Personal Trainer Match

The benefits of lifting weights — also called weight training, strength training or resistance training — include stronger muscles, a stronger heart, a much leaner physique, a longer life, and a body better able to support your everyday needs and activities. Women, however, still tend to shy away from this beneficial form of exercise.

Ladies, does the mere idea of weightlifting scare you?

“I don’t want to lift weights because they’ll make me too big and bulky.” For how many of you is this the reason you’ve never attempted weight training?

It seems to be many a man’s dream to have big, bulky muscles. Why is it then, that men, whose bodies naturally contain much greater amounts of testosterone and growth hormone, lift weights yet DON’T get big and bulky?

It’s true! Unless they are supplementing with dangerous and unhealthful steroids or similar substances, most men do not naturally bulk up hugely by lifting weights regularly. And neither will most women.

The idea that women get big, ugly muscles from weight training is a complete misconception.

The fact of the matter is that women must lift weights in order to achieve the lean, sculpted bodies they dream of having. If a woman does happen to have the genetic disposition to bulk up quickly, there are easy ways to alter a workout to prevent this extra muscle size, while still increasing strength and rapidly burning fat.

The idea that weightlifting causes insanely huge muscle buildup is largely a creation of the media. It’s true that some women weightlifters takes steroids, and these hormones do make them look very masculine. The average woman who weight trains, however, will simply achieve a slim, healthy body without adding unwanted muscle mass.

Let’s start by discussing the basics of weight training…

Weight training involves controlled lifting and working out with weights. Two basic terms related to weightlifting are “rep” and “set.” A rep describes the complete act of raising and lowering a weight during a single act of exercise. A set describes the number of times a particular rep is performed.

For example, when a person does five reps of a squat, they squat down and stand up five times, continuously, before stopping and either moving on to another exercise or finishing their workout. Those five squats would equal one set. A balanced weight-training session will include several sets of different exercises.

Your goal as either a beginner, intermediate, or advanced weight lifter should be to exhaust your muscles in the shortest time frame – that simply means that when you lift a weight, you should lift a heavy enough weight to exhaust your muscles doing only 10 – 15 reps.

And you should do this exercising pattern about 3 days each week – with at least 24 hour of rest after each workout.

Now I’m going to share a principle exercise with you that many commercial fitness “buff’s” will hate me telling you because this single exercise will do more for your body than almost any other exercise around – making it completely unnecessary for you to ever buy another exercise gadget from late night television ever again.

Before I share it with you I’ve got to give you a quick disclaimer…this exercise should be done (at least initially) under the supervision of a qualified personal trainer, so that you learn the proper form to use during the movement.

This exercise will work EVERY muscle in your body, and you can do it in the privacy of your own home, without any fancy machines or expensive video’s.

In fact, this exercise a foundational core exercise and it’ll set your internal furnace up to burn more calories throughout the rest of the day than any other exercise we’ve tested (when done properly).

It’s called the dead-lift and here’s how it’s done for maximum fat loss and body shaping…

STARTING POSITION

Stand with feet flat and placed slightly farther apart than shoulder width with toes pointed slightly outward.

Squat down with hips lower than shoulders and grasp the weight lifting bar (or any small object)…in the beginning I highly suggest that you use very little added weight, so when you bend to grasp something, use a book or something else that’s small and light weight – just to help you balance.

Place hands on bar (or whatever you choose to lift) slightly less than shoulder width apart, inside the knees and with elbows fully extended. Place bar roughly 1 inch in front of shins and over balls of feet.

UPWARD MOVEMENT

Lift bar off floor by extending hips and knees.
Maintain an erect and flat back at all times.
Keep elbows fully extended.
Keep bar as close to shins as possible without hitting or scraping.
When bar passes knees move the hips forward.
Keep body erect at point of full knee and hip extension.

DOWNWARD MOVEMENT

Allow the hips and knees to flex to slowly lower the bar to the floor.
Repeat movement until finished with set.

Now this might sound a bit confusing the first several times you read it – however, once you practice it for a day or 2, the movement will become second nature to you and you’ll begin feeling and seeing the results quickly.

Remember that with any new exercise comes a bit of soreness, so start very slowly, and gradually increase your intensity.

Ladies, I encourage you: Let go of your preconceived ideas about weight training. Do not fear it. Embrace your weightlifting potential! You will benefit so much more from it than from spending hours on that piece of cardio equipment alone.

Christopher Guerriero
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/weight-training-for-women-54029.html

Why Exercise?

