alternative to cut calories, stabilize blood sugar, and boost fiber and micronutrient intake.
2.) Hydrate: Drink at least two to four cups of water before eating AND one to two cups every 15-30 minutes after you start eating to fill your stomach and prevent overeating that can be triggers by dehydration.
3.) Eliminate Empty Liquid Calories: Minimize or eliminate all fruit juices, regular sodas, and alcohol. Opt for water, tea, or low calorie/carb beverages in moderation to leave more room for whole food choices that have more nutritional value and better fill you up.
4.) Do not fast in preparation for a feast as it will turn your body into a famished fat-storing machine the next time you eat. The resulting low blood sugar levels that come from not eating for four hours or more make you crave junk foods high in both fat and refined sugars.
5.) Replace All White with Brown (Or Better Yet... Green!): Be sure to use the whole grain alternatives for any starch you serve at your party (e.g. chips, tortillas, breads, rice, pasta). Whole grains have more vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber which means they won’t have as negative of an impact on your blood sugar compared to its white counterparts. However, if you want to be a nutritional boy or girl scout, go one step further by replacing all brown with green in the form of green veggies (see “Go Naked” above).
6.) Focus on eating lean proteins and fruits and veggies first. Use these in unlimited amounts as needed to fill you up and best prevent the typical party “killshot” of high carb and high fat meals (e.g. thick crust pizza with extra full-fat cheese).
7.) Never eat directly out of the bag or community bowl and use smaller plates to put your food on while limiting yourself to a pre-set plate total (e.g. four plate maximum during a three-hour football game).
8.) Replace Gold With Green: Opt for guacamole over cheese for your salads and chips. Guacamole is not only low in saturated fat and high in heart healthy monounsaturated fats but it also has a ton of fiber that will help fill you up fast and prevent overeating. Though cheese is a true super food in moderation, it is very easy to overeat especially when mixed with refined carb sources like white chips and pizza.
9.) Replace Flour with Protein Powder: Few people know that protein powder makes a great cooking or baking substitute for flour (e.g. protein cookies). By adding protein and reducing carb intake you will boost metabolism.
10.) 30 Chews: Eat slowly and require a certain number of chews before you swallow to allow your brain enough time to get the “I’m full” signal (e.g. 20 pre-swallow chews).
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com
www.nxtlevelspeed.com
The following is the Next Level Super Bowl food list, which contains both approved food choices and/or healthier substitutes for traditional super bowl party foods. Use this list to satisfy your cravings while saving hundreds if not thousands of calories in the process. If you use these strategies consistently for parties and social gatherings over the course of the year, this could prevent 10-15 lbs of fat gain!
Section I- Appetizers
Naked Sandwiches (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
Thin Crust Whole Grain Pizza
Fruit Salad (throw low carb whipped cream and dash of splenda/stevia on top as desired)
Super Salad Bowl (use unlimited veggies and meats, dip dressing on the side or use low calorie substitutes)
Sweet Potato Fries
Tuna or Chicken Salad
Nut Butter on Celery Sticks
Mixed Nuts (no sugar, unroasted, low in salt)
Cheese, Eggs, and Meat Tray
Caprese Salad
Raw Veggies (use dip sparingly)
Grilled/Sauteed Veggies (use extra virgin olive or coconut oil)
Figure-Friendly Nachos (see “accessories” below for ingredients: tortillas, cheese, salsa, and guac)
Buffalo Chicken Bites (skinless, no breading, use low calorie buffalo sauce sparingly)
Pasta Salad (use whole grain pasta and go easy on the dressings, choosing marina based sauces over creamier versions)
Section II- Accessories
Natural Whole Grain Tortillas
Natural Baked Chips
Natural Cheetohs
Diet Lipton Green Teas (or other low calorie/carb beverages)
Water
Natural Salsa
Guacamole
Salad Dressings: Vinegars of choice (apple cider, red wine, balsamic, etc.)
Other Low Calorie Condiments of Choice: mustard, hot sauce, horseradish, etc.
Section III- Main Courses
Lettuce Burgers (use extra lean sirloin or bison, preferably bun-less only using whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
Rotisserie Chicken (choose “plain” and remove skin and dab off any grease as needed with paper towel)
Extra Lean Kosher Hot Dogs (preferably bun-less, only use whole grain bun option if absolutely needed)
Chili (preferably bean-less, only use if absolutely needed and feel free to swap extra lean turkey for the beef version to cut down fat intake)
Pizza (see “appetizers” above or use whole grain/thin crust options from restaurants or frozen food isles)
Section IV- Desserts
Edy’s Grand Light Ice Cream
Prograde Cravers (100% organic chocolate snacks bars)
Larabars
Cocoa Via Bars or Packs
Low Carb Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory
Protein Cookies (swap in protein powder for flour)
BONUS- Top 10 Next Level Tips to Save Thousands of Calories on Super Bowl Sunday
1.) Go Naked: Replace all buns or breading for sandwiches with a lettuce wrap alternative to cut calories, stabilize blood sugar, and boost fiber and micronutrient intake.
2.) Hydrate: Drink at least two to four cups of water before eating AND one to two cups every 15-30 minutes after you start eating to fill your stomach and prevent overeating that can be triggers by dehydration.
3.) Eliminate Empty Liquid Calories: Minimize or eliminate all fruit juices, regular sodas, and alcohol. Opt for water, tea, or low calorie/carb beverages in moderation to leave more room for whole food choices that have more nutritional value and better fill you up.
4.) Do not fast in preparation for a feast as it will turn your body into a famished fat-storing machine the next time you eat. The resulting low blood sugar levels that come from not eating for four hours or more make you crave junk foods high in both fat and refined sugars.
