2015 Fitness Test with Gold’s Gym

We’re nearly two weeks into 2015 and you may or may not be on the right track. Your diet isn’t as clean as you wanted. You still haven’t signed up for that new gym membership. You’re so busy getting back to work from the holidays that you barely have time to sleep. No worries, take this fitness test as a wake up call.

Your health can’t wait because a healthy lifestyle is the key to success at home, with family, in school, at work, or wherever you go. Increased energy levels, decreased stress levels, a more functional immune system… don’t those all sound nice. Throw some well-built shoulders and a defined midsection and you’d be feeling pretty well.

As a member of Gold’s Venice, a staff member shot this my way and I must say, I think it’s great. We’ll see what you think about it after you put yourself through these ten grueling minutes of all out exercise targeting every muscle in your body. WAIT… remember, this isn’t made to be a workout, it’s made to see what kind of shape you’re in and what you need to start doing more (or less) of in your life!

The test itself is simple and self-explanatory. It’s an awesome system but I can’t say the push ups, squats, bench step ups, pull ups, and crunches will be quite as much fun.

Click here to take the Gold’s Gym Fit Test

Post your thoughts, or results, in the comment section below. AND if you’re a real go-getter who wants to make the most of 2015, post a video of your test on YouTube and tag our YouTube channel, HungryandFit!

Jan052015

Our Last Week (ish) in Pics

I (Fit) have had the luck and the good fortune to have a workplace that lets us have two weeks off for the holidays! This allowed me much relaxation and re-boot time–plus, tons of time with my favorite animals. Have a wonderful week!

Lots of animal naps

Caught them cuddling!

Look at that tongue!!

A book I am SO excited to read

Lots of family time

Delicious meals with good friends

Shopped at Adidas and this made me smile

A Hungry and Fit Facebook giveaway!

Had fun baking and drinking champagne with good friends for New Years

Had fun baking cookies and drinking champagne with good friends for New Years

Enjoying a gourmet breakfast before we saw Into the Woods

Chris having too much fun at work

New Year’s Eve meal (Indian food)…with a hungry Noke nearby

Lots of home workouts

And gym workouts

Dec172014

Hungry Meets TRX

It might seem weird that after all these years in competitive sports and then the fitness industry, I haven’t really come across TRX before. None of my coaches, trainers, or sports medicine staff ever had me use it for my sports performance and I never felt the need to take a class or take a course to be an instructor. Well, that changed when we moved to LA and I found myself working at a new fitness facility where all three of the personal training staff were also TRX instructors. After some pressure was applied by my boss, I said… what the heck, why not?

In TRX, you don’t get certified; instead, you obtain qualifications for every course you take. With one TRX qualification, you are considered an Equipped TRX Instructor. (That’s me.) With three or more, you are Advanced and so forth. The system is based on the number of qualifications you have and the points that each is worth (Level 1s are worth 8000, Level 2s are worth 16000). The tiers also are color coded, like belts in Martial Arts.

All of this information is on the TRX database on their website, www.trxtraining.com. It’s a great system and free as a resource. If you want to pay a little bit every month, you can be a member of TRX Core, which gives you access to every TRX resource online, including a library of workouts, live chats with Master level trainers and Gurus, etc.

Fitness training courses

As for the qualifications, I took the Group Suspension Training Course, an introductory course to teach group exercise classes. Now, I’m signed up for their RIP trainer course and their level 2 TRX TEAM. It’s something different and it’s effective. It’s more challenging than elite athletes think and less challenging than health-seekers feel it might be. They find the straps intimidating but it can be scaled to hit any fitness level.

I would recommend beginners and people recovering from injuries do a few TRX personal training sessions before jumping into a group class, but since you’re on your own straps, you can go on your own pace. If your instructor is pushy and tries to make you go at the class pace when you shouldn’t, get a new instructor. Once you grasp the fundamentals and trust the straps, it’s fun. And while you should still be doing strength training to get stronger or practicing your sport to increase your skill, this is a great addition to any exercise regiment. It keeps you humble, builds balance, increases stability, and eventually mobility.