For me, exercise became a no brainer when I was staring at 40, overweight, and a sedentary wheelchair user for over 33 years. It was time for action. And action is exactly what I got when I met Delia Carper, a personal trainer and dietitian.

I know what you are thinking: Who can afford a personal trainer? But at this point in my life, I believed I could not afford not to hire one. At my age and with a long term spinal cord injury (SCI), I was a prime candidate for diabetes, heart disease, blood clots, continued loss of range of motion and mobility. It was time to get busy and make a lifestyle change.

Carper explained to me the ways to begin an exercise program. One choice was to go to a health club that was willing to purchase adaptive equipment. Another way was to exercise at home. She stressed that I needed cardiovascular exercise and strength training for a complete exercise program. Working out in a gym sounded daunting to me; so I chose to start doing it at home.

Because I had done no physical activity for so long, Carper said I needed a transition phase to strengthen key muscle groups and increase my range of motion through simple stretching exercises. For example, she suggested using my own body weight for movement and increased circulation before trying to use weights. I wanted to jump in with weights, but she said I should begin with simple body movements, and as I grew stronger we would add some weight.

Stay Focused

As you begin any exercise program, pace yourself and be alert to your breathing rate, heart rate, and how you feel in general. Ideally, you want to work your way up to an hour workout session (for example, cardiovascular and weight training activities) three times a week. An excellent way to make sure you are not overexerting is to purchase a heart monitor/sports watch at a local sporting-goods store.

As you begin to exercise, do not get discouraged. If you are only do two minutes of an activity during your work out session, that is fantastic. Everyone has to start somewhere.

Carper emphasized that to build muscle endurance and tone, which will improve your ability to perform repetitive tasks with less muscular fatigue, you should perform exercise with lighter weight and higher repetitions (i.e., 15 reps X 3 sets). To gain muscle strength and power, use heavier weights and fewer repetitions (i.e., 8 reps X 3 sets). As the exercise becomes less challenging, the weight can be increased followed by an increase in repetitions. Schedule a day to rest between workouts, and do not work the same muscle group two days in a row. You may have to use trial and error to establish appropriate weight.

Remember, you should be able to complete three sets of your desired repetitions through a pain free range or motion. People with SCI must maximize the strength and endurance of existing or weak functional muscle groups without causing overwork injuries. By performing a variety of exercises, you can prevent overuse injuries and promote muscular balance.

Keep in mind you do not need fancy gym equipment. Improvise with household items such as soup cans, water bottles, beach ball, volleyballs, or other practical items around your home. You can also make a small investment in exercise bands, medicine balls, or weights that can be purchased at a sporting-good store, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. As I said before, I was uncomfortable going to a gym so I started out in my home with soup cans, small weights, and exercise bands.

Ready, Set, Exercise!

Before beginning an exercise program, have a physical examination to identify exercise restrictions and detect any potential medical complications. Once you have received the green light from a medical professional and you have begun to strengthen and stretch key muscles, you are ready to begin an exercise regimen.

It is imperative that you receive advice from an exercise specialist (i.e. a physical therapist, certified personal trainer, etc.) on how to perform the following exercises correctly and safely. You need to make sure you do not create any new injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome, pulled muscles, etc.

We have provided a description of these exercises to help guide you as you learn each new exercise.

The following is a suggested exercise program. Choose the ones most appropriate for your abilities.

Exercises

Day: Monday
Exercises: Chest, Triceps, and Abdominals with Cardio
Repetitions: 1-12 reps each exercise
Sets: 2-3 sets of each exercise

Day: Wednesday
Exercises: Neck, Back and Abdominals with Cardio
Repetitions: 1-12 reps each exercise
Sets: 2-3 sets of each exercise

Day: Friday
Exercises: Shoulders, Biceps, Wrists, and Abdominals with Cardio
Repetitions: 1-12 reps each exercise
Sets: 2-3 sets of each exercise

Warm up by doing arm circles, shoulder shrugs, or some type of light cardiovascular movement for at least 3-5 minutes. Stretching is very important. After warming up, throughout the exercise program and afterward, stop and stretch your major muscle groups with such activities as neck, chest, shoulder, and finger stretches.

Perform every exercise slowly. You should be able to count from one to six from the beginning to the end of each movement. Never hold your breath while exercising and always breathe out on the muscle contraction and inhale on the relaxing of the muscle groups.

Using one-arm movement at a time, whether using weight or not, encourages maximum motor-unit recruitment and full range of motion and helps refine the mind-muscle connection. After completing the predetermined number of reps, switch sides and repeat.