5.) Replace All White with Brown (Or Better Yet... Green!): Be sure to use the whole grain alternatives for any starch you serve at your party (e.g. chips, tortillas, breads, rice, pasta). Whole grains have more vitamins and minerals and are high in fiber which means they won’t have as negative of an impact on your blood sugar compared to its white counterparts. However, if you want to be a nutritional boy or girl scout, go one step further by replacing all brown with green in the form of green veggies (see “Go Naked” above).
6.) Focus on eating lean proteins and fruits and veggies first. Use these in unlimited amounts as needed to fill you up and best prevent the typical party “killshot” of high carb and high fat meals (e.g. thick crust pizza with extra full-fat cheese).
7.) Never eat directly out of the bag or community bowl and use smaller plates to put your food on while limiting yourself to a pre-set plate total (e.g. four plate maximum during a three-hour football game).
8.) Replace Gold With Green: Opt for guacamole over cheese for your salads and chips. Guacamole is not only low in saturated fat and high in heart healthy monounsaturated fats but it also has a ton of fiber that will help fill you up fast and prevent overeating. Though cheese is a true super food in moderation, it is very easy to overeat especially when mixed with refined carb sources like white chips and pizza.
9.) Replace Flour with Protein Powder: Few people know that protein powder makes a great cooking or baking substitute for flour (e.g. protein cookies). By adding protein and reducing carb intake you will boost metabolism.
10.) 30 Chews: Eat slowly and require a certain number of chews before you swallow to allow your brain enough time to get the “I’m full” signal (e.g. 20 pre-swallow chews).
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com
www.nxtlevelspeed.com
Monday, January 19, 2009
Hips and butts and thighs oh my!
As a fitness professional, I get a lot of questions regarding “What exercises are best for toning my legs, butt, and thighs? These areas are the most common concerns for the majority of my clients. Today I’m going to share my personal favorite lower body exercise and all of its awesome variations. It’s called the Rear-Foot Elevated Lunge Variation (a.k.a. Bulgarian Split Squat). This exercise is so effective that you’ll make your lower body beach ready once you master it!
Before we get into this, one thing I definitely don’t want to do is feed into the idea of individual body part training and spot reduction on certain areas of the body. I am a true believer in total body training, meaning that we train the upper body, lower body, and core during every single workout. By training the whole body at once we maximally stimulate lean muscle gain and metabolism and promote total body fat burning in order to effectively eliminate the body fat that is hiding those areas that people are having trouble seeing; yep the stubborn fat areas that prevent a good body from becoming a great body. Plus, a diet high in lean protein, fiber, and green veggies and low in unnatural fats and refined sugars and starches is of course a pre-requisite if you want to see your muscles show. It is also important to know that you lose fat in a genetically predetermined way. You can do all the crunches you want but without total body training. proper eating habits, and enough time to get to those stubborn fat areas you will never get rid of your gut, jiggly arms, or the junk in the trunk.
Moving onto the main event: the world’s greatest lower body exercise. My favorite leg exercises are any sort of lunge variation because I prefer single leg exercises instead of their double leg counterparts for a lot of reasons. For people with back issues, single leg exercises allow them to safely perform lower body exercises without putting their lower lumbar spine in jeopardy of hyper flexion or excessive rounding that can cause back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. Furthermore, I feel there’s often such a strength and/or flexibility imbalance between one leg and the other for most people that it’s critical to address one leg at a time to really eliminate the weak links from the start.
My favorite lunge variation is called the rear foot elevated lunge. So basically we’re going to elevate the back foot on a chair, bench, box, or any other sturdy foot support, usually about 12-18 inches high. You’ll put your front leg well in front of you in order to make sure that your front knee and ankle are lined up. In general, I tell people to exaggerate how far you put your front leg forward so that the front knee is almost slightly behind the ankle as this really helps reduce sheer force on the knees. Initiate the exercise by loading the front heel and dropping your hips as low as you can in a pain-free range of motion while staying really tall up top with a proud chest and shoulders down and back. Finish the rep by explosively driving through your front heel to return to the top of the movement. You can start with body weight only in search of front thigh parallel to the floor or lower depth and then progress by adding speed of movement or by adding dumbbells. You can even incorporate some very cool combination movements with this lower body exercise like adding a curl to press at the top of the movement or even by raising dumbbells overhead to really challenge your core and single-leg balance and stability.
Make sure to keep a look out for the boot camp workout of the week, where I will show you the different variations of this great movement!
I have yet to find an exercise that hits the legs as hard as this baby does. In particular, it really helps strengthen your vastus medialis muscle, that inner quad muscle that looks like a teardrop, that’s heavily responsible for tracking your patella and keeping your knee caps in line. So if you have a history of overtraining or patella-femoral issues this exercise is phenomenal for keeping your knees as bulletproof as possible.
Also, what’s great about it too is that it provides a very good stretch for the hip flexor of your back leg, an area that is often very tight, especially for guys. Any exercise that allows you to simultaneously stretch and strengthen your body is a real keeper. Don’t waste another moment with the useless adductor machine, and get off your butt and get your body beach ready with Next Levels best lower body exercise today!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
Before we get into this, one thing I definitely don’t want to do is feed into the idea of individual body part training and spot reduction on certain areas of the body. I am a true believer in total body training, meaning that we train the upper body, lower body, and core during every single workout. By training the whole body at once we maximally stimulate lean muscle gain and metabolism and promote total body fat burning in order to effectively eliminate the body fat that is hiding those areas that people are having trouble seeing; yep the stubborn fat areas that prevent a good body from becoming a great body. Plus, a diet high in lean protein, fiber, and green veggies and low in unnatural fats and refined sugars and starches is of course a pre-requisite if you want to see your muscles show. It is also important to know that you lose fat in a genetically predetermined way. You can do all the crunches you want but without total body training. proper eating habits, and enough time to get to those stubborn fat areas you will never get rid of your gut, jiggly arms, or the junk in the trunk.
