Yesterday was very very interesting.  A couple of things were repeatedly brought up to me and I had to finally blog about it.  At first, I thought maybe it  was pure coincidence, or maybe we were all on the same page?  So, out of the many conversations, comments, and eavesdropping in the gym,  I heard two main topics:

- My Blue shirt looked good and I should wear blue more often as told to me by 5 different people.  The 6th one (Allen our new trainer) said it was weird on me because he was used to seeing black and red.  Whatever…hehe.

- “My schedule is too busy.  I can barely eat or even drink water!  I’m rushing to work and so I skip breakfast!”  Blah blah blah

Well, the blue shirt did look good and it represented our ultra sound body fat testing device by Bodymetrix.  But that’s not why I am writing.  That’s a different topic.

I’m writing because people are telling me that they go four to six hours without eating because they are BUSY.  I had a long talk with a client yesterday about eating every 2-3 hours and that it was a struggle for her!!  The work environnment doesn’t allow for her to eat on a regular basis.  I scolded her and now she is taking a stand for her health and going to talk to her boss about getting some time to actually take a break and eat some food and drink water.  Hey, I’m not responsible for what happens if her boss reacts differently.  But Good For Her!

SIDE NOTE: A message to employers, bosses, managers, and all those who make those decisions; “What the Hell?!”  You want happier healthier employees? Geez

Seriously?!

Ok so these clients are busy.  I understand.  And to put it in perspective for those who gave me an excuse…  Let me give you an insight how my “BUSY” day went.

Tuesday Night:

I finished training a client who barely eats because she is “busy”.  We talk about shakes and quick healthy snacks.  I don’t give her any excuses so I gave her my personal jug of chocolate powder shake, flax seed, and organic fiber.  Ah ha! Now she can’t say anything. hehe.  I then lecture her about making time to workout outside of meeting with me; but I myself haven’t worked out yet that day.  Cmon, It was a BUSY day right?  I have an excuse.  I was about to walk out the door when Willie (Element 5 Fitness Master Trainer) suggested we do a workout that entails:

ANGIE WORKOUT:

100 double Kettlebell squats, 100 pushups, 100 pullups, 100 hanging abs. 

Instead we were inspired by a member doing some boxing so we boxed for 45 minutes and perform thai  kicks in the combo.  Boy that was tough!  As we ended, Willie and I both agreed that it was well worth the time to stay an extra 45 minutes to get that workout in because it reset and renewed our spirits!

SO here we are to Wednesday:

YOU WANT BUSY?

4:00 am – wake up and get ready

4:45 am  – drive to Redmond from Bothell.  Pound a shake and an apple while driving

5:30 am to 6:00 am – measure bodyfat for two clients using Ultrasound device

6:00 am to 7:00 am - Strong and Sexy Bootcamp

7am to 7:30am – Measure Bodyfat again

7:30 am – Train the “Welcome back from Vegas” format for this client. HA!

8:30 am – Train the “Welcone back from Palm Springs, San Diego, Mexico, LA, was just sick, and leaving again to LA” format for these two clients. Double Ha

9:30 am - Train the “Just came back from San Diego, gained 10 pounds but lost 5 since coming back and then heading to China WORKOUT” format; but client and I call the session 15 min early as he is BEAT! Good work.

SIDENOTE: Is there a pattern here? hmmmm

10:15 – Run to QFC and Starbucks and grabbed turkey, zuchinni, squash, snap green peas, oatmeal at starbucks. ARGH have only 15 minutes till 10:30 appointment!

10:30 am - Train and talk to client about boss who wont allot time to eat and replenish fluids.  Encourage client to talk to boss.

11:30 am - Leave to Noon Strong and Sexy Bootcamp at Downtown BellevueFirst Street Fitness with Water Babies Crew.  Yes EAT and DRIVE! Turkey and veggies.

12:00 pm – Train noon crew in “They didn’t go to vacation” format

1:30 pm – Train and gave client the  frustrated look.  Suddenly she wasn’t “trying” she  just DID IT!!

2:30pm – Train, Nutrition talk, uh oh…stopped exercises to perform Muscle Activation Techniques Jump Start low grade exercises.  Talked with client about Red Carpet event she is preparing for Bobby Engram Foundation to fight sickle cell disease.

