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Tuesday, September 14, 2010

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Monday, August 9, 2010

February 22nd, 2009 at 1:17 pm

The toning problem: why women are missing out when it comes to weight training

I have lost count of the number of women who say to me, “I don’t want to do weight lifting, I just want to tone up a bit.” I am sure that many of you have heard the same sort of thing and as people who understand the benefits of weight training you want to be able to change their minds. But how do we do it when the myths and negative images around weight training are so deeply embedded?

“There is no such thing as ‘firming and toning’. There is only stronger and weaker.”
- Mark Rippetoe, ‘Sex, Appearance and Training’, Crossfit Journal May 2007

Weight training gets a very bad press and yet it is an incredibly beneficial thing to do. Alleviating back pain, making it easier to burn fat, improving flexibility and posture, increasing strength and bone density, increased confidence – these are some of the great benefits.

If someone wants to run or cycle or play a running-around sport for its own sake I have no problem with that – heck, I belong to a running club myself. But if women are only getting into running or aerobics or pilates because they think it will make them healthier or thinner, then that is a source of frustration because they are only tapping into a limited area of exercise which will not necessarily result in well-rounded fitness and is not ideal for many people.

I have said before that I no longer believe that the simplistic argument that weight training makes you look good is effective. I don’t want to appeal to women on the level of image, for two reasons. Firstly weight training has so many negative images associated with it that it’s difficult to overturn these with mere words. A woman called mae on a strength training message forum once wisely pointed out:

“Any female who expresses concern about getting “bulky” has seen a woman she considers bulky and knows that she doesn’t want to look that way. And everyone has their own idea of what “bulky” means: while most people on this forum would disagree, there are plenty of girls who would say the Crossfit women are too bulky. In other words, women are capable of getting bulky–it just depends on how one defines “bulky”.

squat girlIn fact most people look much bulkier in the gym than they do on the street. Tight fitting gym clothes and muscle pump can make you look very different, as any fitness model knows! The same woman who seems ‘bulky’ in the midst of a workout will look fantastic in a little black dress at a party.

Nevertheless it is difficult to argue that weight training won’t make you bulky when for years the industry has been selling itself as doing just that. No matter that the industry made promises it couldn’t keep and many of its stars were on steroids – this is the image that people have been left with and it is incredibly hard to shift.

The second reason is that what people will do to themselves for the sake of looking good is not the same as what people are prepared to do for health and fitness. For example there will always be some women who are prepared to starve themselves or go on fad diets in order to look better, but I believe there are higher numbers of women these days who want to eat better in order to increase health, longevity and resistance to disease.

Likewise there is potentially more mileage in teaching women that weight training is good for them, than in trying to persuade women that weight training will make them look hot. It will – but most women will only be persuaded of this after it actually happens, not before! In the meantime, the argument that they need to do weight training for health could bear more fruit.

Aspiration

There’s nothing wrong with aspiring to look good, but it is a pity if this is the only aspiration, especially for the younger generation. I would like to think that women can aspire to be healthy, strong and athletic in the same way as many men do.

Women have shown that when they take on the traditional male preserves, for example in business, politics or academia, they can not only be successful on a personal level but can change society’s perceptions and move things forward. I believe that strength training is part of that change too. In fact it is one of the few untapped areas of life where women are still considered to be virtually incapable. We’ve got our degrees, we’ve built the high-flying career and we’ve run a marathon – why the hell aren’t we getting stronger too?!

It is important for trainers and instructors to help break down the mental barriers by giving their clients the belief that they can do things. My sense is that many fitness professionals all too easily give in to their clients saying “I can’t” or “I don’t want to”, presumably for fear of losing them as clients.

Yet women who would think nothing of picking up a child who weighs 20kg are told they are not strong enough to handle an olympic bar (this happened to me a few years ago). Most women would be pushing more weight if they did bicep curls with their one year old baby than with the pink dumbbells they pick up in the gym, since a one year old weighs about 9kg.

