Archive for February, 2010

Succeed Daily Boot Camp Canberra Fitness Post

Ok a very short and sweet post this morning.

Here is the latest Succeed Workout of the Day for you all to get out to try.

This particular fitness session, you need nothing else other than a bar about 2ft out out reach that you can do chin ups on.

This is an awesome outdoor Boot Camp fitness session. If you are not a member of a gym, then head to a school playground and they will have a set of monkey bars for you to do this workout on.

Check out a demo here:

Pretty straight forward really, just do 100 full burpees into pull ups as fast as you can..

My Time: 15.51

P.S. I was sore in the arms for about three days….

Scotty

A post on a weightloss and fitness trial

Attention all Canberran’s

I need a few guinea pigs for a study I wish to do for 1 month.

If you fit into this category (read below) and are wholeheartedly prepared to do what I say for the month, then I want you!!

I am going to trial a new and very different weight loss craze (call it a diet if you want to), that is hitting America by storm with some great results.

I am not going to talk about my weightloss plan here, but I am offering to take 10 people for FREE, put you on the same plan I am going on and see what happens to all of us?

What is invovled I hear you ask?

- a weekly weigh in at my office in Club Lime Tuggeranong

- weekly training sessions (if not a Succeed fitness client you must do them on your own, or we can drop you into a group of either Boot Camp or PT)

- 100% guarantee and committment that you do what I say

I am not offering any guarantees on results, and certainly not saying it is going to be easy, but after 5 - 6 months of solid fitness training and losing 8kg of body fat so far, I have plateued out with my weightloss at the moment and I am looking to get the last 5kg of fat off my body…

So the first ten people to leave a comment in the section below are in…leave me your email and I will be in touch early in the week to get you started.

It will start Monday 15th Feb 2010

Scott (the trainer on a mission to find a six pack… no not beer either but that would be good also)

A post about Boot Camp in Tuggeranong this morning

Well I have to say that this mornings sessions was up there with one of the best Boot Camp sessions I have experienced in my six years here in Canberra.

After about 10 minutes into our Tuggeranong Boot Camp session we had a torrential down pour.

Here is a photo of us:

Sorry you can’t see us, we were under water at the time….

I must say I am very impressed with the 36 people that fronted this morning to brave the elements (and no one left).

It actually felt like a fully fledged Boot Camp in Tuggeranong this morning.

Well done to those that ran out the sessionstrong at Tuggeranong today.

Also, well done to our new instructor in Rachel (she is already mean), give her a few weeks and she will have you all in tip top shape (the girls will like her because she likes to do abs…)

All Tuggeranong and Canberra Boot Campers, do not forget that we all head back to our respective locations for the kick off of the next 12 week Boot Camp Program.

If you are not sure where to go on Monday click here and scroll down to the flyer with all the addresses on it.

Have a great weekend Canberra Boot Campers, we will see you all on Monday morning (hopefully not so wet…)

Boot Camp Tuggeranong earlier this week:

If you have a few weights to use, why not give session a try. We ran in 15 minute blocks with 3 minutes rest in between.

Until next week

Scotty (the very sore trainer)

P.S. If you are in Club Lime Tuggeranong in the morning, keep an eye out for a special guest making an appearance for a 21st Birthday training session

Succeed Personal Training Fitness Session of the Day

Well after a gruelling fitness session with the Tuggeranong Hawks on Monday night, the legs needed a reprieve on Tuesday morning so I set myself an upper body session.

As much as my body shape is really starting to change and I have lost over 8kg, I would like to increase my lean muscle mass so I will be putting a bit more of an emphasis on some strength based Cross Fit sessions.

I will still continue with the cardiovascular component, but will keep that for some of my Boot Camp Canberra groups.

Today’s session consisted of a series of four exercises.

Now the Cross Fit weight is 70kg for each exercise, but unfortunately I am not up to that standard just yet so I had to modify some of the weights:

Session : D.T

15 x 70kg Flat Bench Press

12 x 70kg Deadlift

9 x 50kg Power Hang Clean

6 x 50kg push press splits

5 rounds for time

My Time: 26.48

Here is your demo:

Obviously a session that needs to be done in a gym or health club. I did this session at Club Lime Tuggeranong.

Feel FREE to drop in for a session with me.

Until next time,

Scott

A post on evaluating Personal Trainers

When seeking a personal trainer, it is necessary for the public to educate themselves on how to interview the right person for the job. While there are many certified personal trainers out there, only a select few of them are truly competent. You should always ask and verify where their certification is from and what their credentials are. There are different types and levels of training certifications, only a handful of them are good. Most tests are multiple choice questions that are moderately difficult and some others require some essay or program design but are usually easy. What you need to look for is the continuing education courses the trainers have taken. It is the seminars and practical workshops that make a trainer better.

It is difficult for the public to decipher a good trainer from a bad one. In many cases, even the worst trainer knows more about physical fitness than the average person. Below are some fundamental questions that should be asked before making your choice. They are designed to save you from choosing a bad apple.

Questions you should ask:

* What certifications do they hold?
* Do they attend workshops and seminars? Which ones?
* How long have they been a trainer?
* How thorough was your evaluation? Did they do a medical history and test flexibility, core strength, muscle strength and endurance?
* Are they familiar with functional training (training according to daily activities or a specific goal)?
* Have they explained the importance of flexibility?
* Do they stress how important it is to properly brace the core and preserve the lumbar spine?
* Do they know what P.N.F(Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) stretching is?
* Have they explained that function is more important than vanity?
* Can they explain what they are going to do in the routine and how it benefits you?
* Did they explain that cardio alone is an inefficient workout?
* Do they have a basic understanding of nutrition?