3:30pm – Head to Woodinvilleto train Basketball crew on Strength Format.  Finished Turkey and veggies and ad some grapes from a friend’s cute daughter who offered me some.  Was reminded to wash grapes first to make sure they are clean.  She was too cute.

4:30 pm – Head to Downtown Bellevue for Strong and Sexy Bootcamp evening class and new client. 

5:00pm   – Arrived earlier so I grabbed a Labrada Lean Body shake at Emerald City Smoothie about 4 blocks away.  Water base, adams peanut butter, fiber, calcium, glutamine, amino acids, flax oil, and a small stick of Ostrich jerky.  Popped open computer and sent some files (SSbootcampmanual) but wireless died and I didn’t want to deal with it, so I WORKED OUT! 

5:30 pm – class time…

6:30 pm – New Client, 15 yrs old.  I call him G35 because thats the car he wants.  His mom came to watch…Um NOT on my watch! (sorry for the pun) I put her on a bike and had her do 35 minutes while she watched.  Don’t think she liked that very much in the beginning.  She was loving it later though.

7:30 pm – wrapping up

UGH TRAFFIC

8:00 ish pm – Brown Rice chicken and an orange.

Popped open computer and still did some more work. 

So essentially I went from 4am straight till 9pm ish.  Don’t give me this “I cannot eat” crap and “I cannot workout”.  I have used that before.  You just saw my day.  ‘Nuff said…

If you need some great information on quick exercises for you BUSY folks… Go to

http://www.fitinahurry.com/

Your Fitness Coach,

Belton Lubas

Have you ever looked at high intensity athletes such as martial artists (MMA Fighters), track stars, gymnasts, etc, and wonder how and why they have a physique like that of a bodybuilder posing at the night of their showing?  You see 6-pack abs, ripped muscles, and basically just a lean mean fighting machine? 

These high intensity athletes are not freaks of nature (well, some of ‘em are), but more or less people who have truly maximized their genetic potential through High Intensity Training.  Whether it is their profession or a passion, you can see across the board the effects of their training.  One class of high intensity athletes are martial artists such as MMA (Mixed Martial Artists) Fighters. 

GSP http://www.sportsbettingandcasino.com/files/2008/01/georges-st-pierre.jpg

As of late, you have seen the explosion of MMA into the mainstream affecting everything from clothing lines, media, pay-per-view, haircuts (kidding), etc.  But when you look at how these high intensity athletes train, it is amazing.  There is something to be said about the energy demands and requirements for this type of training.  This form of training is anaerobic (without oxygen) in nature and has what we call an “afterburn” effect aka EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption).  Unlike traditional cardio aerobic programs where you stop burning once you stop your exercise, anaerobic exercise keeps on going for hours afterwards thus maximizing fat loss!  It is the Energizer Bunny of fat loss! Keeps going and going and going… 

BJ Penn http://www.newzealandmma.com/home/images/photos/bjpenn.jpg    

Manny Pacquiao http://hibachibaby.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/manny-pacquiao.jpg

Although many cannot handle the actual intensity of how hard Martial Artists truly train, you can still get involved in high intensity training starter programs and maximize the benefits from it.  As you progress, you can increase the workload and change up the routine to accommodate your progressions.

So how many calories can you burn?  Well, let me just say that your body composition determines that.  Obviously if you are heavier, your energy demands are greater.  For example, did you know that you can burn up anywhere from a low end of 300-600 calories OR 800-1200 calories per hour of boxing training?  Those numbers are dependent upon the body mass of the individual.   But before you get excited about your fat loss journey, keep in mind most people CANT go for an hour of boxing let alone 15 minutes.  Now remember, boxing is one format of a high intensity exercise.  You are missing the point here if you start buying gloves and a heavy bag.  I’m talking about high intensity training and using martial artists as an example.  Look at the example below demonstrating high intensity vs traditional cardio training below:

-       154 pound person who runs at a pace of 8 mph will burn 320 calories in 20 minutes. That same person, walking at 3 mph for an hour, will burn 235 calories.

Now take that into your training protocol and you will see that you do NOT have to train for an hour.  Train Smarter not just harder. 

