Health Beauty & FitnessHealth, Beauty, Fitness Tips

Thinking about getting in shape? If you’re interested in working one on one with a personal trainer the small niche fitness boutiques located in and around Santa Barbara provide an abundance of choices both in the environment and training approaches featured in the different facilities. Recently I visited a number of these studios, looking for a new place to train my clients, and was amazed at what Santa Barbara has to offer.

Instead of the muscle isolation machines, typical of the traditional gym setting, most studios are filled with stability balls, medicine balls, bands, cables, foam rollers and all sorts of other tools designed for a more functional approach to fitness. These facilities don’t only cater to strength building athletes; they’re filled with everyone from youthful competitors looking to improve in sports, to seniors working to build stronger bones. After visiting a few of the local hot spots and exploring some of their diverse training approaches, I zeroed in on a few of the highlights.

The Fitness Studio on Middle Road

Platinum Fitness, located on Middle Road in Montecito, is a small, bustling studio where you’ll find individuals of all shapes and sizes, including plenty of ultra fit, highly competitive endurance athletes. Peter Park, owner, competes at the elite level in running, cycling and triathlon, so it’s no surprise that his studio attracts many of the local endurance athletes, including Lance Armstrong when he’s in town. Platinum’s an upbeat facility; walk through the doors on any given day and you’re surrounded by a profusion of natural light, inspiring hip music and a variety of energetic trainers helping clients realize their goals through “functional training.”

Functional training, the latest trend in fitness training, prepares you for the specific activities you perform in your daily life. Maybe your job requires you to do a lot of reaching, lifting, bending over or standing and your back, your knees or your shoulders suffer. Or maybe you find yourself parked in front of a computer all day and your posture needs a little work. And then again you might be rehabbing an injury and find that you need a little help in returning to work and life successfully. Whatever you do in your daily life, functional training can make it easier.

Unlike the traditional approach of working one muscle at a time, functional training involves combining exercises to get all your muscles – from your calves to your shoulders – in on the action. Stepping up on a bench with dumbbells in hands and then pressing the dumbbells overhead, for example, will prepare you to step up on a chair to put a box on a shelf.

The idea is to work against the resistance in such a way that the strength gained from the exercise “transfers” to the specific movement in your life.

If you’d like to improve your ability to get up from a chair you might choose leg extensions to build leg strength. But the squat would be a much better exercise choice because it’s more like the actual movement of getting up from the chair. So the squat develops more functional leg strength.

Functional training also improves your performance in sports. If you’re a distance runner and you’d like to improve your time in the 10K, Peter Park advocates “strengthening the prime movers so that you don’t get as fatigued in the long races.” He puts his endurance athletes through a grueling workout specifically designed to improve strength and endurance, or muscular endurance, for competition.

Peter’s lower body program consists of a series of exercises done back to back: a set of 25 repetitions of squats, with bands (for constant tension); followed by a set of 25 repetitions of leg press, with bands; followed by a set of 15 repetitions of step ups; followed by three different 12-15 repetition plyometric (jump) drills. And that’s just one round. He’ll have his athletes do that three times! As you can see, Peter’s program mirrors both the movements and volume of the endurance competition… the functional approach to fitness.

The Fitness Studio on lower State

Perhaps the idea of training for the activities of daily life isn’t enough to get you motivated to start an exercise program. And you’re more interested in sculpting your body to look great in your bathing suit or bikini for the beaches of Santa Barbara. Then the “bodybuilding” approach to fitness may be more for you.

Specifically designed to increase lean muscle and reduce body fat, this method has additional rewards… like increased confidence, greater sex appeal, reduced stress and more energy for everyday activities.

Key 2 Fitness, one of the newer fitness studios in town, located on lower State, features the bodybuilding approach. Owned and operated by bodybuilders, Jeff Harrison and Leif Tiahrt, Key 2 Fitness is loaded with muscle isolation machines and free weights and is ideal for the strength athlete looking for a place to “pack on some serious muscle” according to Jeff Harrison. They also offer membership keys for individuals looking for a little camaraderie with other strength athletes in the community.

While the goal of bodybuilding is to develop a symmetrical physique, keep in mind that not everyone responds in the same way. Mother Nature, or your genetic make-up, determines, to a large extent, how you react to any training program. Factors such as muscle fiber type (strength or endurance), the ratio of testosterone to estrogen, and where your body fat is stored, all influence your capabilities. And in considering your vision of the ideal physique, remember that you can’t hide from your body type. Are you a slim and small boned ectomorph, a muscular and lean mesomorph, a heavy and big boned endomorph, or a combination of all three?

