So which are you…. Sexy strong or fat strong…?

I think it’s safe to say most of us would agree being “strong” is a good thing.  Being strong, physically or emotionally, is generally a desirable trait.  It makes sense then, that when most of us train, we’re training to increase our strength.  For most people, they associate training to be strong with resistance training (i.e. lifting weights).  However, being “strong” extends beyond the power of our muscles.  Perhaps not as obvious, but we also train to become stronger when we perform cardiovascular exercise (i.e. running sprints). When we have a strong cardiovascular system we have a heightened endurance, a healthy heart and lungs, and the ability to perform long bouts of work without keeling over in complete exhaustion.  Or in other words, we’re moving into “sexy strong” territory.

Sexy Strong vs. Fat Strong

Unfortunately, a disproportionate number of people aren’t training for a well-rounded body of strength, or what I’ll refer to as “sexy strong”. Sexy strong is a body with not only impressive muscular strength, but a low-level of body fat, great flexibility, a tremendous endurance, and healthy and well-functioning internal organs and vital signs.

On the flip side, there’s something I like to call “fat strong”.  Someone like either of the two guys pictured below would be what I’d consider fat strong.

Yeah, they can bench a small car…but can they touch their toes?

From a muscular standpoint these guys are obscenely strong, there’s no doubt about that.  But that’s where the impressiveness of their abilities ends.  They’ve got high levels of body fat, low levels of flexibility, and I’m guessing a poorly trained cardiovascular system, which leaves them at great risk for heart disease as they age.

The idea of becoming a big, bulky, block of muscle is what most women fear more than death, public speaking, or being locked in a box full of snakes with laser beams attached to their heads.  This is the reason so many women shy away from lifting weights…let alone weights heavy enough to make a difference.

Of course, being fat strong doesn’t have to be like the example illustrated above.  Fat strong could be that girl on the treadmill who does tons of cardio but still has a layer of exercise resistant body fat because she refuses to pick up a weight and actually get her metabolism moving.  You don’t need to be built like a tank to be fat strong.  A disproportionate level of fitness or only placing a focus on one element of your health is all it takes.

Surrounded by Hordes of Skinny People

It’s time to realize that developing real muscular strength doesn’t have to be associated with getting gigantic.  Here’s a real-life example which served as the motivation for today’s post….

A couple of weeks ago I went to an indoor rock climbing gym with a buddy who climbs.  After making our way to the wall and giving it a go, I realized just how difficult rock climbing really is.  A short while later, as I was sitting on the mats tending to my blistered and bloody hands, I took notice of some of the people around me.  All of them…..literally, ALL OF THEM were skinny, yet incredibly defined.  These skinny people were scaling up the wall like monkeys, pulling off climbs I could only dream about making.  These same people were rocking out two finger pull ups on a climbing board on the other side of the gym. I was surrounded by dozens of skinny guys and girls, with seemingly not much muscle, but strength that was almost beyond imagination.  What’s the moral of the story?  Training to become strong and turning into a big, bulky, neckless wonder doesn’t need to go hand in hand.  You can become strong..very, very strong, without giving up your physique.

I’m not going to call him sexy strong…….let’s just say he’s really fit.

This is what you need to remind yourself the next time you’re afraid of picking up a weight because you think you’re going to instantly morph into Ray Lewis.  Getting that big takes work; it takes a lot of eating.  If you’re not eating for super size, you’re not going to have to worry about turning into a giant.

On the other side of the spectrum we have the people who only focus on lifting weights and forget another important aspect of sexy strong; building a strong cardiovascular system.  When you focus on bulking up and forget about the rest of your fitness, you’re putting yourself on the fast track to becoming a giant mound of muscle, incapable of much else besides being able to lift heavy objects in linear fashion.  No functionality, no practicality, just strong for the sake of being strong.