Moving onto the main event: the world’s greatest lower body exercise. My favorite leg exercises are any sort of lunge variation because I prefer single leg exercises instead of their double leg counterparts for a lot of reasons. For people with back issues, single leg exercises allow them to safely perform lower body exercises without putting their lower lumbar spine in jeopardy of hyper flexion or excessive rounding that can cause back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. Furthermore, I feel there’s often such a strength and/or flexibility imbalance between one leg and the other for most people that it’s critical to address one leg at a time to really eliminate the weak links from the start.
My favorite lunge variation is called the rear foot elevated lunge. So basically we’re going to elevate the back foot on a chair, bench, box, or any other sturdy foot support, usually about 12-18 inches high. You’ll put your front leg well in front of you in order to make sure that your front knee and ankle are lined up. In general, I tell people to exaggerate how far you put your front leg forward so that the front knee is almost slightly behind the ankle as this really helps reduce sheer force on the knees. Initiate the exercise by loading the front heel and dropping your hips as low as you can in a pain-free range of motion while staying really tall up top with a proud chest and shoulders down and back. Finish the rep by explosively driving through your front heel to return to the top of the movement. You can start with body weight only in search of front thigh parallel to the floor or lower depth and then progress by adding speed of movement or by adding dumbbells. You can even incorporate some very cool combination movements with this lower body exercise like adding a curl to press at the top of the movement or even by raising dumbbells overhead to really challenge your core and single-leg balance and stability.
Make sure to keep a look out for the boot camp workout of the week, where I will show you the different variations of this great movement!
I have yet to find an exercise that hits the legs as hard as this baby does. In particular, it really helps strengthen your vastus medialis muscle, that inner quad muscle that looks like a teardrop, that’s heavily responsible for tracking your patella and keeping your knee caps in line. So if you have a history of overtraining or patella-femoral issues this exercise is phenomenal for keeping your knees as bulletproof as possible.
Also, what’s great about it too is that it provides a very good stretch for the hip flexor of your back leg, an area that is often very tight, especially for guys. Any exercise that allows you to simultaneously stretch and strengthen your body is a real keeper. Don’t waste another moment with the useless adductor machine, and get off your butt and get your body beach ready with Next Levels best lower body exercise today!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
Monday, January 12, 2009
Top 5 Next Level Safe Snow Shoveling Secrets!
Hey Everyone,
It is officially winter here in the Utica Area. I must admit, if there’s one thing that bothers me the most about the winter (besides the sickly cold and lack of natural light), it’s the number of people who hurt themselves shoveling snow. I can’t tell you how many clients of mine have tweaked their backs attempting to clear their driveways.
Today I am going to reveal my top 5 Next Level safe shoveling secrets. For those of you who do not live in the Utica Area like me, you still need to know this information too. Why you may ask? Beacause these same tips can be used for any outdoor manual labor!
1.) Perform a Proper 5-Minute Warm-up Before Shoveling
Just as very few people properly warm-up before intense exercise, so do many people fail to get their bodies ready for the intensity of shoveling snow. Let’s face it, snow, especially when it’s wet, is a real beast to move around. And if your body is tight and cold then you will dramatically increase your chances of injury.
I have created a great shoveling specific five-minute warm-up to get your body ready to rock. There is a special emphasis on opening up the hips and chest to save your back and shoulders, the two most commonly injured areas of broken down shovelers:
Perform each exercise in the following warm-up circuit at a slow, controlled tempo for 50 seconds with a 10 second rest and transition between exercises. Do this warm-up indoors to better increase core temperature and total body blood flow:
Exercise#1- Stationary Squat and Reach
Exercise#2- Jumping Claps (modified jumping jacks with arms moving across chest level, palms facing)
Exercise#3- Alternating Forward Lunge, Overhead Reach, and Twist
Exercise#4- Alternating Lateral Lunge with Opposite Hand to Toe Touch
Exercise#5- Prisoner Squats (hands behind head with finger interlocked)
2.) Split Your Stance When Shoveling
Back pain is probably the biggest complaint for shovelers. In most cases, a sore or tight back stems from restriction at the hips (see the warm-up above to best remedy this). More specifically, using a parallel stance puts your lower back at a greater risk of injury due to the greater likelihood of excessive flexion of the lumbar spine that often leads to back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. However, the simple switch to shoveling with a split stance, where one leg is forward and the other leg is back, will not only help prevent this hyper flexion while bending over and moving snow, but will also actively stretch and open up those tight hips at the same time. Be sure to keep things in balance by doing an even number of shovel strokes with both legs forward by alternating every 10 reps or so. Turn your shoveling into a workout!
3.) Point Your Toes In Same Direction of Shoveling
This is a continuation of the last tip. Even when you split your stance, you can be susceptible to injury whenever you perform a rotating back extension (e.g. a shovel toss to your rear). So, to further bolster your body, be sure to always shovel snow in the direction that your toes point to minimize excessive spinal rotation that can literally wrench your back.
4.) Shovel EQUALLY to BOTH Sides
This is a further continuation on the last two tips. Another big mistake people make is that they always shovel to their strong sides causing further strength and flexibility imbalances that can put your body at greater risk for injury. So, we now know you want to split your stance and shovel in the direction your toes are pointing, but you should also be sure do an equal amount of shovel tosses to your left AND right. Do 10 shovel tosses to your left with your left leg forward and then do 10 shovel tosses to your right with your right leg forward. Repeat until your driveway or sidewalk is crystal clear.
5.) Buy a Condo
This is my personal favorite, and no, I’m not joking. The great thing about a condominium community is that they do all of the outdoor maintenance for your home, including shoveling.
