Symmetry Fitness

Fast Fat Loss Planning

2010-01-07T15:02:00.000-08:00

There is a reason few people reach their goals and make their dreams come true.

Know what that reason is?

It's because those few actually HAVE goals written down. The vast majority of people on this planet do not.

And not only do people that achieve goals actually set goals, they also create a a plan to make sure they make things happen.

So where does that leave you?

Do you keep telling yourself you are going to "lose some weight?" Or do you have specific goals and a plan to reach them?

Do you have a plan for what you're going to eat each day so you're not tempted to fill up on fast food? Do you have a deadline for when you're going to reach your goal?

Here's another one: you KNOW you need to be eating breakfast every day. Do you have nutritious food in the house you PLAN on eating each morning?

If not have you looked into taking advantage of a delicious meal replacement shake like Prograde Lean

This is YOUR life. Whether you want your body to look better naked, you want to improve your health, you want to have more energy, or whatever your goal is, you MUST have written goals and a plan to achieve them.

Let's MAKE IT HAPPEN! ;)

Keegan

P.S. - Fail to plan, plan to fail. Life is easy when you plan for it to be.

Fighting The Freshmen Fifteen

2009-05-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Keegan Harris is a local Tucson, Arizona personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor. Today he shares his top 10 tips to prevent gaining 15 plus pounds your freshman year in college.

We’re rolling through May and graduation is just around the corner…

Which means seniors in high school are already knees-deep in the senior slump that typifies the last semester prior to graduation.

But, what they (and their parents) should really be concerned about is fighting the scary trend of gaining 15+ lbs their freshman year in college.

Seriously, they might soon start calling it the FRESHMAN 50 if someone doesn’t step in right NOW and educate our youngsters about proper training and sound nutrition.

This is also vital knowledge to pass on to your clients if you are a trainer!

Before I share my top 10 tips to fight this trend, let’s first identify why this is important, beyond the obvious health benefits:

1.) Perception is Reality: Studies show that leaner, more attractive people are more employable and earn higher wages- it’s a fact! If you want a fighting chance of getting and keeping a job, in addition to climbing the corporate ladder, you simply cannot overlook your personal appearance and presentation.

2.) Build a Recession-Proof Body: Whenever the economy is struggling and companies are forced to tighten up their budgets, they’ll “trim the fat” from their employee base (both literally and figuratively). If it comes down to two people with equal skills, the leaner, healthier employee will always win!

So enough with the politics already, let’s get to the meat and potatoes baby, here it is:

The Top 10 Tips to Fight the Freshman 15

You may have already heard me go over some of these tips with you but that’s how important they are, we can’t hear it enough ;)

TIP#1- Invest in a Whole Body Workout

Perform a five-exercise circuit employing body weight-based exercises that’s designed to work your upper body, lower body, and core within the same workout at least three times per week with a day of rest between workouts

- Alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each a double-leg (e.g. squat), push (e.g. push-up), single-leg (e.g. lunge), pull (e.g. row), and core (e.g. plank/bridge) exercise.

- Perform up to 4 rounds without rest for a killer 20-minute total body workout that you can do anywhere

TIP#2- Harness the Power of Intervals

-Interval training is scientifically proven to burn nine times more body fat than ordinary exercise and elevates metabolism for up to 24-48 hours following your workout.

-Perform cardio intervals on non-strength training days three times per week. Selecting your cardio exercise of choice, alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest and repeat this 30 second interval eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat for up to 20 total minutes.

-This routine works best on a stationary bike (airdyne), for indoor/outdoor running, or for body weight cardio exercises that you can do at home like running in place or jumping jacks.

TIP#3- Eat AND Hydrate Early and Often

- Eat immediately upon waking and then every two to four hours to starve fat and feed muscle.

- By continuously fueling your furnace, and eating some animal protein (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.) at every feeding, you'll also keep your metabolism revved up throughout the day and prevent overeating.

- Drink 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours, in addition to drinking 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of activity.

- Consume 3 servings of green tea per day.

TIP#4- Think Fiber When it Comes to Carbs

-Eat an unlimited amount of fibrous, cruciferous green veggies to fill your belly both during and between meals (avoid corn, peas, carrots, beets, and potatoes)

-For optimal fat-burning, try to limit fruit and other carbohydrate consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout when your body best tolerates starches and sugars.

- The Carb Reduction Blueprint:

Step#1- Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars

Step#2- Limit all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast

Step#3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies

Step#4- Replace all fruits with green veggies

TIP#5- Focus on Stabilization Exercise for Flat Abs

-Integrated total body training and sound nutrition is the key to burning the fat covering your abdominal muscles so you can “see” them- spot reduction doesn’t work!

- Pillar stabilization, both static and dynamic, is the key to developing rock hard abs, preventing injuries, and improving posture- NOT endless crunches and sit-ups!

- The pillar collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.

-For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively pulling your navel to your spine, engaging your glutes, and maintaining a straight line from the heels through the shoulders.

TIP#6- Be a Flexible Eater

-Allot yourself 1 or 2 “reward meals” per week where you can enjoy the indulgences of college life in MODERATION as needed!

-Be sure to plan your reward meals in advance based on your weekly schedule and be sure to earn them with compliance at all other times!

TIP#7- Take These 2 daily Supplements for Life

- Daily Multi-Vitamin for Your Gender

- Daily EFA/Fish Oil Supplement

For more info, visit: www.symmetryfitness.getprograde.com

TIP#8- If you Booze, you WON’T Lose!

-How much damage? A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol. If you consumed 5 of these, your body would be inhibited from fat burning for up to 6 hours. This is aside from the fact that your body will actually be storing fat during these 6 hours! The more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from burning fat in addition to a greater fat build up from excess acetyl CoA. As you can see, one day of binge drinking can set you back days if not a full week when it comes to fat loss!

-What’s the worst-case scenario? Mixing alcohol with sugary beverages promotes even further fat gain due to the resulting insulin surge that triggers fat storage (e.g. regular beer or cocktails mixed with regular soda and/or fruit juice)

The Bottom Line

If you want to be lean, you must minimize ALCOHOL consumption!

If you must drink:

a.) Choose wine or hard liquor and “light” beer
b.) Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 days per week with a 1-2 drink per day max

TIP#9- Sleep, Stretch, and Self-Massage

- Sleep: Get at least 6-7 hours (ideally 7-8) of restful sleep per night and take 1-2 hour naps to fill in the gaps. Establish a pre-bed routine and avoid caffeine after 2 pm.

- Stretch: Ideally perform Dynamic Stretching to preferentially mobilize joints BEFORE exercise and perform Static Stretching to preferentially lengthen muscles AFTER exercise

- Self-Massage: Spend at least 30-60 seconds massaging sore and tight areas of the body before and after you exercise to regenerate your muscle and connective tissue in order to prevent nagging aches and pains in the joints

TIP#10- Build-Your-Own Dorm Room Gym

Mandatory Items (less than $100):
- Foam Roller
- Tennis Ball
- Hex Dumbbells
- Resistance Bands (www.resistancebandtraining.com)

Premium Set-up (less than $200):
- All of the above
- Door/Wall-Mounted Pull-up Unit
- Stability Ball

For a great website for fitness equipment, visit www.justweight.net

It is my sincere hope to you either use and/or pass on these 10 simple strategies to secure yourself a future filled with health, happiness, and longevity.