How to Get Sexy Strong

So if you’re looking for a well-rounded and healthy body, inside and out, it’s vital to focus your efforts on becoming sexy strong.  Take a well-rounded approach to your fitness and don’t neglect any one of the three pillars of your health. These pillars include:

• Good cardiovascular endurance
• High percentage of lean muscle mass and functional strength
• Great joint range of motion and flexibility

So what do you do?  How do you achieve sexy strong and avoid the pitfalls of fat strong?  Simply put, use a fitness routine that encompasses a wide range of fitness discipline and training methodologies.  This is something I’ve employed here at Share It Fitness, as well as with my real-world clients.  I call it Body Diversity Training, and I truly believe it’s the best and most effective way to build an incredibly fit and healthy body.

Training in this manner would mean using a variety of different cardiovascular workouts, varying your strength exercises, and including elements of yoga, pilates, and other fitness disciplines to ensure a well-rounded level of fitness.

So wherever you’re starting out, you have a choice to make – doesn’t matter if you’re beginning your fitness journey 80 lbs overweight or you’re already at 12% body fat and looking to take things to another level. Making the conscious decision to be sexy strong is the best decision you can possibly make.  Train all three pillars of your health and your reward will be a great body and health for years to come.

Nothing working? Not sure how to lose weight? Check out below…

There are few things in life that compare to the level of frustration one with an inability to lose weight will experience.  And I’m not talking about people who skip the gym, eat junk food, and go on bi-monthly diets.  Sorry to say it, but if this sounds like you, you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.  Right now, I’m talking about the people who have a pretty good idea of how to lose weight, eat cleanly, go to the gym, and STILL can’t drop the excess body fat.  You’ve heard it over and over again; fitness is simple.  But despite your best efforts, fitness is anything but simple and understandably so.  How can fitness be called simple when you do what you’re told and still don’t look how you know you should? Read on as we look at what even the most disciplined individuals can do to speed up their fat burning potential and finally achieve the body they so badly deserve.

Are you really doing everything you can?

The majority of people who come to me and tell me they’re doing everything perfectly, but still can’t lose weight, almost always have a little bit of, shall we say, “mis-remembering”, going on..  Are you REALLY doing everything you should be doing?  Until you are certain of this, you can’t claim you are unable to lose weight like “everyone else”.

Some often overlooked things you should be mindful of:

• Sugar intake.  How much sugar are you taking in each day?  Each cup of coffee or banana really will add up.
• Meals out.  How often are you really eating food cooked by someone else?  Sugar, fat, etc. are all hidden in restaurant meals.
• Missed workouts.  A missed workout here or there doesn’t seem like much, but they add up quickly.
• Workout schedule.  How long are you actually at the gym?  Going 6 days a week but for 20-minutes a session isn’t as much work as it seems.
• Alcohol habit.  Even if it’s only on the weekends, how much are you drinking?  These empty calories can wreak havoc on an otherwise picture perfect health plan.
• Late night eating.  Are you eating late at night?  Even worse, are you eating late at night after you’ve been drinking?
• Workout intensity and variety.  There is no such thing as “the perfect workout”…but there are damn hard workouts.  Are your workouts on par with the “lucky people” who don’t have excess weight to lose.

If you’re sitting around wondering how to lose weight faster or why you can’t seem to lose weight at all, I’d take a look at the above bullet points.  These seven factors are almost always what’s throwing a wrench into the equation.  One small (but habitual) slip up can be enough to throw your metabolism out of whack, slow down your calorie burning potential, and leave your body in a constant state of “average”.

Need a little extra help figuring things out?  Check out the top 10 ways you’ll know your workouts aren’t working.

How to Lose Weight and Burn More Fat When Nothing is Working

Let’s pretend you’ve passed that checklist above.  EVERYTHING is spot on and you’re just not making any progress.  Most often, simply turning up the heat on your workout is going to help get you over the hump.  Whether you’re stuck on a damn plateau or your body simply burns fat at a slower rate than other people, increasing the intensity of your workout plan is an almost guaranteed way to increase your caloric burn (and improve your body).  When we work out alone, as most of us do, it becomes way too easy to fall into a rut, or simply half-ass some of our workouts.

If you’re leaving the gym and not feeling exhausted, it’s no wonder your progress is slowing down.  You’ve GOT to push yourself hard.  If you think you’ve been working out at max effort for a while now, I’ve got a little test for you.  Give this treadmill interval workout a try to see how you stack up.