It has a lot of benefits, just be mindful of your knees and shoulders. Make sure you warm up properly, even before your instructor starts class. And make sure you change your grips so that you aren’t constantly squeezing the handles like you’re going to fall off a cliff. You don’t want to stress those forearm muscles.

Image source

Stay in touch, I’ll keep you updated as I teach more classes and get a few more qualifications under my belt. Still, feel free to ask any questions about TRX and I’ll let you know if you should give it a shot! And as always, stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Little wet face

Dec122014

Grounding Yoga Poses

Recently, I’ve been trying to get more into Yoga. My body feels stiff and I can’t even touch my toes anymore. I knew it was time to get back into the practice that has given me so many benefits in the past. So, with GaiamTV, I’ve been getting back into it. I try to practice at least once a week. I can feel the monumental difference when I do it. Not just body-wise (though my hips are so very happy), but mentally as well. Yoga and meditation are wonderful tools for getting through life and learning to roll with the punches. It’s good to just breathe. After stressful work days or crazy weekends, I find it incredibly helpful and soothing to practice grounding yoga poses. These are yoga poses that will help ground you into the earth and away from your stress and chaotic energy. Though the entire list would take many posts to explain, I chose three that I find fundamentally grounding.

1. Pigeon pose. This is an incredible hip opener. It’s a very slow pose and it should be taken gentle, though it may feel intense. Start on all fours. Bend one knee and drape the leg in front of your body and stretch the other leg behind you. Slowly move down towards the mat, eventually resting your forehead on the mat when you can. Remember to take this slow and gently, as it can be very intense in your hips. Angle your leg as needed to compensate for flexibility or sore areas. Hold for as long as comfortable and switch sides.

Image source

2. Dragon pose. This one is newer to me, but as soon as I started practicing it, I fell in love with it. It is such a wonderful opener for the hips, legs, glutes, and more. It’s like the body drinks up the benefits its reaping from this pose. For this one, start in a lunge position with one leg next to your hands on the mat, and the other leg back, knee down. If you’re able, go down to your forearms. If that’s too much for now, stay on your hands. Hold for as long as comfortable and switch sides.

Image source

3. Reclining hero pose. This one is a wonderful stretch deep in your quads. Everyone will be at a different level here. Start by kneeling. If this is hard on your knees, try putting a blanket under them, or it simply may not be right for you. Drape your arms behind you and slowly start laying backwards, with your knees folded below you. Go as low as you’d like, whether that’s a few inches or all the way to the floor. Stay as long as is comfortable. This is another slow, gentle pose.

Image source

Those are some of our favorite grounding yoga poses. Do this when you feel the need for grounding and calm. Remember to breathe deeply through each of these poses. Don’t rush them, take your time. Try to feel every part of your body as you ease into these poses. Treat your body and let it flourish! Remember to be sensitive to any ailments your body may be under at the time–sore knees, hips, and so forth. You never want to hurt yourself by pushing too far or doing something poorly for your body. Use these poses to help ground yourself and give your hips what they deserve! And as always, stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nov212014

Don’t Lift Those Heavy Weights!

Last night while getting back into squatting regularly, someone else was making some serious mistakes in their form and training program. I was concerned for their health and said something to their friend, hoping he could convince him to clean up his act for his own good. Then, the friend asked me about his own issue relating to some pain in his shoulders when he is doing what his demonstration seemed like dual bent over posterior deltoid flyes with 35 lb dumbbells.

This all leads to my point, to stop lifting heavy weights… if you’re not ready for it. I know you want to get big and strong fast, but this process is a progression that needs to be taken slowly. The muscles in your chest are large and can handle a significant amount of weight, but with poor form (or even with proper form) your shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints might not be conditioned to do the same. It will take correct technique and a significant amount of training to make sure your stabilizing muscles that protect your joints are prepared for a larger load.

Here are five tips to protect yourself and maximize your effort!

1. Warmup! It’s important to perform warm up exercises to loosen muscles fibers that are shorter, tighter, and colder from inactivity. Some internal and externals rotations can really help maximize your bench results without fatiguing your shoulders for the lift.