The aforementioned tips will go a long way in keeping your body as bulletproof as possible during the next blizzard. Seriously, it’s not really cool to get hurt shoveling. It’s a sign of an even bigger problem: being overweight and/or highly de-conditioned. And if you do get hurt shoveling, be sure to lie when some asks why you’re in a wheelchair. Just tell them you got hit by a snow plow truck, it makes for a better story and your co-workers or friends won’t rip on you for the rest of your days, ha!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
It is officially winter here in the Utica Area. I must admit, if there’s one thing that bothers me the most about the winter (besides the sickly cold and lack of natural light), it’s the number of people who hurt themselves shoveling snow. I can’t tell you how many clients of mine have tweaked their backs attempting to clear their driveways.
Today I am going to reveal my top 5 Next Level safe shoveling secrets. For those of you who do not live in the Utica Area like me, you still need to know this information too. Why you may ask? Beacause these same tips can be used for any outdoor manual labor!
1.) Perform a Proper 5-Minute Warm-up Before Shoveling
Just as very few people properly warm-up before intense exercise, so do many people fail to get their bodies ready for the intensity of shoveling snow. Let’s face it, snow, especially when it’s wet, is a real beast to move around. And if your body is tight and cold then you will dramatically increase your chances of injury.
I have created a great shoveling specific five-minute warm-up to get your body ready to rock. There is a special emphasis on opening up the hips and chest to save your back and shoulders, the two most commonly injured areas of broken down shovelers:
Perform each exercise in the following warm-up circuit at a slow, controlled tempo for 50 seconds with a 10 second rest and transition between exercises. Do this warm-up indoors to better increase core temperature and total body blood flow:
Exercise#1- Stationary Squat and Reach
Exercise#2- Jumping Claps (modified jumping jacks with arms moving across chest level, palms facing)
Exercise#3- Alternating Forward Lunge, Overhead Reach, and Twist
Exercise#4- Alternating Lateral Lunge with Opposite Hand to Toe Touch
Exercise#5- Prisoner Squats (hands behind head with finger interlocked)
2.) Split Your Stance When Shoveling
Back pain is probably the biggest complaint for shovelers. In most cases, a sore or tight back stems from restriction at the hips (see the warm-up above to best remedy this). More specifically, using a parallel stance puts your lower back at a greater risk of injury due to the greater likelihood of excessive flexion of the lumbar spine that often leads to back spasms in the short run and herniated discs in the long run. However, the simple switch to shoveling with a split stance, where one leg is forward and the other leg is back, will not only help prevent this hyper flexion while bending over and moving snow, but will also actively stretch and open up those tight hips at the same time. Be sure to keep things in balance by doing an even number of shovel strokes with both legs forward by alternating every 10 reps or so. Turn your shoveling into a workout!
3.) Point Your Toes In Same Direction of Shoveling
This is a continuation of the last tip. Even when you split your stance, you can be susceptible to injury whenever you perform a rotating back extension (e.g. a shovel toss to your rear). So, to further bolster your body, be sure to always shovel snow in the direction that your toes point to minimize excessive spinal rotation that can literally wrench your back.
4.) Shovel EQUALLY to BOTH Sides
This is a further continuation on the last two tips. Another big mistake people make is that they always shovel to their strong sides causing further strength and flexibility imbalances that can put your body at greater risk for injury. So, we now know you want to split your stance and shovel in the direction your toes are pointing, but you should also be sure do an equal amount of shovel tosses to your left AND right. Do 10 shovel tosses to your left with your left leg forward and then do 10 shovel tosses to your right with your right leg forward. Repeat until your driveway or sidewalk is crystal clear.
5.) Buy a Condo
This is my personal favorite, and no, I’m not joking. The great thing about a condominium community is that they do all of the outdoor maintenance for your home, including shoveling.
The aforementioned tips will go a long way in keeping your body as bulletproof as possible during the next blizzard. Seriously, it’s not really cool to get hurt shoveling. It’s a sign of an even bigger problem: being overweight and/or highly de-conditioned. And if you do get hurt shoveling, be sure to lie when some asks why you’re in a wheelchair. Just tell them you got hit by a snow plow truck, it makes for a better story and your co-workers or friends won’t rip on you for the rest of your days, ha!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Turn Your New Years Resolutions Into Next Level Results: Part II
Step Two- The What and When: What do you want to accomplish and when do you want to accomplish it by?
So we already figured out the obvious: you want to look better and get that Beach Body! So, now we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be accomplished in order to realize this dream.
There are three major ways you can track “look better” progress in order of importance from least to most important:
Scale Weight: This is by far the least important goal, but it gives a number that’s worth tracking. Though body fat percentage would be a much better method of tracking progress, it is simply too inaccurate on a small scale and too costly on a large scale. The key is to taking your initial weight before you start and then not weighing more than every 2 weeks. I have found most people to do better with tracking their weight every month. There are simply too many variables for controlling your body weight and the natural fluctuations based on diet (and for women, their menstrual cycle), means the less frequently you do this the better. If the scale is just too de-motivating for you in general, then just skip this one altogether if you must, because the next two markers are far more important.
Dress/Pant Size: This is probably the most simple and effective unused method of tracking whether or not you look better. I think it’s safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you will be looking better, right? Your best bet is to also select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get into since that is the true end goal in mind. I tell my clients to assess how they are fitting in their preferred dress/pant size tracker on a weekly or bi-weekly basis since our clients that follow our program exactly as outlined typically lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until they get to their ideal dimensions). For those of you would want to argue that every outfitter has different sizes, well that’s a mute point if you use the same pant or dress size to track. There’s nothing more powerful than being to literally being able to feel yourself comfortably get into those skinny jeans.
Digital Pictures: Pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. If you want to look better, what better way is there to assess this than pictures? I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. They key is take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. Now, don’t be sending me nude pictures of yourself, ha (though you can keep these for yourself to track if you’d like). Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in the dress or pair of pants that you are using to track your dress or pant size. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. And if you want to see your abs, then you best believe that you need to take pictures of your abs to track how much more definition you get. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. The clients whom I’ve transformed that failed to take before pictures in the past have nothing but regret about it. Your before pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. We tell our clients to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until they reach their goal(s).