So how ya feelin’ after an hour of that treadmill interval?  If you’re absolutely exhausted, then good, that’s how you’re supposed to feel after a workout.  Not able to make it through the whole thing?  Now you see what a real cardio workout should be like.  Got through it no problem?  Ask yourself if you feel this way after most of your workouts.  The moral of the story is, the fittest and healthiest people are those who have found out how to push themselves.  Do whatever it takes, but be your own personal drill sergeant.  Get yourself to go faster, do another rep, and stay a little longer in the gym.  Putting in an extra 15 minutes may not seem like much, but if you’re used to doing an hour, that’s an extra 25% of work everyday.  What if you were burning 25% more calories everyday….that would add up in a hurry wouldn’t it?

Stop Comparing

The one thing you absolutely must realize is no two people are created alike (identical twins notwithstanding).  Just because workouts X, Y, Z and the _____ diet work for Joe, doesn’t mean they’re going to work for you.  Yes, it’s true that some people can eat what they want, workout half as long as you do, and have a body that just blows yours away.  Genetics certainly plays a role, but it’s not a foregone conclusion as to what you can or can’t achieve.  You’ve got to understand that some people simply have to work harder than others.  Your body may “want” to keep that fat around your stomach, and if you’re going to lose it, you’re going to have to put in more minutes doing cardio, or lifting weights, or whatever the case may be.  The point is, don’t compare your personal workouts to another person and assume because they work for them they will automatically work for you.  Prepare to push yourself harder, longer, and faster if necessary to reach your goals.

At the end of the day, you’ve also got to understand that while a lot of your health and physique is under your control, some of it is not.  Not everyone has the genetic makeup to bench press 500 pounds.  Every woman doesn’t have a Victoria’s Secret model body hiding inside of her.  The happiest and most successful people are the one’s who realize what they’ve been given and do everything in their power to improve upon it.

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Before we even begin to look at today’s workout plan, let’s first take a look at some of the most common problems people are facing.  Take a good look below and see which most closely resembles you.

“I’m fat, I need to lose weight!”

Okay so you’ve got an easy 30+ pounds to lose.  Maybe you don’t have much fitness experience, or maybe you do (in a distant past), that’s irrelevant.  You need to increase your caloric burning potential, give your metabolism a jump start, and focus on improving your diet.

“I’ve got muscle, but I can’t get RIPPED!”

So like it or not, you can’t get ripped because you’ve got too much fat.  When you burn away that layer of fat covering your muscles, you’ll become ripped, toned, cut….whatever you want to call it.  You need to increase your cardiovascular work to burn away that fat, while continuing to focus on strength training so you don’t lose your hard fought muscle in the process.  Following a diet that suits your training is essential.

“I’m a lean, mean, BEAST….but I’m stuck on this damn plateau!”

You’re fit, everyone in the gym knows your fit, but being an A personality, you can’t help but want to push yourself to new heights.  You still enviously look at the “more fit” people in the gym and wonder how you get to that level.  You’ve been mixing your workouts for a while now, but you still can’t get over that plateau you’re stuck on.  A plan that uses advanced training concepts and a variety of fitness disciplines is in order.

“I’m not fat, I’m not skinny…I’m just average…and I’m sick of it!”

You aren’t overweight, but you certainly aren’t getting compliments on your physique either.  You likely have soft, weak muscles and an average build.  Your endurance isn’t great; you get winded walking a flight of stairs for God’s sake.  You’re looking for a total fitness overhaul; you want the skinny waist, you want the muscular definition, and you want that healthy glow.  A balanced cross-training plan utilizing a variety of fitness methods will help you break out of that old “average” body and into something you can be proud of.

“I’m a dude but I fit into my girlfriends jeans…and no, I’m not emo”

So you’re a guy and you’re looking to add some muscle to that frail frame?  Would your physique make a high-fashion model jelaous?  You’ve likely tried working out in spurts, here and there over the years, but never realized much success.  It seems no matter what you do, you can’t develop any musculature.  You going to require a plan that focuses on utilizing advanced resistance methods, combined with explosive plyometrics for muscle growth and heart health.  A “growth” diet is essential if the above quote describes you.