But imagine the joy and sense of achievement that a client can experience when they do shift something heavier than they thought they could manage. Surely it is the role of any personal trainer or fitness instructor to help their clients achieve something they could not do on their own.

The next big thing?

I believe strength training is the undiscovered ‘next big thing’. We’ve seen amazing strides in public health in recent years, from reducing smoking to healthy eating and encouraging exercise, albeit only a particular form of exercise (low intensity cardio).

But there’s an unacknowledged secret to real health and it is strength training. I am not talking about lifting a 3kg dumbbell because you think it will ‘tone’ you, I am talking about the aspiration to be stronger and the desire to train in a manner than sees results and progression in terms not just of shape but of strength and health.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

How to Overcome Fear and Doubt and Get Anything You Want In Life

Great Post by Bedro Keuilian

Posted on November 3, 2009 By Bedros

Fear and doubt are a bitch. naked-runners

If there were ever two elements in life that would guarantee that your life would suck ass, that you’d experience zero success in anything you do, and that you’d be miserable in every way - it’s the feelings of fear and doubt.

Most people experience fear and doubt throughout life.

It’s normal…

It’s part of life…

And I bet head shrinks would even say SOME small levels of fear and doubt are healthy.

But if you ask me what the top two reasons are that destroy dreams, kill ambition, and stop most people from getting what they want in life, I’d tell you it’s FEAR and DOUBT.

THE ULTIMATE DREAM KILLERS

And even a little is too much.

Here’s what happen…


A dude see’s a girl he likes. She might like him, too. But his fears and doubts override his logic and desire to get what he wants and he never asks her out. Disappointing himself and her.
shmula-failure
You have an idea for a business. It sounds like a winner. But when it’s time for the rubber to meet the road you start thinking up all the POTENTIAL problems your business might experience and the risk that comes along and so you scrap the idea. Leaving yourself and starving market place disappointed.

Variations of the two examples above happen hundreds of times each day.

- I want to start this awesome business – but I don’t have enough money.
Bullshit! You’re afraid of failure. Afraid of hard work. Afraid of going broke.

- Just as soon as I get a better job or get that raise I’m going to start saving up for a home.
Bullshit! You don’t think you deserve a home. You’re afraid that you might lose it. Cause if you REALLY wanted that home you’ll find a way to make that increase in pay happen TODAY.

- I’m going to start exercising and watching my diet as soon as I get my business in order, or get over this cold, or when January rolls around.
Bullshit! You’re afraid of change. You doubt you can take and keep it off. You don’t think you REALLY deserve it.

Fear and doubt are the two most limiting emotions EVER.
And for some reason folks live in this super heightened state of fear and doubt NOW more than ever.

Let me draw you a word picture of what happens when you let fear and doubt creep into your head.

It all starts with the thoughts that occupy your mind.

First the negative self-talk begins (sometimes without you ever consciously knowing it).

The negative self-talk leads to limiting actions and behaviors.

The limiting actions and behaviors lead to self-sabotage and a sorry “attempt” at doing something good for yourself.

And nothing feels better than saying “I tired but it didn’t work out” when really you had programmed yourself to fail along.

But self-pity feels good. It makes it “not your fault”. And so the cycle continues.

Like I said…

…FEAR AND DOUBT ARE A BITCH and they create a vicious cycle of failures in life.

But there is a way to overcome fear and doubt and get anything you want in life. fearless1

First you gotta know where both of these crappy feelings come from.

FEAR, when you distil it down to its core is UNCERTAINTY.

DOUBT, at it’s core level is FEAR OF FAILURE.

Take a look at the state the world is in today. The global wars, the economy and the scare of sickness (like swine flu) have people living in UNCERTAINTY and in FEAR OF FAILURE.

But like I said there is a way to overcome this bitch and get anything you want in life.

Check it out… it’s easier than you think.

How to get over the fear of failure and uncertainty.

Are you ready for this?….

Here it comes…

seal1Fail more often! And when you do get up, look fear in the eye and try it again.

