Albany's First "Guys Only" Fitness Boot Camp Coming In June

Gentlemen ... listen up! Boot camps aren't just for women ... but for some reason they have been geared and marketed only for women all around the Capital Region (and almost everywhere else, for that matter). I have to admit, I've done the same in the past. I target women with my marketing. Maybe it's because they care more about what they look like, or maybe it's because they like that type of a workout more. Or ... maybe it's because they have such a higher threshold for pain that they can endure that type of a workout a little better!

Honestly, I doubt any of those reasons are 100% true. I think that guys, plain and simple, don't want to workout with women because they feel like they'll have to take it easy during their workout because they can physically do more. And ... I do think that women care more about what they look like, especially when it comes time for fitting into a bikini in the summer.


Most guys could care less what they look like in a bikini, with the exception of my friend Steve. He's hardcore about fitting into his man-kini. I'm hoping he'll make a guest appearance in one of our May fitness boot camps sporting something crazy :)

So what I'm going to be doing in the month of May is putting together the Capital Region's FIRST, and ONLY, "Guys Only" Fitness Boot Camp. I'm going to be using the same philosophy that we've used to create our killer Fitness Team Challenge Boot Camp, to assemble a 6-week fitness boot camp that will push the "men" of the Capital Region to the limit. Members can expect to pack on pounds of new, hard muscle and cut away stubborn fat. They will drop their body fat % up to 8 - 10% over the course of 6 weeks!

I will only be taking the first 20 guys who sign up for this camp, and we'll be creating the beginning of what will be the Capital Region's most revolutionary fitness experience to come along in decades ... check back to updates!

Yum In Your Tum: Broccoli Gratin with Red Pepper and Parmesan

I snagged this goody from the New York Times. As summer gets closer and closer and we have access to fresh vegetables, this dish seems like a great, and easy, way to enjoy broccoli and red peppers. The best part is, this recipe not only tastes great, but is HEALTHY!

Ingredients:

1 large head broccoli, about 1 1/2 pounds, florets separated from the stems, stems peeled and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, or a mixture of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano

2 tablespoons dry or fresh breadcrumbs

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin. Steam the broccoli flowers and stems until tender, about five minutes. Refresh with cold water.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet, and add the red pepper. Cook, stirring, until it softens, about five minutes. Add the garlic. Cook just until it smells fragrant, about half a minute, and stir in the broccoli. Toss together so that the broccoli is coated with oil and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat, and arrange in the baking dish. Mix together the Parmesan and breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over the top. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil. Place in the oven, and bake 10 to 15 minutes until the Parmesan has melted and the mixture is sizzling and beginning to color on the top. Serve hot or warm.

Yield: Serves four to six.

Advance preparation: You can assemble this several hours before baking. Don’t drizzle on the olive oil until ready to bake.

Nutrition (per serving, based on four servings): 164 calories; 9 grams total fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 159 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during cooking); 8 grams protein.

Goodness Greatness

You're absolutely freakin' great, but don't flatter yourself, you're not great all the time. You're not even great most of the time. It would be impossible for anyone to be great for such a long period of time. But you can be great for a second, a minute, five minutes or even a half hour. Greatness comes and goes, and a lot of the time people forget that deep down inside, they really are truly great.

You can be great just by complimenting someone at work and letting them know that "hey, I do realize that you exist!" ... or by allowing someone to cut in front of you on the highway or in line at the grocery store. You can even go far out of your way by carrying bags for an older man or woman, or calling a friend just to say "hi." Maybe you're way of being great is by rocking it at the gym and getting a killer workout in, or finally accomplishing a simple task or job that you've been putting off for a long time. Life is unrealistically short, and when all is said and done, what matters most is how you've been great to those around you, those who care for you and those you care about. Shit, I'm 32 years old, on my way to 33, and I've spend way to much time NOT being as great as I can. We all have reasons why we don't reach our "potential greatness." The good news is, it's never too late to be great.

Bottom line, there are hundreds of ways to rock and be great. And there are millions of ways not to be great. Will you be defined by one act of greatness, or more? I'd like to think that true greatness is measured by an infinite number of small acts of greatness. Otherwise, we'd spend decades of our lives being, only to be remembered for 5 short minutes.

What great thing(s) will you do today?

I've Got a Ginormous Problem! ...

