Workout for today - Friday July 9th 2009

TGIF Workout: Hills! Sprinting hills is one of my worst nightmares. It reminds me of my football days at Fresno State.

Warm up: 20 air squats, 10 pull ups, 10 knees to elbows, 10 standing broad jumps x 2 then run 400 meters at 60%

Workout: Most of you will be using a treadmill ( but if you have that dreaded hill in your back yard or by your club, please be my guest and use it)
7 x 400 meters or 1 lap at 10% elevation & as fast as you can go. The rest period will be for 3 minutes with the elevation at 0% incline and a fast walking pace. These are max effort sprints please make sure you are really warmed up before going 100% If you are using a treadmill please record your time at the end of the 7th sprint, you don't need to add the 3 minute rest.


The word of the day: Friendship, what does that mean to you?

Workout for Monday July 6th 2009

Monday morning workout after a holiday weekend.

"A workout is a form of rebirth. When you finish a good workout, you don’t simply feel better, you feel better about yourself" -George Allen

Warm up: 20 Burpees, 20 Superman's, 20 Jumping jacks do this x 3 then run 400 meters at 75%

Workout: 400 meters of walking lunges. Advanced use weighted vest 30LBS or 15 LBS dumbbells in each hand. Beginners scale the workout to 50% so that would be 200 meters of lunges with no weight.

This is timed workout, so please post your time when completed and state if you used weight and the length you lunged.

Word of the Day: Freedom! "Freedom is the will to be responsible to ourselves" Friedrich Nietzche

Give me the beat boys and free my soul…

“Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.” - E.Y. Harburg

How many times have you heard a particular song and you are instantly taken right back to that moment in time? You remember exactly where you were, who you were with and what you were wearing. Music is truly a powerful force; it can bring joy, laughter and even sorrow and sadness. I’m reminded of the Uncle Kracker’s song….or rather Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” where he sings “Oh, give me the beat boys, and free my soul. I
want to get lost in your rock and roll and drift away.” Yes, it’s easy to get totally lost in music, and sometimes it’s a healthy escape.

As we acknowledge the death of King of Pop, Michael Jackson, we may or may not have liked him as a person, but I don’t think anyone would challenge his talent and the impact his music made on the world. Most all of us would probably immediately start tapping our foot or shaking our behind when “Thriller,” “Billie Jean” or “Beat it” is played.



“My goal in life is to give to the world what I was lucky to receive: the ecstasy of divine union through my music and my dance.” - Michael Jackson

We all have our favorite music that we listen to for different occasions. We’ve got music for eating dinner, music for going to sleep, music to work out to, and maybe even special music while we’re feeling romantic. Wouldn’t the world be boring if we didn’t have music? As the quote above says, “Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.” Life is a bundle of emotions, and music partners with those emotions, helping us to better adapt to what life throws at us.

“I wake up from dreams and go "Wow, put this down on paper." The whole thing is strange. You hear the words, everything is right there in front of your face...” - Michael Jackson

I’m reminded of what music I like to listen to when I’m doing cardio. Can you imagine doing your cardio to silence and trying to keep yourself on track? As of today, my current top five favorites are:

(1) Bad Girlfriend (Theory of a Deadman)
(2) Dead or Alive (Bon Jovi)
(3) Welcome to the Jungle (Guns & Roses)
(4) Back in Black (AC/DC), and
(5) Cyclone (Baby Bash)

These songs make me want to move! Have you noticed how you can just be grinding along, but a certain song comes on and you suddenly pick up the beat and you’re extra inspired? That’s why I like to periodically change my selections.OK, now it’s your turn - what’s on the cardio section of your MP3 Player, IPod, I Phone, or wherever your music is stored and organized? I want to hear from you! We can help motivate each other by trying different music. You might even take your workout to the next level!

Workout for today - Thursday

"Core conditioning"

Warm up: 2 x 400 meter run with 3 minutes rest in between. 60% on the first one and 85% on the second one. 25 standing broad jumps, 25 air squats, and 25 lunges

Exercises:
1 min sit ups
1 min leg lifts
1 min bicycle crunches
1 min super mans
1 min break
4 rounds

Count your reps during each exercise until you finish that round. Use the break to write down your score.
Example round 1=30 sit ups, 30 leg lifts, 40 bicycle sit ups(left knee and right knee combine equal 1 rep), 52 super man. Total score 152 for that round.

Word of the day: Inner Strength. Are you born with it or is it developed?

Workout for Wednesday

It is the middle of the week and the day most people want to blow off their workout. Stay the course, plane your work and work your plan. Your body will thank you when you are done.

