Whether you are just getting started on an exercise program, or a seasoned veteran of a fitness regime, centering your routine on your core is imperative to improved performance and longevity. In general terms, the core is defined as being central to the existence of something, so why wouldn’t we put the most emphasis on the core musculature of our body?

The core literally dictates our physical potential for functional movement, strength, and athleticism. The core can also be the root cause of general low back pain, musculoskeletal imbalance (poor posture), movement dysfunction (coordination), and even certain injuries through out the entire body.

Our nervous system will only allow our larger muscles to activate to the degree that the associated joints are stable and dynamic equilibrium is maintained. (Edgerton, Med Sci Sports Exercise) Hence the statement “you are only as strong as your weakest link” being that your core serves as the foundation for movement.

The Importance of Building Core Strength Thru an Integrated Progressive Approach

To achieve a highly functioning core, follow a progression that builds upon the stability and mobility of the hips, low back, and shoulder girdle in multiple planes of movement.

1. Establish a solid kinesthetic awareness as to the optimal body posture / alignment /positioning from which to strengthen the core thru basic stabilization exercises. (Strengthening the core with improper posture will only reinforce or create dysfunction and weakness.)

Floor Examples:
• Face up bridge (plank)
• Face down bridge (plank)
• Side bridge (plank)
• Isometric half squat

2. Incorporate basic “Dynamic Stabilization” exercises, which integrate mobility of the limbs while maintaining proper body alignment / posture.

Examples:
• Any Level one exercise while moving a limbs in sync or out sink with each other. Light resistance can be applied manually, or through weights, resistance bands, cables, etc.
• Bird-dog exercise

3. Improve strength that results from dynamic movement of the trunk and extremities involving selected groups of muscles.

Examples:
• Fwd / Side Crunches
• Trunk Rotations
• Dead lifts

4. Increase power and explosiveness to further challenge the core thru Plyometric movement.

Examples:
• Medicine ball throws
• Explosive push-ups
• Kettle Bell swings

If you are in good health, realistically you can spend two to four weeks of progression on each area. Once you’ve completed all four phases, then it will be important to revisit some variation of each at least once per week to maintain. If you are involved in an activity that demands more improvement from one of those areas, then you can always add an extra session per week.

Maximize Your Results Potential by Working with a Professional Trainer in Venice, CA

The most beneficial way to learn how to train your core is to work with a professional and get “hands on” training. There is no substitute.

Are you ready to Advance your training?

I would love to get you set up properly with a personalized progression for your core. Call, or email so we can get you on the fast track to reaching your goals. You can schedule a free fitness or nutrition assessment.

Or you can call me directly at 1 310 396 2100 and I’ll talk with you about a personalized plan to fit your specific needs and goals.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you again soon.

If you’re looking to take your conditioning to the next level, doing the stairs is a great way to challenge yourself consistently. On any given day, you can see professional and recreational athletes, celebrities, and local fitness enthusiasts all huffing and puffing together to get into better shape.

To find the stairs, take 4th Street going north from anywhere in Santa Monica until it dead ends. There is a set of cement stairs that are immediately to the right that many people choose to do. However, I suggest walking east, around 100 yards or so, to the next set of stairs, which are made of wood, and also a couple of feet wider. The wood is a better surface because it is more forgiving on the body, and the width makes going up and down a lot safer.

Monitor Your Heart Rate to Measure Intensity Levels During Stair Training

Download the Workout

{Stair workouts can be done anywhere there is a flight of stairs of at least 15 steps. This can be your home, office building, local park, etc.}

The Importance of Progression When Doing a Santa Monica Stairs Workout

If you don’t follow a progressive program, you could end up with severe muscle soreness, and potential joint pain.

On the other hand, following a progression will allow your body to build the strength and stamina to withstand the impact stairs have on the body. This will allow you to have a much better experience to facilitate consistency, and get greater results.

