I also plan on adding a Equipment section which can be seen under “The Studio” header. Here I will go into detail about some of the toys we use at Everlasting Changes personal training studio in Ballantyne. First addition will be my new favorite Jungle Gym XT a suspension system like the more widely known TRX. I personally prefer the Jungle Gym and believe it to be much more versatile.

They really speak for themselves, maybe I will create a gallery on this website for photos like this at some point.

Body scan of 250 lb woman and 120 lb woman. If this isn’t motivation to work out, I don’t know what is! I’m NOT implying that a women needs to weigh 120 lbs…that’s no where near realistic for some people…but it is about health and longevity and the damage obesity causes. Look at the size of the intestines and stomach; how the knee joints rub together; and the enlarged heart. Not good.

A few weeks ago I came across a site called gymjunkies.com and they had some excellent videos and descriptions for some of the most common exercises we do.
Dead Lift
Squat
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Lunge
Pull Ups
Rows
and more…

Many of my clients will request simple at workouts for their business travels or weekends to keep their muscles working. This site would be an excellent reference point to bookmark on your computer if you were not 100% confident without a trainer.

Most everything I agree with EXCEPT, when you start your deadlifts or squats have your feet pointed straight ahead! This website encourages you to angle them out, that is incorrect for the general population. Feet pointed straight ahead is the ideal posture and simply a safer starting position.

“When the feet are externally rotated (toes turning out away from the body) the gluteals and piriformis are in a pre-shortened position. This alters normal length-tension relationships and creates more torque about the hip. A standard deadlift will teach proper sequencing firing patterns of the lower extremities (ankles, knees, hips) and is a safer posture for the hips/low back (when performed correctly).“….according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine.

With that in mind, check out the website http://www.gymjunkies.com/how-to-squat and on the bottom left you will see HOW TO links to other exercises. I like this website because it has text descriptions, videos of an individual performing the exercise, and pictures of the same.

Eventually, as time allows I hope to add a similar type of exercise library to this website!

The website below has 8 different mountain climber variations, an excellent way to switch things up, hit muscles from a different angle and prevent boredom in your workouts! Each video has an accompanying 30 sec video plus a text description for each variation.

Here is an example of the standard mountain climber to jog your memory

Please Visit Bloomtofit.com for the rest of the videos!

Source: Bloomtofit.com

There have been some changes on the website and a few more to come. I have gotten a new logo which can be seen at the top of every page as well as scattered around other parts of the site. This will be the primary logo for future reference, I’m very happy with it.

I have also updated the PROMOTIONS page with a new deal. For the remainder of February and March I am offering 1FREE WEEK if you purchase a full month of 1 on 1 personal training. I am also offering an ENTIRE MONTH FREE when you purchase 2 months up front. This offer is for new customers only and may not be combined with any other offers.

Email me or call me today (contact info has been added to the top right of the page) and set up your FREE CONSULTATION right now!

The best comparison I can make that makes the most since when explaining these strategies is to relate your body to a home. If we’re talking about weight loss, the nutritional starting point is always calories in vs calories out, which in turn is the same as energy in vs energy out. If you’re at home with every single light in the house on, by the time you get your bill its going to show that the energy you’re using is significantly higher than if you were to have sat around in the dark all day. Common sense, right?

As a Corrective Exercise Specialist, what I do is determine where your muscle imbalances are (most of us have them), pinpoint which muscles are NOT being utilized (lights off, no energy output) as they should and through isolated strengthening and dynamic movements I will turn that muscle on (lights on, use of energy). Ultimately, I want every muscle in your body “turned on” with no compensations. Just like the lights in a house, the more muscles you have working properly the more energy your body will require. The more energy you’re using, the easier it will be to obtain your body fat goals.

Two extra little facts.
1. Muscle requires more energy than fat
2. Muscle has a smaller volume compared to fat. (1lb of muscle takes up less space than 1lb of fat)

As for building muscle and increasing performance. Corrective techniques work in a similar way. For an athlete, once you get all the muscles activated properly (minimal to no imbalances) you will become more explosive, more powerful, quicker reaction times, with improved speed simply because all of your muscles are working together and each muscle is performing what it was designed to do.