I don’t know crap about baseball. But I do know that Babe Ruth struck out WAY more times than he hit home runs. But everyone knows him as the homerun king.

Everyone knows Trump as the successful real estate mogul. But if you read his book you’ll see he fail several times – BIG – and at one point had a NEGATIVE net worth of $900 MILLION with dozens of bankers on his ass.

What if Trump stopped there?

What if Babe Ruth dropped the bat and walked off after his first strike out?

Fear and doubt are the two most TOXIC things that can occupy your mind.

Here’s an exercise to help you overcome uncertainty and fear of failure – which is basically what fear and doubt really are.

Let’s say that you’re trying to do something big for yourself.

For example, lets say you’re trying to open up a personal training studio. The idea of taking on so much risk is scary.

Throughout the months fear and doubt might creep into your head several times. And when they do you gotta take immediate action to squash’em.

Here’s what you do… Find something that brings you some level of fear or doubt when you think about it. BUT it has to be something that you can overcome RIGHT NOW and not months from now when a project is done.

Example: skydiving might freak you out. GOOD…look at it in the eyes and go out, pay the $400 bucks and do it THIS WEEKEND. arested

There are a lot of things you can do RIGHT NOW to overcome fear and self doubt. Even if you gotta walk naked across a major intersection –do it. (but don’t call me if get arrested.)

My point is this. The minute fear and doubt enters your mind about anything, go out and do SOMETHING that puts you out of your comfort zone. Even if it’s not related to your big project you’ll instantly get the courage to get and stay on track and have anything you want in life.

Plus your life will be more adventuress.

I used to be scared shitless about getting up on stage at a live event. Now I can’t wait!

You should of seen the things I did to overcome the limiting fears and doubt I had back then. (I probably should have been arrested a bunch of times).

What are you gonna do about YOUR fears and doubts?

Monday, July 26, 2010

Food List

Hey everyone, here is a list of foods to use as a guideline..These are some healthy choices for the three food groups..Each meal should consist of a protein, Carbohydrate, and a source of Fat

PROTEINS

CHICKEN BREAST

CORNISH GAME HEN

PORK, LEAN

HAM

CATFISH

COD

FLOUNDER

HADDOCK

HALIBUT

PERCH

SCROD

SOLE

TROUT

TUNA WHITE

TURBOT

EGGS

MILK

COTTAGE CHEESE

DRIED BEANS

LENTILS

TEMPEH

TOFU

NUTS(SPARINGLY)

BEEF

DUCK

GOOSE

LAMB

VEAL

CHICKEN

BEEF LIVER

CHICKEN LIVER

ANCHOVY

CAVIAR

HERRING

MUSSEL

SARDINE

ABALONE

CLAM

CRAB

CRAYFISH

LOBSTER

MACKEREL

OCTOPUS

OYSTER

SALMON

SCALLOP

SHRIMP

CARBOHYDRATES

Whole grains only

Amaranth

Barley

Brown rice

Buckwheat

Corn

Couscous

Kamut

Kasha

Millet

Oat

Rye

Spelt

Asparagus

Beans fresh

Cauliflower

Celery

Mushrooms

Spinach

Carrot

Pea

Potatoes

Artichoke

Avocado

Olive

Beet green

Cabbage

Kale

Peppers

Tomato

Sprouts

Chard

Broccoli

Collard

Garlic

Brussels sprouts

Cucumber

Apple

Banana

Cherry

Melon

Plum

Pineapple

Peach

Pear

Grape

Apricot

Orange

Berry

Tropical

OILS/FATS

USE SPARINGLY

Nuts/seeds

Walnuts

Pumpkin

Peanut

Sunflower

Sesame

Almond

Cashew

Brazil

Filbert

Pecan

Chestnut

Pistachio

Coconut

Macadamia

Oil/ fat

Sesame

Olive

Peanut

Walnut

Almond

Flax

Monday, July 19, 2010

Motivational Monday

Usually on Monday, we find a video to post that has a motivational message. Today i wanted to invite all of our members to write something that inspires them. Just post a response to this post on someone or something that inspires you to be better.

