Albert K. Park

            As much as I want to believe that everyone is compelled to live healthy and active lives, this is not the truth. In fact, individuals like us are the minority. Most of us fitness heads are alone in a group of friends. Think about how many friends you have. Now ask yourself, do you have to sift through all of them to find that one other friend who likes to workout to go to the gym or on a run with you? Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. We all have done it. The reality is that we are in fact a rare breed but possess an incredible ability to positively influence others and welcome them into our unique tribe.

            I was reminded of our minority status while grabbing some dinner with a friend of mine. He had invited some of his friends who were visiting from out of town and I got the opportunity to get to know them over dinner and some microbrews. We talked about everything from Jersey shore (love this show) to BP’s oil catastrophe and the night was entertaining. Eventually fitness popped up as we learned about each other’s careers and I was instantly thrown into the hot seat. (Insert the Hot Seat music from “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” here)

            Before I could ask for the check, I was getting grilled like a burger on the 4^th of July. They couldn’t stop criticizing the training lifestyle. No aspect of fitness was safe as they went on to talk about how gross protein shakes were and voiced negative opinions on the growing obsession people had with working out. Although I do agree with them on the dangers of societies negative pressures in obtaining an ideal body image, I had to let them know that I was part of a different genre of fitness freaks.  

            I am part of a unique tribe that has “healthy” and “fit”, engraved into their DNA. It’s not a hobby and no it’s not a phase I’m going through, it is a lifestyle. No, I’m not alone. We are running in the streets, hiking on trails, taking over gyms, and training in our homes. The growth of this group is exponential because the passion for a better life is contagious.

            This isn’t something you can read about and comprehend; you have to catch the feeling to truly understand. The feeling ignites a new vigor for life and opens your eyes to an unlimited potential. I truly do feel that we owe it to ourselves and others to live dedicated to longevity and health. We owe it to our kids, our co-workers, our friends, our families, and everyone we come into contact with to be able to give them our best. We can’t let something we can control, like our fitness and health, hold us back from giving our best.

            Let me get one point very clear. Do not mistake us for the annoying gym hooligan. You can spot them out at any gym, just look for the “socializer”, usually dressed in color coordinating workout clothes and has more gym accessories than sweat on their shirt. Their workout includes a warm up on the treadmill, 35 minutes of socializing, 1 machine exercise, and then an unnecessary post workout supplement drink.

            To the outsider, what we do, how we live, how we train, and how we eat is completely foreign and weird. It’s crazy! All we can do is smile and think about the next time we train. We are everyday people that live everyday lives but train like psychos and eat like cavemen.

              It was too hard for me to organize the rest of my thoughts so I just started listing reasons that make us a unique tribe dedicated to being fit and healthy. See if any of these describe you and if you have any more you would like to add, please post them or email me, I would love to see more.

            As a personal trainer and strength coach I always have individuals coming up to me to stir up conversation on training and fitness. I love what I do so I am happy to oblige. Then comes the curve ball. Wherever the conversation may head it always comes back to that individual and their pursuit on fitness and “talking” about coming in to check out the gym and see what we are all about. Many “talk”, few actually make the leap.

            Lately I’ve been getting a lot of emails and comments about articles for guys and training for individuals, not just guys, that want to take it to the next level. Well here it is. This is an opportunity for you training nuts who are in a never-ending search for the ultimate workout to push yourselves and for all you individuals who want to come in and train (Now you can get a taste without having to come in). In this article I will save you the banter and give it to you straight with no chaser. For you guys out there, save yourself the cold shoulder from me and stop bragging about your bodybuilding training sessions that get you nowhere. Try these workouts and then we’ll talk!

Warning: These exercises are not for the “talkers”. You either train like this or you don’t.

Directions: Complete all exercises for the listed reps before dropping the barbell. This is a training method I use for all my clients whether your an athlete or an individual striving for fat loss goals.

Load the barbell up with a weight you can perform the hardest exercise for the amount of reps. This exercise will probably be a military press! There is no room for ego’s here because it’s better to get through the workout than STOP and give up because you thought you had big enough guns but forgot the ammo.

Make sure not to bounce with the knees and squeeze the glutes to assist with spinal and core stability. It’s not a rep if you don’t lock out the arms and make sure to finish slightly behind your head.

Albert’s Advice: Make sure to pick a weight that you can perform the most difficult exercise for the listed amount of reps. It will only get harder. Remember, you do not drop the bar until all the exercises are completed. Can you say Time under Tension!

Directions: Perform all the bodyweight exercises back to back with no rest as fast as possible. Although time is a goal, it does not allow you to sacrifice form. Be honest with yourself and make sure you perform a complete rep for each exercise.