Marcie Davis
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/fitness-for-wheelchair-users-54227.html

Why did you decide to become a personal trainer? Was it your love of exercise? The rush you felt when you lifted a new max weight or beat your best time on the track? Maybe it was the thrill of being able to do what you love each day and help others to follow suite. Most likely it was your passion for fitness, and your passion for helping others, combined.

With clients who are dedicated and excited about their workouts, co-workers who share common interests and ideals, and constant access to exercise equipment and health food we have a wonderful and rewarding job.

Unfortunately, we usually end up with a few clients who make it difficult to stay passionate about our work. Some of our clients cancel at the last minute, or show up twenty minutes late. Some seem to expect us to lift the weight for them, on every rep of every set. And some simply want us to wave a magic wand and grant them new bodies on the spot.

While the former type of client fuels our fire, the latter snuff it out. So how do we keep our passion alive?

We take time to evaluate our situation, and make changes where necessary. There is no point in spending hours in the gym waiting for clients who do not show. Make a contract that states the amount of time you will wait before the session is canceled. Set up a prepay system; if the client has already paid for your service they are more likely to utilize it.

Get to know your clients on a non-exercise level. Find out their likes and dislikes, their hobbies and favorite types of music. This is done simply with a short questionnaire, in your introductory conversation, and over a period of time. Use this information to tailor their workouts. For example, if a client is a baseball fan incorporate some baseball drills into their warm up, or have them play catch or run bases as part of their cardio routine.

When your client has fun, you have fun.

Of course, sometimes it is more a matter over time that causes our passion to burn out. We tend to put so much effort into helping and pleasing our clients that we forget about ourselves.

Just as we plan our workouts and menus we need to plan time to relax. If you spend all day in the gym with clients, squeeze in a quick workout for yourself, and then rush home just to eat, sleep and wake up to start all over again, it’s no wonder you’re burnt out.

As fitness professionals we know that our muscles need adequate time to rest, refuel, and repair. The same goes for our mental and emotional health.

Perhaps this means taking a break from training clients on Saturday mornings, or making sure you are out of the gym by seven each evening. Maybe you need to schedule regular visits to a masseuse or buy tickets to your favorite sporting event or musician.
Even spending as little as ten minutes in the sauna or whirlpool after your workout to simply relax and regroup could help.

Passion was what drove us to become fitness professionals, but it is not in endless supply. Take a look at your schedule and habits and then make the necessary changes. The spark of passion is always there, and just a small change can be enough to refuel the fire.

Tom Perkins
http://www.articlesbase.com/careers-articles/how-to-prevent-personal-trainer-burn-out-10712.html

What is it they say, oh yeah, no pain no gain! What the heck’s that all about. I mean, why should we have to endure regular pain and discomfort just to look physically normal. Why can’t we just go about our daily business doing what we do and stay in relatively good shape? Well, to put it bluntly, many of us abuse our bodies. That’s the long and short of it anyway.

We lounge around and stuff our faces with all the harmful junk and convenience foods we can get our greedy little mitts on then wonder how we’ve gotten so chubby. This, my friends, is why we need to embark on a physical exercise training program.

To a greater or lesser degree, most folks as they get older become less active. Some call it ‘taking it easy’ whereas others give it a name like retirement, but whatever your reasons, it all amounts to one thing and one thing only, which is procrastination.

If you’ve fallen ill and can’t physically move around for medical reasons then that’s a different story and this article will be of little use to you. But for all you armchair complainers out there, you should be grateful you still have all your bodily functions, and while you have the ability to move then move you must. Unless you’re looking for a premature death I suggest you get into an exercise training program while you still can.

Look, everyone is different, but there is one thing that’s the same for all of us and that is there’s an exercise training program out there for everyone. Whether you’re clinically obese, or just need to shed a few pounds, I can guarantee you one thing; put more of the right kinds of grub down your gullet and take the dog for a good walk every evening and you will notice a difference. You’ll not only start to look better you’ll begin to feel great too, and that’s a promise! What! Don’t have a dog? Well walk somebody else’s pooch then. Honestly, these are typical comments from idle folks, always looking for a get-out clause.

Depending on who you are, how out of shape you are, and your personal circumstances, are all factors which will determine what kind of exercise training program you set yourself. It costs nothing for simple basic exercise, but if you need a little kick start to get you going, and let’s face it, who doesn’t!, then it’s probably a good idea to either buddy up with someone and support each other through your fitness regime, or join a local gym and have a professional trainer set an exercise program that is right for you.

