Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

One day while on Facebook I saw an event called Laughing Yoga and before I knew it I had signed up and called the yoga studio to pay my registration fee. Originally, I had seen Laughing Yoga featured within the documentary film about yoga, Enlighten Up! and at the time it seemed to me like an interesting concept. What appealed to me most was that no yoga experience was required and all that was needed was the ability to laugh. I had never taken a single yoga class. But, this I could do and just thinking about it brought a smile to my face.

If laughter was an instant vacation, then what a trip I was about to embark on!

Definition: Laughter is an audible expression or the appearance of happiness or an inward feeling of joy (laughing on the inside). It may ensue (as a physiological reaction) from jokes it is in most cases a very pleasant sensation. Laughter is used as a signal for being part of a group — it signals acceptance and positive interactions with others. Laughter is sometimes seemingly contagious, and the laughter of one person can itself provoke laughter from others as a positive feedback.

Laughing Yoga was created in India by Dr. Kataria in 1995 with his first laughter club. It is Pranayama, “yoga breathing” and unconditional laughter. His concept: The scientific fact is that the body cannot differentiate between fake or real laughter. It has both physiological and psychological benefits to the individual. Laughter is simulated as a body exercise in a group; with eye contact and childlike playfulness, it soon turns into real and contagious laughter.

Today there are over 600 Laughter Clubs in 6o Countries throughout the World.

The yoga studio itself was quite beautiful and minimalist in its décor filled with bolsters, blocks and sticky mats. It was a perfect setting for the normal zen like calm that would soon erupt into hearty laughter.

Our instructor Graham welcomed us with a brief introduction into Laughing Yoga, what to expect and we introduced ourselves. He then asked if there was anyone who did not practice yoga and as I looked around at the small group of Lululemon wearing, Hippies, hard bodies and yoga experts. The voice in my head went, “Oh shit!” I smiled and timidly raised my hand. He quickly acknowledged that we wouldn’t be doing any difficult poses but it would include stretches and simple poses. I silenced the voice in my head and was relieved that I wasn’t going to have to contort my body into a pretzel!

We began our class with a 15 minute unison vocal meditation in lotus position (cross legged for those not familiar with yoga terms). During the vocal meditation, focus on the sound of the words and the effects on the different parts of the body. Vowel sounds were pronounced as we traveled through a series of yoga poses and stretches on our sticky mats. It was an interesting experience to hear the harmony, tones and musicality of the sounds in the different positions. What was particularly more interesting was how my body responded to the sounds. Throughout the several simple playful exercises, different patterns of breathing continued to bring more oxygen to the body and brain.

Yoga brings the body to a relaxed state and during the exercises you soon find yourself immersed in a giddy, joyous state connecting with your inner child. The one you continually push down. The one that wants to jump in puddles, laugh at in appropriate times or who laughs at cartoons or silly jokes. Throughout the class, I noticed the edges of my mouth curving in an upward state.

One of the suggestions is to fake your laughter if you are not “feeling it” through the exercise or “fake it ‘til you make it” and before you know it you are laughing spontaneously. Perhaps the moments of how absurd it looked contributed to the such moments. The laughter becomes contagious and before you know it, the whole room is laughing! There were times when I was laughing so hard that I could feel my whole body vibrating with energy. The energy filled my entire body as the laughter came from my core.

One doctor who has studied laughter says, “Laughter is a mechanism everyone has; laughter is part of universal human vocabulary. There are thousands of languages, hundreds of thousands of dialects, but everyone speaks laughter in pretty much the same way.” I was once again reminded that we are all connected. It was an amazing experience and one that I am blessed to have been a part of.

Next week, I begin my beginner’s yoga course and I will enroll in the next Laughing Yoga course. My smile has returned.

Namaste.

Christina

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A few days ago I posted Tara Scott’s Outdoor Pushup Variation video showing some extreme pushup drills. As amazing as they were, these pushup drills take it to another level.

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Tara Scott blogs about primal fitness and outdoor exercise and fitness. She is a senior instructor and trainer of primal body conditioning.

Pushups are a core piece of Turbulence Training by Craig Ballantyne

Make sure you see part 1 of the pushup variations video

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Basic outdoor body weight exercise should be a foundation for any workout program and Coach Tara has these primal workouts down to an art form. The pushup is a basic movement that strengthens so many parts of your body, the chest, tricep, shoulders, core etc and with her variations, begins to work more and more parts.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Tara Scott was a Class 1 National Gymnast and a Professional Modern Dancer. Now she’s a Certified Pilates Trainer, and a Senior Instructor and Trainer of Primal Body Conditioning. I’ve got to find out more about this Primal Body Conditioning instruction course.

and of course, Tara is hot.

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“The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” is a book about unique and innovative exercises devoted entirely to the abdominal area. This abdominal training manual contains information on 77 extraordinary new exercises including pictures, videos, tricks for performing them, and common errors to avoid.

For one day only, TODAY, I’m giving it away to one lucky reader. So if you have ALWAYS wanted to train your abs so that they literally pop out of your skin but have been getting nowhere with crunches, this is the information you need.

This is NOT your typical ab training book that shows you a bunch of exercises you already know. I’ve gone through this book and I can’t believe how many completely new exercises are in it. If you’re serious about getting amazing abs, you owe it to yourself to check this out now!

Want to learn how to do these KILLER abdominal exercises?

I thought so.

Want it for FREE?

Free Gift – Best Abdominal Exercises

During the week of February 2 through February 6th 2009 (Mon to Friday this week), Nick Nilsson and I are giving away a free copy of all his fitness books and programs including The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard of.

Anyone can do this as long as you’re willing to GOYA and put in the effort.

Create an eye-popping six-pack that will reach out and GRAB attention. The exercises in this book make the contraction in ordinary ab exercises feel like a gentle breeze.