2. Set a rep range and stick to it. If you’re going for five reps of 135 lbs on the bench press, you’re doing that for a reason. Make sure you can perform all of those repetitions almost perfectly before considering doing five reps of any more weight in the same exercise.

3. Use assistance when necessary. I’m not telling you to let your spotter row the weight from your chest, but protect your joints when performing heavier weights or higher repetition ranges. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of using belts, straps, and wraps often (because I want to strengthen my core and stabilizer muscles), but it’s important to protect your body!

4. Rest! Someone at my facility benches and curls weights every single day of the week. When you isolate a body part and damage muscle fibers to the point that they need to be repaired, you actually have to let them repair before you hit that muscle group hard again! Don’t waste your progress by being reckless.

5. Do it properly! When you walk in the gym, leave your ego at the door. No one is going to be impressed by your 1/3 squats with two plates on each side. Well, no one who knows what they’re talking about. Ask for advice, learn proper form, use a coach, and make sure you are getting the most out of the exercises without risking getting injured.

So there you have it. Be smart. Condition your joints and strengthen your stabilizer muscles. Everyone complains about elbow pain after doing chest and triceps with flared elbows and heavy skull crushers. Everyone complains about their lower back hurting when they deadlift and squat. Avoid being sidelined and train smarter! And as always, stay hungry and fit!

Nov192014

The Gym as a Community

Crossfit. One of the fields that Crossfit excels in is its tendency to build communities. Most of the boxes that I have visited or heard about are very supportive environments for the athletes that are either regulars or guests. Now, I’m not going to go into great depth in this post about the nature of the community. I won’t discuss the dynamics of the community in terms of the quality or availability of help and advice, just overall encouragement, support, and comfort.

As a member of many gyms, fitness facilities, martial arts studios, and public workout areas, I have a lot of experience with different fitness groups. The reason I continue to provide my services at a YMCA is because of the community aspect that it offers to the members and guests. Every day, individuals come in to check out our facility and as I give them a tour, they realize how much of a more supportive and friendly environment we offer. I ask them where they workout and the most common answers, in order, are Equinox, Spectrum, Dave Barton, 24 Hour Fitness, and LA Fitness. (We are in LA right now.) They change their memberships often and are much happier.

Now, without calling out any single organizations directly, every facility offers something different. Some open in order to make a lot of money, some want to work with celebrity clientele, some enjoy doing what they do, and others wants to help people. Most do it for multiple reasons. I’ve always worked at the places that REALLY want to help people. (Because I can achieve the other three through my private services, when I want.) So why is that supportive environment so important to others? I won’t tell you my reasons, I will tell you what the people say.

They don’t like it when the front desk staff doesn’t say hello and goodbye. They don’t like it when other members ignore them when they ask a friendly question. They don’t like feeling as if they’ll get in trouble for doing something wrong, when it might not even be the wrong thing to do. They don’t want to feel like an employee, member, or guest is going to steal their stuff. They don’t want to feel like people are talking about what they’re doing for their workout behind their backs. They want to feel comfortable, because they’ve earned that by paying for a membership and being a respectable member.

Everyone going to the gym is making an effort to look, feel, and/or live a better life. I respect that in almost every instance and recognize that these people, whether they are health-seekers, elite athletes, or any other level are doing something that they might not entirely want to do or enjoy doing, but are trying to make a difference. Maybe they are having health issues and need to strengthen their heart; perhaps they have come from hard times and becoming a professional athlete could help support a large family, or maybe they are retired, bored and looking for some friends and activity through a group exercise class.

The reason almost doesn’t matter, what matters is that they deserve an environment that is conducive to creating a healthy lifestyle. That doesn’t just mean reasonable rates, great parking, and the best equipment on the market. It also means a friendly and knowledgeable staff plus some members that at least have the courtesy to tell someone, “Sorry, I’m in a bit of a rush, maybe next time.” Now, I’m not trying to change the world or force people at the gym to alter the way they workout. We all know what gyms are more welcoming and those that are a little colder.