Remember, don't just sit there…
Let's Get it! ;)

Keegan Harris

Do More Push-Ups!

2009-04-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

Keegan Harris is a local Tucson personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor. Today he shares his secrets to performing more push-ups asap!

The Push-up. It's probably the most popular exercise of all time and without a doubt one of my top 3 favorite exercises. But being popular doesn’t necessarily mean being well liked! In fact, I think it's pretty safe to say that the majority of people really HATE push-ups. More specifically, the push-up tends to be the undying nemesis for people who carry extra body weight and for most females who feel they do not have the upper strength to ever be able to do anything but “wuss-ups,” or modified push-ups on the knees, AKA "girl pushups". I'll have you know EVERY on of my girls at boot camp can do "real" pushups!

The goal of this article is to address everything you need to know about performing the push-up with proper form in addition to learning how to do more push-ups ASAP. Remember, people only hate what they are not good at it. In other words, I am confident that though you may currently hate push-ups, by following this program you will finally unveil your true push-up potential. And though you may never be madly in love with push-up, you’ll at least be able to stomach them!

Benefits of Push-ups

Right next to pull-ups, a push-up is the greatest upper body exercise of all time. In fact, I believe push-ups to be one of the best total body exercises around.

Push-ups work primarily your chest, triceps, and front shoulders. However they also place a great demand on your core strength and stability. After all, your spinal stabilizers (transverse abdominis and spinal erectors) need to have the endurance to maintain that critical straight-line position throughout the duration of your push-ups for optimal safety and performance. In addition, push-ups engage your scapular muscles (shoulder blades) in a way that most pushing exercises do not, thus providing some much needed mid and upper back work that most trainees are missing out on. Furthermore, maintaining the proper push-up position requires that you tense and engage every muscle on the front side of your body from your feet to your front shoulders. Heck, if you squeeze your glutes (which you should as this helps protect your lower back), you even get your booty involved!

Finally, push-ups are the ultimate anywhere, anytime exercise that requires nothing but your body weight and space the size of your frame to perform.

How to Perform a Perfect Push-up

Though nearly everyone to grace this earth has attempted a push-up at some time in his or her life, the vast majority of people have never performed a full range of motion floor push-up with perfect form and technique. If this describes, don’t sweat it. It’s not your fault if no one ever taught you how to perform push-ups properly. I mean, haven’t we all heard this at some point before from an authority figure, whether it be an old school athletic coach or gym teacher:

“Alright 100 push-ups now! No, not like that, get lower! What are you, weak? It’s just a push-up! If you don’t do them right, we’re going to do them all day! I’ve got the time!”

But, what’s done is done. And though it was be a blast to kick the tar out of our former punishers, let’s focus on doing things right for ourselves. Below is a complete list of technique and coaching points regarding how to perform a perfect push-up:

- Simultaneously tuck your elbows to your sides and pull your shoulders blades down and back: It’s critical to keep your elbows close to your ribcage while performing push-ups. Letting your elbows “sprawl” away from your torso puts your rotator cuff at a much greater risk for injury. In addition, since most of us are so upper trap dominant, we tend to shrug our shoulders during push-ups. This scapular elevation can lead to clicking and grinding of the shoulder (known as shoulder impingement syndrome). To avoid these pitfalls, visualize trying to hug your elbows to your ribcage while cracking a nut between your shoulder blades during all push-ups.

- Simultaneously suck in your gut and brace your abs: As mentioned earlier, the push-up is a great core exercise that requires good muscular endurance for your deep spinal stabilizers. By pulling your navel to your spine and bracing your abs as if you we about to be kicked in the gut, you will best activate those key core muscles while performing push-ups.

- Simultaneously tense your thighs and squeeze your glutes: The straighter your legs during the push-up the more stable you will be. This is easily accomplished by tensing your thighs throughout the exercise. Furthermore, tense your butt cheeks- this helps relax overactive hip flexors, thus alleviating unnecessary strain on the lower back.

- Power breathing: In general, seek to focus on inhaling during the lowering portion of the push-up and then forcefully exhaling during the lifting portion of the push-up. By filling your belly with air during the lowering portion of the push-up your make it easier to stabilize your spine, meaning that your core remains locked in thus allowing for a smooth and seamless transition from the down position to the up position.

- Spread your fingers: Many people complain of wrist pain while they do push-ups. This usually stems from a combination of a lack of mobility at the wrist joint and a lack of flexibility of the forearm flexors and extensors. Plus, many people simply have weak wrists from a lack of weight-bearing exercises in their daily routine. Think about it- we do not do as much as we used to do with our hands and are rarely in a position where our wrists our supporting our entire body weight (besides when doing push-ups). One way to take pressure off of your wrists during push-ups is to focus on spreading your fingers as far apart as possible. This expands the surface area and thus dissipates some of the excess strain on the wrists. Furthermore, doing fist push-ups or push-ups with your hands on a dumbbell (or push-up handles) tends to significantly alleviate if not eliminate any unwanted wrist issues. This neutral grip allows you get all of the benefits of push-ups so that your wrists do not continue to be the biggest limiting factor for your push-up goals. In addition, the neutral grip also makes it easier to keep your helps tucked to your sides and shoulders down and back for optimal shoulder safety.

- Be flat as a diving board: Throughout the entire movement, the key is to maintain a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. You must not let your hips sag as this will put undue strain on your lower back in the form of hyperextension. Furthermore, you must avoid raising or “piking” your hips because this not only takes a way much needed core work, but also results in a rounding of the upper back that potentially results in unwanted shoulder issues (impingement, rotator cuff strains, etc.).

The Official Push-up Boot Camp Program

Step#1- Find your current Push-up Total

Assuming a regular floor push-up position, perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP) with perfect form and technique in 60 seconds. Be sure to place a tennis ball or yoga brick on the floor- your chest must make contact with this object to count as a full rep. Record your rep total and then take 60 seconds of rest (no longer). Repeat by performing one more set of AMRAP in 60 seconds and then record your second set total. Add both your set one and set two totals and then divide by two. This is your current push-up total.

Step#2- Follow the custom push-up boot camp program based on your current push-up total:

The following program will systematically take you from level I to level IV six weeks at a time (not including a week of rest between levels). It is important to note that you must be following the appropriate fat loss training (total body strength circuits and cardio interval training) and nutrition plan to lose unwanted body fat that is weighing you down and literally halting your push-up totals in its tracks. In addition, be sure to change up the selected push-up variation at each and every strength workout to best prevent training plateaus. Here’s an example of how to switch things up for one week of training:

Day1- Close-Grip Push-up Variation (to emphasize the triceps and front shoulders to improve push-up lockout)

Day2- Loaded/Band-Resisted Push-up Variation (to improve strength and thus make it easier to perform body weight push-ups)

Day3- Stability Ball Push-up Variation- Hands Ball (to build trunk and scapular strength stability to prevent injury and maximize force output)

Remember, the better you get at every push-up variation the better you will get at regular push-ups. Once you achieve a current push-up total of 30 reps or more, you will notice the focus now will be on getting stronger by mastering the 1-arm push-up. Improving maximum strength automatically improves your muscular endurance, though it doesn’t work the same the other way around.