Although these genetic factors affect both men and women, there are still a significant number of women who won’t consider the bodybuilding approach for fear of getting too big. The truth is: most women put on a relatively small amount of muscle, even with hard work and dedication because of the estrogen to testosterone ratio. Unfortunately, this fear of being too muscular keeps a lot of women from reaping the benefits.

Many factors are involved in bodybuilding, but the one thing that really matters is that you progressively overload your muscles. Leif Tiahrt suggests using the “individual body part approach” and “maximizing the exercises for each body part.” He advocates a three day split in which the individual does “push” exercises (chest, shoulders and triceps), on Monday, “pull” exercises (back and biceps) and legs, on Wednesday, and a full body circuit, on Friday. He uses three to ten repetitions per set and finishes each exercise with a drop set to failure.

By using moderate to heavy loads and moderate to high volume, Leif’s program effectively increases the size of the muscles to create a more aesthetically pleasing physique… the ultimate goal of bodybuilding.

The Fitness Studio by the Arlington

Maybe you’ve put on some muscle through bodybuilding. And now you’re ready for a more refined approach to your training… one that considers the specific demands of your sport and your goals… like achieving peak performance. Following a well-designed “sport specific” training program can help you reach those goals and attain the success you desire.

To perform at your best in tennis, for example, you need enough aerobic endurance to maintain your stamina for a game that may last several hours; anaerobic endurance (energy is produced without oxygen) for a high intensity rally that may last 6-10 seconds; speed and agility to be able to get into position to make the majority of your shots; power for serves, forehands, backhands, and volleys; and an element of prevention to avoid injury and overtraining.

Conditioning Specialists, located in a historic building a few doors up from the Arlington, features the sport specific training approach. Doug Holt, owner of Conditioning Specialists and SB Fitness Magazine, gained his experience at competitive sport through soccer, which he played at the collegiate level. His studio has the look of an upscale New York loft and features a personal training studio downstairs, and, private rooms for a MAT (Muscle Activation Techniques) and massage therapist upstairs, in addition to an office for the magazine.

When asked about sport specific training Doug says “it’s training for a particular goal… not only mimicking the actual demands of the sport – like hip abduction, knee flexion – but also the energy demands.”

To prepare for the sport specific demands of tennis, the strength training program is broken down into three phases, or mini training programs, each designed to develop a specific type of strength with the ultimate goal of developing the sport specific strength that tennis demands, power and muscular endurance.

In the first phase, “foundational strength,” the goal is to build a solid well-rounded base of strength, and, prepare the ligaments and tendons for the more demanding activity that will follow. The second phase is for building “maximal strength,” a measure of how much weight you can lift for one repetition. If you can squat 225 lbs for one repetition and your friend can only squat 205 lbs, then you have more maximal strength, in the squat. The goal of third phase is to convert the strength you developed, previously, into sport specific “power” (a combination of strength and speed) and “muscular endurance.”

Just as the preparation for the competitive season is broken down into phases, so too the overall training program is split into periods to promote long term improvements in strength and avoid overtraining. This program, which is usually an annual plan, consists of the preparation period (pre-season), discussed previously; the competitive period (in-season); and the transition period, when the season is closed.

By coordinating the phases of the training program with the different periods of the competitive season, you can maximize your strength and reach peak performance right on time for competition.

In Conclusion

So if you think you might be interested in working one on one with a personal trainer, explore the abundance of training studios around Santa Barbara to find the one that’s right for you. Be sure to keep in mind that while each facility may feature a particular training method, most studios contract to a variety of personal trainers, each with his or her own unique training style and approach.

If you are thinking about doing some fitness training but don’t want to waste money and space in your home with big equipment purchases, you can look for ways to exercise around your home and outside. By finding items that you already own or by using the great outdoors, you can be more “green” when you’re exercising too.

Any personal trainer will tell you that you don’t need a bunch of fancy equipment in order to do some fitness training and get in shape. First of all, take a look around your house – you can use canned food as weights, towels as exercise mats, a stack of books as a stair, some spare rope as a jumping rope and even a chair can help you exercise at home.

Why not take your items outside? It’s much easier to jump rope (an excellent cardio workout) when you have lots of space. For any of your fitness training, being outside is better and will make you feel better – fresh air and plenty of it will increase the workout you’re getting.