The answer (the oh so awesome and amazing answer) to all of the above is a body + weight workout plan.  No, not a bodyweight workout plan, but a body + weight workout plan.  We’re not talking about giving you a series of bodyweight exercises (think: push ups, mountain climbers, crunches) and calling it a day.  We’re talking about pairing compound bodyweight exercises with challenging weighted exercises in a circuit style format to deliver maximum results in a hurry.

First, The Body….

The “body” component here, is derived from plyometric, body weight exercises that are designed to build lean, explosive muscle, while jacking your heart rate to maximize your caloric burn.  Think about that…two birds one stone.  Not only are you going to improve your muscular endurance and physique, you’re going to shed calories and fat in the process.  As an added, and awesome bonus, this high-intensity manner of training will do wonders for your metabolism, thereby helping you torch calories at an increased rate all day long.  You’re 60 minute jog on the treadmill could never do that.

You burn calories by increasing heart rate.  You could do that by jogging, swimming, biking, etc.  But as I always stress, long bouts of steady state cardio are simply inefficient for the overwhelming majority of exercisers.  First, it’s going to eat up your muscle mass, leaving you with a soft, frail, and weak body.  Second, because your muscle mass is being used for energy, the layer of fat covering your body is going to be reduced at a snail’s pace.  You want an “average” body like we mentioned above?  Well, then long bouts of steady-state cardio is the choice for you.  Assuming you don’t…keep reading.

Next, the Weight…

The next component of this workout plan is the weighted resistance training.  We’re jumping back and forth between high-intensity body weight training, and big, powerful, explosive lifts.  We’re not going for dinky dumbbell curls….or tricep kickbacks.  We’re looking for a total body overhaul here and little isolation exercises aren’t going to get it done.  As we quickly shift from an explosive body weight exercise to pumping iron, we’re going to exponentially build upon the caloric burn rate set in motion by the high-intensity body weight stu8ff.  The result is a deadly combination of fat burning and muscle building glory.

By utilizing heavy weights and lower rep cycles, we’re going to force our body to go into overdrive.  This overdrive is going to spike our EPOC and resulting metabolism.  This double-shot action will do wonders for our overall caloric burn well after the workout has ended.  Now, for all of you out there who are worried this increased caloric burn will make building muscle a bit too difficult…don’t worry.  We’re also using a variety of lift/rest sequences to keep your body guessing.  There is no standard 30/60/etc second rest during this workout.  Depending on the exercise that precedes it, the rest time is going to vary.  You’ll have just enough rest to recuperate, but not enough to feel as though you’re 100% fresh.  This balanced attack is the key to making success with this workout plan.

The Body + Weight Workout Plan

When broken down into simplest form, this body + weight workout plan is actually a psuedo complex circuit with metabolic conditioning and HIIT elements.  This Frankenstein of workout plan delivers awesomely quick results, and most importantly, is easily tweaked for nearly any body type.  It doesn’t matter where you fall; whether you’re 30 pounds overweight or rail thin and wanting to bulk up.  When paired with an appropriate diet, this type of training will blow everything else out of the water.

To make things easy, as you’ll notice, each sequence groups exercises with other similar exercises.  What this means is, you won’t be running from the bench press, to the cable machine, to the free weight section to complete a full sequence.  All exercises in a sequence can be performed and completed in one little area.  Some sequences require a barbell, some a dumbbell, others use cables, etc. Just get everything you need from the start and you won’t waste any time switching between exercises.

As I mentioned above, we’re going for big, heavy, compound lifts here.  I’m suggesting 6-8 reps per exercise.  To make the most of these 6-8 repetitions, you’ll want a weight that makes completing the 7th rep difficult, and then 8th nearly impossible (without losing form of course).  If you’re breezing through these 6-8 reps, you’ve GOT to bump the weight.  The secret to this workout plan lies in its ability to shock your system by switching between fast-paced cardio and heavy lifts.  This combo is essential if you want to make gains using this system.

For each complete workout, choose FOUR of the seven sequences listed below.  Since we’re repeating each sequence three times, each workout will feature 12 mini-circuits.  Depending on sequences chosen, you should be looking at total workouts that take NO MORE than 35-45 minutes.  This workout plan will get you in and out of the gym in a hurry, and leave you feeling (and looking) fitter and healthier than you have in years.