You’ll get MAXIMUM tension at the most “anatomically possible” contracted position, creating the abs you’ve always wanted!

Continue reading to find out how to Win a FREE Copy…

You’ll get 77 great descriptions on how to do the exercises along with full-color photos and videos! And, if the exercises and videos aren’t enough, he’s designed very specific programs to help you achieve off-the-charts results. You’ll take your abdominal and core training FAR beyond where you’ve ever been with these highly targeted programs:

• Waist and Love Handle Minimizer
• Core-Strength Workouts
• No-Equipment Workouts
• Six-Pack Workouts
• Abdominal-Detail Workouts
• Explosive-Core-Strength Workouts
• Lower-Ab Workouts
• Swiss Ball Workouts
• Serratus Builders

And more…

No matter what your goal or desire for your abs, he’s got a program that puts it all together and WORKS!

Think you are already familiar with what Nick could possibly teach you about abdominal training? Read what this martial arts instructor had to say about it:

I had a look at the book yesterday and it did not let me down. Congratulations Nick – this stuff is bloody brilliant. First I thought – yeah right, how many ab exercises that we have not seen could possible be out there? Well, you obviously proved that there are plenty of them. To be honest, I only knew one.

It’s clear that lot of imagination, lateral thinking and your vast experience went into this. All the exercises are the real deal – functional stuff. The book is a breeze to read, well-structured and the pics and video clips take all the guesswork out.

Any trainer out there who wants to keep up to date with the latest in training techniques should have this book.

George Hynec
MA Training
ISSA S.M.A.C (Specialist in Martial Arts Conditioning) Instructor
RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) Instructor
Sydney, Australia

Free Ab Exercise Training Course (for Everyone)

Nick would love you to experience 5 of his unique ab exercises for free.

Simply sign up for his free ab training course and you’ll have a new exercise to try every day. He’s confident that the 5 exercises alone with create results for your mid section as long as you do them.

Nick’s Ab Training Guide ensures you develop a 6 pack abs, tighten your waist, flatten your stomach (where regular crunches totally fail), develop astonishing core strength, target your hard to reach lower abs and use every moment of your ab workout to maximum efficiency. Never waste another moment training your mid section.

Some Clarity…

There’s so much free stuff today, I just want to be clear about what we’re giving away.

1. EVERYONE can have a free copy of the Ab Training Guide with the 5 exercises. Go here: Free Ab Training Guide

2. ONE lucky person will win the FULL VERSION with 77 Never Seen Before Abdominal Exercises (see below)

Win A Free Copy…

Tell me why you must have this program in the comment section. Over the weekend, I’ll be choosing one person who has left the most compelling comment and send their email to Nick for a free copy. Today is the last day of this promo, so make sure you leave a comment on the various fitness programs we’ve been talking about all week.

that’s it… leave a comment telling me why you should have this rapid fat loss and muscle building program, and it could be yours.

50% off Fitness Bailout Sale

For the past 5 days, Nick Nilsson has been having a Half Price Fitness Bailout Sale on his entire fitness product line. Get programs such as Metabolic Surge, Muscle Explosion (28 days to Maximum Muscle), Gluteus to the Maximus, The Best Ab Exercises, The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard of and more at 50% off their already low price. This is an offer not to be missed. Find out all about the Fitness Bailout Half Price Sale.

Winner…
and the winner is Judy Haynie – Comment #3. Judy, I personally chose you because of the wedding thing. I too am getting married this fall and my fiance and myself are in a body transformation contest right now. I FULLY support you in your intention and efforts to get into killer shape for your spouse. Thank you for everyone who participated in this giveaway.

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How would you like to add 2 firm inches of muscle to your butt in 2 weeks? Whether you’ve always wanted to have a rounder, firmer butt to show off at the beach or just to get rid of the flat ass you’ve always had, stop everything you’re doing and read this post! This is THE butt building ass workout program straight from the evil mind of Nick Nilsson.

Maybe you’ve always had your thighs kick into gear and take over the load of your glutes, resulting in a less than impressive butt, or maybe you’ve just thought you were born with a flat bum and blamed it on your genetics.

Well today’s Gluteus To The Maximus butt building program is exactly what you’re looking for.

To be honest, we’re all interested in looking better whether we’re coming or going. The boost in confidence and self-esteem you can get when you really feel good about how you look gets noticed by everybody.

With a bigger firmer butt…

• You will look better in your jeans
• You will look better in your shorts
• You will look better in a bathing suit
• You will look better naked…

When you’re done with what Nick has designed, you’ll know you had a great ass workout!

Free Gift – Gluteus To The Maximus
Build a Bigger Butt NOW!

You CAN build a bigger butt FAST, regardless of what you’ve tried before, because today, you’re going to get the secrets of how you can build those larger, rounder, firmer glutes of your dreams quickly and easily !

You CAN build a bigger butt…

• Regardless of genetics
• With as little as a few minutes a day
• Whether you’re a beginner or an extremely advanced trainer
• With home fitness equipment OR at your gym
• …. And with guided, large, full color videos of each exercise so you learn proper technique

This Bigger Butt Training Guide will force your glutes to do so much work that they will have no choice but to grow.

Nick Nilsson, the Mad Scientist behind muscle building programs such as Muscle Explosion, Metabolic Surge (his Rapid Fat Loss and muscle building program), The Best Abdominal Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of, The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of, Hybrid Training, Specialization Training and this Gluteus To The Maximus has GONE NUTS.

He’s doing a 50% off his entire product line Fitness Bailout Sale for ONE WEEK only.

You can pick up his entire collection of rapid muscle building tools for Half Price.

And here, this week only, I’m giving them away, each and every day.

