Pumpkin Circuit

The common tendency around this time of year is for people to hold off on their fitness goals until January 1st, for obvious reasons:

• It’s getting colder
• Holiday parties on the weekends
• Holiday preparation….

And I’m sure this list could extend even further with excuses but the important thing to realize is that NOW is the time! – Not jan 1st.

If you keep doing the same thing you been doing, you will be pushing yourself further from your goals and there will be new things you perceive as reasons to hold you back when the New Year is upon us.

Start taking small steps now and your news years resolution will be reality on the new year.

My training philosophy is based on functional movement patterns that mimic everyday life and that use a large amount of muscles at once. Most my workouts require little or no equipment.

Therefore, to embrace the beautiful fall season and get started working towards your best body, I developed a special pumpkin themed workout.

The workout consists of four different full body movements, using a pumpkin as resistance.

Workout Frequency: Perform each movement for 20 seconds and rest 10 seconds before performing the next movement.

Workout Sequence: Lunge with pumpkin curl, deadlift with pumpkin press, bent over pumpkin row and glute bridge with pumpkin chest press

The video below shows each movement being performed twice. For beginners, I recommend this volume to start. If you are more advanced, perform each movement for a total of four times.

Do the hard things

I was talking to a guy at a gym the other day and he had asked me about endurance cardio training in regards to fat loss. I had told that although you burn more fat during an endurance -low intensity session, it was more beneficial to perform high intensity intervals and burn more calories post workout.

He acknowledged the difference but started to come up with reasons as to why he didn't want to do HIT (high intensity intervals):

• Didn't want to sweat
• Liked moving at a slower pace
• Takes less effort and concentration
  

I went on to explain to him that if he were to rise above those excuses, he could burn fat for up to 48 hrs after his workout and finish his workout and 1/3 of the time.

This particular guy, like many other people, desire to lose weight but do not have the desire to do the hard things it takes to make that goal a reality.

It's the hard things that will lead to the real deal changes.

Off the top of my head, here are some hard things you should be doing:

• Pull-ups/chin ups (yes girls too)
• Push-ups (again ladies)
• Squats
• Deadlifts
• HIT cardio
• Sweat every day even if you only have four minutes
• Consult with a fitness professional
  

Back Tabata Workout with Resistance Bands

Resistance bands are one of my favorite tools for both my personal and clientele workouts. They're affordable, extremely convenient and highly effective for building lean muscle.

Here's a 20 minute back workout using only bands and following the tabata method.

The tabata method is 20 minutes of work, followed by 10 seconds of rest. It's a great way to build muscle and burn fat in a short amount of time.

The following is the sequence of the workout:

1. Bent Over Row
2. Wide Grip Pulldown
3. Reverse Fly
4. Resisted Push-up

Pesticides in Food

Ever eat fruit in the grocery store, as you shop?

I'm good for a few handful of grapes nearly every time I go but I'm starting to fight the temptation and certainly not because petty theft issues.

Thousands of insects, weeds or plant disease damage nearly 1/3 of our nation's farm crop each year. In response to this destruction, agriculturists have developed synthetic herbicides and pesticides to augment plant's natural defenses.

These synthetic chemicals can cause serious health problems; cancer, nerve disorders, genetic mutations, birth defects, miscarriages and even deaths.

So, should you stop eating vegetables and fruits?

Not at all but here are some tips to make it much safer:

• Avoid direct skin contact or breathing exposure to pesticides
• Wash produce thoroughly
• Peel if possible
• Remove outer leaves
• Cook
• Eat less animal fat and seafood from contaminated waters
• Buy local fruits/vegs in season
• Eat a variety so that if you eat food that contains pesticides it will only contribute to a small amount of your overall diet
• Buy frozen
• Buy certified organic

Ever get sick from pesticides? Comment below

Facts are taken from Healthful Nutrition for Fitness and Sport: The consumer athlete

Carabase Training 2.0

After months of planning and endless conversations with various web developers, my uncle rick and I are proud to introduce Carabase Training 2.0.

One of the things I will be adding more of is video to the site, both in the blog and video section under Free Content.

Also under free content, we have a forum for readers to post thoughts/questions/comments on. The forum is an open platform for people to create a community where they can find answers about various fitness related topics and contribute to informative discussions.