Monday, June 28, 2010

Motivational Monday


Watching this video puts life in perspective very quickly! Do not complain about the things you cant do rather focus on the things you can do..Which if you ask us cant should not exist in your vocabulary

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Train Insane's 6 Week Summer Shape Up Results

















































Hey Everyone, Here are just a few of the excellent RESULTS Train Insane was able to produce over the past 6 weeks in our summer shape up program!


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Train Insane's Member of the Month


Train Insane would like to recognize Urvashi Patel as the member of the month for June. She has been with Train Insane since day one, and has worked her butt off each and every session. Not only have we seen a huge improvement in her stamina but she has also made huge weight loss improvements as well. Since day one she has never complained about a workout or has ever questioned what we do at Train Insane, and that is exactly why she has seen such tremendous results. Urvashi, your hard work and dedication does not go unrecognized and you have been a joy to work with. We look forward to seeing you tackle new goals in the future. Keep up the great work!

Geoff and Aaron

Monday, June 7, 2010

Thursday, June 3, 2010



WOW, I was just looking through some videos today to help me stay focused and motivated, and i came accross this one. I hope that it strikes a chord with all of you the same way that it did for me. If there is something in life that you want, and you know that you can get it, don't let anyone or anything stand in your way! I was told several times that I should give up training and get a real job, and at times almost believed the people that said I couldn't do it. I could not be happier that I kept going, and will forever be greatful to all of our clients that are making my dram a reality. "All great people experience adversity from mediocre minds"- Albert Einstein. Getting to the top when you were told you couldn't, makes it that much sweeter when you get there.
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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

A Mechanic for Your Health


I was inspired to write this post after a long conversation that I had last night with a now former Train Insane member. It seems that this person could not see the point in participating in a program where he was finishing last every time. To him it made more sense to train on his own until he got in better shape. I realized that this was somewhat of a common thought among people starting exercise programs for the first time. The problem with this is that if you are already out of shape, and have been that way for quite some time, and you have tried unsuccessfully in the past to fix it, what makes you think that you can get there on your own? To me this concept makes absolutely NO SENSE. Yet time and time again I hear form people "As soon as I lose 10lbs I am going to join your boot camp", or "As soon ans I get in better shape I will join." To me that is like saying as soon as I feel better I am going to go see a doctor. Sounds kind of backwards doesn't it? If you are sick, you go to the doctor, they give you some medicine and you get better. You don't go into your kitchen and try to make your own medicine out of products in your kitchen right? The same is true when it comes to fitness. If you are out of shape and need to improve your fitness why would you try to "make your own medicine?" It breaks down to this, could you get there on your own if you buckled down and really made it
a priority? Absolutely. Could you also fix the transmission in your car if you read all the books and devoted all your spare time to learning how? You bet. But in the same way that a mechanic would save you both time and frustration, a fit pro would get you there faster, and improve your chances of success. I know that not many of you would attempt to fix your own transmission and would not think twice about taking it to a mechanic. Why then would you hesitate to turn your health and body over to a professional? Is your health not at least as important as your car? Okay I am done venting, i hope that you were all able to take something away from this. Remember, you all have the ability to reach your destination, but don't be afraid to ask for directions.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010



Train Insane had a great opportunity to run a workout for the Alpha Phi sorority last weekend. We had a great turnout, and we just want to thank all of the girls that came out. We hope to see you all soon, and hope that you have a GREAT summer. For everyone else, what are you waitin for? If you want to be ready for summer you gotta get out here and experience this for yourself. Hope to see you all very soon.

Geoff and Aaron...Train Insane

Monday, May 17, 2010

Motivational Monday



Sometimes in life we miss out on doing things we want because of a fear of failure..I say the hell with that!!! The greatest minds, Athletes, Musicians, and Actors have all had set backs and failures...But the one thing that separates those great people from the rest of the world is simple..THEY NEVER GAVE UP ON THEIR LIFE DREAMS!!! Are YOU giving up on your dream?