Step Three- Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks: What are the big obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?
Now that we know what you want to accomplish, it’s time to plan and prepare for any obstacles that might get in your way of getting the job done based on your own personal schedule.
In general, the number one thing I hear is that people are too busy and tired and don’t have enough time to get their workouts in or make their meals. Well, I don’t care how busy you think you are, there is always hidden time throughout the day and week that can be freed up if your re-prioritize. Again, think back to why you wanted to do this in the first place and then examine what’s most important to you. Make your workouts and your meal times just like work appointments. Either you make the appointment or you don’t. And if you want to keep your job (or get your Beach body) then you better make that appointment.
*Another big obstacle is alcohol. People like to drink and unfortunately alcohol is about as detrimental to burning fat as it gets. Again, what’s more important to you, looking sexy or getting hammered. The choice is yours. Remember, once you achieve your goal(s), alcohol can be added back in with moderation. But know this, lean people just don’t get wasted unless they are genetic freaks. Low to zero alcohol consumption is needed if you want to look your best year round and that’s a fact.
Lastly, many people deal with boredom eating or emotional eating. Boredom eating means just that, eating to fill up dead time when you have nothing better to do. The best way to deal with this is, you guessed it, to do something! Find an active hobby to keep your mind off of eating when boredom strikes and you can beat this trend. Emotional eating describes the use of food to cope with stress or to reward for accomplishment. Food is not unlike drugs or alcohol in this regard, it can be very addictive. There is no quick fix for emotional eating other than avoiding trigger situations (bars, parties, etc.) and trigger foods (starches, sugars, fast food, etc.) in the short term to break bad habits.
At the end of the day, whether your roadblocks are very individual or if they fall in line with the general roadblocks our clients encounter on a regular basis, the key is to be honest about them and to plan and prepare for them. And that’s where social support and accountability come into play. The clients who have had the most success with us have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. This is so critical, especially since most of the poor food and drinking choices that sabotage one’s progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friend and family. If they are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success your desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
So we already figured out the obvious: you want to look better and get that Beach Body! So, now we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be accomplished in order to realize this dream.
There are three major ways you can track “look better” progress in order of importance from least to most important:
Scale Weight: This is by far the least important goal, but it gives a number that’s worth tracking. Though body fat percentage would be a much better method of tracking progress, it is simply too inaccurate on a small scale and too costly on a large scale. The key is to taking your initial weight before you start and then not weighing more than every 2 weeks. I have found most people to do better with tracking their weight every month. There are simply too many variables for controlling your body weight and the natural fluctuations based on diet (and for women, their menstrual cycle), means the less frequently you do this the better. If the scale is just too de-motivating for you in general, then just skip this one altogether if you must, because the next two markers are far more important.
Dress/Pant Size: This is probably the most simple and effective unused method of tracking whether or not you look better. I think it’s safe to say that if you are dropping dress and/or pant sizes that you will be looking better, right? Your best bet is to also select one dress or one pair of pants that you really want to get into since that is the true end goal in mind. I tell my clients to assess how they are fitting in their preferred dress/pant size tracker on a weekly or bi-weekly basis since our clients that follow our program exactly as outlined typically lose a dress and/or pant size every month (until they get to their ideal dimensions). For those of you would want to argue that every outfitter has different sizes, well that’s a mute point if you use the same pant or dress size to track. There’s nothing more powerful than being to literally being able to feel yourself comfortably get into those skinny jeans.
Digital Pictures: Pictures don’t lie, that’s the bottom line. If you want to look better, what better way is there to assess this than pictures? I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Taking a before picture is essentially you telling the whole world that you are ready to change and that you are ready to do whatever it takes to make those changes. They key is take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. Now, don’t be sending me nude pictures of yourself, ha (though you can keep these for yourself to track if you’d like). Maybe it’s taking pictures of you in the dress or pair of pants that you are using to track your dress or pant size. Or maybe it’s a sleeveless shirt and tank top that you want to wear during the summer. And if you want to see your abs, then you best believe that you need to take pictures of your abs to track how much more definition you get. Take a front, side, and rear view picture and be sure to note the exact conditions in which the picture was taken (lighting, distance from camera, time of day/week, etc.) to be as accurate as possible in your assessment. The clients whom I’ve transformed that failed to take before pictures in the past have nothing but regret about it. Your before pictures will become your trophy and they are an absolute must if you really are serious about getting results that count. We tell our clients to take new pictures either bi-weekly or monthly until they reach their goal(s).
Step Three- Planning and Preparing for Roadblocks: What are the big obstacles that will prevent you from having the success you desire? What’s contributed most to past failures?
Now that we know what you want to accomplish, it’s time to plan and prepare for any obstacles that might get in your way of getting the job done based on your own personal schedule.
In general, the number one thing I hear is that people are too busy and tired and don’t have enough time to get their workouts in or make their meals. Well, I don’t care how busy you think you are, there is always hidden time throughout the day and week that can be freed up if your re-prioritize. Again, think back to why you wanted to do this in the first place and then examine what’s most important to you. Make your workouts and your meal times just like work appointments. Either you make the appointment or you don’t. And if you want to keep your job (or get your Beach body) then you better make that appointment.
*Another big obstacle is alcohol. People like to drink and unfortunately alcohol is about as detrimental to burning fat as it gets. Again, what’s more important to you, looking sexy or getting hammered. The choice is yours. Remember, once you achieve your goal(s), alcohol can be added back in with moderation. But know this, lean people just don’t get wasted unless they are genetic freaks. Low to zero alcohol consumption is needed if you want to look your best year round and that’s a fact.