When you’re outside, you can take your fitness training to a whole new level. Go for a brisk walk (or even a slow one) or a run and increase your workout all the more. Even if running isn’t your thing, you can still walk or hike around your local area on trails or just the side walk. Take your bike to work instead of your car or just head out on a leisurely bike ride.

It’s always best to team up with someone, even a personal trainer, to stick with your fitness training plan. It helps keep you accountable for your goals and your daily routines. Another green and great idea for your fitness training is to join a team for your favorite sport, such as volley ball, tennis, soccer, basket ball or any sport that you enjoy doing.

If you really want to get serious with your fitness training plan, you might eventually need some equipment. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to break the bank and buy all new equipment. Check out the Internet for used equipment or local sporting goods stores for second hand goods – many cities and towns have a “bargain finder” newspaper or portion of the daily newspaper where people can sell or give away items. However, you can make do with water jugs, a chair and a stepping stool. Your fitness plan doesn’t have to include a bunch of expensive equipment.

There are several online schools offering an education in Fitness for individuals wishing to expand their employment horizon. If you would like to study Fitness, but cannot leave your current employment, a distance learning course may be right for you.

Online courses in Fitness are offered as a part of continuing education. Although it is not possible to earn an online college degree in Fitness, a career diploma is well within reach. There are no educational prerequisites or experience requirements, and enrollment is open to everyone.

The home study course is perfect for working adults who aspire to be fitness professionals. The curriculum covers a broad background in the fundamentals of staying in shape, and helping others to stay fit and healthy as well. Online Fitness Schools impart the knowledge and skills necessary to become a professional health club manager, aerobics instructor, corporate wellness director, or personal trainer.

The fitness worker is expected to act not only as an exercise instructor, but also a motivator, nutrition advisor, and lifestyle consultant. An online course helps future fitness professionals to develop their skills in providing expert service for their clients. Students are taught to assess their clients’ goals and needs, test and record current fitness levels, and to design an

If you are interested in learning more about Fitness, feel free to research our site for more in-depth information and resources.

Copyright 2006 – All Rights Reserved
Michael Bustamante, in association with Media Positive Communications, Inc. for SchoolsGalore.com

Notice to Publishers: Please feel free to use this article in your Ezine or on your Website; however, ALL links must remain intact and active.

From kickboxing to full impact aerobic exercise, there are so many choices available when it comes to Vancouver classes for fitness. So how do you recognize if the one you select is right for you? There are several questions you can ask yourself in order to decide whether the fitness class you have chosen or are considering is right for you and some of them can be found below.

What is the Duration of the Class?

One of the first things you want to consider when deciding whether certain Vancouver classes are appropriate for you is how long the class lasts. Is it going to give you an decent workout and satisfy your day-to-day physical exercise needs, or will it need to be supplemented with extra workouts? The perfect fitness program will last long enough for you to get a high impact workout on a wide range of muscle groups. If your class is not presently meeting these primary needs, you may want to consider making a new choice.

Location of The Classes?

Another key component in determining if Vancouver classes are appropriate for you is to look at the location in which they are held. There are various programs and classes scattered throughout Vancouver. Some of these may be more convenient to you than others. An ideal class will be along your regular path of travel each day. Having a program that is located in a favorable spot will decrease your chances of giving up or skipping classes.

Size of the Class?

The size of the class you have chosen or are thinking of selecting may also be an essential point to consider. Big classes tend to be harder to keep up and do not provide you any one on one attention or teaching. If the Vancouver classes you are considering are in an activity that you are comfortable and used to, then a big class may not be a bad thing. However, if you have been away from fitness or exercise for a long time, it is recommended to choose a class that has a smaller class or hire a personal trainer. Therefore you are most likely to get a return on your time invested in the program.

Do You Enjoy The Class?

Last but not least, you should look at whether the Vancouver classes you have picked out are something that you enjoy and can see yourself doing on a frequent basis. If you have to force yourself to attend classes on a regular basis and dislike the class, then you will not be motivated to stay with the workout program after a short time. Try to find a class that is a healthy fit with your personality and which you can enjoy for months or even years to come.

Determining which Vancouver classes is suitable for your fitness regiment is not always as simples as it seems. The endless amount of fitness classes available to the general public can make the process of selecting a program a difficult one. By going over and answering the questions above, you can decide whether the classes you have chosen or are thinking of choosing are a great match for your demands.

