Category Archives: Benefits of doing “man” exercises
Surrendering to Aging
I’ve heard “older” women say, “My body just can’t look like that or do that any more. I’m just past the point of being able to have the body I want.”
That is completely and utterly bogus.
Why just surrender to the aging process? Why not work against it?
I mean people buy all those stupid face creams and get plastic surgery so why would they workout hard to help keep their body young and supple?
Yea, it’s hard.
BUT IT ACTUALLY WORKS!
You can have the body you want at any age. Getting older doesn’t mean you can’t have toned defined arms. Getting older doesn’t have to mean that you can’t do all the activities you love and enjoy!
The Man Bicep Mom is a great example of this. She lifts weights and does plyometrics. She goes on long hikes. She even sprints after her dog if necessary and goes stand up paddling. She has no problem taking on any new challenges! (Even if I ask her to do pull ups!)
She also looks great! She looks young, lean and toned.
The Man Bicep Mom is the exact reason that you can’t just surrender to aging, people!
You can also look great and be physically fit at any age!
Actually this post was encouraged by a recent story the Man Bicep Mom told me.
The Man Bicep Mom was standing in her driveway with one of her friends when Charlie, her dog, ran off. The Man Bicep Mom went sprinting after him and grabbed him and picked him up.
When she was walking back, her friend says, “Oh my gosh, Jamie! Your arms look amazing!”
The Man Bicep Mom then told her friend about all the weights she does.
Her friend says, “Well I used to have muscle, but since having my last child, I just have lost all tone. I just figured I would have to accept it since I was getting older. But I used to have tone like that!”
Of course what the Man Bicep Mom’s friend also didn’t realize is that the Man Bicep Mom is older than her.
Her friend was actually shocked and couldn’t believe that the Man Bicep Mom was 62. She even said she didn’t think that there was any way you could look that good at 62.
BUT YOU CAN!
If you commit to a healthy diet and workout routine, you can have the body you want at any age!
Age is just a number! You don’t just have to ACCEPT physical decline!!!
Don’t just surrender! Fight back! Lift and be active! Enjoy life!
Each second I am living for this day
Sometimes we get stuck in a bad cycle and we just can’t seem to pull ourselves out. Things seem to be going wrong and we can’t figure out how to fix them.
We just seem to keep digging ourselves a deeper and deeper hole.
Sometimes a change in your diet and exercise program can be just what you need.
Elle in “Legally Blonde” has a point: “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”
Exercise does “give you endorphins.” Exercise can make you feel empowered, successful, strong and happy.
It is also something that is within your control to change.
Maybe you are stressed out at work or there is a family situation going on. There may be nothing at the moment that you can do to alleviate the stress of either.
But if you come in and workout – you can control that. Yes, sometimes you may be so stressed out that you feel like you can’t even spare a minute for yourself, BUT trust me you can!
Just take 20 minutes to push yourself and you will feel 100% better afterwards! You don’t have to workout for an hour to feel better!
This all goes back to my theory that training is therapy.
This post is dedicated to Erin who took control of her life and pushes herself to reach new heights each and every day! (And the title is from her!)
The Bosu – Overused, Overrated
So I think the bosu is a good piece of equipment for a handful of exercises, but I don’t think it should be used near as much as I see trainers all over using it. I don’t think every trainer under the sun should be using it with all of the clients especially their beginning exercisers.
The theory behind using the bosu is that it creates an unstable environment so that all of a person’s stabilizer muscles must activate while doing the exercise. It is supposed to engage and work your core more.
BLEH!
The bosu bothers me even more than seeing someone doing 1,000 crunches on the floor to get great abs…ok so maybe both bother me equally….
But still! There are so many better things you can do to work your core and stabilizer muscles than doing a bicep curl on a bosu!
Need an example? How about pull ups or chin ups…assisted or unassisted.
Pull ups and chin ups work your biceps and they work your core. PLUS they work your lats!
AND they are WAY MORE FUNCTIONAL than a dang bicep curl on a bosu.
Can I also just ask…how is a bicep curl on a bosu supposed to be more functional and better for a beginning exerciser than an assisted pull up?
Maybe it’s just me but doing most exercises on a bosu just seems more dangerous.
I mean why do a bodyweight squat on a bosu when you can work your legs harder and engage all your core stabilizer muscles by doing a front squat?
Why not do a one leg straight leg deadlift if you really want to work your balance?
