Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health. Show all posts

Friday, August 23, 2013

No Fear Friday

Fear is holding you back.

Read it, think about it, believe it because it is true. When you get around to deciding you want to change your life for the better this is what holds you back. You want to make the change, you want to start working out and you want to start eating better. Why don't you? Because you are afraid. You are afraid what people are going to say about you in the gym, afraid of looking stupid. You are afraid that you can't give up 6 sodas a day, afraid you can't live with out the caffeine/sugar buzz getting you through the afternoon slump. You are afraid giving up your weekend partying will cause your friends to make fun of you at first and then just quit calling all together. You are afraid you can't follow through. You are afraid of letting go of your current life......  Your afraid of being uncomfortable!

Until you can truly overcome the fear you will never succeed. OK, its Friday everyone loves Friday! Let's start this thing on Friday. Everyone starts Monday with good intentions and they let everything slip away by Friday, party time right! Quit it Friday is No Fear day! Drive home from work put on the most important thing you can wear a smile look in that mirror and say I am not afraid. No matter your situation remember that opportunities are created and circumstances are an illusion. You are where you are because you decided to be there.......  Don't go drown your fears in booze and bad decisions. Drown your fears with happiness and love. Make one good decision on Friday and let it carry you through the weekend. Make another good decision on Saturday, again on Sunday. When Monday comes around you won't dread the idea of starting off on the right foot, you are already there. Monday will be about continuation. If you don't really want to, deep down have an urgency that you have to do this it will never get done. So go out today sign up for that gym membership. (Tip: most gyms are trying to meet a quota at the end of the month you can most likely negotiate a deal.) Go to the grocery store and don't even wheel the cart down the junk food aisles stay out of the aisles completely. Shop the produce and the fresh meat without even trying to weed through the traffic in the abyss that is the grocery store aisle filled with junk and processed cardboard. No Fears today No Fears. Escape your Fear become your Dream!!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Delta Fit Phase #2

Analogy time, let's say you go to a restaurant and you order of the menu exactly what you want the food comes out and everything looks great. Then you start to eat and it tastes good for awhile but something is missing you can't put your finger on it but something just isn't there. When you are done eating you then have this bad taste in your mouth that you can't get rid until you brush your teeth or eat something else. You may start to think you got ripped off and chose to never eat at that particular restaurant again. OK maybe I went a little overboard on that analogy but that sums up my feelings for phase 2 of delta fit. I was even hesitant to write a review and have been delaying it because I don't have much good to say about phase 2 and I am not one to just bash a product because I didn't like it. In fact this may be just what you are looking for in a workout but it is not for me. I am going to attempt to put in to words who this phase of workouts would be good for and who will hate it. Bear with me because like I said I have a bad taste in my mouth about it.

OK here goes, you've made it through phase 1 feeling pretty good about yourself that was tough but I'm strong and busted out the workouts harder than even BJ towards the end of my 4 weeks. Pop in phase 2 DVD and click on workout A: Mad Minute Meltdowns. this consists of sequences 3 back to back to back movements for 20 seconds each with a 60 second rest between each complex/sequence for 15 consecutive rounds to give you a 30 minutes workout. I want to start of saying this is my favorite and in my opinion the best workout I have completed of the series so far. It promises a good workout and delivers that but still leaves you wanting more at the end, feeling amped up starting to get tired but just not quite burned like you want to be after a highly metabolic workout. This trend will continue as the phase progresses. If I am sounding negative about this workout I don't mean to be quite yet. This workout is good and most moderately to even well trained individuals would enjoy it as a supplement to what they are already doing. Beginners may not so much and I will tell you why. The demonstration and explanation of the movements are horrible and rushed. During your 60 second rest BJ is wasting time yelling about how hard he is working, while this is good motivation, why are you not showing us what is coming up next, yet another trend that continues throughout the phase. Beginners to the gym will have a hard time performing all the movements the first few times they do the DVD and then while you are supposed to progressively adapt to the harder movements you may just spend more time figuring out the moves then actually working out. BUT, this first workout is A LOT better at demonstrating and explanation than future workouts trust me. Some example sequences are as follows.  Spider Push up/Frog Push up/T-push up if you progressed well through phase 1 this should be a piece of cake and you have done all the movements in previous workouts. They stay similar to this with most the new moves being variations of all the previous workouts moves from phase 1.