Win a Free Copy…

Every day this week, February 2 through February 6th 2009, it’s my pleasure to be able to give away a copy to one lucky commenter. Winners will be chosen over the next weekend, so make sure you leave a comment telling me why you MUST HAVE this “build a bigger butt” program.

Go into graphic detail about why you need a bigger, firmer butt to show off at the beach this summer (lol).

I started the week off with the rapid fat loss program Metabolic Surge, and yesterday’s free giveaway was the muscle building program Muscle Explosion. Comment entries are open all week long, so make sure you leave a comment.

Winner…
and the winner is Marlene Wolski – Comment #3. Thank you for everyone who participated in this giveaway.

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Who wants 6 to 10 pounds of muscle added to their body in the next 28 days? Win a FREE COPY of the rapid muscle building program Muscle Explosion, by Nick Nilsson as part of his Fitness Bailout Sale.

Nick is doing his part by putting fitness programs in your hands at 50% of the normal retail value! Here at Former Fat Guy Blog – I’m giving them away!

Every day this week, February 2 through February 6th 2009, it’s my pleasure to be able to give away a copy to one lucky commenter. Winners will be chosen over the next weekend, so make sure you leave a comment telling me why you MUST HAVE the fitness and muscle building program of the day.

Free Gift – Build Muscle Fast

“Muscle Explosion! 28 Days To Maximum Mass” is a powerful program for building muscle as FAST as possible. It’s a 28 day program that utilizes cutting-edge training and nutritional techniques to help trainers blast through training plateaus and gain 5 to 10 lbs of muscle in just 4 weeks.

If you’re looking for some rapid muscle growth, this is an excellent program to consider. It’s only 28 days long but MAN, those 28 days are tough. You really have to WANT to get big to do this one…but the results are just AMAZING.

After all, you bust your tail at the gym to load PILES of muscle onto your body…thick, meaty pecs, a back so wide you could show a movie on it, biceps that jump out in eye-popping peaks, legs like tree trunks…

I’ve had a chance to review a copy of Nick’s Muscle Explosion program and I have to say, this is one POWERFUL program…it WILL get you there…

This program takes you by the hand, tells you what to do every step of the way, and then gives you the SOLID KICK IN THE PANTS that you NEED to REALLY take your physique to the limit.

I’ve not done it yet, but I’ve got it scheduled in for August as part of my Getting Into Wedding Shape workout program, and I’ve personally spoken with a few friends who’ve done it already.

Check it out here while Nick’s still got his insane 50% off sale going (you’ve got 4 more days)…

Sign up for Nick’s free email training course in order to receive the 50% off Bailout price. He sends it to you once you confirm your email address.

Win A Free Copy…

If you want to win a FREE copy, leave a comment telling me why you MUST HAVE this rapid muscle building program to add another 6 to 10 pounds of muscle on your body!

That’s it, leave a comment and you’re entered to win, but I’ll warn you, you really have to want this program because it’s NOT a walk in the park. Fit and athletic people only! Nick is the Mad Scientist of the fitness industry. What comes out of his brain and is put onto paper make the weak turn and run. Personally? I’m itching to put this to work for myself.

Coming Up In The Next Few Days:

Gluteus to the Maximus – Add Inches To Your Butt Quick
This is an ebook about building larger, firmer, rounder glutes as quickly as possible. It contains exercises, programs and training advice targeted specifically to building up this area of the body. Not just “any type of training”, this very specialized approach, that Nick shares with you, will turn your body into a glute-building machine. Your glutes will have no choice but to grow bigger, rounder and firmer very quickly.

The Best Ab Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of
It’s a book about unique and innovative exercises devoted entirely to the abdominal area. It contains information on 77 extraordinary new exercises including pictures, videos, tricks for performing them, and common errors to avoid.

The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of
Just like Nick’s approach to abdominal exercises you’ve never heard of, this time he teaches you how to get maximum value out of every rep you do for specific body part training. Never waste another minute in the gym – get the most value for your time. The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard Of” can help you get far more results without any more effort than you’re putting in right now.

I started the week off with the rapid fat loss program Metabolic Surge, but there’s still time to enter that draw as well, so have a look.

You might want to subscribe to the blog posts so that you’re alerted to all fitness and exercise program giveaway’s all this week.

Winner…
and the winner is Chris (Anderson?) – Comment #7, randomly chosen by my tweeps on twitter. Thank you for everyone who participated in this giveaway.

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The Rapid Fat Loss program Metabolic Surge takes fat burning to a whole new level as it literally uses the stored energy in your fat to build muscle. Under the right training and nutritional conditions, your body has the capability of actually building muscle while burning tremendous amounts of fat. In fact, under these conditions, your body can actually use your own bodyfat to provide the energy for building that muscle, practically DOUBLING the speed of fat loss!

Want to learn how to do it?

And secondly, would you like it as a FREE GIFT?

I thought so.

Free Gift

During the week of February 2 through February 6th 2009 (Mon to Friday this week), Nick Nilsson and I are giving away a free copy of all his fitness books and programs starting with Metabolic Surge.

This is NOT for the timid and should only be applied by anyone already in good to extreme shape already.

A Fat-Loss Program That Actually Allows You To Build Strength AND Muscle? How Is That Possible?

Continue reading to find out how to WIN a FREE COPY….

It’s possible with a scientifically-designed program that harnesses and applies the real power of your own natural metabolism.

With the right training and nutrition, your body is fully capable of building muscle even when on a fat-loss program. You see, your body reacts to certain nutrients and certain training styles in very predictable ways.

By exploiting your body’s natural reactions, the right program not only maximizes the positive fat-burning and muscle-building effects of Growth Hormone, it also maximizes the anabolic effects of Insulin while minimizing Insulin’s possible negative impact on fat burning.