Please note that you should only follow this program if you have healthy shoulders. In addition, since you will be performing extra pushing movements, it is critical to add in some scapular retraction and depression work to prevent unwanted strength imbalances. Please note the addition of a certain amount of reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats following each set of push-ups for your “Extra Push-up Work” to achieve this end. The Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squat was selected because it simultaneously works your upper back and opens up your chest while working your lower body to boost metabolism. Plus, it’s an exercise you can do anywhere. Lastly, the “Extra Push-up Work” is best performed throughout the day to be fresh and allow for full recovery.

Level I (0-1 push-ups)
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts

- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of negative push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):

Week1- 5 sets of 2 reps of 5-second negatives
Week2- 5 sets of 3 reps of 6-second negatives
Week3- 5 sets of 4 reps of 7-second negatives
Week4- 5 sets of 5 reps of 8-second negatives
Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps of 9-second negatives
Week6- 5 sets of 5 reps of 10-second negatives

- Follow each set of push-ups with 10 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats

Level II (2-5 push-ups)
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts

- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):

Week1- 5 sets of 1 rep
Week2- 5 sets of 2 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 3 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 4 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 6 reps

- Follow each set of push-ups with 20 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats

Level III (6-12 push-up)
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts

- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):

Week1- 5 sets of 5 reps
Week2- 5 sets of 6 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 7 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 8 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 9 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 10 reps

- Follow each set of push-ups with 30 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats

Level IV (13-20 push-ups)
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts

- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):

Week1- 5 sets of 10 reps
Week2- 5 sets of 12 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 14 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 16 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 18 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 20 reps

- Follow each set of push-ups with 40 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats

Level V (21-30 push-ups)
- Main Strength Workout: Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts

- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of regular floor push-ups with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off):

Week1- 5 sets of 20 reps
Week2- 5 sets of 22 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 24 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 26 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 28 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 30 reps

- Follow each set of push-ups with 50 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats

Level VI (31+ pushups)
- Main Strength Workout: Get the heck outta here, you're already doin the damned thing! i'm just playing, heres how you can get even more in;

Perform max reps or a max hold for time for a different push-up variation at each of 3 strength workouts per week with ideally a day of rest between workouts

- Extra Push-up Work: Perform 5 sets per day of a 1-arm push-ups variation with the following weekly progressions Monday through Friday (weekends off). Progress from stage 1 to stage 3 in choosing the appropriate 1-arm push-up variation:

Week1- 5 sets of 1 rep
Week2- 5 sets of 2 reps
Week3- 5 sets of 3 reps
Week4- 5 sets of 4 reps
Week5- 5 sets of 5 reps
Week6- 5 sets of 6 reps

Stage1- Modified 1-Arm Push-ups on Knees/Inclined

Stage2- Regular 1-Arm Push-ups 5-secondNegatives

Stage3- Regular 1-Arm Push-ups

- Follow each set of push-ups with 60 reps of Body Weight Prisoner or Y Squats

Step#3- Re-Test Your Current Push-up Total

At the end of each 6-week training block, take 5 full days of rest before re-testing your new push-up total exactly as previously outlined in step one. Record your new push-up total and then take the rest of the week off for recovery before moving on to the next level of push-up boot camp.

Well, you now know everything you need to know to safely and effectively perform more push-ups than 99+% of the world. Remember, the leaner you are the better you will be at push-ups and the more push-ups you can do, the better you will look - time to master the push-up!

Let's Get it! ;.]

Keegan Harris

Top 2 Fitness Tips Ever. Times 2!

2009-04-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

I want to share some tips with you today that pretty much sums up what all of us need to do to get lean and stay lean for life.

It doesn't get any simpler than this… but simple works!

TOP 2 EXERCISE TIPS

* Invest in a Whole Body Workout: This can be as simple as doing a five-exercise circuit (designed to work your upper body, lower body, and core) at least three times per week with a day of rest between workouts. Alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each of the following; a double-leg exercise (e.g. squat), push (e.g. push-up), single-leg (e.g. lunge), pull (e.g. row), and core (e.g. plank) exercise. Perform up to 4 rounds without rest for a killer 20-minute total body workout.

* Harness the Power of Intervals: Interval training is scientifically proven to burn nine times more body fat than ordinary exercise and elevates metabolism for up to 48 hours following your workout. Perform cardio intervals on non-strength training days three times per week. Selecting your cardio exercise of choice, alternate between 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest and repeat this 30 second interval eight times for four total minutes followed by a one-minute rest. Repeat for up to 20 total minutes. This routine can be performed on a treadmill, stationary bike, or rowing machine or with body weight cardio exercise that you can do at home like running in place or jumping jacks. Don’t forget the great outdoors also, I personally prefer to do my cardio outside!

TOP 2 DIET TIPS

* Eat Early and Often: Eat as soon as you wake up and then every two to three hours to starve fat and feed muscle. By continuously fueling your furnace, and eating protein (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.) at every feeding, you'll also keep your metabolism revved up throughout the day and prevent overeating.

* Think Fiber First When Consuming Carbs: Eat an unlimited amount of fibrous, cruciferous green veggies to fill your belly both during and between meals. For optimal fat-burning, try to limit fruit and other carbohydrate consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout when your body best tolerates starches and sugars.

Live by these 2 training and nutrition rules and you will have a body to be proud of... I guarantee it ;)

Let’s Get It! ;)

Keegan Harris

PS- Please forward this blog post to anybody that you know who can benefit from it!

6-Pack Abs Without a Single Crunch

2009-02-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

Face it - we all want a flat, sexy midsection. 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 questions:

“I do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups a day and I still have a flabby midsection. What gives?”

Well, before I reveal your six-pack abs blueprint, let’s first call Bull$&@! on some very widespread myths about how to get six-pack abs:

Myth#1- Weight loss is the key to seeing your abs

WRONG!

The key to seeing your 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 sexy metabolism: one that starves fat and builds muscle like clockwork. 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.

The scale has far too many variables to account for that lead to frequent fluctuations such as hydration levels, sodium intake, and for women the menstrual cycle. I firmly believe one should NOT get addicted to checkingin on the scale too often, if at all. it is such an anchor, particularly for women. 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, body fat percentage readings and of course the mirror for the most accurate progress tracking.

Myth#2- Do lots of abs work to preferentially burn off stomach fat

WRONG!

Spot reduction doesn’t work. 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 presses, a boot camp staple) 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 if you deem it necessary.

Myth#3- Crunches and Sit-ups are the best 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 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 resistance 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 resistance interval training and cardio interval training to combine the best of both worlds. More on this to come!

Without further adieu...

The Crunch-Free Six-Pack Abs Blueprint:

Step#1- Lose the fat that is covering your abs so that you can see them

A.) Eat to lose fat and elevate metabolism

- Drink at least 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then drink at least 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours you are awake. Drink 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of vigorous activity. Not to give you too much information overload, but try not to drink much with your meals. You want to let your food properly digest.

- Eat immediately upon waking and then every 2-4 hours after that for a total of 6-8 feedings per day (3 meals, 3 snacks- half the size of your meals, workout nutrition)

- Focus on a wide range of organic lean proteins, natural fats, and fruit and veggies. Think colors! I know we’ve always heard eat your greens, but you really want to shoot for as many colors as you can. Think Red Peppers and beets, radish, ets. Yellow squash, corn, etc. you get the picture.