The Strong and Sexy bootcamp program with Element 5 Fitness has incorporated this form of training into their programming.  All over the Eastside clients are experiencing fat loss with this type of training.  From 25-50+ pounds of fat loss, you may wonder why participants at the Strong and Sexy Bootcamp classes are experiencing this phenomenon.  Well, if you were paying attention to the paragraphs above then you would know why!

I have included some of the sample workouts below that were incorporated in our Strong and Sexy Bootcamps classes.  This is a 30 second format PER exercise.  You cycle through the three exercises one after another WITHOUT rest.  The only real rest you will probably get is a 5 second transition between stations. 

30 second format EACH exercise EQUALS ONE SET:

-       Bench Press OR Band Punches 30 seconds

-       Reverse Lunge with Band Row

-       Jump Rope OR explosive cardio format

Repeat these exercises 4 or 5 times through!  That itself covers a quick six to seven and a half minutes!  Once you combine 3 – 4 formats of this type of training, you will have covered at least 20-30 minutes of a high intensity type of training. 

If you dare, try this format and adjust the intensity and tempo to get a killer workout!  Welcome to the FITNESS WARRIOR LIFESTYLE!!!

Yours in health,

Belton

This last weekend was very physical and enlightening.  My martial arts group had the world-famous Grandmaster Richard Bustillo up here from L.A. for a seminar.  It was fun, physical, and a great learning experience.  I learned some things from Sifu Bustillo and from my teacher Mr. Kamara.  It’s funny how people think Martial Arts is all pounding fists and kicking things in.  It’s an outlook, a way of life, a dedication to something.  It shines with the warrior in us who fights the battles in life, that attacks us from all realms.  

Now most of you know who Bruce Lee is.  He was a phenomenal man.  He was a great martial artist, and a strong human being (and I’m not just talking about the physical sense).  Well, my teacher asked Sifu Ted Wong once a question that impacted him greatly.  He asked Mr. Wong ”Sifu, how do I achieve Bruce lee like moves?”  Sifu Ted Wong simply replied “If you want Bruce Lee-like-moves, you have to put in Bruce Lee-like-time and effort.” 

So many people want results quick, fast, with no real effort put into it.  This applies to business owners, clients, fat loss programs, trainers, our strong and sexy bootcampparticipants, or inquiries about them.  I get phone calls from people asking about our Bootcamps and training programs in Bellevue, Redmond, and Woodinville.  I get asked by trainers how to maximize their business and get more clients.  I get pre-qualification phone calls or evaluations from people who want to achieve certain goals.  On our website, we have pictures and testimonials of others who have achieved phenomenal results and people want them NOW NOW NOW!  Just last week, someone showed me a picture of a woman they WANT to LOOK like!

Reality check – You cannot get the results if you do not have the quality time put into it.  You think Bruce Lee showed up to train once a week?  You think he magically landed film roles and made millions accidentally?  Success didn’t fall from the sky and Bruce Lee just so happened to be there.  In the same way, Element 5 Fitness did not achieve a level of success without hard work.  Our clients with their tesimonials did not lose all that bodyfat without hardwork.  If you want to emulate their success, or anyone for that matter, well Success leaves clues.  Pick it up and be a student of the masters.  Learn from them and be diligent.  I never said achieving your goals was going to be easy.

Sifu Bustillo ended the seminar with a story about Bruce Lee (who was his teacher).  He said that Bruce Lee made a statement in 1969:

Here is the ultimate aim of Bruce Lee, as he stated in 1969:

I, Bruce Lee, will be the first highest paid
Oriental super star in the United States. In
return I will give the most exciting
performances and render the best of quality in
the capacity of an actor. Starting 1970 I will
achieve world fame and from then onward till
the end of 1980 I will have in my possession
$10,000,000. I will live the way I please and
achieve inner harmony and happiness.
- Bruce Lee
Jan. 1969

That all happened in about a year’s time. Wow……

So for those Eastside Trainers out there reading this who need more business, or the clients who want to reach their goals, or the business owner who is struggling, I have one last thing to share with you.

Yeah it’s tough out there.  I am pretty sure that you have a legitimate REASON why you can’t “invest” in your health, your business, your education in growing your business, your workouts, your nutrition, your dedication to self-growth, etc.

In my eyes, sometimes….and I say this cautiously sometimes, it’s just an EXCUSE.  So, because I believe you when you say that you have a legitimate reason why you can’t start today, I am renaming your reason to REXCUSE.