Why use the bosu to create more instability?
How is that really better for a beginner exerciser? How is that really more functional?
Why do we always try to make diet and exercise more complicated than they have to be? Why can’t we just go back to basics?
Why can’t we just jump and squat and climb and lift heavy things? Why can’t we sprint and push things and play?
Stop over-complicating things! You want to gain functional strength and work your core, do movements that mimic stuff you do in everyday life.
Don’t waste your time balancing on a bosu!
Training as Therapy
This post today comes about because I started thinking about how much I will miss my clients when I moved. I’ve seen my clients grow and become more empowered. I’ve seen them become stronger, fitter, healthier individuals.
I’ve seen my clients fall in love with lifting and believe more in themselves!
We’ve shared personal stories, hopes and fears. We’ve shared our insecurities about our bodies. We’ve overcome set backs and celebrated victories.
We’ve SHARED and GROWN together.
But anyway, the relationships I’ve had with my clients here in Boston just made me think about how much training can be therapy.
….
Working out is a chance for you to take some time out of the day and do something for yourself.
It is a chance for you to solely focus on yourself and let go of all of the stresses and responsibilities of the day.
It is a chance to be selfish! In a good way!
And women, who have the hardest time dedicating that hour to something exclusively for them, need it more than anything!
Many women DON’T take time out of the day for themselves. They work all day and then go home and cater to their families at night.
There is no “me” time.
And if you want to truly feel good, you need to take some “me” time!
For many of my clients, our hour together is about more than just exercise. It is about doing something for themselves.
And having someone there to guide them and socialize with makes that hour into even better therapy.
I don’t often recommend working with a personal trainer BUT I do think there are instances and circumstances where it can be one of the best and most rewarding investments out there.
As a personal trainer, I’m there to push you to stay committed and reach your goals. I’m there to help you become a healthier, fitter person. I’m there to help you become a happier, more empowered person.
I’m there FOR YOU and you alone.
Yes, my goal for that hour is to give you a great workout.
But more importantly, I’m there to get you to focus on you.
So please stop thinking of working out, with or without a trainer, as some frivolous luxury.
It isn’t.
Training is for your health both mental and physical.
Yes, working out is something you need to do FOR YOU.
But only when you take time out for yourself and make yourself happy can you be there to support everyone else!
So women, you may be the rock of your family, but you can’t be a rock forever if you don’t take care of yourself!
Letting Go – Making a Change
I think the hardest thing to do is CHANGE.
Change is hard, but this quote is spot on!
It’s part of why it is hard for most women to start weight training. It is why it is hard for most people to ditch conventional wisdom and start eating Paleo/Primal.
It is why a lot of big life decisions are hard in general! To make big changes, to get big results, you can’t be afraid to let go of what you know, think or believe. You’ve got to be ready to take risks and suffer some consequences.
Below are the 10 most important “changes” you need to make to become a stronger, fitter, more empowered you. Of course this is my opinion…but then again, I’m always right, right!?! 😛
- Ditch the disbelievers. This one is first because I think this is probably the hardest thing for me. I hold onto people even when they are holding me back. If you want success though, sometimes you have to go it alone. Don’t give in and cheat on your diet just because your friends are trying to get you to eat badly. Don’t be afraid to lift those heavy weights even though your friends tell you that you will bulk up. Don’t be afraid to ditch the disbelievers and go it on your own! You can do it! You are strong enough!
- Try something outside your comfort zone. If you really want to find out what you are made of, try something new. I know it’s scary, but the only way to find out what you are truly capable of is to try something you either haven’t done or aren’t comfortable with doing!
- Keep an open mind about EVERYTHING. Be willing to try new things! Experiment! There is always new information coming out about everything. Research everything. Read different points of view or find out works by trying it on yourself! If you weren’t somewhat open-minded already, you probably wouldn’t be reading this site! 🙂
- Have confidence in yourself and try something just beyond what you KNOW you can do. While it’s nice to stick with what we know we can do, you will never find out just how truly strong you are if you don’t push beyond what you’ve already proven you can do! This doesn’t mean just lifting a heavier weight in the gym. It also means tackling an activity that you’ve maybe never done before or are unsure if you can do!
- Admit to yourself that you don’t, and can’t, ever know anything for certain. Deep huh? This one actually kind of sucks, but it’s true. I like to believe I know everything, but deep down I know I don’t. Nothing is ever set in stone. Everything can change. We are constantly learning or at least we should be. If you think you know everything, you are wrong. Be willing to change and adapt your beliefs as you learn and you will grow as a person.