Vary the sequences you choose each workout, along with their order.  Aim to complete the Body + Weight workout plan 4-5 days a week.  Be sure to hit each sequence at least once a week.

Repeat each sequence three times.  Rest when indicated.

Sequence #1

• 30 seconds Twist Jumps
• 6-8 reps Bent Over Barbell Rows
• 30 seconds Crab Kicks/rest 15 seconds
• 6-8 reps Clean and Press
• Rest 15 seconds

Sequence #2

• 30 seconds Mule Kicks
• 6-8 reps Dumbbell Bench Press/rest 10 seconds/3-6 reps Dumbbell Bench Press/rest 10 seconds
• 30 seconds Triple Plank Hop
• 6-8 Reps Reverse Dumbbell Lunge and Curl/3-6 Reverse Dumbbell Lunge and Curl/rest 10 seconds
• 30 seconds Mule Kicks
• Rest 30 seconds

Sequence #3

• 30 seconds High Knees/10 second rest/30 seconds High Knees
• 6-8 Wide Grip Seated Rows
• 30 seconds Bench (or box) Jumps/10 second rest/30 seconds Bench (or box) Jumps
• 6-8 Face Pulls
• Rest 30 seconds

Sequence #4

• 60 seconds Super Climbers
• 6-8 reps Deadlifts
• 30 seconds Hindu Push Ups
• 6-8 reps Front Presses
• 60 seconds Super Climbers
• Rest 45 seconds

Sequence #5

• 60 seconds Weighted Burpees
• 6-8 Cable Ab Crunches/10 seconds rest/4-8 Cable Ab Crunches/10 seconds rest
• 60 seconds Up/Down Planks
• 6-8 Weighted Hanging Knee Raises/10 seconds rest 4-6 Hanging Knee Raises (grip a dumbbell between your feet)
• 60 seconds Weighted Burpees
• Rest 60 seconds

Sequence #6

• 30 seconds Mountain Climbers
• 6-8 Close Grip Bench Press
• 30 seconds Squat Jumps
• 6-8 Dumbbell Flys
• Rest 15 seconds

Sequence #7

• 30 seconds 180 Planks/rest 15 seconds/30 seconds 180 Planks
• 10-12 Elevated Feet Push Ups/rest 10 seconds/6-8 Elevated Feet Push Ups/rest 10 seconds
• 30 seconds Lateral Bench Hops/rest 15 seconds/30 seconds Lateral Bench Hops
• 10-12 Bench Dips/rest 10 seconds/6-8 Bench Dips/rest 10 seconds
• 30 seconds 180 Planks/rest 15 seconds/30 seconds 180 Planks
• Rest 30 seconds

As your training abilities and fitness level increases, you’ll want to find ways to continually push yourself.  As you progress with this plan, aim to include an extra round per sequence, increase weights used, and complete more total reps during timed body weight exercises.  A lot of making progress in the gym has to do a lot with what’s going on between your ears.  If you can find a way to push harder, faster, and stronger, you’ll be rewarded with gains that last a lifetime.

If you’ve got any questions about this workout plan, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll be happy to get back to you.  Also, be sure to subscribe to the blog so you’ll be notified when additional sequences are added to increase the variety of this plan.  Until then, get your mind and body right, and train like your life depends on it.

Image Credit: http://www.crossfitlakecharlessouth.com

BIG BIG news here at Share It Fitness! The complete revamp of our website and concept is almost complete! We’ve gained lots of amazing comments, suggestions and ideas during our 4 month Beta period and all that has paid huge dividends. We have a few very exciting programs upcoming, but one of the big ones for trainers that we are announcing today is our FitAnywhere platform.

FitAnywhere Concept

If you are familiar with Share It Fitness and have been following our blog and website for the last 18 months, you know we really do believe being fit and living a healthy lifestyle is not a complicated concept! It merely takes some dedication, moderation, and access to top-quality fitness instruction and information! Unfortunately, it’s no secret that there is an obesity epidemic in America, which is largely the result of lack of that top-quality fitness instruction and information that we mentioned above.