What’s your REXCUSE TODAY?

Belton Lubas

Co Founder Element5 Fitness

http://Element5fitness.com

Goodness gracious!! Element 5 Fitness clients are psycho! I’m afraid as a trainer. Be very afraid if you plan on joining our fitness minded group. I don’t think my safety is compromised, but let me tell you why I think our clients are psychotic!

It all started on Thursday snow day at 4:45 a.m. There was ALOT of snow. It actually started early that morning and filled up the landscape and caused numerous problems all over the Northwest. I received numerous emails and texts about concerns whether class or training sessions are still on that morning. Never mind their safety, these people are fitness focused and passionate about working out! They wanted their Strong and Sexy Bootcamp to continue. Wow! I was impressed. Although we did cancel our class as the gym eventually closed, I was keeping people up to date like a weatherman/fitness newscaster. These people were determined.

It reminds me of a phrase I saw at my martial arts training studio…”SEVEN DAYS WITHOUT TRAINING MAKES ONE WEAK!!!” It sure seemed like they absorbed that mantra as their motto for the week. (Feel the pun?)

On Friday, I sent out a home-based workout for those who wanted to stay active while they were cooped up. They had their mini at home Strong and Sexy Bootcamp. I called it the P (1/2 of) 90X workout. (Hehe, must be because it was only 45 minutes instead of 90 and just as hard if not harder) Finally, Rommel and I gave in to the peer passion pressure and decided we were going to brave the weather and road conditions to fulfill our clients’ fitness cravings for Saturday 8am Strong and Sexy Bootcamps.

As saturday rolls around, and previously closed roads in Redmond and Bellevue open up and the chaos SLIGHTLY clears up, I decide to roll out with my All Wheel Drive to the gym for the 8am class. It was slick, icy, and scary watching others try to attempt to drive beside you, in front of you, and behind you around turns, and up or down hills. I honestly did not expect that many people to show up on that dreadful morning, but six people turned up! It was quite the morning. Let me explain:

Out of the six people, Theresa who was pregnant, worked out with galoshes for the first 30 minutes due to forgetting her shoes. We had her friend Sandra drive from Seattle, swing by her house, and pick up her shoes before coming to the gym to join in on the workout. Heather walked to the gym as a warm-up to get her workout in and walked home afterwards. Dena came in slightly sick, but dedicated herself to taking on the workout. Molly came in to join the fun, and later switched vehicles with her husband and the kids so he can then workout with me after her bootcamp class. Matt braved the snow to be the only gentleman representing the males and kept up with these hardcore females!

Wasn’t I right? Our clients are Psycho…in a good way! Maybe I should say Psycho Passionate! It was fun and quite the laughs.
Here is that workout I sent out. It may be somewhat modified but here it is. On a sidenote, did you know back at Oregon State University we did a segment on home workouts? We took some film and radio class to learn how to produce a show. Originally we were going to call it the Beaver show spinning off that Comedy Central ”Man Show”. We sent out the proposal but it got turned down. Weird… But we created a fitness show instead. Anyways, on with the quick workout:

- A1 Pushups 20 reps

- A2 Bent over Rows using Gallon jugs of water or milk

- A3 Tabata Squats 20 seconds fast, 10 second rest, and repeat 3 times

- Repeat the above three A exercises 3 or 4 sets…its a nonstop fast sequence

- B1 Step out alternating lunges 30 total 40 max with water jug vertical press

- B2 Plank hold 60 seconds

- B3 20 Crunches

- B4 Reverse crunches aka butt lifts aka reverse curls aka you know!

- Repeat B exercises 3 or 4 sets Nonstop fast sequence!

- A and B should take 30 minutes

Cardio Time:

- 30 seconds split shuffles

- 30 seconds ice skaters

- 30 seconds jumpsquats

- 30 seconds in place high knee runs

- 30 seconds jumping jacks

- 30 seconds slalom hops

- 30 seconds wideouts (jump in feet together and jumpout wide while staying low and hands behind head)

- 30 seconds wall sit

- Rest 30-60 seconds and repeat 3 times the whole cardio series ALL 8 OF THEM IN A ROW!!!

Be Safe, Have Fun, Happy Holidays, and the next time your indoors…Try the above workouts. No snow can stop you! In fact you might burn so much calories and core temperature reach a pretty high level you can stand out on your driveway and melt the snow!