- Accept that you will be wrong and enjoy your failures. This one is hard. No one ever enjoys failing. I most definitely hate it. I don’t like failing or being wrong. BUT I know that I will be at times. I know that I will fail, BUT I know that each time I get back up and try again, I become stronger. As cheesy as it sounds, look at each failure not so much as a failure, but as a learning experience. If you want to accomplish something persistence is key!
- Learn. Learn every moment of every day. Learn by doing research, experimenting, failing and achieving success. And the thing is, by doing all this learning, you will learn more about yourself. Through all of my “learning” I’ve developed a stronger identity. It may always be a slightly shifting and growing identity, but the more I learn, the clearer it becomes!
- Forget, but never forget. Learn to let go of the negative emotions surrounding a failure. Forget the emotions so that they don’t hold you back. You can’t change what happened. You can only move forward. But even though you need to release the emotions, NEVER forget how hard you worked. Never forget what the goal meant to you. KEEP PUSHING ONWARD! Change your game-plan but never give up!
- Accept your fears. This is another one that can be hard. This is a random story BUT…I’m afraid of snakes. I hate them. I have no idea why, but I really really really (I could go on with the reallys) hate them. I almost didn’t go on a hike in Red Rock Canyon because it was prime snake season. But I did go despite the fact that I was sure I was going to be bitten and die in Las Vegas. Most people fear dying in Vegas for a ton of other reasons…but not me…I was sure a snake would get me. And if I hadn’t gone on that hike…I would have missed out on one of the best memories I have during my life!
- Build a network. These 10 changes come full circle. As you develop the “new” stronger, fitter, more empowered you, you have to build a new network of people who support and push you to grow further. The “push” part of that equation is very important. You always want people around you that challenge you and motivate you to achieve your goals not just stand still! An example of a network that has helped me grow is my lifting classes. Those ladies, and my two Man Bicep Males!, have helped me grow so much. I also pride myself on believing that I’ve helped them also grow into stronger, fitter and more confident individuals!
So what changes have you made toward becoming a stronger, fitter, more empowered individual?
Some nice weekend motivation…
So one of my clients, “monkey knuckles” (she will understand this nickname), has gotten super into lifting and I’m so proud of her and all of her progress.
She sent me these pictures and said that I would like them since I “pretty much coined them.”
I do like them Monkey Knuckles! 🙂 Thank you for the weekend workout inspiration!
I wish she was lifting weights though!
THIS IS ONE GOOD REASON TO LIFT WEIGHTS!
If you need others, read some other posts on this blog! haha
Don’t say “I can’t” unless you’ve tried!
So today when I went to start my workout, I brought out the weight vest for one of the exercises.
Brian then goes to me, “Why don’t you wear the weight vest for the entire thing?”
I looked at him like he had two heads.
Uhm wear the weight vests for all those exercises that are already ridiculously hard without any extra weight?!?!
UHM was he crazy!?!
I just looked at him. And I said, “I can’t.”
And he gave me a look like “if you don’t do this you’re a wimp.”
So I did it. I did the entire freaking workout with a weight vest and I’ve never wanted to die more.
Actually I think it was the fact that I uttered the words “I can’t” more than his look that got me to do it and made me push all the way through.
I can’t believe I uttered those words! I’d never attempted most of those exercises with a weight vest before so how did I know I couldn’t do them!?!
I didn’t know!!!!
And that is why I hate those words!
If you haven’t tried something, you don’t KNOW if you can or can’t do it!
So don’t EVER say you can’t do something before you’ve tried it!
And the worst part about all of this is…Most of the time when you say “I can’t,” you actually CAN!
The good, the bad and the simply stupid
So I’m not trying to brag, but I feel better after 16 hours of spin than I do after one of my own tough 30 minute lifts.
My taking-on-16-hours-of-spin face!
Honestly, no muscles are sore or even really tight. The ONLY pain I have besides a slightly bruised crouch is one knee that doesn’t like going up and down stairs too much.
Be it the ice bath, my diet with no gluten or my workouts (or all three combined), I feel perfectly normal today…just like I do after any other week of working out.
Anyway, all I can say is you definitely don’t need to carb load with crap gels and gluten to survive endurance cardio!