Sample One-Day Menu:

Breakfast- Scrambled Eggs, Greens, and Turkey Sausage or Bacon

Mid-Morning Snack- Mixed Nuts and Fruit/Veggie of Choice

Lunch- Chicken, Salmon, or Shrimp Caesar Salad

Mid-Afternoon Snack- Cheese and Fruit/Veggie of Choice

Dinner- Turkey or Beef Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash

Pre-Bed Snack- Protein and Flax Shake or cottage cheese

- Take a daily multi-vitamin for your gender and an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement

- Use The Carb Reduction Blueprint: Use the following step by step process in the exact order listed to breakthrough any plateaus in your six-pack abs quest

Step#1- Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars

Step#2- Limit all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast

Step#3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies

Step#4- Replace all fruits with green veggies

Step#5- Use strategic carb and calorie cycling to take your body to next level (my clients and I have had great success with this but it is beyond the scope of this article)

B.) Train to lose fat and elevate metabolism

- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- (just a sample, you can choose your own 3 days of the week) Perform Total Body Circuit Strength Training

Sample Total Body Circuit Strength Workout- 20 Minutes (not including 5 minute warm-up and cool-down)

50-10 Interval Five Exercise Total Body Circuit- You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 s of rest for each exercise in the following five-exercise circuit. Perform this 5-minute circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body workout:

Exercise# Exercise Category Exercise Variation
1 Double-Leg: Bilateral Hip-Dominant Hip Extensions
2 Push: Horizontal Push Push-up Variation
3 Single-Leg: Unilateral Knee-Dominant Single-Leg Wall Sit
4 Pull: Horizontal Pull Body Weight/Inverted Rows
5 Core: Linear Stabilization or Trunk-Dominant Upper Body Twist Variation (Russian Twists)

- Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday- Perform Cardio Interval Training

Sample Cardio Interval Training Workout- 20 Minutes (not including five minute warm-up and cool-down)

30-30’s- You will alternate between 30 seconds of maximum effort and 30 s of active recovery. You will perform this 1-minute round up to 20x for 20 total minutes. You can perform this workout on your cardio machine of choice (airdyne or spin bike, running, etc.) or by alternating between the following body-weight cardio exercises for the ultimate in-home workout:

Exercise# Body Weight Cardio Variation Body Weight Cardio Exercise
1 Linear
Locomotion Emphasis Stationary Running
2 Lateral/Rotational
Locomotion Emphasis Jumping Jacks Variation

Step#2- Train your abs based on their true function: STABILIZATION

Below is one of my boot camp client’s favorite (and most hated) core workout. It involves no crunches or sit-ups by using all pillar stabilization exercises. Once you master these killer moves and follow everything else I previously listed above, you will have a sweet pair of rock hard abs to show for it… I guarantee it!

The Power to the Pillar Workout- Tabata Style

This 20-minute total body core workout focuses entirely on pillar stabilization. The pillar collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, fundamental to all movement.

For each exercise 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 exercise listed.

For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively pulling your navel to your spine, engaging your glutes, (squeeze that butt!) and maintaining a straight line from the heels through the shoulders. The following coaching cues work really well for our clients:
“Suck in your gut – give yourself a wedgie – be flat as a board.”

Exercise#1- Front Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#2- Left Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#3- Right Side Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Exercise#4- Back Pillar Variation (static or dynamic)

Is that some killer info or what? But seriously If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. All that tired, played out information that’s been going around for so many years is done! Please, take this and run with it.

Until next time…

Let’s Get It! ;)

Keegan Harris

New Year’s Res(olutions)ults!

2009-01-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

It makes me happy to be able to say that over the last several years, I have helped countless people maximize their overall health, performance, and body composition faster than ever before. Put bluntly, I know how to help people lose ugly, unwanted body fat faster than most people can fathom. It’s very true that a big reason for this is because our integrated rapid fat loss training and nutrition system is second to none. I have done the countless hours of research and trial and error and I have had hundreds of people as real world case studies to prove that our system flat out works. But, today I am going to share something more powerful; something that must be set in place before you can even start to think about following a fitness program.

So, let’s just get right to it. What do you think is the real secret behind my client success? Well, if your answer was my aforementioned training and nutrition system, then your answer is wrong. Ok,ok, you’re right ,it’s an incredible program, but unfortunately it’s useless if someone is unwilling to start it AND stick to it, right? So, no question, the most important component of changing your body is finding the motivation to achieve your goals, and that’s the main thing I’m trying to get across. I am going to literally walk you through the initial consult and three step goal setting process that each one of my clients undergoes before they start working with us. This is so important to weight loss success that I now require it for any new client to be considered for joining our program.

Before I get into this goal setting process, I just need to get something off of my chest. I know a lot of people think goal setting is just a cheesy, useless thing. Unfortunately, these people just don’t get it and frankly if you are one of those people, please do us both a favor and stop reading this article and go buy another useless weight loss book or pill because I simply cannot do anything for you. I can only help people who want to learn. I simply cannot help people who already think they know it all and think they are too good to take some time to figure out what the hell it is that they actually want to accomplish. The bottom line is that the most successful people out there, and I mean not just weight loss success, I am talking business, lifestyle, etc., are shamelessly goal driven. They know exactly why they want to do something and harness that super motivation to figure out what and by when they want to go about accomplishing that. Furthermore, they plan and prepare for every possible roadblock they will encounter in their path to success. This is what I want to teach you how to do today, so let’s get it!

Step One- The Why: Why do you want to do this?

This is where it’s time to get real. In almost every initial consult I do, when I ask why they have contacted me today, here is the typical blanket response that I first hear:

“Well, I guess I just want to get healthy and lose weight.”

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? Think about it. I have people getting up at 4:30 in the morning to get to our morning boot camps. Just wanting to “be healthy” might get them out of their warm comfortable beds and out to boot camp (remember we’re outside so in December and January and some of February it’s cold and dark!) but that will not be enough (though it should be). Any of these unspecific goals for some reason just aren’t very powerful motivators for most people .

Let’s face it: everybody, including YOU, wants to look better naked. Stop giggling, you know it’s true and it’s okay! The desire to improve one’s 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 present pain and then establish their current and future ambitions. Some people want to be able to mow the lawn in the summer with their shirt off 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 forth 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 Argentina, or get off the plane in Texas 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 jacked up 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 physical dreams? Once you establish this, everything else is easy baby! J

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 maximize your sexy! (and be healthy) So, now we need to establish what objective goal(s) need to be accomplished in order to realize this subjective dream.

Well, from a logistics standpoint and keeping things as cost effective as possible, there are three major ways I track “look better” progress with my clients, in order of importance from least to most important:

1.) Scale Weight: This is by far the least important goal, but it gives a number that’s worth tracking. 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 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.

2.) 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 moot point if you use the same pant or dress size to track. There’s nothing more powerful than literally being able to feel yourself comfortably get into clothes that used to almost rip when you tried to put them on!

3.) 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. Game time! The key is to take pictures wearing exactly what you want to look your best in. Now, don’t be sending me nude pictures of yourself, (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 dream 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 you 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. Which gives me a perfect opportunity to remind you that one of the greatest benefits of a boot camp is the built-in support group. That positive, accountable environment is priceless! I really encourage you to try one and find out for yourself. If you’re in the Tucson area you can try ours out for up to two weeks free. Just call or click this link.