It’s a combination that has the potential to transform your body in a remarkably short period of time!

The training part of it combines elements of low repetition / high intensity training along with short duration cardiovascular intervals. Your body is constantly moving, switching back and forth between weight training exercises and cardio exercises for the duration of your workout.

During your rest periods for your weight lifting, you’ll be doing cardio and while resting for your cardio, you’ll be doing weight training – for 45 minutes.

It forces your body to burn calories continuously during the workout which dramatically increases your metabolism leading to increased fat burning long after the workout is finished. More so than either the weights or the cardio alone.

For an example of this type of training, have a look at a sample day of Metabolic Surge.

You can print that out and take it with you to the gym for your next workout.

The training program along with the nutritional manipulation make rapid fat loss while building muscle a reality. Normally, one would build muscle, and then cut up afterwards.

Again, this is ONLY for the advanced athlete who has a good base of fitness prowess already.

There is a protein principle in his nutritional program that really shook my beliefs. I still use it once a week at the very least and will continue to.

Win A Free Copy…

Tell me why you must have this program in the comment section. Over the weekend, I’ll be choosing one person who has left the most compelling comment and send their email to Nick for a free copy. We’ll be doing this all week, with a new program every day, so stay come back and leave a comment. Subscribe to the rss feed too, for instant delivery of the blog post.

that’s it… leave a comment telling me why you should have this rapid fat loss and muscle building program, and it could be yours.

50% off Fitness Bailout Sale

For the next 5 days, Nick Nilsson is having a Half Price Fitness Bailout Sale on his entire fitness product line. Get programs such as Metablic Surge, Muscle Explosion (28 days to Maximum Muscle), Gluteus to the Maximus, The Best Ab Exercises, The Best Exercises You’ve Never Heard of and more at 50% off their already low price. This is an offer not to be missed. Find out all about the Fitness Bailout Half Price Sale.

Winner…
and the winner is Ryan Evans – Comment #11. Thank you for everyone who participated in this giveaway.

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• Top Ten Reasons to Eat Breakfast

PMS. The Poor Me Syndrome.

Guys, you too can be afflicted by PMS and not even know it.

This disease selects all gender, every ethnicity and all demographics!

Its running rampant and I saw three cases of it yesterday. Myself included!

Levels of severity can differ day to day and some of the symptoms to watch for might include:

• Making excuses
• Justifying to yourself that you have chosen to do the ”right” thing
• Commiserating with others
• Seeking sympathy

I will share a personal experience with you. On Tuesday, I believed I couldn’t go to the gym because I was too busy from my work and at the end of the day I felt tired. A raise of hands if you’ve felt the same way. That was my belief but actually it was my own personal opinion created by what I thought was my own reality.

It all begins with a single thought and snowballs from there

 

.

This is a core value and belief that I am working on changing. How will I do this?

Firstly, I have to stop thinking I am the victim. What I mean by this is, Life Happens. Ever hear yourself say, What did I do to deserve this or Why is this happening to ME!? Instead, use the power of choice and empower yourself to create the life you want.

Didn’t I mention in one of these sentences that I wasn’t excluded from PMS. Believe this, there were times I felt so frustrated at good friends because they didn’t understand I was simply too tired to exercise because they didn’t know what it was like to be in my body, never had major surgery, had my job or simply had the time to exercise that I felt I didn’t.

A long time ago I accepted that I was obese because I chose to live my life the way I did. No exercise and poor eating habits.

Excuses, excuses, excuses and a good case of finger pointing too!

Ban the words from your vocabulary: They and them.

Then, slide in a good amount of personal accountability.

Create the body you want, create the life you want… You choose the actions. No one can do that for you.

You are in control.

I’m not alone, a good friend was told that her excuses were lame for not going to the gym. I thought to myself, the person who says that her excuse are lame perceives it just as the person perceives her busy life and making the excuses not to go to the gym. That’s her choice and her belief. It won’t necessarily get her the results she wants (better physical healthy, weight loss and energy) by not going to the gym but she choose to make these excuses and that is her reality as she sees it.

Two ideas on how to commit to exercise that are working for me:

• Publicly announce your intentions. Tell your family, friends and loved ones. They will remind you of your commitments and keep you on the straight and narrow
• Tell yourself you will exercise after work. Bring your gym bag and commit to getting to the gym by a certain time. Let nothing stop you. Make time for the activity and put value on it. Ever notice how committed we are to things we put value on?

Yesterday while leaving work with my gym bag, a fellow co worker saw me and asked if I was going away for the weekend. I told him I was off to the gym. His response, I’m sorry and then he laughed.

Me, I just smiled and told him I love it.

Hey, who would have thought.

Me, love exercise? The lightbulb has gone on. I realize the importance of activity in my life and value its benefits.

What’s not to love.

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Found this little upper body (abdominal / core and shoulder workout) on the Diesel Crew website. I can see myself doing this with a good heavy kettlebell, but I suppose one could start a bit lighter. I like it.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

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This squat video by the American Council on Exercise shows proper form and technique for the squat. They’re doing body weight squats in this video, to show form and function, but it’s also a good idea to progress to a point where you’re using weights.

Adding weight to your squat can come in the form of a barbell across the shoulders, dumbbells in each hand, a kettlebell in one or both hands or even a dumbbell in one or both hands.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

Body Weight Exercises

Bodyweight exercise is fantastic. Push-ups can be done anywhere you have a floor and they’re one of the perfect vacation exercises. Squats are just as easy to perform anywhere you have a floor. If you’re using body weight, you can begin with one or two if you’re quite large, then progress as you get stronger. If you’re already quite strong, do a massive set of 50 or 100 squats.