If you already have a trainer you can evaluate them:

* Does your trainer understand that a core routine is not a series of floor exercises?
* Are you doing more free weights and medicine balls than machines?
* Do they ever take notes?
* Are you being properly warmed up at the beginning and being stretched at the end?
* Does your trainer change the routine regularly?
* Does you trainer incorporate balance boards, swiss balls, single leg exercises and other challenged environments?
* When training the core (midsection) does your trainer explain how important it is to do dynamic movements as well as isometric exercises and the importance of low back exercises?
* Does your trainer target weak areas?
* If you feel pain in places that you should not like your knees, low back and neck does your trainer change or modify the exercise to a pain free range?
* Do you truly understand what you are doing while you train?
* Are you really getting results?
* Do you do more back exercises than chest and abs?
* Are you setting goals?
* Are you talking about you and your needs?
* Are you getting undivided attention?

If you answered no to any of these questions, then your trainer may be lacking key knowledge that is necessary for you to reach your fitness goals. More importantly, your trainer may be doing you more harm than good. It is simple for a trainer to deceive an unsuspecting client into believing they are knowledgeable. This is due to the general public not being educated about the fitness industry and trusting a gym will provide them with a competent trainer. In most cases, gyms are not always concerned with the quality of the people they are hiring. If a gym thinks a trainer possesses strong sales skills, they will hire them as long as they have some type of certification. A qualified fitness professional will understand at the very least everything listed above. Remember when hiring a trainer to make sure they are a full time professional. Part time does not cut it when it comes to your health. Would you go to a part time Medical Doctor?

Be aware of trainers that are charging low rates. The going rate for a high level trainer is around $70-$90/hr even their entry level trainers are $40-60/hr. There are other trainers that charge way more than the rates just mentioned. In-homes for a high level professional trainer are around $125 and can be more. You may be able to get a really good trainer for $90-$100 depending on travel time, trainers charging much less are either just starting out, not that good or a close friend. You get what you pay for. It is important you research the trainers’ certification and check to make sure they are currently certified by Fitness Australia.

It is important to understand that certifications and degrees certainly help but do not mean everything. You want to know about their clinical experience and the workshops they attend. Ask who they work with and get at least three references to call from current clients. See if they work with any local doctors, all the good trainers work with at least one doctor.

A bad trainer can hurt you - do your research and make sure they are good.

 Scott Williams

CEO, Managing Director

Succeed Personal Development

2 x Time Australian PT Business of the Year

A post on the latest fitness session done at Succeed Personal Training

Well I have done some crazy cross fit training sessions in the last few months, but I reckon this one takes the cake.

It involved the following:

1000m rower

100 x 60kg deadlifts

100 x push ups

100 x 40kg clean & press

100 x full sit ups ( not pictured in youtube clip)

1000m rower

The idea was to complete as quickly as possible

My time: 43.53 (my longest session for five months)

I have to say it was a tough session, simply for the fact that the muscles had just had enough with the strength side of things. I was reduced to doing 2 or 3 reps at a time by the end.

This is not a session for the novice trainer and I would only recommend to an experienced trainer that can handle the duration and intensity of the session. Those that saw me know that I did not pull up to good after this session.

Anyway here is the demo of the session if you wish to have a go remember to scale the weights to suit:

If you are looking for something different in your training then why not come down to Club Lime Tuggeranong for a session with one of our very experienced Personal Trainers.

We have a variety of trainers to choose from working in all different styles of training.

Come and see the current Australian Fitness Business of the Year.

The Succeed Team

A post about your balance in life, family, fitness, business 

At times, everyone’s life will be out of balance.

In order to realise our goals some sacrifice will be necessary. To me, balance is best explained as a centre point to which we keep returning from bouts of relaxation or pressure. It’s like the grey area from which we deliberately choose to step away or step back into.

When we play tennis we react to the ball best when we’re at centre court. Sometimes we throw ourselves at the net, sometimes we chase the ball to the side, but at all times we’re aware of how exposed we are and our need to get back to centre court - our balance point.

Perfect balance is a state of non-movement. Life’s too fluid and dynamic for this state to be maintained for long periods. If we want to get ahead in life, then in almost anything, it requires work, effort and a personal stretch.

The answer lies in knowing how to relax, and how to push when required. We also need to recognise the state we’re in at any given moment, and then make a conscious decision to maintain or alter that state. Is it time to relax or, go for it?

If you choose to push it then, support your decision by:

1. Not missing an exercise workout. A workout will burn off excess stress and leave you calm and rational.
2. Always eat breakfast. This sends a message to your body that all is OK and prevents the body from wanting to store bodyfat.
3. Discuss with your family the period of time you’ll be out of balance and the reason you’ve made this choice.

If you choose to relax then, support this decision by:

1. Leaving your briefcase at work - don’t take it home the night you intend to relax.
2. Take your watch off …you’ll soon get out of time.
3. Eat lunch away from work stimulants such as the computer screen.

Know the cost of deciding to go for it, or to back off. And, take responsibility for that decision.

 Balance is a destination never arrived at. Its knowing that its your choice to maintain or reject your current state that’s important.

Scott Willams

Succeed Personal Training, Canberra