February
4
2010
Hey everyone, check out workout #3 in a series of 10 fat burning workouts. These are awesome for at home training, quick gym workouts, and ultimate metabolic, fat torching results.
January
28
2010
Hey gang, here is a second fat burning workout for you that will literally take you 12 minutes! How great is that…
Check this one out, give it a try and stay tuned because there are going to be several more great workouts that you can finish!
January
26
2010
Hey Callie Durbrow back again with Ultimate Athletic Fitness. I’m going to keep this one short and sweet and let the video speak for itself. Here is a very short fat burning workout that you can do with little or no equipment. This will be the first in a series of 10 workouts that can be done in 12 minutes or less.
The thing about these workouts is that you have to push yourself in order to see results. The goal is to perform each exercise for 30 seconds and move to the next without much rest at all. In between sets rest VERY shortly and move along. See how many rounds you can get in 12 minutes.
Enjoy!
January
21
2010
Firstly, I want to say hi, my name is Tristan Lewis from MaverickFitnessCoach.com and I’m really thrilled to be working alongside my good mate Callie Durbrow to bring you new and exciting fitness, fat loss and body transformation advice. Callie is an incredible person and a phenomenal trainer as I know all of you are already aware!
Today I’d like to discuss the idea that six pack abs are not just a male orientated desire and how women of all ages and current fitness levels should be training for and expecting this unique fitness aspect as part of their body transformation.
You see the reality is that women should not only be aiming for a small waist, or trim thighs and buns…but also a beautiful, feminine sculpted set of six pack abs – it’s real important to dismiss the stigma that abs are only for men and women should just focus on the ‘flat belly syndrome’. And here’s why…
The basic anatomical facts are that every human has ‘six pack abs’ – let’s use that term as our ‘keyword’ for a truly spectacular midsection. But these abs are typically covered by our bodyfat and that there is the issue with regards to actually seeing them.
We can break down abdominal training for men and women into two areas. One will be training for muscular development of the abs and all other muscles and the other training for fat loss to reveal not just the abs but sculpt your entire physique as well.
Women need to understand that firstly they’ll be very unlikely to create a visual appearance of ripped, rolling slabs of abdominal muscle – this simply will not be the case as genetically a woman carries less testosterone than a man and will not build the muscle like their male counterparts….BUT here’s where we need to continue and encourage all women to actually STILL concentrate on working out for that ‘female six pack abdominal appearance’. Because whilst a woman can dismiss the fact right here that they’ll look like a man or have garish ab muscles, the idea of training for six pack abs puts them into the absolute correct exercise psychology of correct and proven fat loss and body transformation training.
You see of course it’s possible to set a goal of a nice lean tummy and firm thighs but the workouts you’d employ to achieve a stunning female physique with ‘six pack abs’ will REALLY be putting you into ‘full body transformation territory’ where fat is burned, muscle pathways are re-ignited and real physical change occurs.
What I’m saying is all women will genetically create their own unique look, their own slim, toned and tight body and midsection, but also their very own six pack abs. And the training that you attempt to get ‘six pack abs’ is the type of training that will deliver all the other aspects you are desiring in your new body image or transformation. It will not be just ‘six pck abs’ but a full body makeover.
An example is this:
I run my own Bootcamps called Intensity Bootcamps as well as training clients one on one. A majority of my current Bootcamps are ladies wanting to firstly lose body fat but secondly create a lean, toned and tight body. We had a discussion and around 70% told me they’d typically been in their gyms with the goal of a lean tight midsection and trim body firmly in place and the tools they were using were your typical long form cardio of 40 minutes plodding away on a treadmill or a cycle staring at the tv’s etc. I know you know what I mean, you see it all the time in most gyms.
Now it’s certainly not bad to do if you are concentrating on say running a marathon or for an endurance sport, but even then it’s worth mixing it up.
So I said to them, well look let me put you into this Bootcamp where the training will be exactly the same as what a man would do, with short burst intensity exercise, resistance circuits, explosive and reactive workouts – all designed to get you out the gym quicker but also to incorporate the resistance exercises to build lean muscle that in turn both sculpts and shapes your own particular fit female physique but burns more calories than simple long form cardio.
When I told them we’d be aiming to build lean muscle the initial reaction was ‘Whoa! – we don’t want big muscles or six pack abs like the guys train for.’