Workout B: The Metabolic Matrix. After workout A you may be giddy with anticipation for what workout B has in store. This is where the workouts start getting frustrating. There is a suggestion for what size dumbbells to use but you notice that it has a round using 2 dumbbells and a round using 1 dumbbell. OK I can handle that one more dumbbell not a lot of added equipment...... Not likely if you are wanting to get the most out of the workout. My theory about this workout and future workouts is they thought people would up the reps in some movements and lower their reps in some so you can work with the same weight throughout the workout. Well this is not really howit works. BJ is using different weights throughout the workout so that reiterates the fact this is not intended. By the end of this workout I had used 4 different sets of dumbbells and 3-5 different sizes of single dumb bells. *disclaimer* I do the workout to get the absolute most out of it. Someone following the workout especially a beginner may be just fine using the same dumb bells for all and being on the lighter side might be just fine. Going in to the workout it is 6 movements 30 seconds each consecutively (which again means no good demonstration) with a minute rest between each cycle. 8 cycles total the first 4 cycles use 2 dumbbells and the second 4 cycles use 1 dumbbell. Round 1 or cycle 1-4 is the good part of this workout. The moves are simple although lots of weight changes are needed to make the workout difficult it is still in my opinion a good set of sequences and the oppurtunity to push the intensity is definitely there. Round 2 or cycle 5-8 is just not very good. I had to make a lot of weight changes and the technicality of a lot of the movements makes it hard to perform CORRECTLY without putting yourself in position for injury which instantly brings down the intensity or should. A lot of the moves would be hard for untrained individuals to perform with out adding changes and tweaks. For example the goblet pivoting squat while it gives you a core and leg workout in one you are putting your self in a risky position if you are using poor form, on top of that what weight do you use?. You can either make the squat worth while with a decently heavy weight or make the squat just a by product to the torso twisting action. I am not going to go through all of them but another example is the one-arm step-up+curl+press while this moves gets you off balance and challenges your equillibrium it does little to give you a decent workout. I think this type of workout has a purpose and a setting, for example with a trainer or under supervision of a trained professional who will properly cue you on the movement. The moves are starting to get to such a degree of technical difficulty that without a proper demonstration and good practice they become worthless to the moderately to low trained individual. The bones to a good workout are there it just doesn't deliver nice try BJ.

Workout  C: Calorie Crushing Combos
Don't get those expectations up too quick. You will have to work with this one quite a bit to get the weights you want for each move. I used a different set for about every movement. 6 different weights in all if I remember correctly. This workout consists of combination exercises 10 in total that you do for 2 minutes each with 1 minute rest in between. The explanation of these fairly highly technical combinations are just plain crap and while bj has plenty of time to make a good explanation it is just wasted for the most part. The combinations do provide a good burn and you will most likely crush some calories if you can perform at a high intensity for the 2 minutes in it's entirety. Definitely not likely  to happen your first few times doing the workout but when you get the hang of the combinations and how to perform them you will find you get a decent workout. I don't have much negative to say about this workout other than it will be a waste of time for true beginners. The only positive I will put in is that those highly trained individuals wanting to spice up the workout or just need a change will enjoy this one.

Phase 2 not much to say about it. I hate being over critical and too negative but these DVDs are getting worse as I go a long. I have gone through a few times and giving my self some time to really decide if Phase 2 was as bad as I initially thought...... It is. Understand one thing I am trying to think about this from the perspective of someone that does not have an athletic background, needs structure, has very little weight lifting/ exercise knowledge. When I do that I find these workouts to be a very bad place to start. The movements are overly technical for the 5th week in an exercise program and the technicality will most definitely bring down the intensity for those with lower coordination, strength and conditioning. To switch tones, those of you moderate to highly trained individual with knowledge of exercise technique and weight lifting execution may love these workouts. I loved the technical aspect personally but using 40 different sets of dumbbells and it looking like the free weights area of my wellness center just threw up was unappealing. This also makes it nearly impossible for more than one person to follow the video with out constantly picking up after yourself, believe me I attempted it more than once. Also unappealing, BJ expecting you to know every movement with little to no instruction. I will end on this note the workouts themselves are not bad. The presentation is poorly executed. I think I mentioned this before the bones are there for a potentially great thing in phase 2 but it is lacking the meat for me to recommend it to anyone. With that said I am not going to fully give up on this product it may still have some surprises in store. As a personal trainer I have found some of the new twists on old exercises getting me excited so who knows I may come back after Phase 3 with a rave review and tell the phase 2 me to sit back, shut up and enjoy the ride. So don't give up on Delta Fit as I have not. If you are reading this review and want an answer now. Do p90x and be happy with it.........  Feel free to ask questions, comments and criticism are always welcome.




Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Delta Fit Phase 1 Review

I have completed all three of the Phase 1 workouts. The workouts are "Pure Power", "Super Strength" and "Extreme Endurance." They are all 30 minutes long and consist of 6 cycles of  a different variation on one basic circuit of moves. The "Pure Power" workout is 15 second interval with 45 second rest for each movement, for the non beginner and even for most beginners this is fairly easy to push the limit for the  entire 15 seconds. I actually found my self going longer but tried to hold back to get a true feel for the workout itself. "Super Strength" has less of strength feel than I was expecting. The intervals are bumped up to 30 seconds active time with 30 seconds rest I really had to boost the weight from the recommended weights to get a real "strength" type workout. For example the recommended weights were 15-20 lbs and I was using 55-65 lbs dumbbells. The "Extreme Endurance" workout is just what it says Endurance!! The workouts are bumped up to 45 seconds active time with 15 seconds rest. If you push your self to the max it will easily be one of the more intense workouts you have ever done. It is not unbearable though, there are a wide variety of movements and with any experience you should be able to complete the workout.