Beginner – Intermediate Level
If you are not yet accustomed to doing a stair workout or walking stairs period, it is best to begin with doing only 3-5 flights total. (The average flight of steps is 15 steps.) Over a period of weeks and months focus on just increasing the number of stairs within a specific period 30 – 45 minutes. The performance goals for you are to:
• Have little or no rest in between sets of stairs
• Increase the number of sets over the course of days, weeks, and months.
• Feel better overall

Intermediate to Advanced Level
Incorporate timed intervals and recovery periods to mark specific improvement. Increasing the number of sets will also create improvement overall. The performance goals for you are to
• Increase speed and decrease time
• Improve the working heart rate
• Improve the recovery heart rate

Mental Focus On Details Establishes Efficiency and Injury Prevention

*Tips:
• Focus on breathing to support the exertion on the way up, and the recovery on the way down.
• Focus on moving through your center (hips & abdomen) to drive you forward and up the stairs.
• Focus on driving through the entire foot as you step up to engage the upper thighs and glutes. (The more muscle involved the more calories burned.) This does not apply when you are jogging or sprinting up the stairs.
• It is just as important to pay attention to how well you control your movement going down as it does going up. Stay light going down instead of coming down hard on each step. Utilize your muscles to soften the impact on your joints and bones. YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU!
• Record progress each workout to keep you motivated. You can detail as much as you want from number of sets, stairs, duration, heart rates (average, maximum, and recovery), and how you felt (before, during, and after) doing them.

Stair Facts:
• The average flight of stairs is 15 steps.
• The Empire State Building has 102 floors and 1860 steps.
• The Washington Monument has 897 steps.
• The Eiffel Tower has 1652 steps to the very top, and 704 allowed by visitors.

Caution:
A stair workout is considered safe; however it is recommended that a partner or trainer is present in case of accidental injury. Seek approval from a doctor before performing the exercise if you are experiencing or have in the past experienced a heart condition, high blood pressure, bone or joint problem, diabetes, experienced chest pain (while sedentary or during exercise), lose your balance because of dizziness, loss of consciousness, or any other reason why you should not do physical activity.

I would love to get you set up properly with a personalized progression for your cardio program. Call, or email so we can get you on the fast track to reaching your goals. You can schedule a free fitness or nutrition assessment.

Or you can call me directly at 1 310 396 2100 and I’ll talk with you about a personalized plan to fit your specific needs and goals.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you again soon.

Leah, my cousin who is an avid runner, wrote and asked me on Facebook…how can she build back her momentum with running after an injury? Unfortunately injuries are a common interruption for any athlete, or fitness enthusiast. They are never welcome, but there is always something to be learned from the experience. It’s usually our body’s way of telling us to pay better attention to it.

Return from Injury by Learning the Cause

If after an injury we are not properly attending to the issue that caused the injury in the first place, or allowing adequate time for healing and rehab before we hit the ground running, then we are putting ourselves at risk for re-injury, or a compensatory new injury.

On the other hand, if we do respect our body, learn from the injury, and the associated experience of being limited in our activity, then the approach to rebuilding momentum will be thoughtfully planned out, and a return to form will happen soon enough. Here are some simple tips for returning from injury, and building momentum:

The Importance of Progressing Slowly with Injury Rehab

• Be fully healed and rehabbed before participating in activities that may aggravate the injury…Avoid anything that causes pain. If the injury required medical attention – Get clearance from your doctor or physical therapist.

• Learn what may have caused the injury, and focus on correcting that imbalance through stretching and strengthening.

• In building momentum, start slowly using low intensity, low volume, and plenty of recovery. Then progress over a period of weeks to higher levels of intensity, volume, and always give ample recovery for healing and regeneration.

• Map out your progression in a schedule, and stick to the plan.

I know that once we start feeling good again, we want to push ourselves even further, but this can easily backfire. If you are coming back from injury, and want to do it safely and efficiently, take a piece of paper now and write out an action plan with the strategies that will support your return to glory.

I also want to support you, and will make myself available to give you the coaching you want and need. Call, or email so we can get you on the fast track to reaching your goals. Again, you can schedule a free fitness or nutrition assessment.

Or you can call me directly at 1 310 396 2100 and I’ll talk with you about a personalized plan to fit your specific needs and goals.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you again soon.

Missy, a client from Gold’s Gym, and good friend, wrote and asked me on Facebook…how can she manage a busy schedule with work and family, and still take care of her health?

Making Your Health Your Priority

I think this question comes up for most of us just with work, let alone with children. This is so important because if we aren’t taking care of our own health, how can we expect to be there for anyone else? If we tend to everyone else’s needs and not our own, then we put ourselves in hole that can be harder and harder to climb out of. This pattern can lead to a loss of our own sense of self, and overall well-being.

If you choose to make your health a priority, then your ability to manage your daily affairs, and be at your best with your family will improve dramatically. Making yourself a priority means that you are committed to balancing your life in a way that allows you to take time each and every day to maintain/improve your health.