Now that ideology is common and perfectly understandable. BUT as we continued to discuss this I told them about the misconceptions in fitness training today that a woman is going to be threatened with bulky muscles if they lift weights or train like a ‘typical male counterpart’. This is fallacy. The actual truth is all women should be training with resistance weight training as a major component of their routines for the very fact that it will burn more calories, it will create the lean and long muscles you wish for and it will give you the physique you are genetically meant to have. And that is not big, muscular or bulky because unless you want to dabble in the world of steroids and excess testosterone you simply will not create that look – you simply won’t be able to.
So how does this philosophy all tie into the original topic of the search for female six pack abs. Well here it is:
I train all my female clients as I would any male client (ok, not in everything because some want to train for marathons or endurance sports etc and we change it up) but primarily I expect my lady clients to take up the same exact challenges as the guys because I’ll tell you this, in all honesty, I see the ladies I work with are so much more capable of doing more than they think they can it is almost unbelievable. I push them because ladies don’t seem to complain as much as some of the guys I work with (no offence men!) – I give them a challenge and they crush it! Yes, maybe the next day at lunch or in the bar they chat with friends and say ‘Tristan got us doing this! Can you believe it!’ You know, but the fact remains they absolutely ‘kick butt’ as my American friends say.
And therefore I train them to develop FEMALE SIX PACK ABS because not only will this sort of training create strong core and supportive muscles and a midsection that is in optimal shape, but as we discussed further up, a woman, no matter what she thinks, will not develop garish six pack abs but the beautiful, lean feminine abs that a woman is capable of. The true ‘female six pack abs’; not just a small waist with weak floppy muscle underneath the skin, or nice hips and thighs still with a rounded back and loose abs….no – REAL solid feminine core musculature that will look stunning.
Of course the lower the body fat % the more you’ll see your abs. But physics has given women the same abs as men – the same muscles in your midsection – give or take- that a man has. If you were meant to have just a smooth, little tummy you’d only have one smooth muscle running down your core. You –as a woman – deserve to show off your ‘six pack abs’ and trust me it will be a look you’ll adore as much as all the people staring at you!
Your training will consist of full body intensity circuits, resistance training, body weight circuits and also a bit of cardio if you still like all that – and it will be varied, enjoyable, challenging and exciting!
Ultimately you need to know that as a woman you SHOULD be training for ‘six pack abs’, you should rest safe in the knowledge you’ll not get bulky by training for such, and you need to trust that the workouts you do with Callie, with me or with any trainer who knows their stuff will transform your entire body into the type of feminine physique you see on magazine covers.
Nature’s given you a gift. It’s up to you to train optimally and be proud to show yours off – it’s all in your mind and you are capable of anything you desire to put your mind to. So again: don’t think six pack abs is a keyword for men only – it is absolutely what you need to be training for as an integral part of your fitness program. Not just because it will offer support, structure, core strength and optimal performance but also because it will look incredible on you – mark my words – and it’s not as hard to achieve as you may have thought….
There is such a thing as Female Six Pack Abs – you’ve got them, now you just have to train them and allow them to be one of the key components in your full body transformation. You can do it! Believe me, I see it all day long with my clients. Ladies are capable of a level of training that is phenomenal to observe.
Until next time, I wish you all the best and look forward to hearing from you and seeing how you’re doing.
Cheers all,
January
14
2010
Hey everyone, Callie Durbrow here again for Ultimate Athletic Fitness…I hope that your New Year is off to a great start and you are not only setting high standards for yourself for 2010, but you are taking inventory on how you can SPECIFICALLY achieve your goals this year. It’s not about saying, “I want to lose weight” or “I want to make more money.”
You must say “I want to lose 10 pounds, so I will lose 5 pounds each month” or “I will make an extra “$1,000 each month, which means I must make $250 more each week.” Your mind works on specifics so you must set yourself up for success in that fashion. Visualize what you “want” instead of what you “don’t have.”
Today’s focus is going to be on a very specific portion of your nutrition plan, which is the cheat meal. I like to set up my weekly nutrition, and the plans that I give my clients, based on the 80/20 principle. If you are eating healthy and nutritious foods 80% of the week, 20% can be left open for your cheat meals and occasional treats.