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You’ve already tried every miracle diet and fad that’s come along and nothing has worked to help you shed that excess fat, right? Discover the truth about fat loss by using little-known dietary tricks and workout techniques, on the Internet.

Have the gorgeous body you dreamed of by finding out why diets don’t work, and learn what DOES work. There are free audio and tips on the web. Become healthy and slim with a free weight loss and exercise report that will show you easy and powerful ways to lose weight and tone up your body fast.

You can’t lose weight using low fat diets! Low fat foods have been popular for more than 15 years, yet our society is getting more overweight each year. This fact alone should tell you it is not the answer to weight loss.

Even if you have less than average genetics, even if you have never succeeded at losing weight, even if you have stubborn fat deposits that won’t budge, you can lose weight! Burn the fat and feed the muscle!

You may not even need to change your diet to lose weight. Have a look at articles on weight loss, and think about how much more confidence you could have when you can wear whatever you want to and feel happier.

Have you been thinking about going natural and organic? Eating more organically grown foods really is worth the extra money. Do you want to know what you can do to help your family make healthier lifestyle choices?

The key to a successful weight management program is to understand that a healthy weight is the result of a healthy lifestyle. You will find current articles and hints and tips on dieting and becoming fit and healthy, and see lasting results! Change your lifestyle today – there is no need to diet!

The goal at 24-Hour Fitness is to help their customers accomplish their fitness goals sooner; whether it me to tone muscle, lose weight or maintain a healthy cardiovascular system. The organization offers many different club options and amenities to members and all of their facilities are based on their ideal of the Five Components of Fitness:

1. Dietary- The staff helps dispel health rumors and guide clients in learning how to make the best choices to give their body the nutrients and fuel that it needs.

2. Supplements- There are many herbal remedies and supplements on the market that can help speed up metabolism, burn fat and boost endurance, which will make you feel great and maximize your workouts. These supplements can be found in the form of powdered shake mixes, pills and energy drinks.

3. Cardio Training- Cardio is intended to increase the heart rate for an extended amount of time in order to burn fat and increase endurance. It has also been found to lift mood, support the immune system and encourage healthy heart function.

4. Resistance Training- using resistance training help build and define muscle. This type of training can also improve bone density and elevate mood.

5. Personal Trainer- Finally, 24-Hour Fitness recommends a trainer as a guide. Trained professionals are there to help clients define their goals, show them what is needed to reach those goals and help them implement the plan.

24-Hour Fitness also provides other services to make getting to the gym as easy as possible. They offer a daycare service where children can go to play and interact with others while mom or dad is exercising. Some locations also offer health spa amenities. Membership plans vary upon location and type of membership and range from twenty three to one hundred and twenty dollars a month.

With over 300 locations all over the US, Bally Fitness and is one of the gyms that offers lots of encouragement and training. They have several different clubs that you can join and offer several different packages priced to suit most budgets. Bally’s gives you the option of having your own trainer as well.

Some of the reviews of Bally’s all have their pros and cons, so this is one of the examples of a place where you would truly have to visit yourself to form an actual educated opinion.

Some of the things that Bally’s offers are:

Classes developed by the trainers such as, Kwando, PowerFlex, Bosu, Resist-A-Ball, Pilates, Reaction Cycling and Yoga.

There are also Core classes that are available such as the Intro and Advanced Step classes, High and Low Impact Aerobics, Aqua Fitness, Funk, Hip Hop, Salsa.

Additionally, Bally is the only fitness center that offers the Quick Fitness classes for people who are on a time crunch but still want to get in their daily workout. The Quick Fitness classes consist of a 25 minute, Highly intense exercise class that will get you in and on your way fast.

With the added option of getting a personal trainer, some of the ways you will train are by using small apparatus equipment, some manual assistance exercises, resistance exercises with active recovery which allows you to keep on the move so you can burn the calories more efficiently.

Additionally, your personal trainer at Bally’s will offer you a variety of workouts, help you work on building your cardiovascular, improve your strength, show you how to be more flexible through power stretching, helping you understand what it is you need to know about your personal exercise program, and showing you how to do everything properly and safely.

Besides the individual trainer and diet advise, Bally’s also offers a Martial Arts class to those who are interested in the art or may want to pick up the skills of Martial Arts. Many women benefit from this class because they also show you some very valuable techniques for self protection in threatening environments and situations.