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Train Insane's Member of the Month


Train Insane would like to recognize Kim Gonzales for her consistency and dedication over the last month. Kim has been with Train Insane for 6 weeks now, and has made tremendous progress since day one. Kim, who had trouble finishing her very first workout with us, is now dominating workouts on a daily basis. Not only has Kim's over all energy and stamina improved, she informed us this week that she is now down 14 lbs!!!! Keep up the good work Kim, we are proud of your hard work

Geoff and Aaron

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Achieve Your Goals!



This is a GREAT video that I found on setting and achieving your goals. It is a little bit long, but it has some really good information. Just remember, the road to the top is always uphill. Put some of these tips into practice, and watch what happens.

Train Insane

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Its Supposed to be Hard!!!



Occasionally Aaron and I post workout videos for all of you. This is not to show off (most of the time) rather to show you all that we practice what we preach. We don't just come up with crazy workouts and run you through them, most of the time they are a spin off of a workout we have done that week. Just want you all to know that no matter if you are the coach or the student there is no substitute for sweat, and hard work....enjoy!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Motivational Monday




Its Monday you know what that means. Here is an Awesome clip
to motivate you to never give up and to always finish STRONG!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

SUMMER IS HERE


As I sit here after finishing another great Saturday of Train Insane Boot Camp, I can't stop thinking about how summer is basically here. I was telling one of my friends that couldn't wait for summer to get here and head to the beach, and the river, and all the other summer activities. He was less enthusiastic than I was, and said, "Just another season man." JUST ANOTHER SEASON? It hit me that so many people don't get to fully experience summer. Now to most people summer is just another month in their endless world of 9 to 5 Monday through Friday life. The biggest reason that people don't enjoy summer is because they are not comfortable with their bodies. Lets face it, summer is the month when if you got you flaunt it, but if you don't you hide it. Not a year goes by that I don't hear someone say that this summer they are gonna be in the best shape ever and strut their stuff at the beach, and yada yada yada. Yet year after year I see no change in their bodies or attitudes toward summer. I wish that I could let these people feel for just one day what is like to be in shape and confident in your body. That is all it would take for them to see how much life they are missing out on. I challenge all of you to take a look at yourself and as these 3 questions 1. Am I happy with the way I look? 2. Is my current physique keeping me from experiencing life? 3. What is keeping me from achieving the body I have always wanted? If we are all being honest, I know the answers might sting a little. I am here to tell you that it is never too late to take control of your life and make a change. Make a commitment to yourself that you will not let one more summer pass without being able to go to the beach, a pool party, or the river with confidence. That you will no longer shy away from any events where you may have to wear a swim suite. Instead grab ahold of your life, make a fitness plan, and DON'T STOP till you reach it!! Best of Luck!!!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

6 Week Summer Shape Up Winners!!




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THE WINNERS ARE.
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Lisa Hutson


Janae Jex


Nicole Barner


Jake Corley


Priscilla Miranda


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

We will be contacting you all via email or
phone to give you all the details of what
happens next. Welcome to the
Train Insane Family we are
dedicated to your success.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

IT AINT EASY


I have a little bit of a bone to pick with many of the "fitness experts"
these days. I am SO tired of hearing about the latest and
greatest "short cut" to fitness. How all you need is this pill
or gadget, or even a magic exercise. The truth of the matter
IT AINT EASY to get in shape. Unfortunately in order for these
people to sell their crappy products, they have to constantly
convince you that it is easy to be fit. They know that the only way
for them to get you to buy their ridiculous product is to make it seem like they have this BIG SECRET that they will share
with you. Well I am here to tell you that being fit and in shape
is anything but easy. However, that does not mean that you are
forever doomed to be soft and flabby. If you are willing to commit
to a program, and truly put in the work, you CAN get there. I am
here to tell you that the journey to any goal is always UPHILL. That
is what makes the top so satisfying. So the way I see it you have
2 choices. You can keep hoping that one of these TV guys has a magic pill or gadget (trust me they don't) and waste who knows how much money.Or you can admit to yourself that it is going to be an uphill journey put on your gym shoes and GET AFTER IT!!! I will see you at the TOP.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010



Hey, as promised we have started our men's Warrior Training Class. Here is a glimpse of our first night. It was a tough workout, but everyone got through it. The one thing about training like this is you WILL get results! Just commit to the program, put your head down and we will see you at the finish line!!!