80% healthy means…
1. Having a nutrient rich breakfast every day
2.Having 3 small meals that are balanced with proteins, complex carbohydrates, and fruits and veggies
3.Having 2-3 small snacks between each meal to keep your metabolism cranking
4. Taking 1/2 of your body weight in pounds and drinking that much water each day, in ounces (150 lb person would drink 75 ounces of water per day)
5. Having a small snack 1-2 hours before a workout such as fruit, yogurt or a PB&J sandwich
6. Having a post-workout drink…8-10 ounces of low fat chocolate milk to help with recovery and keep your metabolism up to ensure that you are burning calories ALL DAY
If you are following these principles, then 20% can be devoted to your cheat meal. Cheat meals are important because they give you something to look forward to. Eventually you will enjoy eating healthy, but even for those of us that enjoy it, a little treat is always pretty awesome!
The other thing that a cheat meal does is actually speed up your metabolism. Your body has been somewhat restricted, usually in terms of sugars, if you are eating healthy throughout the week so a cheat meal will temporarily rev up your metabolism and release “feel good” chemicals such as serotonin.
The key to a successful “cheat meal” is to avoid going crazy with it. Most people use their cheat meal on the weekends, but if you know that you are going out to dinner during the week or have a special occasion coming up, use that instead. Don’t use that day, PLUS the weekend.
Having an occasional slice of pizza or a drink out with friends will not derail your nutrition plan, you just need to be smart about it. Stick to a slice or two, or a drink followed by a glass of water.
I love food and love to enjoy myself, so I really stick to my program during the week and usually my cheat meal will be ordering pizza or having some ice cream on Sunday nights.
Sorry Tiger, the 80/20 cheating principle doesn’t apply to you…
January
8
2010
So even though I was totally “Team Aniston” back in the day, I still love Brad Pitt. That whole Benjamin Button movie freaked me out a little bit but come on, Brad is awesome and the dude can create a specimen out of his body like no one else.
Brad Pitt’s workout routine is nothing that most of you will relate to, or anything that I would necessarily promote as an efficient fat loss program. Obviously it works and I’ll tell you why (more on this later).
Here is the workout scheme that Brad used for both Troy and Fight Club:
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Back
Wednesday: Legs
Thursday: Shoulders/Abs
Friday: Biceps/Triceps
Saturday: Cardio
Sunday: Rest
Brad used a traditional body building split of attacking one muscle group each day. For each day he would have 5 or 6 exercises and perform 3-4 sets of anywhere from 6-20 repetitions.
Here’s why this workout works: you are overloading each muscle group and with the higher number of repetitions you are putting the muscle under tension for a longer period of time, thus breaking down the muscle and allowing it to grow back bigger, also known as hypertrophy.
Here’s why this wouldn’t work for most of you, who are looking to lose fat, tone your entire body and drop inches.
This is not an efficient way to train. Don’t get me wrong, it works, but look at how long it takes! Most people do not have time to devote an entire workout to one muscle group. In order to create an efficient and effective program for fat loss and strength, you should be performing full body movements that will elevate your heart rate and boost your metabolism so you are torching calories when you are not working out.
This is done through movements such as squats, lunges, mountain climbers, push ups, chin ups, kettlebell movements and medicine ball work. I know that all of my clients are very familiar with this concept, so if you are NOT doing this kind of training…start now!
Brad’s nutrition plan looks something like this: high protein meals, small meals spread out through the day, eliminated alcohol, junk food and cigarettes.
That’s pretty basic but the results speak for themselves. If you are overloading on sugars and processed foods, you will not have any chance at a sculpted looking mid section. You must give your body the proper fuel to energize your workouts, help with recovery and promote a lean and toned figure.
Stick to your small meals, protein to keep you full, fruits and veggies, lots of water, get rid of the junk food and snack foods and cut out the booze. It’s harder than it sounds but trust me, the results will be well worth it.
Now, for the ultimate question…Brad Pitt in Troy…
Or, Brad Pitt in Fight Club…
I personally think the Troy physique is better, he’s a little more built and plus the ciggs don’t do much for me…
Keep working hard!!
December
31
2009
Hey all, Happy New Year’s Eve! It’s a great time of year for fresh starts and also a great time to kick start your fitness and training program if you haven’t been quite at your best. As far as I’m concerned, the goal is to NOT make New Years resolutions when it comes to fitness, because you should make it part of your lifestyle.
So we’ve all seen the ripped dudes in the 300 movie. Okay, so maybe they are kind of cartoons, but those guys trained HARD for the movie. Over the last week I’ve tortured my personal training clients with a workout that would probably make even the toughest spartan warriors queezy.