Warm up: Row 1k, or your choice of cardio equipment for 10 minutes.

10 Hang power cleans 115 LBS men, 75LBS women

10 Pull ups

10 Diamond push ups or Body weight bench press

10 Kettle bell high swings 1.5 pood for men 1/2 pood for women

so to recap, each exercise 10 times no rest in between exercises. After you complete one rest 1 minutes and repeat. You will do a total of 5 rounds or 50 reps of each exercise.

The word of the day is effort! We use this word a lot around my house. Always put your best effort in and the outcome will be what it is.

Workout for Monday

Workout for Monday!

I hope you all had a wonderful Fathers day weekend. Today is a very fast workout. Should be completed in less then 15 minutes.

Push Press 20 reps Men 95 LBS Women 65 LBS

Run 400 Meters

4 rounds, not rest between exercises. Post your time

The Greatest Stress Buster

I am sure we all have experienced stress in our lives that sends our blood pressure rising and heart beat racing. With busy schedules, pressures at work, kids and family commitments, more and more we are becoming a stressed out society! To add to this stress, in today’s economic times, some people have more reason to experience hardship and stress.

You see, there is an actual physiological symptom caused by stress. When you encounter a problem or something that makes you nervous or scared, your body releases stress hormones such as cortisol that prepares your body for the ‘fight or flight’. Well, I’m sure these pressures we experience on a daily basis are not life threatening and not suppose to create that ‘fight or flight’ syndrome. However, we still experience the same physiological symptoms, which can wreak havoc on the body if not addressed. Stress can weaken our immune system; and can cause a greater risk for sickness and disease, injury and emotional problems.

Did you know that one of the best ways to counteract and manage stress is exercise? Participating in exercise releases chemicals in your body called “endorphins”, or commonly referred to as a “runner’s high”, and can give you a feeling of happiness and increased overall sense of well-being. Don’t worry, you don’t have to go out for a long run to get these benefits. Many other forms of exercise will produce the same results.

Physical activity improves health and can serve as a great distraction to whatever you are dealing with. With a change of scenery, your mind can be taken away from the problem at hand and offer you a fresh perspective when it needs to be addressed again. There is also the social aspect of exercise that can offer further support in dealing with stress. Whether you are going out for a run with a group, taking a class with a friend, or working out with a partner at the gym; you can get a double dose of stress relief by combining the benefits of exercise and positive social interaction.

Whatever you are stressed with; pressures at work, scheduling commitments, kids, relationships etc, take the time to take care of yourself! Get moving with regular physical activity. It can help you have a whole new outlook on life and be better able to deal with the trials and stresses that come with it. It can save your life, I know it did for me!

Remember… “Your gym membership is a cheap form of great entertainment!”

Enthusiastically yours,

Joe Gigantino Jr

Why We Do What We Do

I couldn't wait to get home today and share with you about what happened to me at my club in Gilroy. Today I met a lady that reminded me why I am in the business of saving lives. I've been in the health and fitness industry for 20 years and have had the pleasure of meeting thousands of people that want to get in shape, and of course some that needed it but didn't want to go through the pain. The meeting today brought me back to why we, here in the fitness business do what we do.

A lady walked up to me today and asked if I was the owner. Even though I am a positive person, my first reaction was, ‘Oh Boy,’ I was going to get an ear full. To my surprise, her exact words were, “Your gym has saved my life.” I smiled and asked her to tell me more.

She proceeded to tell me how she had not worked out for over 20 years and the day she walked into my club 4 months ago might have been the worst day of her life. Something had brought her to my club that day. She then said it was due to the friendly young man (Jim, one of my staff members) that showed her around and convinced her she had no more time to just think about joining. Because you see, she had been thinking about it for over 3 years and it wasn't until that day about 4 months ago that she got the courage to walk into the club.

As Jim talked with her, she made every excuse in the book not to commit so she could walk out of the gym without joining. To Jim’s credit, he knew if she walked out that day she might never get the courage to come back. He encouraged her to get out of her comfort zone and do what was right for her health, happiness and overall well being.

Today, the good news is she has lost over 20 lbs and feels like she’s 10 years younger. She has even found a boyfriend and planning a trip to Hawaii this summer! She eagerly told me she's already bought the bikini she is going to wear.

Sometime we need to get out of our comfort zone and have people challenge us to make a decision that might not be the most comfortable. Don't live life in the slow lane all the time, sometimes you need to veer into the fast lane and be pushed, just like this courageous lady did.

Remember… “Your gym membership is a cheap form of great entertainment!”

Enthusiastically yours,

Joe Gigantino Jr

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