HLI Personal Training - From the Gym

Interested in something new for your arms. Try this exercise, it's called the Gironda Perfect Curl and is guaranteed to blast those biceps. I got this exercise from my favorite website, http://www.t-nation.com/.

1. Start the exercise as if you're doing a regular standing barbell curl (you can use a straight bar or an EZ-bar).

2. Before starting the movement, bring your upper torso backward (shifting your weight toward the heels). Note how the shoulders are aligned behind the hips and knees in the starting position.

3. Now slowly curl the weight up from that position. As you lift the weight you're going to slowly bend the upper torso forward so that in the end position the shoulders are in front of the hips and knees.

4. Lower the bar using the opposite motion. Start in the torso forward position and as the bar is lowered, bring the torso to the backward position.

Try it and let me know how it works for you.

From the mind of Steve Brown
Please visit: http://www.hlipro.com/
For a personalized workout contact us at trainer@hlipro.com

Importance of goal setting

If you are trying to lose/gain weight, the most important thing you must do is quite simply just show up. Go to the gym and go consistently! The second most important thing is to know your fitness goals. Yes, I know, you want to lose weight, but making that your sole goal makes it difficult to track your progress.

In many cases you will lose inches before you lose weight. Also depending on your training program, you may build muscle and lose fat at the same time, thus having no affect on the scale. In short, when setting your goals be sure to choose multiple parameters that you can track, don't limit yourself to one thing, it will lead to disappointment.

From the mind of Steve Brown
www.hlipro.com

Functional Training

The next time you are in the gym try to keep a few things in mind. Your current resistance training program, as great as it might be, should incorporate some real world functional activities.

Now what do I mean by all this? Try doing some deadlifts or some squats next time you are in the gym. Why? Well I'll tell you why.

How many times in your day do squat or bend to pick something up? Compare that to how many times you actually find yourself lying flat on your back having to press something of your chest.

Now before I start babbling let me just sum it all up in a couple sentences.

All resistance training exercises have their place. You should strengthen all the muscles in your body, but do not lose sight of exercises that improve your day to day activities. Some suggestions are: deadlifts, squats, core exercises that involve rotational movements, standing shoulder press exercises, to name a few. Think about it.

From the mind of Steve Brown
www.hlipro.com

Myths on Gettng that Flat Stomach

This is a topic I've been meaning to address for some time now. I've recieved questions from various sources on how to get rid of the fat around the midsection. I'll keep this short and sweet. Abdominal exercises will not help to get rid of the fat around your midsection. The only way you can drop fat is to burn excess calories.

A complete and healthy diet is the fastest way to drop fat. Now from an exercise perspective you must perform complex resistance training movements (ie -squats, vertical and horizontal rows, chest and shoulder presses, etc), incorporate cardio training (ie -sprints, treadmill work, stair climber, etc), or perform challenging circuit training routines. Peforming ab exercises will strengthen your core, but it will not, no matter how many sets, reps or exercises you do, help you lose fat around your waist.

Now once you've managed to work that fat off your midsection, peforming ab exercises will not only strengthen your core, but will also strenthen the body's natural girdle and give your waist a tight sculpted look.

From the mind of Steve Brown
http://www.hlipro.com/

Importance of Breakfast

Whether you are trying to lose weight or gain weight breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here's why:

I'm trying to lose weight - Your goal should be to increase your metabolism, you do this by eating often (along with healthy). So skipping breakfast means you could potentially go about 12 hours or more (depending on when your last meal before bedtime was) without eating. The body literally goes into lockdown mode and starts holding on to all calories in order to survive, usually storing it as fat.

I'm trying to gain weight - Your goal should be to increase your overall caloric intake. This is difficult to accomplish when you skip breakfast. Caloric intake aside, you also want to eat often in order to ensure the weight you gain is primarily muscle and not fat.

If you are interested in more details on how your breakfast and your overall diet can impact your goals send me an email. I'll be glad to break it down for you.

From the mind of Steve Brown
www.hlipro.com