Lastly, many people deal with boredom eating or emotional eating. Boredom eating means just that, eating to fill up dead time when you have nothing better to do. The best way to deal with this is, you guessed it, to do something! Find an active hobby to keep your mind off of eating when boredom strikes and you can beat this trend. Emotional eating describes the use of food to cope with stress or to reward for accomplishment. Food is not unlike drugs or alcohol in this regard, it can be very addictive. There is no quick fix for emotional eating other than avoiding trigger situations (bars, parties, etc.) and trigger foods (starches, sugars, fast food, etc.) in the short term to break bad habits.
At the end of the day, whether your roadblocks are very individual or if they fall in line with the general roadblocks our clients encounter on a regular basis, the key is to be honest about them and to plan and prepare for them. And that’s where social support and accountability come into play. The clients who have had the most success with us have undergone their transformation with the support of other friends or family members. This is so critical, especially since most of the poor food and drinking choices that sabotage one’s progress occur on the weekend, when most people hang out with their friend and family. If they are committed with you and your goal to get fit and look better, you can put yourself in a much better position to realize the success your desire and deserve. The last thing anybody needs is sabotage or peer pressure from those closest to you, so get them on board and get them on board early.
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Next Level New Years Resolutions success: Part I
Step One- The Why: Why do you want to do this?
Ok, It's time to get serious. In almost every initial consultation I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical answer that I first hear:
“Well, I just want to get healthy and lose weight I guess.”
Nope, I don’t buy it. Sure, I know they want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to get them up at 5 am to get their morning workouts in, or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).
Let’s face it: everybody, including YOU, wants to look better naked. Stop giggling, you know it’s true and that’s okay because the desire to improve your appearance is the most powerful motivator there is. This shouldn’t be such a big surprise since the main life mission of humans, or any species for that matter, is to procreate. This is instinctual. And obviously, looking better makes this more of a reality. ;-)
So, after a little digging, I find out the real reason why they want to do this; I find their past or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to go the beach and take their shirt off, or wear a new bikini and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their "skinny jeans" that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships and/or put for their best image at work.
And of course, my personal favorite is preparing for big events that have built in deadlines. Wanting to get as lean and tight as possible to rock that dream bathing suit in Chile, or get off the plane in Florida when visiting family you haven’t seen in two years to blow them away with your new body, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works!
This is the stuff that gets people excited and ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know? Well, I just shared with you verbatim the exact “WHY’S” of some of my own clients.
So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are YOUR GOALS? For appearance? For Fitness? Do you want that flat stomach? Beach Body? Bulging Biceps? Set your goal, handwrite it, and post somewhere you can see it everyday!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com
Ok, It's time to get serious. In almost every initial consultation I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical answer that I first hear:
“Well, I just want to get healthy and lose weight I guess.”
Nope, I don’t buy it. Sure, I know they want to lose weight and be healthy, I mean who doesn’t, but really WHY do they want to do this? I mean, what is it that’s going to get them up at 5 am to get their morning workouts in, or take a couple of hours on Sunday to plan and prepare their meals for the upcoming week? It sure isn’t “being healthy” because for some reason this just isn’t a very powerful motivator for most people (though it should be).
Let’s face it: everybody, including YOU, wants to look better naked. Stop giggling, you know it’s true and that’s okay because the desire to improve your appearance is the most powerful motivator there is. This shouldn’t be such a big surprise since the main life mission of humans, or any species for that matter, is to procreate. This is instinctual. And obviously, looking better makes this more of a reality. ;-)
So, after a little digging, I find out the real reason why they want to do this; I find their past or pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to go the beach and take their shirt off, or wear a new bikini and not feel self-conscious. Others want to get back into their "skinny jeans" that they haven’t been able to get one leg into for the last five years. Then there are those who want to look and feel more attractive to ignite some passion back into their relationships and/or put for their best image at work.
And of course, my personal favorite is preparing for big events that have built in deadlines. Wanting to get as lean and tight as possible to rock that dream bathing suit in Chile, or get off the plane in Florida when visiting family you haven’t seen in two years to blow them away with your new body, or being a classic beauty in your wedding dress on the big day, it all works!
This is the stuff that gets people excited and ready to commit to making some real changes. How do I know? Well, I just shared with you verbatim the exact “WHY’S” of some of my own clients.
So, the first thing you have to figure out is your personal WHY. To make this even simpler for you, just answer this question: what are YOUR GOALS? For appearance? For Fitness? Do you want that flat stomach? Beach Body? Bulging Biceps? Set your goal, handwrite it, and post somewhere you can see it everyday!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
2009 Beach Body Transformation Contest!
New Year. New Body. New Life!
Every once in a while it's great to get a group of highly motivated people together to make some big changes happen. By entering this contest you have put yourself in a position to succeed like never before. There will be tons of social support and accountability to keep you focused and on track.To top it off, you will also be eligible to wins some HUGE prizes! Really, everyone will win because they will have met their fitness goals quicker than ever before. But, nothing beats a little extra incentive to keep your eyes on the prize.
So, here's how it works:- Everybody in the contest MUST submit before pictures by Dec 31st, 2008 and must have completed a transformation phone consult with Steve before Tuesday, January 6th to be eligible for this contest
- The fee of the Contest is two payments of $199 or $398 paid in full.
This includes: unlimited boot camp membership, before & after pics, access to bi weekly meetings, weekly body fat comp. and body measurements, nutritional coaching, and a personalized blueprint for success!-
There will be a GETTING STARTED meeting on Saturday, January 3rd at Next Level at 10 a.m. This meeting is MANDATORY to be able to participate in this contest! At this meeting all key programs and handouts will be provided and explained and everyone's goals will be shared with the group- There will be bi-weekly 30-minute support meetings with times and dates TBA to best ensure success for everyone. Attendance will be taken throughout this contest. We will all share our progress to date at the support meetings and this will help all of us stay accountable to one another.
At 6 weeks in, Steve will select and announce the 3 finalists for the transformation contest prizes.