One more thing, just rember the root of resolution. It’s resolute- and it means to be firm, unyielding and determined. If you are than nothing can stand in your way!

Let’s Get It!

Procrastination Nation Gift List Pt II

2008-12-10T09:10:00.000-08:00

Allright, I'm back with the second half of my Top 10 list. Here it is :

6.) Supplements that Work: Protein Powders, Fish Oil, Multi-Vitamin

I have helped hundreds of people lose thousands of pounds of fat. No joke. In my journey, I have found only three supplements to be a mandatory part of the optimal fat loss program: protein powders, fish oil, and multi-vitamin supplements.

Protein powders provide great liquid workout nutrition and a convenient meat alternative for on-the-go snacking. For a protein powder, look for a brand low in sugar and carbohydrates and with a mix of both whey and casein (fast and slow absorbing proteins). If the taste of most proteins powders keeps you from using them, I recommend Muscle Milk. They seriously have like 30 flavors or something crazy like that and they actually taste good!

Fish oil, or more appropriately entitled an essential fatty acid (EFA) supplement, is critical to providing key omega 3’s to maximize overall health, performance, and body composition. Studies show that krill oil provides the most effective dosing of EFA’s.

A multi-vitamin provides keys vitamins and minerals that are tough to obtain unless your diet is near picture perfect. I don’t know about you, but I like to cover my bases when it comes to my health. Be sure to choose a multi-vitamin supplement that is made from whole foods rather than synthetic materials, in addition to being made specifically for your gender.

My clients and I rock with VGF+25 and EFA Icon, both included in Prograde’s Health+ Package available at http://www.symmetryfitness.getprograde.com/

7.) Sport-Specific Gift

This one’s pretty basic: if you want to give a great gift to an athlete then get them something unique that compliments what they like playing or doing, whether it be fitness equipment, apparel, or both.

8.) Fitness Book or Subscription to Fitness Magazine

Everybody needs bedtime or bathroom reading baby! If you have just read a good fitness book that you know a friend or family member would benefit from, hook them up with their own copy. Better yet, people love magazine subscriptions. Personally, I am a big fan of Men’s Health and Women’s Health. These magazines are filled with tons of workout, nutrition, and lifestyle tips catered to each sex. I know it sounds funny that I read Women’s Health being a dude, but I work with a lot of women so I need to keep up with the lingo like skinny jeans and muffin-tops, ha ha!

9.) Ipod Shuffle

So I’m kind of addicted to Ipod. Ihave a shuffle, a classic, a nano and an Iphone and I’ve actually justified reasons for having each of them! The classic is for the truck, (I have almost 10,00 songs on it so I have the 80 gig), and nothing is better for working out than the shuffle or the nano. The nano is good if you want to see what’s playing or want to pair it with the Nike + running chip but honestly, I love the shuffle. I just load it with strictly workout music and push play, I don’t need to know whats playing next. It’s like the size of a quarter so you can hardly tell it’s there and for 50 bucks it’s hard to beat!

10.) A Gift Card to a Fitness Boot Camp

Boot camps provide a fun and exciting team environment that guarantee better results than one-on-one personal training for only a third of the cost… it’s a total no-brainer.

Look for a local fitness boot camp with tons of social proof (client testimonials, especially in the form of pictures and video) to make sure they have a solid reputation and a bunch of raving fans of people just like you. Plus, any good boot camp worth its weight offers free trials and money-back guarantees to all newcomers because they are so confident their program works that you’ll more than likely continue after a test-drive, This way there is typically no risk on your part… besides getting you butt kicked, in a good way ;)

So join a fitness boot camp with at least one other friend or family member or buy a boot camp gift card to give to your loved ones. As a boot camp instructor myself, I know firsthand that clients always get better results when they embark on a fitness journey with others.

And if you live in the local Tucson, Arizona area, come work with us for the best personal training in Tucson by visiting http://www.lookbetternakedtucson.com/ just call or email and will give you a free two week trial pass! We’ll change your life and have you looking better naked this New Year, guaranteed!

Let’s Get It!

Procrastinators Top 10 Holiday Fitness Gift List

2008-12-08T16:08:00.000-08:00

I don’t celebrate Christmas myself, but since the majority of the world does, I still relate to the holiday seasons. I really relate to procrastination as I’m pretty bad at waiting until the last minute to do some things.
So if you’re running out of time and hit a wall on what to get your friends or family for the holidays, then why not get them a fitness gift. Heck, you could even put some fitness gifts on your own holiday wish list. After all, who doesn’t want to look or perform better? Here is my official top 10 list of the best last minute fitness gifts for 2008:

1.) A Foam Roller

If you’re like most people, you spend a lot of your day nailed to a desk or out in the field doing construction work. And when you actually do have time to workout, all you can usually fit in is the workout itself. Really, who has time for daily stretching?

Well that’s where a foam roller comes in. It’s a phenomenal corrective self-massage tool that will dramatically bolster injury prevention and improve performance. It’s ideal to use for at least five minutes post-workout to promote healing of the small micro-tears in your muscles that result from high-intensity training to jumpstart the recovery process. Plus, a foam roller both kneads out and lengthens your muscle and connective tissues thus alleviating, if not eliminating, nagging aches and pains in your back, knees, hips, shoulders, and elbows.

If you’re going to get a foam roller, get a good one. The cheaper options tend to wear down into a limp noodle for larger individuals after a couple of months. If your’e in the Tucson area, I get all of my foam rollers from Just Weight, you can reach them at 520-229-0072 or on the web at http://www.justweight.net/

2.) Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are by far the most simple, convenient, and affordable equipment option in the fitness industry. They supply total portability for killer workouts that can be done anywhere. If you are a busy professional who does a lot of traveling, bands are the perfect lightweight training tool to take your workouts with you on the road as they can fit in the smallest of bags without a problem. If you are a busy Mom looking to workout in the comfort of your own home, bands can make this happen too. Bands provide the perfect compliment to your body weight circuit training workouts for added variety, allow for multiple levels of resistance with practically zero transition and set-up time, are easy on the joints, and are fun to use!

In my travels, I have had the pleasure of meeting and befriending the world’s premier resistance band training expert, Dave “The Band Man” Schmitz. The dude is nuts, for real ! He creates the most innovative fat loss workouts with bands that you’ll ever see. He has his own line of resistance bands that are virtually indestructible and I use them year round to crank it at home or on the road not to mention my boot campers use these same bands. To get the best bands in the business check out http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=887805

3.) A Gift Card to a Sporting Goods Store For Fitness Equipment and Apparel

Gift certificates are always good because the recipient can pick out what they want and it saves you the time of trying to decide for them. Here in Tucson we have plenty of good sporting good stores whether your favorite is Big 5, The Sports Authority or Dick’s Sporting Goods, you can always count on them to get the best fitness equipment and apparel on the market today.

4.) A Gift Card to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or Other Premium Grocery Stores

Rather then waste money on an overpriced restaurant, why not give a week’s worth of groceries to a 100% organic grocer like Whole Foods to a friend or loved one. After all, everybody’s got to eat, but how many of us actually eat the right stuff to support our fitness goals?
I’m not gonna lie, several years ago I thought Whole Foods was just for rich people or hippies, but boy was I wrong. In addition to Trader Joes and Whole Foods, Sunflower market and Sprouts here in Tucson are particularly great when buying produce to avoid foods that are typically loaded with hormones and pesticides at other regular run of the mill grocery stores. The key is to go in with a budget in mind (e.g. spend $50 bucks on protein, $20 on fruits and veggies, and $10 on miscellaneous items) only buying what you need.