So I've got a huge problem. What is my problem? Well ... while I was sitting at home with my boy Bernie (my 3 month old yellow lab, who is the most adorable animal alive, in my eyes), I was thinking about today's training sessions, as well as yesterday's. Now before I get into what exactly my problem is, I need to tell you that when I train with my clients, I typically tend to work them pretty hard ... actually, very hard. I push them all during each workout to the point of fatigue, and sometimes exhaustion. Carol is well aware of this ... she let me know this when she yelled at me one morning a couple weeks ago! I was like, "Oh wow, Carol!" I'm still convinced that she really likes the core exercises we do every session =)

On to my problem ...

My problem is that I think I have the absolute BEST clients a personal trainer could ask for. So now you're probably like, "and that's a problem?!" Maybe I don't really have a problem, I guess. Despite the numerous challenges that I put my clients through, they always put forth a GREAT effort. Last night I was working with Shannon and I think she literally wanted to push me out the door when I left! She did a leg workout that would make most people pass out. Yet, she pushed forward, completed every exercise and didn't complain even once. Her effort was awesome ... and today she probably is cursing me out every time she tries to sit down ... Sorry, Shannon!

Today, my day started with another leg workout for Mark. Mark has been training with me for quite a while and we're trying to add muscle mass to his entire body while trimming the fat at the same time. It's been challenging, and by the end of May, we should have his body fat percentage down to around 10 - 12%. Anyway, Mark's effort was outstanding. We've been hitting a new high on his squat in his recent leg workouts, and today was no different. 215 lbs. for 4 reps ... great job, Mark!

After Mark, I worked with Kristen, whose main goal is weight loss. We'll be weighing her on Friday, where we'll find out exactly how much fat she's shed over the past month. Today was, without a doubt, her best effort to date. I can see Kristen's self-confidence growing, and I can't wait to get her where she wants to be.

Last but not least is Father Joe! Father Joe has been working with me for just over 2 months. He's my first priest, and I didn't know what to expect. He's turned out to be a pleasure to work with. Like my other clients, Father Joe's effort is awesome as well! He hates doing leg days, and today was a leg day. He finished all of the exercises I had planned, and even did more weight on some sets! The other thing I like about Father Joe? ... he brings me baked goods (gluten-free and healthy of course), and extra bags to clean up Bernie's lawn decorations!

And I didn't even mention the clients that I didn't train yesterday or today! Mike G., Carol, Kelly, Doug and MaryBeth are just as awesome!

Heck of a day, I know.

If having awesome people as clients is a problem, then I've got one hell of a big problem!!!

Shoulders Above the Rest!

In the hierarchical order of things, shoulders many times aren't a primary focus when someone is setting their fitness goals. Usually, it's the butt, chest, back and legs that take precedence... and even arms come in above shoulders for a lot of people. I can't tell you how WRONG this is! The shoulder joint is one of the most complex joints in the human body! It is a ball and socket joint similar to the hip joint, but unlike the hip joint, it is a very shallow joint, which makes it inherently unstable. Thus the reason for having strong, developed muscles around the joint to avoid what can many times be a very painful injury.

Without strong, in-shape shoulders, you run the risk of a variety of injuries, including rotator cuff tears, impingements and tears of the labrum. All of these are very painful, with the sensation running all the way down to your elbow and beyond. So what do you do to help strengthen those muscles???

Incorporate these exercises into your shoulder workout and you'll quickly be on your way to having shoulders you can be proud of... not to mention your posture will be a hell of a lot better!

Upright Dumbbell Row & Press - select a weight that you'll be able to move 12 - 15 times. Using a weight/resistance that is too heavy with this exercise can lead to injury. Starting with the dumbbells out in front of you, raise them straight up like you're lifting a pail of water. Then, without stopping, rotate your shoulder upward and continue into a standing shoulder press. Reverse the movement on the way down, repeat 12 - 15 times.

Later Shoulder Raise & Twist - using either dumbbells or a resistance band, simply raise the weight/resistance out to your sides, bringing your hands up to about ear-level. Slowly lower back down to your sides, but don't allow your arms/hands to touch your hips ... repeat 12 - 15 times.