At the end of 7 weeks, the remaining contestants will vote anonymously for whom they think is the ONE person that most deserves the title of “WINNER” of the transformation contest among the 3 finalists.
Prepare to make changes in your body and lifestyle that you never thought possible!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
Every once in a while it's great to get a group of highly motivated people together to make some big changes happen. By entering this contest you have put yourself in a position to succeed like never before. There will be tons of social support and accountability to keep you focused and on track.To top it off, you will also be eligible to wins some HUGE prizes! Really, everyone will win because they will have met their fitness goals quicker than ever before. But, nothing beats a little extra incentive to keep your eyes on the prize.
So, here's how it works:- Everybody in the contest MUST submit before pictures by Dec 31st, 2008 and must have completed a transformation phone consult with Steve before Tuesday, January 6th to be eligible for this contest
- The fee of the Contest is two payments of $199 or $398 paid in full.
This includes: unlimited boot camp membership, before & after pics, access to bi weekly meetings, weekly body fat comp. and body measurements, nutritional coaching, and a personalized blueprint for success!-
There will be a GETTING STARTED meeting on Saturday, January 3rd at Next Level at 10 a.m. This meeting is MANDATORY to be able to participate in this contest! At this meeting all key programs and handouts will be provided and explained and everyone's goals will be shared with the group- There will be bi-weekly 30-minute support meetings with times and dates TBA to best ensure success for everyone. Attendance will be taken throughout this contest. We will all share our progress to date at the support meetings and this will help all of us stay accountable to one another.
At 6 weeks in, Steve will select and announce the 3 finalists for the transformation contest prizes.
At the end of 7 weeks, the remaining contestants will vote anonymously for whom they think is the ONE person that most deserves the title of “WINNER” of the transformation contest among the 3 finalists.
Prepare to make changes in your body and lifestyle that you never thought possible!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
Monday, December 15, 2008
Next Level Fitness Trends for 2009!
2008 is coming to a close, and it’s time for my annual fitness year in review. Unfortunately, it appears as though the fitness industry as a whole has again failed to produce any significant results to effectively reverse the scary obesity epidemic that is plaguing our society. More specifically, the frightening fact that American adults keep getting fatter, more sedentary, and less healthy has mirrored the unabated deterioration in the health and fitness of our youth population. However, on a positive note, I feel that 2009 will be host to several growing fitness trends that will provide the long-term answers to solve this ever-growing problem:
Fitness Trend#1- Fitness Boot Camps Will Rise, One-On-One Personal Training Will Fall
The truth is we are in the midst of the biggest economic recession since The Great Depression. With the disappearance of the middle class and an economy that will most likely get worse before it gets better, the average American simply does not have the disposable income for typical personal training rates that run about $80 per hour.
However, with every problem emerges a solution; fitness boot camps are just that. Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now. The group training business model creates the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients making the one-on-one alternative obsolete. Fitness trainers get to better leverage their time and maximize profits by working with an unlimited number of clients per hour. Fitness clients are able to better access personal training services in a unique and dynamic team environment that provides better social support and accountability for only a the third of the cost of typical one-on-one training rates.
Fitness boot camps are popping up all over the country, and for good reason. If you are trying to lose weight in 2009, do yourself a favor by saving your hard-earned money to get better results by joining a local fitness boot camp. http://www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com/
Fitness Trend#2- Interval Training beats Aerobic Training every time!
High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. Thankfully, 2009 will see more people doing sprints and less people doing marathons to lose weight. However, make no mistake about it, lots of people are still going to do hours of snail-paced cardio to burn fat.
Aerobic or endurance training is essentially going at a slow, low intensity pace for a long period of time (typically at least 30-60 minutes). In other words, the focus of endurance training is on the total volume of exercise (not quality). Think about all those speed limpers you see every New Year foolishly running for hours pounding the pavement or treadmill to get rid of that winter blubber. Sadly, this results in minimal fat loss and lots of overtraining injuries.
With interval training, the focus is on the intensity of exercise (quality). Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals works best). This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat AND lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative.
Two landmark scientific studies come to mind here:
The Tabata study compared the effects of four minutes of high-intensity interval training with 45-60 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio. The interval training group burned just as much fat as the endurance group and also had greater improvement in both anaerobic (think sprinters) and aerobic (think distance runners) fitness… in only four minutes!
The Gibala study compared the effects of 20 minutes of interval training (30 second sprint followed by four minutes of rest) with 90-120 minutes of endurance training in the “heartrate zone.” The conclusions of the study were that both methods of training lead to the same improvements in oxygen utilization (or aerobic fitness). In other words, intervals accomplished what endurance training did from a fitness standpoint in only a sixth of the time!
The time is now to jump on the interval training bandwagon. Come 2009, do yourself and your body a favor and start sprinting to look better naked.
Fitness Trend#3- Lean Protein And Fiber Are The Carbohydrate Addict’s Answer For Improved Health, Performance, and Body Composition
Americans are carb addicts. We simply can’t get enough starches and sugars in our diet, and we have the bulging midsections to prove it. One of the biggest misconceptions about diet today is that eliminated starches and sugars from your diet automatically means low carb. Better said, eliminating grains (even whole grains) and refined sugars still allows for consumption of the other carbohydrates: fruits and veggies. These nutrient-dense carbs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber and create more stable blood sugar levels to keep your body burning fat all day long. All of my clients who have lost the most fat have followed our guidelines of unlimited veggies all day long (besides corn, peas, carrots, beets, and potatoes). In other words, eat lots of veggie carbs, and very little of the other stuff if you want to see your abs!