5.) A Gift Card to a Massage Therapist

Most of us are crazy busy and super stressed out during the holiday season and nothing eases the tension like a good massage. This is about as can’t miss of a gift as it gets, unless you know someone who doesn’t like to be touched. (Hey some people hate massages, I’ll never understand it) It’s nice to be pampered on occasion, and though the foam roller I mentioned above can do wonders for the majority of your body, nothing can alleviate tension in your upper back, neck, and head like a good massage therapist! I recommend Peaceful Spirit if you’re in Tucson. I’ve been going there for years and I can’t speak highly enough of the treatment I receive there!
Visit them on the web at http://www.bestmassageintucson.com/

Ok, make sure to tune in on Wednesday for the second half of this Top 10 list and in the mean time...

Let's Get it!

Keegan Harris

Save Your Waistline This Holiday Season

2008-12-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

There are all kinds of damage control tricks and diet strategies that you can put to work to prevent yourself from overdoing it at the dinner table this holiday season. Use the tips below to allow yourself to stay social and still be able to indulge (in moderation ) without splitting your pant seams before the New Year:

1.) Perform High-Intensity Activity Before and/or After a Big Meal or Holiday Feast

Ok, so I promised diet strategies, but I simply cannot go without recommending some activity. Your body is most receptive to higher calorie and/or carbohydrate meals within 30 minutes before and within three hours following high-intensity activity. Ideally you would want to workout out before AND after a big meal, but if you can only do one, that’s better than a kick in the butt as mom would say ;) . It is less important when you do it and more important that you just do it as Nike would say (Ok I’m sorry! Enough quotes :p). Your best options will be 20 minutes of circuit resistance training or cardio interval training. Even a 20-30 minute walk a few hours afterwards can serve as a bit of damage control.

2.) Do NOT Fast in Preparation for a a Big Meal or Holiday Feast

Fasting in preparation for a meal will not only lead to overeating, but worse: overeating foods that are extremely high in sugar, fat, or both! Your body is a survival mechanism. If it hasn’t had food in a while it anticipates a famine state. This means that the next time that you eat your body will use as much of the incoming food as possible to store as body fat (survival energy) in anticipation that it won’t see food again for another long period of time. Do yourself and your gut a favor, by eating every two to four hours as you normally should to prevent yourself from becoming a ravenous, fat-storing beast this holiday season!

3.) Do NOT Gorge Yourself

Eat until the point of satisfaction, not discomfort. Remember this: binge eating is not the habit of lean individuals. It is imperative to understand that holiday meals are not an excuse to eat as much as you can in as little time as possible. Listen to your body and make sure to enjoy the foods you are craving in moderation and only eat when you are hungry. Enjoy yourself and your family, just be wise J

4.) Eat a High-Fiber, Protein-Rich Meal An Hour Before a Holiday Event

A meal high in fiber and protein before a big holiday meal will help prevent overeating by making you feel more full which in turn means less calories consumed during the ensuing feast. My favorite strategy is to drink a protein shake with added fiber and healthy fats (e.g. 2-4 Tbsp. flax meal) and 1 liter of water before such meals to help keep me nice and full upon arrival. This way you won’t lose any friends by eating their entire dinner platter and you’ll save your midsection from blowing up!

5.) Eat Leans Proteins and Fruits and Vegetables FIRST

Just because it’s a holiday meal doesn’t mean you can’t eat any nutritious food. Make sure to load up on healthier food choices first and try to eat as much lean meat, fish, and fruits and veggies as possible at the start of each holiday event. This will leave less room for the unhealthier, higher calorie treats. At least this way you know your body is getting in some good nutrition and you are not putting yourself at excessive risk for sickness and/or other health concerns. Remember, enjoy yourself, just keep your priorities straight.

6.) Drink, Drink, Drink Water!

Water puts up a good fight for space in your stomach and really does help decrease appetite. For every plate you eat, try to drink at least 1-2 glasses of water. After that second plate, when you have 1 full liter of water in your stomach, I bet you might just throw in the towel!

7.) Do NOT Eat Again Until Hungry Following a Large Meal

Now I know I already told you to eat every 2-4 hours, but there is one exception to this. If you eat a huge meal, it is important not to eat again until you are hungry and/or no longer full. If your body is not used to eating such a big meal, then it will take a much longer time to digest all that food and the worst thing you can do is put more food into an already full stomach, unless you goal is to be as rollable as possible! Only when you are hungry again should you resume your normal eating plan following a big holiday meal.

8.) Immediately Resume Your Normal Eating Schedule at the Next Meal

What’s done is done. Now it is time to get back to your regular eating plan. Remember weekly caloric intake is far more important than daily caloric intake. For example, let’s say that you need 3,000 calories per day to maintain your current body weight. Well, all that you need to do is make sure the average daily caloric intake each week is 3,000 calories per day. This means that you can fluctuate your daily caloric intake and yield the same results as if you ate that same amount each day. So if you have one day of big eating where you eat 9,000 calories (just an example, not a recommendation!), but you only eat 2,000 calories per day the rest of the week, you will still end up at the same caloric balance. Again, I’m not recommending that you eat in such an extreme manner, I’m just suggesting that you do not have to obsess about being perfect. Enjoy some indulging in moderation at your various holiday festivities knowing that the week in review trumps a day in review, even when you are particularly naughty on any given day. Enjoy life!

9.) Never Eat Junk Food for Breakfast or Before Bed

Eating a highly refined carbohydrate aka simple carbs aka SUGARY meal first thing in the morning will make your blood sugar levels go crazy for the rest of the day resulting in greater junk food cravings and uncontrollable hunger. On the other hand, eating a big meal before bed will result in a bunch of unused energy that will be stored as body fat and you very well may have trouble sleeping with all of that extra food volume in your stomach!

10.) Control your Portions

This one is real simple, but try to eat only half of all the servings of unhealthy food that you choose. Half of the portions equal half the calories!

11.) Avoid Empty Liquid Calories and Alcohol

You can easily consume over 1,000 calories per day from liquid calories alone. This means that in one week, you will gain 2 lbs of body fat from just fluids! Go for regular solid food calories versus empty liquid calories (e.g. juices and soft drinks), at least the food will fill you up and provide some nutrition where as liquid calories, particularly alcohol, have no such effect. Rather, sugary and/or alcoholic drinks tend to make you hungrier in general and often hungrier for junk food in particular. Not to mention, your body just can’t burn fat until the alcohol is processed out of your body in addition to the fact that alcohol consumption actually lowers leptin levels thus defeating one of the main purposes of this flexible eating (decreased leptin levels increase hunger and decreases your body’s use of fat for fuel). Thus over-consumption of alcohol can prevent the fat burning process from resuming until several days later and/or even cause unwanted fat gain and thus set you back as little as a few days to as long as a full week!

