Hi folks, just back from Memorial Day weekend and ready to take on the second half of my training. Only six more weeks to go!
New tip is about breathing.
7. One of the best ways to give your workout maximum force is to focus on your breathing.
When you are getting ready to engage the weight and start lifting, take a deep breath. Then let your breath out when you are lifting the weight, and take another deep breath when you slowly bring the weight back to the original position.
This is pretty basic stuff but it's surprising how little you see written about this very important practice. Breathing will also give your workout a sort of rhythm. If you want to slow down or increase the pace, your breathing will be your guide.
Hi I'm Tony Gasparro, I'm a personal trainer at Fitness @ Five in Athens GA and I'm challenging myself to be in the best shape I've ever been for a bodybuilding contest I'm entering in July. I'm a personal trainer and I've been working out since I was 17, but still, this is going to be one of the toughest things I've ever done. I decided to open the challenge up to my personal training clients as well to help them get some measurable results. Email: tgasparro@gmail.com
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tony's Top 10 tips. Nutrition!
Wow, after last week's discovery that I had lost 14 pounds in the past six weeks I went on a serious "refeed" to bring my weight back up in line. I won't even tell you everything I ate!
So let's talk about nutrition this time. You knew this day would come didn't you?
8. Watch what you eat. This doesn't mean you can't eat the things you like. Just watch the proportions of protein to carbs and fat. If you are trying to build muscle while you are losing weight it's critical that you consume protein. Do not starve yourself; your body will "eat" muscle first, before it will burn fat. The only way to burn fat is through intensive cardio, and building up muscle to increase your metabolism.
Bottom line for most of you is reduce your fat and carbohydrate intake and increase protein. The formula I like to use is to consume more grams of protein per day, than your total consumption of fat and carbs.
And you knew this was coming too: start recording everything you eat and make notes breaking down protein, carbs and fat. Use one of the online nutrional analysis databases to simplify this. Set up a spreadsheet of your day-to-day food intake, and create a total for each day.
After a few days you will probably notice a pattern. You will catch the culprits that are throwing off the protein/carb/fat balance, and that's where you want to change your diet.
Bread? Crackers? Ice cream? Pasta? If you are eating too much of these you're going to gain fat. Find the culprits and start training yourself to avoid them. Train your brain to just walk past these foods in the grocery store. Sure you can have them as a special treat occasionally.
Make sure to include vegetables and fruits in your diet. Some people will tell you that they should make up the largest part of your diet! They provide fiber and vitamins, and keep your whole system healthy.
Does any of this come to you as news? No? I didn't think so. But does that mean that you are following this advice now? Again, I didn't think so. Sorry, but there is just no way around this formula.
Since nutrition is such an important part of losing weight and building muscle, we're going to deal with it next time as well. Then, we will talk about what you should eat before and after a workout.
So let's talk about nutrition this time. You knew this day would come didn't you?
8. Watch what you eat. This doesn't mean you can't eat the things you like. Just watch the proportions of protein to carbs and fat. If you are trying to build muscle while you are losing weight it's critical that you consume protein. Do not starve yourself; your body will "eat" muscle first, before it will burn fat. The only way to burn fat is through intensive cardio, and building up muscle to increase your metabolism.
Bottom line for most of you is reduce your fat and carbohydrate intake and increase protein. The formula I like to use is to consume more grams of protein per day, than your total consumption of fat and carbs.
And you knew this was coming too: start recording everything you eat and make notes breaking down protein, carbs and fat. Use one of the online nutrional analysis databases to simplify this. Set up a spreadsheet of your day-to-day food intake, and create a total for each day.
After a few days you will probably notice a pattern. You will catch the culprits that are throwing off the protein/carb/fat balance, and that's where you want to change your diet.
Bread? Crackers? Ice cream? Pasta? If you are eating too much of these you're going to gain fat. Find the culprits and start training yourself to avoid them. Train your brain to just walk past these foods in the grocery store. Sure you can have them as a special treat occasionally.
