The idea that exercise is mindless exertion is likely the single biggest reason people fail to see meaningful results from their fitness programs.
A result-producing exercise program consists of a thoughtfully designed and precisely performed series of movements assembled to accomplish a specific goal. Someone exercising for fat loss, for example, requires a different exercise prescription than a person training for improved sports performance. Programs can, however, be designed to accommodate multiple goals.

A well-conceived exercise regimen precisely regulates:
Volume… the amount of exercise
Intensity…the difficulty of the exercise
Frequency…how often exercise is performed

Each of these variables should be individualized and manipulated over time as the individual’s fitness level increases. A program that never increases in difficulty rapidly leads to plateaus and frustration. On the other hand, a program that increases in difficulty too quickly can cause excessive soreness, injury, and discouragement.

A competent fitness coach knows how to manipulate exercise volume, frequency and intensity to deliver optimum results. The assistance of such a professional can make a night-and-day difference in how quickly you achieve your fitness goals – or whether you achieve them at all.
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Smart Nutrition

Low carb… no carb…. Atkins…. South Beach… Weight Watchers… and so many more. The sheer volume of diets and dietary advice out there – much of it contradictory – is enough to bewilder anyone.

And yet, a well-conceived and faithfully executed nutrition program works in tandem with your exercise program to deliver the results you want.
Despite the conflicting information provided by the media, enough is known about nutrition and its effects on the human body to provide failsafe advice on eating for fat loss and/or muscle gain. While the actual application may require tweaking from one individual to the next, universal dietary principles exist that work for everyone. These include the calories-in-versus-calories-out equation; carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism; and the importance of adequate protein in the diet.
An experienced fitness coach, well-versed in the intricacies of human nutrition, can guide you through the minefield of dietary confusion and help you achieve dramatic fat loss results.
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Are These Fitness Myths Compromising Your Results?

Core Training

The current fad in fitness training is core training, which involves specialized workouts for the abdominal region and lower back. Core-training instructors frequently employ gimmicks such as “stability” balls and bosu balls. Clients are instructed to perform weight-training exercises while positioned on these devices. Some of these exercises are inherently dangerous – trainees have suffered sprains, strains and broken bones after falling off stability balls. In addition – and something core-training proponents fail to explain -- performing weight-training exercises on a stability device requires the use of lighter weights, lessening both the strengthening and fat-burning potential of the movements.

While it’s essential to strengthen the core muscles, there is not, in most cases, a need for specialized routines for this purpose. That’s because core strengthening is inherent in good program design. A well-conceived fitness program – especially one incorporating intense, full-body weight training, provides all the core strengthening anyone could need.
A core-only routine is a misguided notion because the core does not work in isolation. Instead, the core serves as a bridge between the upper and lower body. A strong core allows for the efficient transfer of power from the large leg and hip muscles to the upper body, Examples include motions such as swinging a golf club, hitting a baseball, swatting a tennis ball, or throwing a punch.

Don’t be fooled by the nonsense spouted by the core-training fanatics. Your precious workout time is best spent doing exercise that engages the core in its natural function, while providing an adequate challenge to the rest of the body’s musculature and cardiovascular system.
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Five-Minute Programs

A number of so-called “fitness gurus” promote extremely short workouts for the time-challenged. While no one needs to spend hours a day working out, a five or ten-minute session two or three times a week provides minimal benefits. Meaningful results CAN be obtained with as little as thirty minutes of exercise performed three times a week. Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Numerous people in the fitness industry are making a lot of money by appealing to people’s aversion to exercise and healthy eating.
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Light Weight, High Reps

There’s no better method for transforming your body than resistance training. However, training must be challenging in order to produce results. Doing countless repetitions with a light weight won’t get you very far, whether your goal is to add muscle, get leaner, or halt the progression of osteoporosis. Women, especially, fear “bulking up” from heavy weight training, but extremely large muscles don’t just show up one day unbidden; they’re obtained through very intense workouts designed specifically for that purpose.
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Ab Work For A Six-Pack

Infomercials and articles in mainstream publications would have you believe that a flat stomach and six-pack abs can be obtained by intensively training the midsection. It’s a lie. Abs aren’t difficult to develop; a challenging weight-training program for the entire body will develop the abs. Making the abdominal muscles visible, however, or flattening the stomach, requires removing the fat covering the abs. This is accomplished by restricting the amount of food you eat and burning a large amount of stored calories through cardiovascular exercise.
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