Jeff Anderson the Muscle Nerd uses a combination of many different types of bodyweight exercises plus gym tools in his Combat The Fat Workout program. I’ve used the Combat The Fat Workout as my primary training routine when I was getting in shape to climb to Mt Everest Base Camp in Oct of 2008. I needed endurance and lung capacity to be able to handle the 9 hour days of climbing and Jeff’s program did the trick.

I’ve recently added a squat challenge to my body weight challenge section in my “other” forum. Challenge yourself, see how many squats you can do in 2 minutes or try another one and see how many long it takes you to do 100 squats.

Watch the squat video, make sure you’re using proper form, because when it comes right down to any training you do, it’s all about form, not the weight.

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Heather Johnson describes her fitness and rehab journey after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a racquetball accident. This is a guest author contribution

This is the worst thing that could have happened to me, I thought, after the doc took one look at my knee and confirmed that I would need surgery to reconstruct my torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A nasty fall on the racquet ball court put me out of action for a few weeks, and an MRI said knee surgery was required. Three months later, the fitness routine I had put together boosted my fitness level and improved my stamina while allowing me total use of my knee again. There seems to be some fitness found in therapy.

I certainly didn’t think my injury was serious enough to merit a surgery, not when there was no swelling and just the minimum amount of pain. I nursed my injured knee with ice and rest for the first few weeks but the MRI proved surgery would be required.

Muscles and Tendons of the Knee

There are two groups of muscles at the knee and four ligaments. The four quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh work to straighten the knee from a bent position while the hamstring muscles, which run along the back of the thigh from the hip to just below the knee, help to bend the knee.

The quadriceps tendon connects the quadriceps muscle to the patella providing the power to straighten the knee.

Four ligaments connect the femur and tibia and give the joint strength and stability including the medial collateral ligament (MCL), the lateral collateral ligament (LCL), the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), in the center of the knee, which limits rotation and the forward movement of the tibia. The ACL is the one I tore.

So there I was, being wheeled into the operating room with a lot of trepidation.

You’ll be back on court in three months, promised the doc, but only if you’re willing to go through three weeks of intense rehab and three months of physiotherapy to get your legs strong again.

In the minutes following the surgery, I doubted this statement as all I felt was excruciating pain and my groggy mind wondered if I would ever set foot on the ground again, leave alone on the racquetball court. For someone like me who’s an avid racquetball player and has always been active, the enforced period of rest combined with intense amounts of pain was too much to take.

The weeks following the surgery moved slowly; sitting, standing, walking and even lying down were uncomfortable because of the brace on my knee. The rehab started immediately; in spite of the pain, I pushed on, simply because I was driven by the need to get rid of my crutches at the earliest. It was a long three weeks indeed, but finally the day came when I was able to stand on my own two legs, shaky though they were.

And then came the part that made me change my mind about the entire episode – I was sent to the gym to start working out on the stationary bike and the treadmill. I was set to do squats and leg lifts with weights. Muscles that had atrophied these past two months woke up screaming in pain. I added swimming to my grueling workout schedule; at one point, I was spending almost 4 hours a day on building up the strength in my legs.

My Rehab Program In a Nutshell

• Stationary bike and treadmill
• Squats and leg lifts
• Swimming

The driving factor was the response from my bad knee – the more I worked it, the more flexible it became. My nightmares of hopping around on one leg forever slowly gave way to day dreams of the next racquet ball tournament I was going to play.

In three months’ time, I was fitter than I had ever been before – I had unwittingly followed a work out schedule that not only helped me regain full use of my knee, it had also boosted my fitness and stamina to levels I had never reached before. My racquet ball game had never been better and I had never moved this fast on court.

I’ve changed my mind – my torn ACL is the best thing that could have happened to me.

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If you are a beginner like myself or a seasoned gym rat, choosing a gym is an important decision to be made and there are lots of things to consider. As the saying goes, “location, location, location”, but it’s more than just that. There are costs involved, contracts to be signed, hours of operation and if you’re a mom, what about the child care options. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a gym, and it should be done only after careful consideration.

I’m on a journey towards a healthy lifestyle filled with vibrancy and vitality. Most recently, I have made the decision and committed to a gym membership after serious contemplating. Exercise was the missing piece to my puzzle.

Significant changes over the last several months in my eating and lifestyle choices have been made but until now I was not mentally ready to join a gym.

The year was 1981 and Olivia Newton John zoomed to the top of the music charts with her song, Let’s Get Physical which inspired everyone to join a gym, sign up for gym class and wear spandex. Me, I was in Grade nine and (mandatory) gym class later ended ended for me in 1985. Not to mention, Participation.

Folks, it’s now 2008!

During my recent tours of various fitness facilities, the following are the top considerations I had to make before signing my contract

10 Things to Consider When Choosing A Gym

1 Atmosphere You’re going to spend a good portion of your time and money here so make sure it feels right to you. When a friend and I started looking for a gym I felt incredibly intimidated by one such gym with the amount of grunting, groaning and amount of posturing that went on in front of some of the mirrors. Make sure you get good vibes and feel comfortable the moment you walk into the door. Think of it this way, why would you spend your time or money going somewhere that you don’t enjoy? If you don’t consider this, your money will be wasted.

2 People A gym is like any other business, it’s there to make money. No matter how good the product is, it’s the people that can make or break a business. What is their interaction with others when you check out the gym(s) to make your choice? Are there many staff around when you need to ask questions? Can you connect with them or are they unapproachable? Do they have the qualifications? I actually interviewed the manager of the gym we chose and discovered she had been with this company for 25 years! She showed passion, enthusiasm and genuine interest in us when we met.