12.) Use Lower Calorie/Carbohydrate Substitutes Whenever Possible

Ok so I’m not a fan of sugar substitutes, but if you are going to use sugar no matter what, Instead of using sugar, go for zero calorie alternatives like splenda or stevia. They can deliver a similar taste without all of the extra sugar and empty calories. Even try replacing yeast with protein powder when you bake. The extra protein and reduced carbohydrates will result in a slimmer you while still providing some great tasting treats! Your goal should be to find the minimal amount of calories that can provide the same great taste that makes the holiday treats enjoyable rather than simply overdoing it because you can!

13.) Avoid Eating Meals that are High in Both Fat and Carbohydrates

The absolute worst thing that you can do is to eat a meal that is high in both fat and carbs. The high amount of carbs will lead to a rapid increase in blood sugar levels and thus large increases in the potent fat-storing hormone Insulin. The high amount of fat will lead to a large increase in free fatty acids in your bloodstream. Since Insulin is already present in large amounts, in addition to there being a large amount of free fatty acids now available in your blood, the stage is set for all those free fatty acids to be gobbled up and stored by your fat cells. This is the equivalent of becoming the next Goodyear blimp, so it is imperative to use caution at your holiday meals when it comes to combining fat (particularly saturated and trans fats) and carbs (particularly starches and refined sugars). In general, it is best to choose one over the other. But since most people crave carbs at their free meals, it is essential to keep the fat low at this meal. Want pasta? Instead of alfre
do sauce, opt for marinara sauce with whole grain pasta. Want pizza? Make your own pizza with whole grain crust and fat-free cheese. Want mashed potatoes? Well then be sure to skip the gravy and go easy on the butter. These small changes can literally save you hundreds, even thousands of calories, and more importantly will prevent your holiday feasts from creating the optimal fat-storing environment that will set you back from achieving your health and fitness goals.

Let's Get it...

Keegan Harris

www.LookBetterNakedTucson.com

Fight Fat And Excuses! 4 Quick Fitness Tips To Keep Your Body Fat-Free For The Holidays

2008-12-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

We all know how busy the holidays can be. But no matter what, don’t let yourself get caught in the trap of not working out to make more time for holiday errands or events. It is a big mistake to risk losing the lean muscle mass and strength that you have worked so hard to build and maintain. Why ? Because losses in lean muscle mass will lower your resting metabolic rate, which accounts for the vast majority (about 60-75%) of your total daily calorie burning. This means that everyday you will be burning less and less calories which will put you at a much greater risk of putting on ugly, unwanted body fat during the holidays. Plus, losing strength will mean that the next time you start to work out it’ll be that much harder to do what was relatively easy before you stopped and it’ll feel like you’re starting over! Furthermore, there lots of ways to maintain or increase the number of calories you burn per day, both from exercise and from your normal daily activities, to stay fat-free this holiday season. Use the strategies below to maintain and/or increase your current amount of lean muscle mass and maximize your daily calorie burn to protect yourself against the deadly holiday bloat!

1.) Perform at least one intense strength training session per week

Studies show that just one single strength training workout per week during times when you cannot train as frequently as you normally do is an effective way to maintain your current levels of strength and lean muscle mass. So, to best maintain your strength and lean muscle mass, shoot for at least one good strength training workout per week to stay buff during the holidays and to prevent unwanted backsliding in fitness. To best prevent weight gain, aim for three total body strength workouts per week. To maximize fat burning, perform three total body strength workouts per week and also perform three cardio interval workouts per week on non strength-training days.

2.) Hit Your Totals

Your body is a moron. ;) In other words, it cannot differentiate between 100 push-ups performed in a row versus 100 total push-ups performed in a day. When you honestly cannot find a five to 20-minute time slot to complete an effective total body workout, look for hidden chunks of time during the day to get in a certain number of daily repetitions for a certain number of exercises that work your entire body. Got a free moment from now until you need to take the turkey out of the oven? Then, bang out 10 push-ups, 10 rows, and 20 squats. Using this method throughout the day will lead to big numbers by the end of the day that will burn the same amount of calories in addition to creating similar muscle building effects as if you did all of the exercises at once during a single workout.

It is important to note that this “Hit Your Totals” routine is merely a back-up option to the ideal 20-minute interval training workouts which are scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat than ordinary exercise (feel free to contact me for more info on this). Short rest periods between exercises create the optimal hormonal environment for rapid fat loss and lean muscle gain, where as the long rest periods (full recovery) between movements do not. However, it comes down to effective (“Hit Your Totals”) versus optimal (50-10 Total Body Circuit Interval Training Workouts), so be sure to at least be effective this holiday season!

Make sure to pick multi-joint, compound movements that hit as much of your body’s major muscle groups in the shortest amount of time possible (e.g. squats, deadlifts, lunges, push-ups, rows, etc.). Use the plan below as guide to build your own “Hit Your Totals” workout. Adjust the repetition ranges accordingly based on your current strength levels. The only thing you need is your body weight and adjustable dumbbells and/or resistance bands. Perform this plan up to three times per week, resting a day between workouts. Make sure to alternate between Plan A and Plan B for more variety. You can either hit your total by doing one exercise first (e.g. perform push-ups rest-pausing as needed until you get 100 total), or by simply employ circuit style training (e.g. 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 rows, repeat 10x throughout the day to hit your totals).

The Hit Your Total Workout For The Holidays
Plan A-

Body weight Squats or Hip Extensions: 100-200 total
Push-ups: 50-100 total
Dumb Bell/Band Rows: 50-100 total

Plan B-

Body weight Lunges or Single-Leg Hip Extensions: 50-100/total per leg
Off Chair/Couch Dips: 50-100 total
Dumb Bell/Band Curls: 50-100 total (feel free to swap pull-ups or pull-downs here if you have access to the equipment)

3.) Rage Against The Machines

Machines have made us an incredibly out of shape and overweight society. This holiday season make it a point to not use them! Now I don’t mean to say that you cannot drive to the mall during the holidays. However, when you get to the mall, try to park further away so you can do more walking to get inside. Avoid using elevators and escalators and hit those stairs!; all those steps truly do add up. Instead of having your kids carry the bags, burn more calories by carrying the bags yourself! ;) Stay on your feet as much as possible and resist the temptation to let a remote control, elevator or machine do the work for you.

4.) Engage in more outdoor holiday activities

So I know we don’t get to have too many snowball fights here in Tucson unless we decide to head up Mt. Lemon, ( some of you are saying “ thank goodness we don’t have to shovel any snow!”) theres all kinds of fun stuff we can do outside! Let’s take advantage of our fantastic weather and get outdoors this holidays season! Throw around the pigskin or have take a hike! Are you kidding? Where else but Arizona can you enjoy a hike as awesome as Sabino Canyon or any of our other trails in December? Once again, all these calories here and there truly do add up and could make a difference between you fitting in your pants or ripping your pants by the time the clock strikes midnight this New Year!