Monday, May 3, 2010

Motivational Monday







Hey Geoff and Aaron here, we wanted to start giving out Motivation on Mondays. We know that unlike us, not everyone likes going to work on Mondays. We wanted to give you all a little boost to get the week started. Check out our blog every Mon for our pick of motivational info. Have a GREAT DAY!

Monday, April 19, 2010

Passion is the Name of the Game!

Passion is the Name of the Game

You got it. Passion is the name of the game and is the variable that will take you to the promise land. So many people never get what they want out of life for two simple reasons: One, because they have no clue what they actually want and two, they lack passion. Life is about taking chances, doing what you love, and loving what you do. Life is too short to live the same day twice. I don’t care what you are trying to accomplish in life; if it isn’t fueled with passion, you might be missing the boat every time. Take strides each and every day to be 1% better than you were the previous day. Start living your dream. Because if YOU don’t chase your dream, then who will? Why wait till tomorrow, the time is NOW!! I am going to be straight up with you... it takes an extraordinary amount of courage to live out your dream, but I can promise you this, if you have a huge amount of passion, you will find a way to make it happen. Choose what activities you want to experience while living. These are your dreams; prioritize them into goals and begin living them out every day. If you do that, you will wake up each and every morning with tremendous joy. Every day, take one task that scares you, and tackle it! Find activities that you are passionate about and go after them with a 'laser-like' focus! Don’t live someone else’s life, live the life YOU have always dreamed of! Life is not a spectator sport, so start participating, and be an ALL-STAR!!

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Friday, March 19, 2010

Results City!!

Here is a blog post from a Train Insane Boot Camp member Talking about her experience thus far


A few of my awesome Delta Gamma's are really into boot camp- and i'm telling you, they are in Results City too... so I asked the fabulous Brittney S. to share- you may be getting yourself a dog tag soon!

Thanks Britt!







"So, I've never been a crash dieter. Or a yo-yo weight gain/loss kind of girl. Or motivated or disciplined for that matter either! It's been a steady, slow increase of poundage and laziness since I graduated high school! And I kept telling myself-- If I reallllyyyy cared THAT much, I'd do something about it. Instead, I came home, plopped on the couch and watched yet ANOTHER rerun of Law and Order SVU (obviously!) :)



Then my suuuper annoying (but hott) roommates started waking me up at 5:30am because they were on their way to bootcamp. GROSS. I can honestly say that sleeping is my favorite past time. And when I don't get enough-- I go insane. Until I started to feel left out. BOTH of them were going, three times a week.. and loving it!? What the!?



So I gave it a try-- and dry heaved my way through my first 1 hour workout at 6am. It was a hard adjustment, trying to get ready for work in less than 10 minutes, all sweaty, beet red with my heart pumping out of my face-- but let me tell you, I have never beat-bopped my way to work listening to fun country music so excited in my LIFE! I felt awesome.



Aaron and Geoff are the founders of Train Insane Bootcamp and probably the only guys I know that can get me out of bed at 5:30am to be miserable working out! :) I leave pumped every day and the best part? Being done with your workout before most peoples' days even start. And I used to tell myself that my days were already too long (Work 7:30-4:30, Driving to LA until 6 and Grad school from 6-10pm)... It was brutal! But working out has given me an AWKWARD amount of energy and I'll never go back to my laziness. And the BEST part? I still get to watch Law and Order with the girls and veg out when I get home-- instead of feeling guilty for not working out!



While my mom is still skinnier than me (bitch!), at least I know that this River Season, I'll look the best I ever have! Come try it with us!!

