(released 11/16/07)

Message from the Founder:

The holidays are upon us and its without hesitation that my thoughts are many people will begin to put the gym or their workouts a bit further down the priority list. Every year it happens. So many of us get caught up in the detours of the holiday season: the deadlines, the shopping, families, and the extra eating. Is not a surprise to me that most of the January rush that clogs gyms in the first 2 months of the new year is really a justification for the guilt they feel. The gluttony and lack of discipline consumes us from Thanksgiving to New Years. So we, the fitness center staff, lower our fees so that you join and use our equipment for a mere 4 weeks. At the end of your 4 weeks, we begin to see less and less of you and we continue to take money out of your wallet. How can you stop this?

1.) Keep the gym a top priority by addressing the fact that during this holiday season, your calorie consumption will be much higher and therefor, the need to burn more calories is paramount. Train harder during the holiday season, earn your gravy, pie, and cookies. The harder you train, the less time you should spend in the gym. It will afford you the time to sneak into a toy store and purchase a gift for little Jimmy.

2.) Watch the calendar. Mark your calendar in the beginning of each month on when you plan to workout. For every workout you miss, circle it. At the end of the month, there better be more "X's" than "O's".

3.) Higher a trainer. Yes, don't wait until January. If you know there will be lack of motivation on your part to make it to the gym, than hire a trainer to help keep you motivated. Don't have money to hire a trainer? Than find a training buddy.

4.) Stay inspired. Watch whatever movies inspire you to get your ass in the gym: Rocky, Rudy, Pumping Iron, or The Notebook. I don't care...if it is a flick that makes you lose sleep because you can't wait to hit the gym the next day--than watch it!

5.) Train harder by lowering your reps and increasing your loads. Yes...this works. This is a mental tactic to help you "attack" the weights. If you train at 85% or higher (of your max), allow yourself only 2-4 reps. Try to keep your compound exercises in this range and use auxiliary exercises (isolated stuff) to use as active recovery. I guarantee you will be breathing harder and will be in and out of the gym in 50 minutes tops!

6.) Nurse your injuries. If you have had nagging injuries, now is the time to address them. If you are already inspired, have your training on top of your priority list, and don't need a personal trainer--than scrap tip #5. Use this time to rest or rehab any nagging shoulder problems, knee problems, or the accompanying head problems you gonna have after January. Begin a flexibility program, hit the foam roller a bit more, hit some scaption exercises, or fire your glutes with some lateral walks. This is the time to prepare your muscles for January when the gym is packed with new faces, and for you to show these tourists what the locals are about!

Stay Stronger,

 John

 Secret Skills of Personal Training  - Revisited

A little over  year ago, I wrote an E-Book titled "Secret Skills of Personal Training". It is 61 pages full of wisdom from someone who started from the ground up training in commercial gyms. Being a personal trainer in a gym-setting is not always easy, especially when most of the reason why newcomers leave the profession after the first year is because of the sales pressure; the constant need to maintain a steady clientčle; and the cut-throat dogma that surrounds gym trainers. Well, I made it through to become a successful trainer and was fortunate enough to be recognized for my leadership abilities and experience. With that in mind, I decided to share some important steps that are critical to trainers starting out in the field and give them the tools to enable them to make a difference in the eyes of their clients, peers, and bosses.

I have been asked to re-hash this literature and I have made it available to you from Lulu.com. It is only $17.95 and comes with a "Rolodex" of useful fitness links that can be found on the web, and some tips from my fellow colleagues.

Check it out here: Secret Skills of Personal Training, by John Izzo

I wanted to put this up for everyone to check out. A post was made on JP Fitness regarding poor form during a biceps curl. I took the liberty of addressing the flaws during my observation and made notes on the actual photo (the lines and comments are all me). The question was raised as to why the lifter depends on excessive shoulder involvement during a curl? You can locate the deviation areas in the photo along with my notes.  Here are additional notes:

Overall, I think this lifter can handle the weight. However, it does exploit his weak core muscles. The shoulders should have minimal involvement during a curl. They should remain somewhat stabilized during elbow flexion, however, you are going to see a small amount of anterior humeral migration because the load off-sets the center of gravity. No problem there, however, I caution if a lifter cannot calm their testosterone levels and stop lifting weights that they cannot handle efficiently, this excessive poor lifting posture will not only further weaken compensated muscles, but it will "re-wire" the nervous system to always use faulty patterns to move weight.