3 Cost What is your budget for exercise? We all want the most for our dollar but it shouldn’t be the driving force for you when it comes to deciding which gym you will choose. Ask lots of questions: Can I use this gym anywhere it is located in the city or is it this gym only? What is the cost of a drop in fee? What is the cost of a personal trainer? Am I being charged a membership fee as well as a monthly fee? What are my different options regarding price and/or payment? Ask for a complimentary pass to try out the gym before you make your final decision and I am sure that no one will say no. Shop around if price is one of the things preventing you from joining a gym or health club. One way you could save money is if your employer is offered discounts for their employees.

4 Location Did you choose where you live because of the location? Ask yourself where your doctor, dentist, grocery store, school or bank are located? Most likely, nearby. If it’s inconvenient getting to the gym, it’s going to be easy to start using it as an excuse not to go. I knew that if I chose a gym that was hard to get to that I wouldn’t go. So, I chose a gym that is a fifteen minute walk from my home which I use as my warm up.

5 Hours When do you plan to workout? Do the hours of the gym meet your needs? Take note of gyms with limited hours which might include evenings and weekends. I’m not a 9-5 person so I had to make sure that they had extended hours in the evening and were open on weekends. If their schedule doesn’t work with yours, you’ll soon have an excuse for not using your membership.

6 Maintenance Take a look at the equipment to ensure it runs smoothly and everything you think you will need to workout with is readily available. What is the quality of the equipment and is it current equipment? Is it regularly maintained? Is it clean? Is there enough space between you and others working out? You don’t want to lose your personal space.

7 Co-Ed or Not Everyone reacts to others differently, and exercising should be done in a place where you feel comfortable. As a woman, I enjoy exercising in a same sex gym and since I’m a beginner, I don’t want to exercise where I might feel embarrassed or intimidated. The choice is yours.

8 Change rooms. Locker rooms. Are they clean? Do they offer facilities that you will use? IE , showers, sauna, lockers. After making it to the gym, I realized I didn’t bring along a lock so for twenty five cents I could rent a locker complete with key to keep my personal items safe.

9 Classes. Where are your interests? What classes do they offer? If you are a beginner are they offering more intermediate or advanced classes that aren’t at your skill level? Are classes included in your membership or additional? Are classes offered when you are available to take them?

10 Contract Many gyms require a yearly contract as well as a monthly fee. What happens if you are unable to use your membership due to illness or injury? Does the contract protect you or the company? There are many things to consider so make sure to read the contract in full before you sign on the dotted line especially the fine print that can be quickly overlooked.

Today is only the beginning.

I accomplished what I had set out to do and instead of falling asleep on the couch at 9:00 PM I find myself alert and energized well into the early morning hours.

Tax Deductible Gym Memberships

My challenge to you this week is to act now and make gym memberships tax deductible in Canada!

According to Dave Hardy, President of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada, “The financial incentive offered by a federal adult fitness tax credit will encourage nearly one million more Canadians to get active and healthier,” said Hardy. “These healthier Canadians will need less health care and miss less work due to illness.”

Extending the program to include adults is not only good for the personal health of Canadians but also the financial health of the country. We urge the government to act quickly on this important initiative.

When Canadians were polled in 1997, more than three in five Canadians supported the idea of expanding the existing federal Children’s Fitness Tax Credit to include all Canadians over the age of sixteen.

Contact your local MP and Minister of Finance through the following link and make your voice be heard!

For details, read more about the Adult Fitness Tax Credit

Have a great week!

–Christina

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Diesel Crew does some great chain training here. Chains provide an unstable environment for lifting as well as changing the resistance by putting more load on your muscles when they’re in their strongest part of the movement. Jim Smith is the author of Combat Core Conditioning, the most advanced torso strength training manual I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

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Jim “Smitty” Smith is a strength coach and cofounder of the Diesel Crew. Jim dedicates himself to studying, developing and enhancing athletic performance through the utilization of conventional and non-conventional training protocols, including; powerlifting, weightlifting, strongman, odd-objects, Russian kettlebells and grip strength methodologies. This distinctive and comprehensive approach has helped athletes of all skills levels attain their goals and “Achieve Beyond Potential.” Jim is an active student of strength athletics and is always seeking new ways to innovate and provide a unique perspective for gaining muscle, rehabbing injuries, improving performance and building better athletics. Jim is a contributor to Mens Health magazine.

Get Smitty’s free report on Combat Core Exercise!

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Dan John, the Strength Coach and head track and field coach at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah originally said that the body is one piece and that there is no core. Mark Twight at GymJones took that to heart and filmed a bunch of “center oriented exercises” where movement was initiated from the center. Have a look

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A previous video shows Dan John teaching Olympic Lifts

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“Pick the bar up, put it over your head”, pretty simple. Dan John is the Strength Coach and Head Track and Field Coach at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper, Utah and aside from holding multiple state champion titles (California and Utah) in discus, hammer, shot, highland games and Olympic lifting, can lift a shitload of weight.

Dan shows us how to lift Olympic style in this 33 minute video. Great stuff!

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Craig Ballantyne, the author of Turbulence Training, bodyweight fat loss training manual, and contributor to Mens Health magazine stopped in for a little chat a month ago and it’s now being partially released to readers. This Craig Ballantyne interview is ongoing, so be sure to register on the last page for updates.

Craig says

Everyone’s familiar with the term “turbulence” as it applies to flying. You know to buckle your seatbelt when you hit turbulence because the airplane has to work very hard to re-position itself in the air.

This is the same theory behind “Turbulence Training“, a combination of resistance training and interval training designed to lead you to the promised land of single-digit body fat.

Craig couldn’t be more clear about the need for variety and change in your workouts as well as the critical importance of weight training for building and keeping muscle in any successful fat loss program. Turbulence Training is just that. Craig has also been credited with the 300 workout that the actors for the movie 300 followed, but as it turns out, he didn’t, it was Mark Twight of Gym Jones (who I want to train with incidentally).