Obese, without being overweight

Hey, Train Insane here. I came across this article written by Rachel Cosgrove and we think this is defiantly a topic we would like to share with all of you.




Obsessed with what the scale says? Discouraged that it hasn’t budged?

More and more we are learning that the scale is not telling the whole story when it comes to what your body is made up of and whether you are carrying an unhealthy amount of body fat putting you at risk for obesity-related diseases.

Recent media coverage on “Good Morning America” and The Wall Street Journal discuss what has been called “normal weight obese.” There is a growing population of people who are considered normal weight but when looking at their ratio of body fat to lean body mass they are actually, by definition, obese. On the “Good Morning America Segment,” they stated that over 30 million people are normal weight but still obese, which is about 20-30 percent of the U.S. population.

Many people started 2010 with good intentions of losing weight and changing their body by setting new year’s resolutions, taking the typical route of eating less and increasing aerobic activity. By doing this, the scale may go down but there will still be the exact same body fat percent.

For example, if you started the year at 200 pounds and 40 percent body fat (considered obese) doing the math you would have 80 pounds of fat on your body and 120 pounds of lean mass.

Using the typical approach to weight loss, cutting back your food intake and using aerobic activity to burn calories but doing nothing to maintain or gain lean body mass, you could lose 50 pounds, weighing in at 150 pounds.

But because you did not do anything to build or maintain muscle, you lost both muscle and fat, possibly losing 20 pounds of fat, 20 pounds of lean mass and 10 pounds of water, which would still make you 40 percent body fat (and still considered obese) even though you are now at normal weight.

You will see this especially when people use a very strict, low-calorie diet to lose weight and drop a dramatic amount of scale- weight fast. Have you ever noticed that when people do this their body doesn’t actually change the way it looks?

They look like a smaller version of their same flabby self, still carrying fat in places where they were carrying fat, not really achieving a toned, fit look but just smaller.

The problem is that because they lost muscle, it makes it very difficult to stay there, so they struggle to keep the weight off and many times gain it right back.

My advice? Throw out the scale! Using your weight and BMI are outdated when it comes to measurements of whether your body is changing and if you are healthy.

As a society we need to start approaching exercise, diet and changing your body differently. We need to take the emphasis off what the scale says and focus on getting fit, increasing strength and metabolism, and decreasing the risk of diseases including obesity related diseases.

How do we do this? By increasing muscle and losing fat, changing the ratio of what your body is made up of. This should be done using an exercise program that will build lean muscle tissue as your priority exercise and fueling your body with the right foods.

Alternatives to relying on the scale as your main measurement tool include using a body fat percent measurement that can be taken by a fitness professional using calipers or with a bio-impedance machine.

You can also use underwater weighing but this is sometimes not realistic to get regular measurements done. Many of the bio impedance machines are not accurate, so be sure you are using something that is accurate and reliable.

The best, most accurate machine I have been able to find is the Inbody 520 which gives you an accurate printout of your body mass, your body fat percentage, your pounds of fat, your pounds of muscle and even your body water, both intracellular and extracellular.

It also analyzes these numbers to give you a recommendation of how much muscle or fat to gain or lose to reach an ideal body composition.

Another recommendation is to use a pair of jeans as your measurement rather than the scale. Use a pair of jeans that don’t fit and try them on every two to three weeks to track your progress.

We had a skinny jeans challenge at Results Fitness and 20 women lost two jean sizes in 12 weeks but the average weight loss was only four pounds on the scale (although they had all lost 10-12 pounds of body fat) because they had gained lean body mass and lost fat, making it much easier to keep those two sizes off. They would have all been discouraged if they were just looking at the scale.

Start approaching your fitness and nutrition with the goal in mind of completely reinventing your body to get an ideal body composition and stop focusing on an ideal number on the scale.



For all of you out there looking to completely reshape your body, Train Insane Boot Camp will be hosting a 4wk BODY TRANSFORMATION CONTEST with awesome prizes for the top 3 winners!!
Stay tuned for the challenge dates and times.