My first criticism is that the workouts are hard to follow the first time you do them. Unless you have done these specific workouts before, choosing what dumbbells to use is hard unless you just follow the recommended for me it got a little crazy running back and forth to the weight rack. Changing weights back and forth constantly to increase intensity can get a little frustrating when you have limited time to do so. If you have only one set of weights, height of bench/step, size of stability ball etc. this will not be a problem.

The movements in each workout get progressively harder throughout each session, this is a good thing for beginners. Participants can move from the easiest version to the next allowing time to focus on form and also allowing the option to stay with the basic movements and progress at your own pace. This adds problems for the intensity seeking individuals getting the right size dumbbells picked out. Making it very unappealing for someone wanting to jump in and go hard right away. I think MOST people should follow each progression to learn proper form regardless of fitness level but with a warning it will make the first two workouts, for lack of a better description VERY EASY. The guy keeps saying this should never be easy for anyone because you can always use heavier weights or start with the harder progressions....... true but unless you already know the progression or remember every progression from the last time you did the workout and on top of that know ahead of time what weight you need, it makes it very difficult to push yourself to the limit. Honestly my statements are very critical of an overall well set up program also the statements are more true of the first two workouts and less true of the third. If you do any fitness related movement for 45 seconds with 15 seconds rest for 30 minutes you WILL get a good workout. If you don't then you are not truly completing the entire 45 seconds or you are not going to the max and that is what you are supposed to do. 15 seconds is a short time to transition though and the pause button should be taken in to consideration during this sequence. I think maybe some better movements could have been picked but let me stress the Phase 1 is an overall good enjoyable workout for BEGINNERS and less enjoyable for the more experienced. If you have the movements memorized and can complete the hardest level of exercise without cue than even experienced can enjoy this workout no matter the level, but if you can do it without cue do you need a DVD? Most people probably yes.

There are some fairly progressive movements involved in Phase 1, a few that I had never seen done before or at least some slight variations. Most people should be learning quite a few new moves if anything that should keep them focused and in tune with what they are doing. The new variations did cause me some slight soreness but nothing too bad.

The beginner as I said before will be very pleased with Phase 1 of this series and the experienced...... not so much. If after 4 weeks of the same 3 workouts you don't know the movements by memory you may need to just write them down. I don't know how hard it would have been to have the list of all the sequences up on the screen or provide a sheet of the workouts to keep track of weights, reps and everything else for the participant. The instructor B.J. Gaddour seems to sweat more than humanly possible they must have the heat in the building up to 110 degrees. The commentary and yelling makes the overall experience fun and he constantly reminds you how much he like butts. Some may be turned off by his demeanor but most will probably like it and may even be very motivated by his personality. I was left thinking really? how can he be sweating that much......... I had planned to stay with Phase 1 for the recommended amount of time but out of shear boredom I am moving to Phase 2. I would just see myself constantly looking forward to Friday workout not so much because it is all that much better but because the week would be over. I have not given up on this DVD series yet, it has a lot of potential. I'm hoping Phase 2 is better than the first. Keep in mind I have not completed any of the bonus workouts and this may be key to reaching success with this program. My opinion of the first phase is probably lower than it should be, but I still encourage anyone interested at all to try it out. This might be just the thing you are looking for. This would be an excellent program for young athletes to do if they don't have an instructed resistance program available to them.

Slightly rambled and negative but hopefully you can find some information helpful in this review. I am moving on to phase 2 and hopefully I will enjoy it a little more so I can provide a more in depth informational review. Any questions or comments are appreciated. Look for a new review in a week or so.
GET IN THE GYM AND GET AFTER IT!! NO EXCUSES!!

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Living Healthy

I'm going to dedicate this blog to giving my opinion on fitness as well as giving tips and advice to all that want to listen. I don't claim to be the all knowing expert in all areas of fitness, but I will research anything and give my informed opinion. I will tell you there is A LOT of misinformation out there. There is good knowledge at every one's finger tips in the field of health and fitness as well, but it is hard to weed through the junk. Most of the time it is not complete junk but something good that has been misinterpreted or stretched one way or another.

Every where I look there is a good article, book, movie or video clip on the subject of health and wellness. So no one can tell me the resources are not there to become healthier. My best initial advice to anyone trying to be healthier is just that "be healthier". Become aware in everyday life to find out how unhealthy you actually are and figure out the steps to change it. Being aware is an important aspect of living healthy. To repair your health you must know where the problem lies. You can't take a car to a mechanic and expect them to fix it without telling them what is wrong. So don't expect to fix your health without finding the issues within your current lifestyle. Most already know their problem or can figure it out without much effort.

Using common sense in everyday situations is another important aspect of living well. Common sense tells us more activity is better than less. Eating healthy is usually common sense for the most part as well. If you think the bacon double double cheeseburger with a side of cheese fries is a healthy option because you drank a diet soda common sense may not be your strong suit. At that point it's time to seek professional advice.

Be Aware, Use Common Sense and Be Healthier today! No Excuses.....