Belton Lubas

With the holidays around the corner, it’s hard to keep your head on straight when you’re constantly surrounded by sugary sweets, fattening dishes, and calorie-busting entrees. Some might say, “It’s not my fault I gained 20 pounds over the holidays. My kids, my co-workers, and even the ads on TV were always shoving food in my face!”

This reminds me of an article we wrote earlier this year entitled Seattle Eastside’s Top Personal Trainers Say “You’re Not to Blame for Your Weight Problem!”

“What if you’re not to blame for your weight problem?” The February 3, 2008 edition of Seattle Times posed this question in an article entitled It’s Not My Fault I’m Fat? Not surprisingly, this immediately caught our attention. What if it’s not your fault if you’re overweight? You may as well cancel that gym membership, re-stock your cupboards with potato chips and cookies, and call it quits. Because according to this article, until the government starts regulating our environments by getting rid of vending machines, outlawing “Super Size Me” meals, and black-listing certain deep-frying, calorie-busting restaurants, you won’t be able to change your habits and get healthy. It’s just too hard. Here’s a quick outline of the main points in the article and our thoughts on each:

“Eating is an automatic behavior that has little to do with choice, willpower, or even hunger…Automatic behavior can be controlled, but only for a short time.”

True. Many of us have hard-wired programming that makes us reach for that doughnut for breakfast. Old habits die hard. However, they can die and be replaced by new habits. With enough persistence and with the right mindset, choosing the right foods in the right quantities can become automatic as well.

“Changing routine behavior is painstaking and slow. It sometimes takes years to change one little thing.”

True. No one said that adopting a healthy lifestyle would be easy. But if you keep selling yourself short and convincing yourself that change is too hard, you’re absolutely right! And it will take years to stop reaching for that doughnut. It comes down to how bad you want it and why. It comes down to your mindset.

“If people rely on willpower alone, they are expecting too much of themselves..It’s easier to change the environment than it is to change people.”

False. This statement frankly depresses us. Are we really giving in to our own weakness and taking the coward’s way out? Pointing fingers and putting the responsibility for our own lives in other people’s hands? We believe that willpower – or “energetic determination,” as defined by Merriam-Webster.com – can accomplish anything. Granted, we do give some credit to the above statement by admitting that willpower should be accompanied by knowing what the right foods are, by a deeply compelling purpose driving the willpower, and by a belief in oneself and one’s worthiness. However, blaming anything or anyone else for our shortcomings is still just a “good story.”

We, personally, have more hope in the human race than this, and we hope you do too. This article drastically sells us short as human beings. If we told a 3-year-old not to take his sister’s toy, but he did anyway, is it entirely not his fault because she was sitting there playing with it right in front of him? We’re afraid this is the message this article would give to our kids: It’s not your fault. You’re a victim to your environment.

We’re not saying that government restrictions on the use of trans-fats or requirements to label restaurant foods with nutritional information wouldn’t help. But we can’t sit on our rears and wait until the environment around us changes before we change ourselves. A wise man once said, “As within, so without.” Real change won’t come until we decide to change ourselves. Then the food manufacturers and marketers, restaurant operators, and food vendors would have no choice but to conform. It all comes down to personal accountability. In the words of Dr. Wayne Dyer, “If your problems were the result of others in your environment, you would go broke sending everyone else to the psychiatrist.”

If you truly want to enjoy the upcoming Thanksgiving dinner and holiday festivities without dealing with added weight on your belly, it is all in your hands. The key is having a strong mindset. ??Most people approach the holidays with the mindset of “I deserve to indulge and I shouldn’t have to workout – it’s the holidays and I deserve it”. This is fine if you don’t mind entering 2009 with an added spare tire, a little less healthy, and with lower energy than ever before. Believe you deserve better, because YOU are more than that! Believe that you don’t have to wait until 2009 to get into better shape than you are today. Believe that you deserve to have a healthier lifestyle and have more energy NOW than you ever thought possible!

I’m always available to help – call or email me to set up a fitness consultation and let’s get started on making lasting changes over the next few weeks to come.

Contact info:

Phone: 425.296.9305

Email: rommel@element5fitness.com

Website(s):

http://www.element5fitness.com

http://www.strongandsexybootcamps.com