The workout consists of 4 exercises; Kettlebell Swing, Dumbbell Squat & Press, Body Rows and Push Ups. The weight of the kettlebell is determined by the person’s strength and size (12, 16 or 24kg), and we are using 15 pound dumbbells on the squat and press for women and 20 pounders for the guys.
The clients must complete 100 reps of push ups, squat & press and KB swings and 50 reps of body rows. There is no time limit and breaks are allowed whenever they are necessary. And trust me, they are necessary!
This workout is an incredible way to build strength and overall endurance and send your body into serious fat burning mode. One of my clients showed almost 600 calories burned in just under 30 minutes. And don’t forget, that’s only DURING the workout. Your body is pumped up for up to 36 hours post workout.
Everyone was feeling really fried after this workout, but as I told them, “You’ll feel great in an hour.” It’s a huge accomplishment and a real mental test as well.
The times ranged from 24:33 to 55:38 and the goal is to beat your previous time.
This isn’t your typical “hard core” workout…
December
24
2009
Hey everyone, Happy Holidays! It’s Christmas Eve (day) and I’m about to get after a quick workout before I finish up some shopping (yikes!) and get ready for the family to arrive. It’s great to stay in the city of Boston for the holidays, it’s such a cool city, especially this time of year.
I know most people are dreading the holiday season because there are so many treats and big dinners to derail your fitness and fat loss progress. Here’s the thing though….it’s all about sacrifice. Figure out what is important to you, and if you are really committed to staying lean and tight, then you can easily skip the extra pie after the meal. Portion out your meals and enjoy ONE dessert. Don’t stress out, just enjoy yourself and you will have no worries.
If you are sticking to your training program then the holidays will be a little bit of a burden, but it won’t be a big ordeal like for someone who is not regimented with their workouts and nutrition.
Anyway….we all know Halle Berry, right? She is a pretty great actress and obviously has to kick some serious butt in the gym in order to fit into outfits like this….
That’s not likely what most of us are gunning for, but we all want to look great in our clothes and just feel our best. In keeping with my latest theme of celebrity workout critiques, I wanted to take a look at Halle’s workout plan and give you all some insight. Again, it’s pretty great to be able to have a ton of time to train and get in shape, but as you will see here, celebrity training sessions are not all about long hours in the gym.
Halle Berry’s workout program is based around a concept called 5-Factor Fitness. With her training days, they are mapped out into 5 minute blocks of time and look something like this:
Step 1- Cardio to warm up the body get blood flowing to the muscles
Step 2- Upper body strength movements such as push ups, curls, and shoulder work
Step 3- Lower body strength movements- step ups, squats, ball work
Step 4- Core training
Step 5- Fat burning interval cardio work
I think this is a cool way to train and it keeps you mentally focused because you know that you can do anything for 5 minutes! Once you finish one area, you move to the next. It’s an interesting way to structure the workouts and I didn’t get a lot of detail as to how much is going on during each of the blocks but based on the results, I’m sure she is cranking out the reps!
Halle Berry’s nutrition plan is also based around 5-factors. She has 5 meals per day, small portions of balanced foods. She is also given a cheat day each week. As I mentioned last week, Jennifer Garner implements a similar program into her nutrition lifestyle. So okay, Jennifer Garner does it, Halle Berry does it, and Callie Durbrow recommends it! Obviously you’ll listen now….
Overall this is a good structure and I do like how it’s laid out very simply. The key to remember here is that the workouts are not taking hours and hours. It’s anywhere from 25-40 minutes per day. Anyone can schedule that into their lifestyle.
Okay I just thought that picture was cool….
Happy Holidays, Enjoy yourself, your family and friends, and stay healthy!
December
18
2009
Jennifer Garner, she just flat out kicks ass. Guys love her, girls want to be her. She is the classic girl next door with a bad ass streak…
It’s pretty obvious that Jennifer Garner works out. With sculpted legs and trim thighs, a set of 6 pack abs and strong shoulders, Jennifer definitely hits the weights. A lot of women are afraid of strength training because they are totally freaked out about “bulking up.” I don’t know about you but I think I would rather have the Jennifer Garner body as opposed to a slightly pudgy, soft body with no definition because I slave away on the elliptical trainer all day. Okay, I digress…
According to Jennifer Garner’s trainer; her nutrition plan looks like this:
1. Lots of protein from eggs, fish and chicken
2. A snack between every meal to keep energy levels high
3. Fruits and veggies
4. Dinner with protein and veggies, no starch
5. Plenty of water
The thing that I did find out was that even Jennifer Garner gets a cheat day. Because I know most of you don’t like listening to ME….you can’t argue with that! Give yourself a day to relax and enjoy food. If you are rocking it all week, you will have no issue or set back.