The Good
- Ice baths are amazing! They really do aid in muscle recovery. AND Tim Ferriss has done the research, and found the science to prove that ice baths may also help you lose fat!
- Get a healthy dose of Vitamin D! This just shows how important going out in the sun is! We all fear skin cancer, but some sun is good! And of course if you can’t get sun, you can always take a supplement! BUT anyone else seem to feel WAY BETTER when they’ve gotten some sun? I definitely do!
- Cool?!? Good news for me I guess! What do you think?
- I’m glad the FDA didn’t let them call high fructose corn syrup “corn sugar!”
- Thank you Therese for taking up the challenge of trying something new! Great job with the monkey bars!
-
These are not easy and Therese is killing it!
- Our Jump Rope Slide is done!
The Bad
- Caffeine is not an alternative to sleep people! I’ve seen too many people over the last couple of days guzzle down espresso shots and Red Bull rather than sleeping enough. I know it is hard to get enough sleep sometimes, but seriously nothing is more important! Your body recovers and rebuilds when you sleep!!! So stop drinking your Starbucks bazillion shot coffees and Red Bulls and instead go to bed!
The Simply Stupid
- Is this really an article on WebMD?
- There is this girl on Fiverr.com saying she can give you flat abs in 3 days. How are people this stupid!?!
- This honestly sounds like something a client has said to me at some point…
And lastly, Happy Father’s Day people! All you Dad’s out there who are reading this…you better be supporting your women and making sure they lift heavy!!!
Strength grows from vulnerability
Sometimes it is hard for me to want to do things that I know I’m bad at.
I don’t like failing.
But if I don’t make myself vulnerable to failure, if I don’t attempt the things I’m bad at, I will never grow stronger.
It sucks, but it is the hard truth.
And I want to be strong. AND you are only as strong as your weakest point.
So I work on my weak points. Sometimes I want to cry or puke. Sometimes I just want to give up.
But every time I push through, I get stronger.
Not only do I get stronger physically, but I also get stronger mentally. I become more empowered every time I make myself vulnerable and overcome an obstacle.
I actually think sometimes we focus too much on the physical obstacle without realizing how much pushing ourselves to do something will make us grow and become empowered as a person.
And honestly, isn’t growing stronger as a person really the most important part? I mean who really cares if you lift 45lbs or 300lbs?
No one.
The point is to OVERCOME something CHALLENGING to you. The numbers don’t matter. The exercise doesn’t matter.
All the matters is that you take on the challenge and make yourself vulnerable.
That in and of itself is success.
And sometimes that success is very hard-won and comes about in a form in which you didn’t necessarily intend. But that success is strength.
You made yourself vulnerable.
You took the risk.
You got stronger.
Why would you want to lift heavy?
So last night I met with one of my clients, Juliana, who also does my lifting class.
Juliana has gotten super into the lifting and has grown by leaps and bounds. Her movement patterns have improved and she is now lifting human beings! 🙂
She seems to enjoy the lifting and seems to like the way she looks!
But then this week, a situation that has happened to almost all of us female lifters, occurred. It is a conversation that can scare off many beginning female lifters.
The “you don’t want to get bulky do you” conversation. Juliana had two people start-up that conversation.
Luckily I didn’t even have to convince her that they were wrong! She already knew what she was doing was right!
Lifting heavy won’t make you bulky people!!!!! COME ON!
Having extra fat is what makes you “bulky.” Eating crap so that you have bad body composition is what makes you “bulky.”
Not leaned toned muscle mass!
I’ve gained about 17 pounds in the last two years. I still wear the same clothes I wore when I was 17 pounds lighter. Actually some don’t fit as well now because I’ve shrunk in certain areas…like my waist. I’ve shrunk because I’ve lost FAT. I haven’t become any bigger by adding muscle because I cut off the fat that was previously holding its spot!
If you don’t believe me because you know I’m biased, take a look at this Women’s Health Magazine article! Mainstream media even agrees that lifting heavy is good for you! (Of course as I go to post this and click on their link from Facebook it says “Page not found”….Maybe I shouldn’t yet think so highly of mainstream media!)
BUT here is a quote from what was up there.
Lift Heavier Weights! A recent study showed that women who lifted a challenging weight for eight reps burned nearly twice as many calories as women who knocked out 15 reps with lighter dumbbells.
See burn more fat and look LESS bulky by lifting heavy weights!
Man Bicep 