There are many ways a weight loss regimen can be administrated. You can purchase expensive pills, go through exercises and workout with an expensive personal trainer or coach, or you can purchase expensive weight loss courses or programs that contains something you already know. There are many hot weight loss programs out there touting their uniqueness and fantastic quality; actually weight loss is a billion dollar industry.

Walking: The Free Weight Loss Program

Oftentimes people ignore the free life long weight loss program that you have been gifted with: walking. If you are overweight and need to lose some of this excess weight, then now is the time to wake up and start walking. Making such a regime part of your everyday life will really help you to become fat free within a very short amount of time.

How To Start A Walking Routine

The first thing that you need to do is wake up early and go out to a lush green lawn, field or park that is located near your home. Begin by taking a slow, steady 15 minute walk for the first week that you do this. Then, during the second week you should increase this time to 25 minutes and then increase it to 35 minutes the third week. By the fourth week of your program you should be taking walks that last 45 minutes. You should then do this throughout your entire second month. Of course, you are also going to need to exercise some control over your diet in order for this weight loss program to work. While you can still eat whatever you want, you should eliminate all of the fatty and sugary foods and drink at least 20 glasses of water per day.

Let Walking Become A Habit That Sustains Your Ideal Weight

If you follow this program, after three months you should start to increase your pace of walking. Start up with 25% increase. Soon enough you will see the results of the dramatic effect this pace increase has on your metabolism. We are talking about an increased feeling of wellness in addition to your weight loss. As soon as you have achieved your weight loss goal, you can eat some sweet foods as long as you keep walking regularly. If you follow this simple weight loss plan which means you make walking as a habit, the amount of pounds that you lose will be permanent and your body will become as fit as it is meant to be.

There are many benefits of choosing an online fitness program over a live personal trainer. In this article, I will focus on the most important ones. I will also mention and recommend Global Health and Fitness’ online fitness program ( http://www.popularfitness.com/global-fitness.html ) because in my opinion they are the leaders in this field on the web. Not only have they been online since 1997, more importantly they have helped hundreds of people over the years achieve their fitness goals. They are associated with many well-known fitness-related professionals and have also been featured in numerous fitness articles.

Convenience.

The best thing about the Internet is that information is available when and where you want it – it is interactive and dynamic. These are the reasons why the Internet is ideal for a fitness program and trainers. A true personal trainer that has come of age and that is accessible from your home or office almost any time of the day. Most people cannot afford to have a trainer to offer them guidance and support whenever they need it. With online fitness programs you can receive advice almost any time of the day. Got a question that pops in your head while your at work? You can email the fitness program and receive a prompt reply. Something live personal trainers just cannot do.

Inexpensive and extensive area of expertise.

Most live trainers specialize in general fitness only whereas Global’s fitness program includes 30 highly qualified professionals from every fitness-related field. Not only do you receive help with your workouts, but you will receive nutrition advice, injury and rehabilitation training help for a specific sporting event or competition, your medical questions answered, motivational help and more. This is all available at a fraction of the cost that a personal trainer would charge who is limited in knowledge to only his or her field of expertise.

Fitness must be enjoyable.

For any fitness program to be a success, we all know that it needs to be enjoyable. If you are new to fitness or want to start on an exercise program, it is difficult to know where to begin and very time consuming to read and figure out your own fitness program. In the end, it could be very frustrating and boring for you resulting in you giving up. Global’s online personal trainer program cuts through all the confusion and teaches you exactly how to achieve the results you want. By eliminating the guesswork, your very own online personal trainer will help you avoid the common mistakes that can waste your time and effort. Their mission is to have you seeing great results as soon as possible. You will soon discover that you can truly enjoy healthy eating and physical activity for the rest of your life.

If you have been exercising for a while and are trying to reach new plateaus, Global can help you by creating an exercise and nutrition program that produces the best results that you are aiming for. By teaching you techniques for making your routine much more effective and personally guiding you step-by-step to achieving new results again and again!

Up-to-date

A fitness program that is frequently updated, thus offering you all the latest reliable research and discoveries in the fitness industry.

Customized and personalized for you.

Global’s online personal trainers will customize your very own program based on your fitness level, goals, personal preferences, time and equipment availability, and special limitations and requests.

Tools and Live Chat.

Various tools are also available that outside of a live personal trainer would end up costing you a lot such as video demonstrations, exercise instructions, Protrack software, healthy recipes and shopping lists, online books of the 5 components of optimal health, live chats with online personal trainers and much more. All of which will enhance your learning and assure your success.