So, onto Jennifer Garner’s workout… Jennifer trains 5-6 days per week with one complete rest and recovery day. This is important for your mental state as well as physical well being. If you are training every single day, you are not giving your body time to repair the muscle tissue that you are breaking down. Give yourself time to rest and enjoy your progress.
Jennifer’s strength training workouts consist of full body movements such as step ups, pull downs, presses on the ball, and lunge variations. This is an awesome way to burn fat because you are using a large amount of muscles at one time, you are pushing your body instead of using isolated movements and machines, and you will burn more calories which leads to a metabolic boost that will TORCH body fat over the long term.
There are two days per week of the circuit style strength training in Jennifer’s routine. It’s important to get 2-3 days of this type of training in order to develop lean muscle tissue and keep your metabolism going strong.
Two days are filled with mat pilates which is a great way to strengthen your core and improve mobility and flexibility. As I have mentioned many times, if you cannot move, you will not have great workouts. Be sure to perform your own mobility and flexibility training such as yoga, foam rolling, and active stretching.
Jennifer also has a 1 day of cardio training for about 40 minutes. Well, you know how I feel about cardio. I just hate the word. The workout didn’t specify too much about the cardio except that she switches between elliptical, treadmill and the bike depending on the day. This is good because your body needs variety. If I had to guess, I’m going to say that she’s not doing this workout on Level 1 of the elliptical. Performing intervals is the key to any cardio conditioning plan. You need to ramp up your heart rate and really crank it for 1-2 minutes, then drop down for an active recovery. I would guess with a kick ass body like that, she is not just along for the ride.
Jennifer has a very well-balanced workout plan and a solid nutrition plan complete with a cheat day for some sweets or a glass of wine. Training 5-6 days per week is perfect and be sure to include 2-3 days of strength movements that incorporate your entire body. Lunges, squats, chin ups, push ups and lunges are the best for this. I’ll be back with more celebrity workout reviews. Enjoy!
December
10
2009
Hey everyone, Callie Durbrow here again and I wanted to touch on a really, really important topic. I work with dozens of clients every week that have to travel for their job. It’s a pretty common thing here in Boston with all of the big corporations and businesses that are around. It’s nothing for some of my clients to be on a plane to New York for the day or even to China or Japan for weeks at a time.
Has that ever happened to you? What do you end up doing when you are on the road? Do you work out, maybe doing some cardio at the hotel gym if you have time? Do you stress out about the lack of time and end up skipping all workouts and training opportunities so you can get more work done?
I know how it goes. You are focused on your career and that’s important. But, if it’s done correctly, you can literally get an amazing fat burning workout in ONLY 24 minutes. Heck, you can get up 30 minutes earlier and do it before you even have your morning shower and coffee. What a great way to kick start your day and get focused for all of the busy meetings and client lunches that you have.
It sounds easy, right? But how many of you will actually do it? It’s pretty annoying to have to trudge down to the hotel gym and fight off all of the other travelers that are probably trying to do the exact same thing that you are, work out before their day begins. What if the hotel doesn’t even have a gym? This is probably unlikely but it can happen. What if you don’t have time to figure out all of the equipment and what if they don’t have what you need?
Let me tell you what, there is a really, really simple answer to all of these worries. There are TONS of workouts that you can do, right in the comfort of your hotel room and I can guarantee they are 10 times more effective than whatever you might do in the hotel gym or if you go outside for a jog.
Here is a great hotel room workout that requires no equipment except your own body:
Perform 3-5 rounds, depending on your fitness level
Work at each exercise for 30 seconds and rest for 10 seconds in between exercises
Rest for 1 minute in between circuits
A. Mountain Climbers
B. Push Ups (from knees or military)
C. Body Weight Squats
D. Reverse Lunges (alternate)
E. Seated Torso Rotation (feet up)
Working out on the road can be fun, simple and rewarding. It’s a great way to boost productivity, energy and help keep your fitness levels high. Be sure to plan just 24 minutes each day and I can guarantee that you will feel and look great!
For those of you that are regular travelers, stay tuned over the next few weeks for a great new e-book that I’m developing with step-by-step workouts and nutrition, lifestyle and time management skills for all of your traveling needs.