The Importance of Planning and Support in Achieving Fitness Goals

Here are a couple tips that can make a big difference:

1. Sit down and create a schedule that includes weekly work, and family/relationship obligations, then schedule in each day the adequate time for you to handle your health commitment. Then follow it.

2. Reach out for support to your significant other, a family member, friend, or colleague, etc., and let them know what your objectives are.
Ask for their support, and how you would like that support to look.

If you are serious about making this permanent change in your life now, get out your scheduler and make an appointment for yourself every day, and follow it. Reach out for support when you need it. Those who are close to you, and care about you are going to want to support you with being healthier, so don’t hesitate to ask.

I also want to support you, and will make myself available to give you the coaching you want and need. Call, or email so we can get you on the fast track to reaching your goals. Again, you can schedule a free fitness or nutrition assessment.

Or you can call me directly at 1 310 396 2100 and I’ll talk with you about a personalized plan to fit your specific needs and goals.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you again soon.

Missy, a client from Gold’s Gym and good friend wrote and asked me on Facebook…what are the healthiest ways to increase my energy levels?

Stabilize Blood Sugar to Improve Energy

Great question Missy! Who of us couldn’t use more energy at certain times of the day or night when we need to be focused, productive, or present with whom ever we are with? If you don’t improve your energy in a healthy way, you can easily fall victim to low blood sugar levels causing you to become irritable, sluggish, and distracted until you reach for a quick fix.

That may look like drinking coffee, or some other caffeinated energy drink with loads of sugar, and having sweets, and/or overeating in a meal. One or a combination of these over a period of time creates eventual crashes in energy, and a craving for more of the same things that got you there in the first place…not to mention training your body to store more body fat…enough said.

On the other hand, if you are looking to address improvements in energy in a healthy way, you can stabilize your blood sugar, and therefore create a stable emotional state, increase productivity, and be present for your relationships. In addition, you will train your body to release body fat stores.

Having a foundation to health is important to maintain, which includes sleep, water, nutrition, exercise, and supplementation. One or a combination of those for you may need to be adjusted to make a difference in energy.

If you are already getting adequate sleep, taking a good multi-vitamin mineral and an Essential Fatty Acid, and exercising regularly, then I would suggest working on improving your nutrition, and monitor water intake to make sure you are staying hydrated.

The Importance of Balanced Nutrition in Increasing Energy

Evaluate your nutrition. A general recommendation to stabilize the blood sugar is to have a ratio of 35%Carbs 35%Protein, and 30% fat in each meal. Each meal must be calorically appropriate to your gender, goals, and activity level. Your meal intervals should be every 3-4 hours. It is the combination of those three things working together to stabilize your blood sugar.

The Effects of Dehydration on Your Health & Energy

Monitor your water intake. Water is the main source of energy for the body along with food. By the time you wait until you are thirsty, it’s too late. Your body has reached a dehydrated state. At least 4 quarts of water throughout the day are necessary to maintain healthy urine flow, and kidney function.

If you want to get started now on improving your energy in a healthy, get a notebook today so that you can write a food journal tomorrow with the times you eat, and what you eat. This will give you some idea of how you are at, and what adjustments may need to be take place.

Take note of your energy levels throughout the day. Also, keep a large bottle of water with you throughout the day, and drink it frequently. Measure how much you had at the end of the day. Start fresh tomorrow.

I’d love to help you achieve higher levels of energy, and improve the quality of your life now. I will make myself available for an assessment with you. Call, or email so we can get you on the fast track to reaching your goals. Again, you can schedule a free fitness or nutrition assessment.

Or you can call me directly at 1 310 396 2100 and I’ll talk with you about a personalized plan to fit your specific needs and goals.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you again soon.

Paula, a woman who trains at Gold’s Gym here in Venice wrote and asked me on Facebook asks what are some ways to slow down the aging process, and prevent becoming fat, frail, and looking like a senior citizen before your time?

Turning Back The Aging Process Through Nutrition & Exercise

Good question Paula. This is an important topic because growing old is an inevitable process for us all. If we don’t address it, the decline of our health will take place at a more rapid pace, making us 10-20 years older than we really are. Putting us at high risk for disease, cancer, and chronic pain.

However if you take the initiative to be proactive with forming habits that are components to a healthy lifestyle, then you will be in a position of prevention. As they say…”an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.