Make sure to include vegetables and fruits in your diet. Some people will tell you that they should make up the largest part of your diet! They provide fiber and vitamins, and keep your whole system healthy.
Does any of this come to you as news? No? I didn't think so. But does that mean that you are following this advice now? Again, I didn't think so. Sorry, but there is just no way around this formula.
Since nutrition is such an important part of losing weight and building muscle, we're going to deal with it next time as well. Then, we will talk about what you should eat before and after a workout.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Tony's Top 10 tips (continued) and weight update
I'm losing weight too fast, even though I am eating seven meals a day. I"m down to 201 pounds, so I've lost 14 pounds in six weeks. I was supposed to lose 16 pounds in 16 weeks! This is more of a challenge than I expected, and I can really feel the difference....and not necessarily in a good way.
Let's continue with Tony's Tips.
9. Prepare yourself for the gym, both mentally and physically.
-- Stretch some and get your mind oriented toward your goal. "I'm going to do 600 calories worth of cardio today," or "I'm going to bust out my upper body." Visualize it. By orienting yourself to your goal you will have greater success in attaining it.
-- If there is an exercise that might give you trouble visualize what it looks and feels like. I have one client who has trouble with Romanian dead lifts so I get him to think it through and visualize it before he starts the set.
-- Drink plenty of water before your workout and make sure you have had something to eat an hour or so before. Protein and fruit is a good way to prepare for a workout. This way you will have plenty of energy to have a great workout.
-- Forget about everything else when you walk into the gym. The only thing you have to think about while you are working out is the workout itself, your form and the results you are getting.
Let's continue with Tony's Tips.
9. Prepare yourself for the gym, both mentally and physically.
-- Stretch some and get your mind oriented toward your goal. "I'm going to do 600 calories worth of cardio today," or "I'm going to bust out my upper body." Visualize it. By orienting yourself to your goal you will have greater success in attaining it.
-- If there is an exercise that might give you trouble visualize what it looks and feels like. I have one client who has trouble with Romanian dead lifts so I get him to think it through and visualize it before he starts the set.
-- Drink plenty of water before your workout and make sure you have had something to eat an hour or so before. Protein and fruit is a good way to prepare for a workout. This way you will have plenty of energy to have a great workout.
-- Forget about everything else when you walk into the gym. The only thing you have to think about while you are working out is the workout itself, your form and the results you are getting.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Tony's Top 10 tips
So many people want to be fit. They want to lose weight, they want to cut down belly fat, they want to look sexier. They come to the gym. Then they don't see the results they want right away. Well guess what, it takes more than just going to the gym. So I'm going to let you know how I went from a seriously skinny kid when I was 17 to where I am today.
10. Get committed. Stay disciplined. Realize that to reach your goals you are going to have to change many aspects of your life, for the better. Get information on how to change your diet. (More on that later. Much more.) Get information on how to work out properly, with good form, in order to tone your body and avoid injury. Shake your bad habits. If it's ice cream, go past it at the grocery store and say to yourself, "not now." Take on new habits, like working out at the gym, walking around your neighborhood, take up healthy ways to spend your leisure time.
So get committed. And spoiler alert: "Stay committed" is going to be Tip #1!
10. Get committed. Stay disciplined. Realize that to reach your goals you are going to have to change many aspects of your life, for the better. Get information on how to change your diet. (More on that later. Much more.) Get information on how to work out properly, with good form, in order to tone your body and avoid injury. Shake your bad habits. If it's ice cream, go past it at the grocery store and say to yourself, "not now." Take on new habits, like working out at the gym, walking around your neighborhood, take up healthy ways to spend your leisure time.
So get committed. And spoiler alert: "Stay committed" is going to be Tip #1!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Today: push day
I alternate between "push" and "pull" days so each workout includes both upper and lower body. It's a way of mixing it up, keeping my muscles a little off balance so I'm working them differently.
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