The overwhelming scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fiber is finally catching the eye of mainstream consumers. Protein is the most important component of each and every meal or snack you consume. It builds and maintains muscle, allows your body to preferentially burn fat, increases metabolism through the thermic effect of feeding, and fills you up. Fiber (ideally obtained from fruits and vegetables, specifically green vegetables) helps slow digestion for a more steady supply of nutrients and sustained energy, it prevents overeating at each meal, and it helps keep you more full between meals. Thus by combining protein and fiber every two to four hours, you provide your body with the optimal one-two belly fat burning punch for a leaner, sexier you.]
Without a doubt, people will be consuming more protein and fruits and veggies next year, and their bodies will reap the rewards of this.
Well, those are the top Next Level fitness trends for 2009 according to my crystal ball. I hope the information in this article gives you the push you need to be the trendsetter for your own body and the bodies of those whom you care most about in the New Year!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
Fitness Trend#1- Fitness Boot Camps Will Rise, One-On-One Personal Training Will Fall
The truth is we are in the midst of the biggest economic recession since The Great Depression. With the disappearance of the middle class and an economy that will most likely get worse before it gets better, the average American simply does not have the disposable income for typical personal training rates that run about $80 per hour.
However, with every problem emerges a solution; fitness boot camps are just that. Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now. The group training business model creates the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients making the one-on-one alternative obsolete. Fitness trainers get to better leverage their time and maximize profits by working with an unlimited number of clients per hour. Fitness clients are able to better access personal training services in a unique and dynamic team environment that provides better social support and accountability for only a the third of the cost of typical one-on-one training rates.
Fitness boot camps are popping up all over the country, and for good reason. If you are trying to lose weight in 2009, do yourself a favor by saving your hard-earned money to get better results by joining a local fitness boot camp. http://www.nextlevelbeachbodybootcamp.com/
Fitness Trend#2- Interval Training beats Aerobic Training every time!
High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. Thankfully, 2009 will see more people doing sprints and less people doing marathons to lose weight. However, make no mistake about it, lots of people are still going to do hours of snail-paced cardio to burn fat.
Aerobic or endurance training is essentially going at a slow, low intensity pace for a long period of time (typically at least 30-60 minutes). In other words, the focus of endurance training is on the total volume of exercise (not quality). Think about all those speed limpers you see every New Year foolishly running for hours pounding the pavement or treadmill to get rid of that winter blubber. Sadly, this results in minimal fat loss and lots of overtraining injuries.
With interval training, the focus is on the intensity of exercise (quality). Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals works best). This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat AND lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative.
Two landmark scientific studies come to mind here:
The Tabata study compared the effects of four minutes of high-intensity interval training with 45-60 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio. The interval training group burned just as much fat as the endurance group and also had greater improvement in both anaerobic (think sprinters) and aerobic (think distance runners) fitness… in only four minutes!
The Gibala study compared the effects of 20 minutes of interval training (30 second sprint followed by four minutes of rest) with 90-120 minutes of endurance training in the “heartrate zone.” The conclusions of the study were that both methods of training lead to the same improvements in oxygen utilization (or aerobic fitness). In other words, intervals accomplished what endurance training did from a fitness standpoint in only a sixth of the time!
The time is now to jump on the interval training bandwagon. Come 2009, do yourself and your body a favor and start sprinting to look better naked.
Fitness Trend#3- Lean Protein And Fiber Are The Carbohydrate Addict’s Answer For Improved Health, Performance, and Body Composition
Americans are carb addicts. We simply can’t get enough starches and sugars in our diet, and we have the bulging midsections to prove it. One of the biggest misconceptions about diet today is that eliminated starches and sugars from your diet automatically means low carb. Better said, eliminating grains (even whole grains) and refined sugars still allows for consumption of the other carbohydrates: fruits and veggies. These nutrient-dense carbs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber and create more stable blood sugar levels to keep your body burning fat all day long. All of my clients who have lost the most fat have followed our guidelines of unlimited veggies all day long (besides corn, peas, carrots, beets, and potatoes). In other words, eat lots of veggie carbs, and very little of the other stuff if you want to see your abs!
The overwhelming scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fiber is finally catching the eye of mainstream consumers. Protein is the most important component of each and every meal or snack you consume. It builds and maintains muscle, allows your body to preferentially burn fat, increases metabolism through the thermic effect of feeding, and fills you up. Fiber (ideally obtained from fruits and vegetables, specifically green vegetables) helps slow digestion for a more steady supply of nutrients and sustained energy, it prevents overeating at each meal, and it helps keep you more full between meals. Thus by combining protein and fiber every two to four hours, you provide your body with the optimal one-two belly fat burning punch for a leaner, sexier you.]
Without a doubt, people will be consuming more protein and fruits and veggies next year, and their bodies will reap the rewards of this.
Well, those are the top Next Level fitness trends for 2009 according to my crystal ball. I hope the information in this article gives you the push you need to be the trendsetter for your own body and the bodies of those whom you care most about in the New Year!
Yours In Fitness,
Steve
Friday, December 12, 2008
Next Level Beach Body Boot Camp Workout of the Week Video!
Hey Everyone,
Hope your holiday preparations are going well! Lets not fall off the wagon here, keep your fitness goals in mind every time you pick up the fork!
Here is a little help, this weeks Next Level Beach Body Boot Camp Workout!
Click this link to see the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uziJZD5NR4Q
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
P.S.- If you want to be a part of the 2009 Beach Body 8 week Transformation Contest make sure you set up your phone consult A.S.A.P, I am opening the program up to the public next week! 315-790-5851
Hope your holiday preparations are going well! Lets not fall off the wagon here, keep your fitness goals in mind every time you pick up the fork!
Here is a little help, this weeks Next Level Beach Body Boot Camp Workout!
Click this link to see the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uziJZD5NR4Q
Yours In Fitness,
Steve Krebs
P.S.- If you want to be a part of the 2009 Beach Body 8 week Transformation Contest make sure you set up your phone consult A.S.A.P, I am opening the program up to the public next week! 315-790-5851
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