Build a foundation around a health structure that includes these 5 components: Sleep, Water, Nutrition, Exercise, and Supplementation. Why are these the things we should focus on?…because these are the things that are actually in our control, and we can do something about.

The Importance Of Nutrition In Fitness & Lasting Health

One area that I see that most people have challenges is nutrition. Eating nutritious foods, in the right portions, and intervals throughout the day is what counts most to keep our internal system in balance.

The Effects Of Stress On Aging And Your Health & Fitness

Second is stress management. Finding a healthy outlet to unwind, decompress, and find time for you is essential to maintaining a healthy mental state. Scientific evidence has proven that stress shortens the life span of cells, and speeds up the body’s deterioration. Therefore, intense, long-term emotional strain can make people get sick and grow old before their time.

If you are really looking to be proactive with anti-aging, take on your health now and focus on making sure that your nutrition is centered around blood sugar stabilization, and you are scheduling time each day for yourself to decompress what ever that looks like for you.

I’d love to help you, and will make myself available for an assessment with you. Call, or email so we can get you on the fast track to reaching your goals. Again, you can schedule a free fitness or nutrition assessment.

Or you can call me directly at 1 310 396 2100 and I’ll talk with you about a personalized plan to fit your specific needs and goals.

Thanks for reading, and I will talk to you again soon.

Adam~

When I have balance in my life then:

• Harmony  is possible 
• Productivity is possible 
• Relationships are possible 
• Health is possible 
• Fitness is possible 
• Spirituality is possible 
• Recreation is possible 
• Family is possible 
• Giving back is possible 
• Business success is possible 
• Financial success is possible

I am committed to having balance in my life.

There are many more ways to open up the possibilities in  life.  What are some others?

Set yourself up to win!  It takes forward thinking to create a plan of action that will allow you to balance a busy schedule.   Your commitments to work, family, social engagements, and spiritual practices can often overwhelm your day, leaving behind your most important commitment to your own health and fitness.
Schedule your meals, snacks, and exercise time for each day.  It’s the most productive thing you can do to be at your best for all of your other commitments.   Having a structured day is entirely possible for everyone who is committed to setting themselves up to win in order to achieve their goals.  That includes a contingency plan when there are unexpected disruptions in the schedule.  One of the things that I have found very helpful is to prepare food for a few days in advance, so that it’s ready for me when I’m on the go…which is almost all the time.  How are you setting yourself up to win in your everyday life?

It is said that every challenge is an opportunity for personal growth.  If taking on the Advanced Athletics Nutrition system is any different from what you are used to, don’t be surprised when some internal resistance to change shows up in the process.  This is because your belief system is being challenged.  Your beliefs are also known as your automatic.  Changing your beliefs will take constant reinforcement and encouragement to enhance the probability of success.   That is what the Advanced Athletics Nutrition Coaches are there for.  Reaching out for support when you need it is an example of your willingness to do whatever it takes to reach your goals.

What is your automatic when it comes to your health and fitness?  Do you believe that you can overcome your challenges with your own committed actions?  Are those challenges real or perceived by you as challenges?  How have your perceptions affected your ability to succeed up until now?  What is it going to take from you now to make it all come true?

How quickly and sturdily can you build a house if you don’t use the blueprints and the best tools to do the job?  Have you ever bought something to make your life more productive, efficient, and easier and then not use it?  How well are you taking advantage of the resources and tools that are available to create the success you want for your health & fitness?  All the information we could ever want to know is available at our fingertips.  Take for example AdvancedAthleticsNutrition.com, everything you could possibly want to know in regards to creating a nutritionally sound healthy lifestyle is in one place, with tools that can be used day-to-day, and even meal-to-meal.

Whenever I get tired of eating the same thing and looking for some alternatives, I just edit my food options to create something fresh.  If I am starting to feel like I am not making the progress that I want, I will start to journal for a few days, and often times see that I haven’t been as disciplined as I thought I was with my eating.

When I have reached my goal and ready for a new plan, I regenerate the whole program to meet me where I am and take me where I want to go.  If I am going to be out of town, I can find healthy alternatives for dining out.  If I am introduced to a new food that I want to incorporate in my plan, and the item is not on the list, I can just add the nutritional values, and add it to my meal options.  Perfect!  It’s all there for me whenever I need it.  Those are just a few examples of what is available.

How are you making the most of your health and fitness tools?