            Everyone has heard of the Bodyweight “300” challenge, I’m sure many of our bootcampers are cursing me right now and yelling into their computer screens. This is an advanced version of the “300”, just for you individuals who knock bodyweight training. (especially all you body part split guys out there) Get through this workout without being sore the next day and I will congratulate you while I call you a liar. Good luck.

            These are two challenging workouts that should put your fitness level in perspective. This isn’t easy for anyone, so don’t be discouraged if you can’t complete it the first time. Work up to it and keep training hard! Let me know how each workout goes, I would love some emails and comments.

            

               If you haven’t been following the fashion trends for men lately, let me give you a quick update, shit has hit the fan. Skinny jeans, bedazzled t-shirts, shirts with more buttons then areas to close up, and 400 dollar jeans guard the outskirts of any men’s section at any given store. Your “style” can get so complicated that you forget what you want and start wearing things you don’t even like or whatever the pretty girl working at the store told you looked good. With a trip to the mall last week, I left empty handed and more sure of my style and training methods than ever, t-shirt and jeans for life, simple.

            Just like fashion, fitness has a trend of making things more complicated than they really are. After you decide you want to get in shape you are then forced to face the industries barrage of marketing and bullshit.

            In a persistent wave of Booty Burn 5000 dvd’s, crazy fad diets, orange juice cleanses, and other infomercial worthy products you have to sift through and find what works. All I can say is step back for one second. Ignore your friends who have been raving about how they have only been drinking grapefruit juice for the last 3 weeks and lost 10 pounds, and breathe.

            Okay, now you’re ready for the ground breaking training and nutrition advice. Keep it simple! The clients at my gym that see the most results learn how to adapt into simple.

Use these simple strategies to keep your training and nutrition simple. You have enough things complicating your life, training and nutrition shouldn’t be one of them. These are basic and simple strategies to get the momentum going for your transformation. After you develop some good habits than you can look into the booty burn 5000 dvd’s and whatever else that floats your boat.

The last pair of clothing I bought were some plain Nike sweatpants and I can’t stop wearing them. They are simple, fashionably acceptable, and get the job done. No skinny jeans for this guy! The same is with my training methods. There is no need to do dumbbell curls while balancing on a bosu ball and practicing breathing techniques. Dan John, amazing Strength & Conditioning Coach says in his book “Never Let Go”, “7.) Keep it simple. Less is more, 8.) You have to put the bar over your head. 9.) Put the bar on the floor and pick it up a bunch of different ways.”

 Less is More! 

                        Your time is valuable! So, why would you waste extra time in the gym? I am going to show you how you can get a great workout in 15 minutes and build a beach ready body in the fall!

                        Last week, I sat down with a client who was really concerned about the upcoming months and being able to train.

                        She rallied off a to do list that made me literally cringe in disgust. When our lives get busy, who really organizes their schedule to give themselves more time in the gym? Working out usually falls to the bottom of our list of priorities and often times gets bumped off of our to do list. This doesn’t have to happen because time is not a measure of the effectiveness of a workout!

                        After riding out her panic attack, we got down to strategizing a way to fit training into her busy life. The clients that see the most results at my gym workout following a High Intensity Interval Training style that focuses on intensity. This would be our tool in helping her see even more results.

                        So in between dropping kids off, making dinner, and work; we found a 15-minute window for her to get a workout in. She was skeptical at first, (I always love a skeptic) but she soon became a believer!

Perform all the exercises in a circuit. Do 10 reps of each exercise and as many sets (times through) as possible in 15 minutes. Rest shortly, when you need to. Resume exercises and keep working until the time is up. As your fitness level increases, increase reps for each exercise.

Start in a perfect pushup position with your knuckles aligned with the tops of your shoulders and your body straight. Next drive one knee towards the elbow on the same side, than bring back to start position. Repeat on the next side. Make sure to wait until the foot is back in the starting position before raising the other knee. The count for this exercise is both knees equal one rep.

Start with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your body until your thighs are parallel with the floor making sure your knees stay over your ankles and not over your feet. Pause at the bottom, than stand back up.

Start in a pushup position with your feet slightly wider than hip width and your butt elevated. You should look like an upside down v. Lower the front of your body by bringing your chin close to the floor. Next, bring your hip down to the floor as you raise your head and chin towards the ceiling. Then reverse the movement, back to your starting position. I like to pretend I am going underneath a bar about a foot off the ground.

            As your schedule becomes more hectic and packed with brain busting tasks, don’t let training fall to the bottom of your priorities list. If you tell me you don’t have 15 minutes in your day your lying, but don’t worry I have workouts that you can do in 4 minutes. Email me if you don’t believe me! Good luck!