The body is amazing and can adapt to a variety of situations. If you’re performing a bench press, the pectoralis major is your primary mover, the all star muscle. Lets assume the pec is not shooting off properly and your triceps and anterior deltoid (assisting muscles) are called on to do the brunt of the work. You will be able to perform this exercise but you are relying on your benchwarmers to produce with your all star (pecs) injured on the bench. This will NOT result in optimal performance.

Hypertrophy, or muscle building is the same story. Bodybuilders are very particular as they try to craft their body to perfection, meticulously addressing each muscle individually. If muscular imbalance is present then you obviously cannot get the most out of each particular muscle.

I personally will perform 3-4 weeks of Corrective Exercise training myself every 3 months or so because I strongly believe it is a must for everyone. We all have our car tuned up, right? Same requirements for the body, regardless of your ultimate goal.

This is a great exercise to routinely monitor the progress of your strength but remember it involves using your entire body. Your core remains engaged throughout, your foot maintains a dorsiflexed position, then the obvious usage of your upper body (triceps, shoulders, chest) that we all recognize. By maintaining a neutral head position (not allowing it to fall forward) you are also engaging the stabilizing muscles of your neck.

NASM describes the proper pushup as follows:
1. Begin in a push-up position with your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Your entire body should form a straight line like the image above. Notice the ears in line with shoulder, in line with hip, in line with ankle.
2. Draw in your abdomen and contract your gluteals.
3. Keeping your back flat, slowly lower your body toward ground, by flexing your elbows and retracting and depressing shoulder blades.
4. Stop at first point of compensation (such as your pelvis sagging toward the ground). *it is not necessary to go inches from the floor if you’re not read*
5. Push back up to starting position, by extending elbows and contracting your chest. Do not allow your head to jut forward toward the floor.

Another thing that makes the pushup such a great exercise is you can progress and regress to fit everyone. These are a few of my favorite methods.

Regressions:
1. Pushup on a wall
2. Pushup on a bench
3. Knee Pushup
4. Monitor your range of motion as listed in #4 above. If you can only eccentrically lower 1/2 way to the ground, then do that and complete your reps. You will get stronger and in no time you’ll be doing full pushups.
5. Have a partner (or a personal trainer!). If you struggle raising from the ground, have a partner assist you by lightly lifting you upwards at the waist.
6. Negative pushups, slowly lower yourself towards the ground

Progressions
1. Increase ROM…for example, setup 3 chairs (1 for each hand, 1 for feet). This will allow your chest to drop further than the ground would normally allow.
2. Perform pushup using a stability ball (great for increasing core strength as well)
3. Another incredibly challenging progression would be to using two stability balls (one for each hand) and try to maintain your balance. If you can do this, you’re a pro.
4. Utilizing any balance challenging module which can be used with the hands or placed under the feet.

There are many more options but these should get you started regardless of your current fitness level.

Please share this site on your own FB page, and be sure to like it if you haven’t already. Occasionally I will run special promotions and remember my Referral Program where you can earn cash or credit for signing up your friends, this will be an easy way to notify the people you know.

Deficiencies in the foot and ankle complex can affect the knee, hip, back, all the way up to the neck. You may have a foot that pronates inward which is forcing your knee inward placing stress on the patella and ligaments by the knee. Most ACL injuries are actually “non-contact” injuries which may occur during walking, running, making a pivot motion, etc…Improper functioning at the foot/ankle can lead to that ACL being torn.

I recently went to a Foot Specialist because I had been feeling pain on the outside ball of my foot below the 5th toe, a lot of pressure was resting on that position and the skin was actually hardened. I’ve always used shoe gel inserts but most are designed to simply add support to the foot as a whole but they do not alter how your foot rests. When I went to the doctor they created a custom made orthotic that is designed specifically for my foot to more evenly distribute the weight.

The reason I wanted to post about this was because my insurance actually paid 100% of these orthotics and I think without insurance they are $500 a foot! Everyone can benefit from a custom made orthotic, and I urge you to check with your healthcare provider to see if you can have this done for free. You may be suffering from pain in the back, knee, and/or feet and this orthotic may be the solution. Either way, if its free or at the very least inexpensive it doesn’t hurt to try them out.

I came across an article with some pictures off people at different body fat%’s, check it out at http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages

Here are two examples…

Below are a few more examples showing various body fat levels.

SOURCE: http://www.leighpeele.com/body-fat-pictures-and-percentages