If you like to workout alone with your playlist and hoodie on, I’m not stopping you, but if someone asks to work in with you, don’t ignore them. Give them an answer. If some popular facility hired you to work the front desk and you can’t help someone with a question because you’re too busy flirting with the attractive guys and girls that come in, well… to be honest, I’d fire you but maybe your supervisors are okay with that. Says a lot about the facility. Have some respect for the industry and leave some feedback about your facility and what category it falls into below! Finding a great community that supports you is one of the best ways to stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

Nov072014

Mark Bell at Barbell Brigade

Last weekend, through my reliable Instagram feed, I found out that Mark Bell would be doing a powerlifting seminar at Barbell Brigade. For those of you who don’t know, Mark Bell is very well-known in the world of strength training. He invents and patents products for training, makes one of the most popular podcasts, competed in powerlifting and professional wrestling, and appeared in the documentary that his brother made. (Bigger, Faster, Stronger)

Also, for those of you who don’t know, Barbell Brigade is a training facility in Los Angeles located a few blocks from Union Station. It is absolutely amazing and I will be doing a video there shortly so you will find out more. (200 lb dumbbells, sleds on turf, olympic platforms, monkey bars, freedom to do what you want, etc.)

I decided to go because it would be a great chance to see Mark present and check out the facility. It was inexpensive, so well worth my time if all went well. And it did… I even dragged Fit along with me. Now in all honesty, I’m happy with my squat, deadlift, and bench press, so my reason for attending wasn’t to get advice for myself. As a coach, I wanted to see how Mark presented to a large diverse crowd. There were all sorts of people there so I won’t even start to describe them. Nevertheless, he had experienced lifters demonstrate technique as he explained what they were doing and why they were doing it.

Typically, I find a few minor, or even major, points that I disagree with in other people’s clinics, but strangely enough… I was agreeing with nearly everything he said. It was actually a little creepy seeing someone else that you’ve never seen coach before explain topics in a similar way. (With the exception of some choice of words… I keep it PG, because I work with a lot of young athletes.)

So, that kept my attention and I particularly enjoyed how he answered most of the questions. Very open-minded to implementing various training practices while still staying true to core principles of powerlifting. Very relatable for the general populace and extremely entertaining. He had the crowd participating a lot and everyone was laughing a considerable amount. The group seemed comfortable during the “lecture” portion, which is important to creating an effective learning environment.

Us taking a creeper selfie with Mark Bell in background

Now, I wasn’t there strictly for business. I also wanted to ask Mark about the Slingshot, a product he developed that assists in the bench press. In 2011, I performed my best competitive bench press ever, and about one month later suffered a full SLAP tear of my labrum in my left shoulder. I decided to forego the only way to repair it, which is surgery and just deal with it. It took a while to get strength back, but I’ve built the bench up to nearly 70% of what it used to be by developing other muscles in the shoulder girdle. I asked Mark what Slingshot model and size would work for me, someone with nearly a decade of proper bench press experience, and a torn labrum, and he told me to order an XL Reactive, the first stage of four different levels.

Fit posing with Silent Mike, Mark Bell’s assistant

I should be receiving it soon and will write a full review on it. In the review, I will talk about how the product works for someone with a serious injury and also the uses of the product. I am sure I will find a way to use it for my non-powerlifting athletes so stay tuned for that. All in all, it was a great experience and even though we had to leave nearly 2/3 of the way through, we left completely satisfied. Fit even enjoyed it more than she expected! As always…stay hungry and fit!

Oct292014

Do This Before You Go to Bed!

We all complain that we simply don’t have enough time. Does that sound familiar? I say it too. We all use it as an excuse–whether that’s in order to not do the dishes, not brush your teeth, or not exercise! Well I say bollocks! You do have time. You just need to realize it. Even though it’s easy to say you don’t have time to workout, you do. It doesn’t need to be an hour workout. It can even be six minutes! Something is better than nothing so do this before you go to bed!

30 seconds each

Crunches
Side crunches (right)
Side crunches (left)
Reverse crunches
Fast bicycles
Slow bicycles
In n outs (rows)
Scissors
Crossed leg crunches
Ankle touches

1 minute

Plank (you can side plank for a break)

The above workout is six minutes. SIX MINUTES! You can do that. Do yourself a favor and even if you “don’t have any time,” I promise you can squeeze this in. Not only is it good for your health and sculpting your core, it will make you feel better about yourself. You will feel that you have accomplished something, even if it’s a short workout. This is a great, healthy thing to do before bed. Make it a habit and do it every other day! Believe in yourself! This will give you power! Please leave any comments or questions in the comment section. And as always…stay hungry and fit!