Here's a direct link to the forum:
http://carabasetraining.freeforums.org/ucp.php?mode=register

You need to register to participate and view the forum but there is no other obligation. Excuse the ads you see during the registration process. Once in the forum, you are free to post and comment appropriately.

Each week I will be sending out a newsletter chalk full of fitness and nutrition tips - to receive these weekly informative exclusive pieces and my 14 tip fat loss guide for free, type your email the newsletter box top right corner of the homepage.

By next week, all services will be supported by a paypal link. Until then, if you are interested in any services contact me through Contact US section in the top right corner of my homepage.

I hope you find this site to be more informative!

What do you think? Post your comments below

Some thoughts on Protein

I was discussing personal daily eating habits with some trainers in my class today and I realized there is a lack of understanding of adequate protein consumption.

Most muscle magazines tell us to have a protein shake, in some capacity, nearly every hour. The reality is that protein supplements for breakfast, snacks, pre workout, post workout and more snacks causes more harm than good

• FAT: If you consume more protein then you need for muscle repair/growth and for energy, it will store as fat.
• Fluid imbalance: High protein diets increase the need for fluids which can lead to decreased glycogen stores, affecting performance and hydration levels
• Calcium depletion: As protein is consumed above tissue maintenance, more calcium is excreted.

Be more conscious of how much protein you supplement.

Cravings

It’s tough to fight cravings and give in to foods you know you shouldn’t be eating. I’m on the road and away from my kitchen typically from early morning to late afternoon and get these sort of cravings all the time.

I can only fit so much into my lunch box (which is already too big to be carrying around) and I run out of food with little time to stop anywhere and pick up something remotely healthy. I use to either bite the bullet, not eat anything at all (consequently bringing my metabolism to halt) or pick up a quick-overpriced protein bar filled with unnecessary calories.

This all changed about a month ago when I discovered Cravers by Prograde. Now, I carry two in my car each day, in case I get stuck and need some high quality energy. Cravers are made with 100% organic dark chocolate with three different flavors to choose from; chocolate peanut butter, almond butter and spirulina (mint-ish).

The following information is what sold me on them:

• less then 200 calories
• protein and fiber
• zero trans fat and low overall fat
• no preservatives
• delicious tasting

As a fitness professional, I am exposed to a variety of supplements and “healthy” foods, but I found cravers to be the real deal.

For more information or to purchase some go to

http://carabasetraining.getprograde.com/

Response to an email inquiry

“I need help, like many girls. Can you maybe post something or give me advice on how to work out my legs WITHOUT gaining more muscle and make them somehow smaller but toned.”

To “tone” legs or any other body part, there is a process that must occur:

1. Build lean muscle through lifting challenging weight - you can’t build a house without its base structure
2. Lose body fat in the given area. This is accomplished through high intensity interval training with both weights and cardio
3. This step is only relevant after one & two, use a higher rep count with your exercises - while making sure the weight is challenging for the entire set

Now that there’s a basic understanding into the process of toning, it’s important to understand that genetics play a role here too. Everyone is born with a unique genetic code e.g some people have a bigger skeletal structure, some do not. When setting your goals, your goal should be to achieve your best body, not someone else’s.
Here are a few tips to “tone your legs”

1. Train with challenging weight
2. Incorporate stretching movements into your routine; bent knee deadlift, plie squat, deep squat, lunge variations etc
3. Incline cardio: Turn the incline up as you perform your HIIT cardio training, this uses a larger part of your leg muscles (especially in the back part of your body)

Keep working towards your goals and make the appropriate changes to your routine, you’ll be amazed the great things that will happen.

I appreciate this reader’s email. If there is a topic that interests you and would like to see it on my blog, email it to me at joe@carabasetraining.com

Standing In Line

We are all busy in some way therefore I always stress the importance to take advantage of every opportunity to be more fit, to suck the most out of each opportunity, every day.

Next time you are standing in line at a bank, subway or wherever…do something active. Consider the following options:
• Heel Raises
• Side Step
• Figit
• Twirl
• Stretch

You can burn more calories by fidgeting. It is said that people who drum their fingers or bounce their knees burn at least 500 calories a day, give or take