People inherently want to be healthy, look great and FEEL amazing! Without a basic understanding of how to achieve these, though, the curve of obesity and a sedentary/unhealthy lifestyle rises sharply. At Share It Fitness, we have been creating engaging workout plans, killer exercise videos, healthy recipes, and healthy lifestyle guidance for almost three years now. We don’t believe in miracle diets, fad workouts or repetitive DVDs that have you performing the same group of workouts endlessly. Giving people another alternative is where the concept of our website took shape. We wanted to make top-quality fitness instruction ACCESSIBLE, DIVERSE and AFFORDABLE to ANYONE! Utilizing OnDemand video classes that end users can view from the privacy of their living room at a rate under 10 dollars a month allows even the most intrepid beginner access to TRY fitness and see that it’s not as intimidating as they may think! There are several sites out there that offer OnDemand video workouts, but unfortunately the extent of their workouts come from just a few internal trainers. A quick search of YouTube shows the multitudes of trainer styles, methods and mantras out there, and we want to not only make those accessible in an easily navigable index for end users, but also provide trainers a way to monetize their methods, doing exactly what they already do. All you need is a video camera!

How Does FitAnywhere Work?

Fit Anywhere is simple. From your personal administration page you can add a picture, bio information, upload video workouts you’ve created and start promoting your channel to your current clients, facebook friends, twitter followers, blog subscribers and beyond! Your channel costs each subscriber only $8/month or $80/year (you keep $5 or $50 respectively for each subscriber!) and gives them full access to your premium videos. We require every channel provider to offer at least 2 free classes of at least 25 minutes in order to not only advertise and promote themselves (these free videos can be shared via social media), but also grows our free library of videos that makes video instruction absolutely free to those without the means to subscribe! The number of subscribe-only videos you add on a regular basis is up to you, but obviously new videos equal incentive for subscriber loyalty!

What’s In It For Me?

Added income – At $5/subscriber, there is huge income potential. Many trainers that run blogs have thousands of subscribers…imagine being able to recruit those loyal subscribers for a low monthly fee to access classes that you probably already offer for free!

Value add for current clients – With the ability to offer coupon codes to your current clients, you can offer subscription to your channel for free or at a discounted price! Offer classes to your on-the-go clients while traveling, or assign homework for days that you aren’t meeting with them in person!

Potential to recruit new local clients – With a full details page on your channel, you can publish your location, hours, and provide visitors to your channel with your contact information. If a potential client lives in your local area, what better marketing than trying your “product”? We allow all of our providers to post guest content on our blog (with a link to their channel page) which receives hundreds of thousands of unique visitors a month.

Okay I’m Sold!! What Do I Do Next?

You, as a potential Share It Fitness ambassador and content provider contact us using the contact form below.  A representative from our team will reach out to you and have you send your fitness resume to us.  While that is being reviewed, record a sample workout and post on Youtube (no more than 10 minutes please!). If we feel you have the camera presence and background to be successful on our site, you will be provided a channel administration platform on our site. A few requirements:

• You must have a camera that can record in HD. If you live in or can travel to the San Diego, CA area, arrangements CAN be made to film you by the Share It Fitness production crew. If you need recommendations on great cameras, we can make recommendations for ones around $300.
• Record a sample workout class no more than ten minutes, post to Youtube, and send us the link

There are several great free video editing programs out there, and learning them takes a few hours, but it’s time very well spent as this is a great skill for any fitness professional to have in today’s evolving fitness industry! There are of course much more advanced video editing programs, and as your subscription base grows, you’ll want to up the quality of your videos! We’re here to support you, and as your user base grows, we’ll help you grow with them! We have a video production team on call to support all providers! Two recommendations for starters:

1. Microsoft Movie Maker for Windows users
2. Apple iMovie for Mac users

Once you are accepted as a provider, we will send you some links for free online classes that will give you the basics for video editing so you can constantly improve your offerings! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves…send us your resume and post your video as soon as possible! We can’t wait to work with you, and make Share It Fitness the epicenter of accessible, diverse fitness instruction!

Secure Your Place Today!!  Only the first 100 trainers selected will get lifetime hosting for free!