The original 300 workout, will kick your ass…

Original 300 Workout

The original 300 workout, designed for the actors of the movie, is definitely a challenge. Here’s how it goes:

a) Pullups – 25 reps
b) Deadlifts with 135lbs – 50 reps
c) Pushups – 50 reps
d) 24-inch Box jumps – 50 reps
e) Floor wipers – 50 reps
f) 1-arm Clean & Press with 36lbs Kettlebell – 50 reps
g) Pullups – 25 reps

And remember, there is NO scheduled rest between exercises. Although eventually, you’ll slow down.

Craig has done this workout in 19 minutes and 7 seconds, but he cautions people, not to do this all the time. This is something you have to work towards and do as a “1 time” shot to test yourself every other month or so. Read Craig’s thoughts on the 300 workout. The 300 workout was done against the clock, the quicker you could get it done, the higher you ranked. Mark used it as a way for the 300 movie actors to compete against one another in their fitness levels.

If you’re going to do this, train for it, then do it on the clock. Then train for it for a few more months, then try and beat your time. That’s how it works. If it takes you an hour the first time, then 55 minutes the second time, you got better. Get it?

He did go on to design another mini 300 workout for the average guy and gal:

Mini 300 Workout

Craig says

Appropriate exercises can be subbed in, and we can drop the number of reps down to 100, 150, or 200 – still making for a total body challenge.

For example, you might do this 200-repetition workout – this is great for a man with moderate fitness:

• 5 Chinups
• 20 prisoner squats
• 20 pushups
• 100 Jumping Jacks
• 30 Bicycle Crunches
• 10 decline pushups
• 15 bodyweight inverted rows

Optionally, you could do 100 reps of rope jumping to finish off 300 total reps.

Now, these types of workouts are for testing yourself, but for fat burning, while building or keeping your muscle, get and use Turbulence Training.

Like I said, the interview is in progress. I hit a bit of a technical challenge, but everything happens for a reason. The layout of the interview has improved and I’m much happier with it. I can’t wait to get back to it and while I’m on pause, you get to enjoy.

Part 1 – What Is Turbulence Training?

Craig – Thank you for taking the time to talk about one of the most misunderstood parts of fitness – cardio.

During my weight loss journey, I’ve used various methods of cardio including walking, running, Taekwondo, boot camps and stair running. I’ve done long slow cardio on a treadmill and high intensity interval training.

Personally – I like to be time effective and use the method that will get me the best results in the least amount of time. I like to be time effective and I’m sure most people today would agree with me.

I fully approve Turbulence Training and what it can offer for anyone – men or women.

How would you describe your Turbulence Training program in a few words?

Hi Rob,

Turbulence Training is a fat burning workout system built for men and women that don’t have a lot of time, and who generally exercise in a home gym with minimal equipment.

The traditional TT workouts go like this…

Continue reading the rest of the Craig Ballantyne Interview

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Many experts agree that doing cardio first thing in the morning can burn fat 300% faster while others say that interval training with bodyweight exercises is as effective or more effective than cardio.

The never ending question of the best way to burn fat has proponents on both sides of the fence. Then there are those who think that to have the best health, one should do both cardio and weight training. Weight training to build muscle, strength and bone density and then cardio to improve heart and lung health.

What are your thoughts?

as always, leave a more detailed answer in the comments. It may take 30 to 45 seconds for the poll to record your answer. Thank you for your patience

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Rounding out our day of strong women, this Barbie Barbell video of her deadlifting 282 pounds. Earlier we featured Barbie’s world record bench press which she performed at age 17 16 and a body weight of 112 pounds.

This is one strong woman.

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Amanda Harris, also known as Barbie Barbell is see here setting her world record bench press. She pressed 187.6 pounds at a body weight of 112 pounds and being 17 years of age. I’m pretty sure those are the numbers for her age and weight. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

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Barbie Barbell is one strong woman. She’s an inspiration to girls all around the world as well as parents. Makes you want to spend more time on yourself, getting into shape, eating better and having your kids follow in your footsteps doesn’t it?

Even it the sport is not your type of thing, the dedication to her discipline, bench press, deadlifts and squats should leave you inspired. Where other kids are perfecting their wii, Barbie is moving weight around.

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We’ve seen strong women doing pushups, we’ve seen strong women climbing rope at Bondi beach and we’ve seen a strong mother and daughter workout routine. Earlier in the day we saw a strong young woman doing beach pullups and now it’s my pleasure to bring you two strong women doing pullups at their crossfit location.

These women are featured in a number of crossfit workouts of the day but in this example, they’re just doing pullups.

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Pullups, Pushups and squats are the primary bodyweight weight training exercises and have long been the way to measure strength. My dad had a pullup bar installed in our basement when I was growing up, but to be honest, I never saw him doing any. Maybe it was mom who was doing them?

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This has got to be the best video I’ve seen of pushups. These strong women (and a couple of guys) do some things with pushups that inspire me to train harder. I’m not sure if this was shot in one single day, but you can tell from her exhaustion at one point, that she’d done enough.

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I did a review of the perfect pushup a few months ago which is a fantastic product, but as far as I’m concerned, pushups are the simplest of “kick your ass” exercises because they can be performed anywhere, anytime, by anyone. Various pushup variations keep things interesting and target different parts of your anatomy.

Pushups are a part of the 20 minute kick your ass workout I posted a few weeks back.

There’s nothing wrong with setting a goal of 25 to 50 push ups a day, in as many sets as it takes, to keep in shape at the office, at home or while traveling. I’ll be doing them daily when I’m hiking to Everest base camp this fall.

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Continuing our day long feature on strong women, this crossfit workout shows a mother and daughter competing against each other (or training with each other). These crossfit workouts are nothing to sneeze at. They’ll kick your ass.