BONUS KITTY PIC

meow

Oct222014

How to Workout at Disneyland

As you saw, we went to Disneyland over the weekend. It was a blast–no doubts there. However, when you’re at Disneyland for 13 hours, it’s hard to fit a workout in at the gym. How do we remedy this situation? Workout at Disneyland! What?! It’s possible, I promise. Despite the churros, the popcorn, and the beignets, you can also fit in some good workouts. After all, you do spend a considerable amount of time waiting in line. Instead of wasting time being bored or on your smart phone, but that time to good use! Work it!

Some of these are self-explanatory, but others I will delve into.

When I say incline push-ups, you might be thinking where. I say incline, because you don’t want to put your hands on the gross Disneyland ground. So there are usually poles forming the lines, or huge flower bed holders and so forth. Find one of those in line, move your body in the correct place, and start doing push-ups! It’ll give you a rush and a pump and get you even more excited for the ride!
When I say partner shoulder raises or biceps curls, you obviously need a partner. Now, you can do loads of partner exercises, but there were only so much room on my thing. For example, with shoulder raises you would have someone press on your straight arms, while you try to raise them. There are so many options for this, you can really get creative.

It’s actually easy to fit in a workout at Disneyland or any other theme park because you spend some time waiting in line! Pair that with the thousands of steps you will walk and you’ve done a great workout for the day! Did you know that we took 30,000 steps (13.4mi) when we were at Disneyland? That could’ve been my highest ever. So instead of waiting in line doing nothing at a theme park, spice it up and exercise! Have fun and workout! And as always, stay hungry and fit!

BONUS PUPPY PIC

Wet dog wet dog!

Oct172014

Flex Belt Review

There are a lot of interesting products out there. Some of them are bogus, some of them are legit. It’s hard to determine what really works and what’s just a scam. As we were being sent the Flex Belt, we felt a little wary, because it had the “get fit quick” feel that we aren’t huge fans of. However, as my mum says, try everything once! You never know about something (truly) until you try it. So, we went ahead and agreed to review the product. You never know! And we can do what’s right for others and let them know if it actually works or not. Let’s get to it.

This has been tried by about four members of the “family.” We all have our different views, but it also shows more than one person’s experience with the product which is helpful in deciding for yourself. Let’s get to the how it works part of this review. First off, read the manual to make sure you do the steps properly. Basically you attach gel pads to a belt and wrap it around your stomach. Connected to a device, the belt uses electricity to stimulate your muscles. The gel sticks on your belly button and each of your obliques in attempts to get a large area of the abdominal. It feels like you’re wearing a bomb strapped to your torso, which is slightly alarming, but you get used to it. You can easily put a shirt over the belt. The belt stimulates your muscles in contractions. It will stimulate, then rest, stimulate, then rest, over and over until time is up. The higher the intensity level, the longer it will contract and the more intense it will be.

Does it work? I can’t honestly say yes or no. I could definitely feel my muscles contract on level 70 (it goes from 1-150) and I could definitely see Chris’ abs dramatically pulling as he put it on level 150. We’ve done it a few times throughout a few weeks. Sophie’s abs were sore the next day. Although mine weren’t, I could still feel the muscles pulling. So we know it works the muscles in some form, but does it chisel them? Does it make the muscles stronger? We aren’t sure. But I know that I will continue to put the belt on from time to time just because it’s kind of fun. It’s also good to stimulate your muscles in that way. Ever hear of stims? It’s an important part of muscle recovery. So we will be using it at the minimum for that.

Should you try it? Why not? Give it a try because it might work for you. Everybody’s body is different. If we could feel our muscles contracting, maybe it does work in a way. We will leave it up to you. At least check it out–you can just click here to learn more. Be open-minded, be critical, let your body try it for about 2 weeks before you make a solid decision. We are obviously in the middle of the road. It’s always fun to try new products! And as always, stay hungry and fit!