Ahnold's Holy Workout Shirt and Dumbo's Feather

2008-09-29T20:50:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that person in the gym that always seems to be wearing the same shirt every time he works out? Or a hat or shorts or whatever, no matter how old and holy it gets it's all they wanna work out in. It's their favorite ;)Maybe that person is you, I know I've had my share. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger talked about always having a favorite piece of workout attire that seemed to help him "get in the zone." You see our mind is very powerful. It can provide great resistance, or assistance. Do you remember in the Disney movie Dumbo when Dumbo thought it was a magical feather that made him fly? He could fly all along without it but until he learned that he accredited flying to a crow's feather. Okay, maybe I'm getting off on a tangent here but if you know me, that doesn't surprise you at all. My point is that our mind is most often our biggest barrier. Dumbo was capable of flying without a feather but didn't BELIEVE he could fly without it. Arnold believed he got a better workout if he wore his favorite workout shirt. I used to have a hat that I wore till it was worn out because it helped me get a killer workout. It's not in a feather, a shirt, or a hat. It's in us regardless. We just have to tap into it. BELIEVE... So I'm leaving you today with a quote from none other than Arnold himself.

"The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent. "

Make it Happen!

2008-09-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm back! ;) Yes, I'm very pleased to say that I'm not only back from my conference in Connecticut, but I'm also back to my blog. It had been so long since I left this blog to collect dust ( Almost a year! ) that I actually had to dig up my password to post again. Why did I go so long without making a single post? Was it because I felt I didn't have anything interesting enough to talk about? Because I was too busy and pushed blogging to the back burner? Or was it honestly because like many other things I tell myself I need to do, I just wasn't taking any action to actually do! Well, it's a new day! I am returning to Tucson with a new attitude, new inspiration and new resolve. I was in Stamford, Connecticut to attend the Ryan Lee Boot Camp. I was joined by 300 of the top fitness professionals in the world. on the last day the closing speaker was Dax Moy, one the very best personal trainers in the UK. He's a very motivating speaker and just one of the things he said that stuck with me was, "you only get paid for done." Right? We only get the benefits, whether that's a paycheck, or a fitness goal If we TAKE ACTION . Whatever ever our goals are, we can and will reach them. We only need to make a SPECIFIC goal, then action steps to achieve that goal. So What's your goal? And what's your first action step to reaching it? ;) I took a walk around Stamford on the last night I was there and saw the sign in the picture up there from across the street. I HAD to have a picture with it.

Make it Happen!

Keegan Harris

2007-11-01T17:40:00.000-07:00

We Get Results AND Have Fun Doing It!

2007-09-27T23:14:00.000-07:00

Let's Get it!

2007-03-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Don't Sing it - Bring it

That's one of my favorite sayings . Along the lines of ,"Don't talk it , walk it" . It's easy to say you want to do something. Can your actions attest to your wants ? Or do they rat you out ? Okay, here's another one, "There's nothin' to it but to do it". Now, something that I hear alot of is that people really do have legitimate reasons why they aren't sticking to there exercise program. Time. Other priorities and responsibilities . Believe me, I know from experience how hectic and busy our lives can get , However, I also know from experience that the majority of the time, we ourselves make things harder than they have to be. We complicate things. We add stress to our lives and end up in a big, confusing, chaotic cycle we repeat day after day. If we keep putting things on our to do list off , the stress pile will only keep building. If we jump into our exercise plan with some dedication you'll actually make that stress pile smaller.
I've got an analogy i often refer to that helps me get my mental focus aligned. It's my alarm clock story. So, I had gotten into a habit of setting my alarm clock to wake me up earlier , just so I could hit the snooze button, 2, 3 maybe even 4 times and relish that extra 10 minutes in my comfortable bed each time I did. It feels so good to be able to go back to sleep again, you have no idea, or maybe you do( you can tell I'm not the biggest morning person). Well, the thing is , giving myself those allowances made me form a habit of putting off getting my butt up as long as I could. And when it came down to the last minute , to when if I didn't get up that minute I'd blow off my first appointment , or worse, fall asleep without the alarm to go off again and sleep through 2 or 3 clients, it was even harder to get up. And I feel like the way you wake up kinda sets the pace for your entire day. Okay, how about this instead ; Set the alarm clock for a half hour later, with the knowledge that your last half hour of precious sleep will be high quality, uninterrupted. As soon as the alarm sounds, open your eyes, smile, tell yourself ,"this day holds incredible potential I cannot wait to realize and the longer I remain in this bed, as COMFORTABLE as it is, it will stop me from accomplishing the things I am GOING to accomplish", then jump out of bed, that smile still on your face. Enjoy your morning moments with yourself .Have some breakfast, your coffee, your tea. Get ready to ACHIEVE. Nothing to it but to do it.
So when we really have a heart to heart with ourselves we see it really is that simple. Even if it's only 10 , 15 minutes a day, we can fit it in somewhere. Your cycle of not exercising, putting it off till another day (hitting that snooze button) is more comfortable than getting your butt up. The longer you wait , the harder it is. The more out of shape you get. That bed is keeping you from the success that's waiting for you. Open your eyes. Smile . Get your butt up. ;) The only thing that comes from sleep is a dream. Enough dreaming. Don't sing it , bring it.

To bringin' it !

Keegan Harris

www.SymmetryAz.com

www.symmetrybootcamp.com

2007-01-26T17:13:00.000-08:00

Live or exist? Strive or thrive?

Our goal, our mission, we hope to…these are all phrases trainers use to plead with you, to convince you of their good intentions. Symmetry trainers don't have goals, they have a function. You have goals, and during our personal training sessions, helping you reach those goals is our purpose. Helping you to get in to the best health you have ever been in is not our intent, it's what we do.Our experienced trainers guide, coach and ultimately teach you, to be in the best shape you can. That is what makes us different from the rest. Saying we take our clients needs seriously is an understatement. If you don't succeed, we don't succeed, and failure is not in our vocabulary.Fitness has never been so balanced.

To the best You,

Keegan Harris

www.symmetryaz.com

2007-01-26T17:09:00.000-08:00

Reestablishing the personal training standard

Think back about 15 years. When you heard of Personal Trainers you thought of a small group of elite specialized physical gurus. They were right there by the side of that postpartum celebrity, one on one, guiding them, teaching them and being directly responsible for making sure they achieved miraculous results and back in front of the camera, before pictures of the baby hit the news stands.
The problem then was, the reason only celebrities had personal trainers was, they were the only ones who could afford them. The general public were left being herded in to the “Big gyms”. Left to do their own research, experimentation and attempts at self motivation.
The problem now is that the personal fitness and training industry has exploded in the last 10 years or so. With such immense growth has come multitudes of "trainers” and as the laws of economics have taught us, as the quantity of optional offerings goes up, the quality of most goes down. To accommodate this trend there are countless agencies now who will "certify" individuals, primarily through online and correspondence methods. Some people have decent test-taking skills and can end up with a personal trainer certification in a couple of weeks, regardless of whether or not they have any practical application, experience, or are even in shape themselves. These are the types of "trainers" the gyms are hiring and this is the level of quality that the training industry is lowering itself to.
Symmetry Personal Fitness is reestablishing the personal training standard. By that we don't mean providing a privileged, out of reach service, but rather, putting that bar of quality and attention back up. At Symmetry Personal Fitness, we take your fitness very seriously. That goal oriented, motivated mentality is a requirement for anyone who works for Symmetry Personal Fitness. Fitness and a healthy lifestyle is not just a job for our trainers- it's our life, it's something that we love sharing and would really love for it to become a part of yours.
Our goal is to make every aspect of training with Symmetry Personal enjoyable and beneficial. We are extremely competitive and we hope that that will raise the bar for our competitors, forcing the quality of the industry to improve in quality and service.

Yours in health ,
Keegan Harris

www.SymmetryAz.com