Dumbbell Shoulder Shrug - for this exercise, you'll select a heavy weight. Holding the dumbbells at your sides, simply shrug your shoulders upward, roll them backward and then lower them. Bring the dumbbells back to the starting position and repeat 12 - 15 times.

Good luck, have fun and check back and let me know how your shoulders are growing!

Turkey Meat Loaf...MMM!

So here's an old favorite of many people... MEAT LOAF!  It's easy, goes with almost anything, and fills you right up.  This recipe has a twist, though... it's TURKEY meat loaf, so ease up on your beef!  If you're looking to pack in some protein, this recipe will do the trick with a whopping 37 grams per serving! 

Ingredients:

Meat Loaf:  1/2 pound ground sirloin, 1/2 pound ground turkey breast, 2 eggs, 1 cup crushed whole wheat crackers, 3/4 cup diced onion, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 3/4 cup barbecue sauce.

Parmesan Squash:  4 zucchini, 4 yellow squash, 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.

How To Make It:

Meat Loaf:  Mix the beef and turkey until well blended.  Add the eggs.  Mix in the remaining ingredients, including the half cup of barbecue sauce, until well blended.  Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place it on a broiler pan.  Coat it with the extra barbecue sauce.  Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  Double-check the internal temerature with a meat thermometer; it should read 160 degrees at least.  Makes 4 servings.

Parmesan Squash:  Slice the zucchini and squash into rounds.  Arrange them in a steamer and steam for 3 to 5 minutes.  Remove, pat dry with a paper towel, and toss with the Parmesan cheese.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Makes 4 servings.

ENJOY!!!

Nutrition Info (1 serving meat loaf & 1 serving squash):

424 calories

37 g protein

41 g carbohydrates

14 g fat

6 g fiber

Hey Body!... It's Me, Your "BFB"

Dear Body,

Hey there!... It's me, your Big Fat Belly.  It's been quite sometime since we've connected, but I wanted to give you a friendly "Hello, and Happy New Year".  In case you've forgotten (which I'm sure you haven't, cuz I'm still very well intact), it's me, your Big Fat Belly.  Some people like to call me "BFB" for short, not to be confused with "BFF."  We are two very different entities.

So I know that it's been a great year for the both of us and I wanted to thank you for nourishing me so throughout the year, and allowing me the chance to grow to never-before-seen proportions.  I don't know if it was the late night fun bags from McDonald's, or the crispy KFC buckets, but these stretch marks you've added to me are tremendous.  I feel like I've got gills on my sides.  I mean, I know that we evolved from fish and all, and old trends always seem to come back (think bell bottoms, retro sneakers, and yes, that's right, MC Hammer pants), but I think that these stretch marks really give me the long-lasting character that I've been searching for!

And to think that just 1 year ago, I was only 32 inches around, and today I hang out at a fantastic 41 inches!  I'd like to take some credit, but I just can't do it in good faith.  I mean, you ate all those garlic parmesan chicken wings on NFL Sundays, and you polished off those countless bags of Doritos.  Two donuts from Dunkin Donuts every Monday and Friday... that's all you, Dogg!  Heck, you even went above and beyond the call of duty and ate an entire pumpkin pie over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Now that's dedication!  That's how I know that you love me.  You're a special person, and I just can't take any of the credit.

At one point, I was worried that you were going to start up those killer, high-intensity workouts after we quit them in the last week of January, but you held strong!  We stayed the course and now I'm a force to be reckoned with!  Hell Yeah!  That's what I'm talking about!

Anyway, I'm hoping that 2010 can be something like 2009.  It was a killer year, literally.  If we have a couple more like that last one, maybe we can get that annoying thumping in your chest above me to finally stop.  Do you know how difficult it is to concentrate on sucking the grease out of a hot wing when all you hear, night and day, is "thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump."  Know what I mean?

And whatever you do, please don't get in touch with that guy Corey House.  I'm feeling pretty confident that my size and shape will keep you out of the gym, but this guy Corey scares me.  He comes to people's homes, talks to them about their feelings (whaaa! whaaa! whaaa!), and creates this kick ass workout plan that has destroyed some of my buddies.  I haven't seen Mr. Manboobs, Sally Saddlebags, or Bobby Backfat in forever!

I'm not even going to tell you that his website is www.coreyhousetraining.com, or that he can be reached via telephone too.  That would just kill me!

Happy New Year, Body!