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Bondi beach is a mile long beach on Australia’s east coast and a suburb of Sydney and this video shows a strong woman doing the bondi beach rope climb. I had posted a video earlier about another rope climb where the guy did it a number of times up and down without stopping. Same location, Bondi beach.

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Here’s a panoramic shot of Bondi beach that I got from the Bondi beach home page

If you’re interested in getting a climbing rope, go to the source. This is the same place the people from Bondi purchased theirs.

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This is the first in a series of day long videos featuring strong women. This first one shows a young woman doing pull ups at an outdoor exercise location. I’m pretty sure it’s in Australia, but don’t quote me on that. Guys? how many pull ups can you do?

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Jon Hinds of the Minneapolis based Monkey Bar Gym put together this bodyweight workout for X Games competitor Carl Schubitzke. The video is about 4 minutes long but the workout is in the 25 minute range.

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via Scott at Straight To The Bar

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I recently got this stair running workout emailed to me from Paul Becker and wanted to make it available. I’ve been waiting for the snow to melt so I can get back into stair running this spring. On the north bank of the Saskatchewan River here in Edmonton, there are a good number of different sets of stairs along the river valley trails. The stair running is perfect because of the varying angles. One set of stairs known as the Royal Glenora stairs has two built in rest points during it’s flight.

Running stairs is very taxing on the lungs and legs but is perfect for building endurance and ass. If you’re a regular reader of this blog and my posts, you’ll know that my trainer does not train legs, she trains ass. Running stairs is a perfect ass building workout as it burns fat and builds lung strength.

Running Stairs For Fat Loss

One of the best ways of cardio training is to run stairs. Here is a training plan to get you in shape fast!

As with any workout, start out with a good warm up and stretch. You just may want to start by walking the stairs, then proceed to jogging and then to running.

It’s a good idea not to begin this stair workout until you get yourself in good physical condition by jogging 15 to 25 minutes, 3 to 4 times a week for at least 3 to 4 weeks. This will strengthen your heart and lungs so it won’t be too much of a demand on your body.

Sample Running Stairs Cardio Workout

Find a flight of stairs that has at least 20-30 stairs (a track with stadium seating at a high school or local college is ideal).
Walk up the stairs to the top and then down the stairs to the bottom 3-5 times. After this warm-up you will begin the workout.

1) Sprint from the bottom of the stairs to the top as fast as possible

2) Then walk down.

3) Repeat this routine for a total of three to five sets. Your legs should be pretty sore the next day. Work your way up to a total of ten sets.

As your conditioning improves you have many more options to continually challenge your anaerobic system.

Run more flights of stairs
Increase your sets
Use a weighed vest

It’s my intention to be running stairs 3x a week by June and to continue this until I leave for my Mt Everest base camp climb in October.

I have to say though, that if you’re new to stairs, begin by walking them. As I said in the beginning, running stairs is quite taxing on the lungs and legs.

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Ida Wasserman just celebrated her 100th birthday and she’s heading to the gym. From a walker to walking by herself, Ida shows that it’s never too late to start exercising.

Ida’s favorite cardio equipment is the rowing machine which reminds her of rowing in Central Park with her late husband.

Her advice to seniors is

keep active because once you stop being active, you’re no longer much of a person

I might ask that you use Ida as inspiration to continue your own workouts with vigor, or begin exercising. If she can do it, you can do it.

via Scott. More on the story at Tampa Bays 10

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I must admit that women are a bit wiser than most men in the sense that they realize the importance of working out their legs regularly. But their choice of leg exercises they perform really suck for the most part. Come on ladies, tell me you don’t head straight for the inner and outer thigh machine. Listen up ladies and gents! It’s time to take your leg training seriously. To help you out, my wife Angie and I have put together our top 10 leg exercises below…

These are not beginner exercises by any means. They are meant to challenge you and force your legs to become more like you desire. Many of the movements are performed with one leg and require balance.

Even if you struggle with the exercises at first, I encourage you to keep practicing until you get it. If my 87 year old client can do them I’m sure that you can work your way up to the challenge.

Top 10 Best Leg Exercises

• Front Squat
• Dead Lift
• Split Squat
• Reverse Lunge
• Step Ups
• 1 Leg Bench Squat
• 1 Leg Stability Ball Leg Curl
• Bulgarian Lunge
• Deep-Partial Squat
• 1 Leg Ball Squat Against The Wall

Angie and I put together a quick video to demonstrate each exercise.

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As you can see, Angie and I performed each of the top 10 leg exercises from the comfort of our own home with very limited space and very limited amount of equipment.

If you have an 8×8 space with some dumbbells and a stability ball, you can get a phenomenal workout in that will sculpt your body.

Don’t let your workout program get stale. Avoid doing the same old circuits and working at the same old intensity or ‘lack thereof’. Challenge yourself. I dare you to choose 3 of these exercises right now and practice them for 15 minutes. Give it an honest effort and don’t allow yourself to get frustrated.

It’s time to take your fat loss journey to the next level. I know you’re ready!

Have an absolutely amazing day!

Scott Tousignant

Scott Tousignant, BHK, CFC is the creator of Unstoppable Fat Loss… “Empower Your Mind… And Your Body Will Follow”. Scott has also authored 2 books that are transforming the bodies of people around the world. The Fit Chic and The Fit Bastard not only contain a FULL YEAR of workouts, they provide intense motivation to drive you to fat loss success.

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You’d think that tire flipping would be a simple thing, but find a 500 pound tractor tire and try it yourself. A used tractor tire can be used for many outdoor exercise routines including sledge hammer swings, a platform for box jumps or just picking it up and flipping it.

Have a look.

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Excellent example of rope climbing. Such a simple activity to build grip, back and arm strength and he doesn’t even use his feet.

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