Listen, right sized people have more energy full stop. They also get sick less often, sleep better, and wake up refreshed. Oh, and did I mention they live longer too? If you can think of one good reason why slouching heavily into an armchair and cramming all sorts of the ‘wrong foods’ into your eager mouth day in day out as viable option to wellbeing, then good luck to you. If you want to feel healthier and be able to look into the mirror with glee, then get your flipping act together and start on an exercise training program today.

There are no magical cures out there, or wonder pills, nor will there ever be, so I wouldn’t sit around too long waiting for such. You need to simply take a good hard look at yourself and repeat the words; If it’s to be it’s up to me!

You can do it but you have to work at it and follow through. Remember, today is the very first day of the rest of your life. Make it a good day, a day of change and personal improvement.

Gary Tooth
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/good-reasons-to-start-an-exercise-training-program-today-73644.html

If you have ever attempted to lose weight for aesthetic reasons of as part of a healthier lifestyle, then you are aware of how difficult it can be to accomplish and keep the weight off. As an Orange County Personal Trainer, I am here to encourage you to realize that many people have struggled with weight issues before you, and that you are not alone. There are a few key issues that you should keep in mind when attempting a weight loss program and these can help maximize your ability to lose weight and keep it off.

1. Eat breakfast!

Many people underestimate the importance of a nutritious breakfast to jump start your day. This habit will not only give you renewed energy in the morning, but will increase your metabolism early in the morning so you can get a jump start on your weight loss goals for that day. Since metabolism is higher in the morning naturally, you can eat and you will be more likely to burn it off quickly. Not only will you burn what you eat in the morning faster, but you will retain energy levels throughout the day and this will help protect you from intense cravings for un-healthy foods when lunch time rolls around.

2. Keep a food log.

If I were to ask you how you gained so much weight, would you be at a loss for words? Chances are you do not know how exactly you gained the unwanted weight you have right now because it accumulated over a period of time. In order to effectively address any problem, you must first understand it. The key to understanding your weight problem is by keeping a log of what you eat and how you feel before and after eating. When you do this, you will be able to see trends in the reasons and time you eat, and even your feelings and how they affect your eating habits. When you understand your surplus food intake, you can more effectively address it and make the changes required to lose weight.

3. Plan ahead.

One of the key attributes of an effective weight loss program is good planning. This means you know precisely what you will eat and your calorie goals for the day ahead of time. This will allow you to approach each meal intelligently and protect you from impulsive eating which can ruin your weight loss goals.

4. Remove highly desired Trigger foods.

Trigger foods are foods that are typically sweet, salty, or oily that you crave and tend to eat a lot of. You need an effective way to prevent binging on these foods in order to maintain your steady weight loss goals. One way is to remove them from your household, or if you must eat them, portion them and put them in a place where you will only have access to a given portion at a given time.

5. Create and apply a workout routine which includes both cardio and weight training.

Do not underestimate the effectiveness a properly applied strength and fitness regimen offers your weight loss goals. By building a regime you can stick to by scheduling it early in the morning and making it a habit, you will be making leaps and strides toward burning more fat and increasing your metabolism.

6. Stay focused.

Remember that only you control your body and what you put in it. No matter where you are now, with some discipline and steadiness, you will reap rewards you can see and measure. Never get discouraged, because your mind controls your body, so a sound mind leads to a sound body.

7. Adjust your social network.

You should be able to tell whom from amongst your acquaintance are positive and encourage you towards yours goals and those whom are negative whom wish to see you fail. Surrounding yourself by the people who will support and help you with kind words and sincere advice is a must.

8. Do not let the scale dictate your success.

When you want to make progress checks, do not rely only on the scale. Sometimes, especially with a properly applied strength training regimen, you will become healthier and leaner and fat will be replaced by muscle. So a scale is not always the most accurate measure of success. Try to limit your weigh-ins to once a week so you give your body time to make a measurable change.

9. Every bit of extra activity counts.

If you can add extra steps throughout your day by taking the stairs as opposed to the elevator, and parking at the far end of the lot and walking, you can make a measurable difference in the calories you burn and will steadily increase your cardiovascular health.

10. Never shop hungry.

Going grocery shopping while hungry is a surefire way to sabotage your efforts. Always plan precisely what you intend to buy before hand to help protect you from impulsive purchase of the foods you crave.

Steve Hochman
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/top-ten-fat-melting-tips-for-effective-weight-loss-from-an-orange-county-personal-trainer-744945.html

Lifetime fitness is a goal that would benefit everyone. The American Council on Exercise recently released results of its exclusive study that examined on the job physical activity of 10 common occupations.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, were commissioned to measure the amount of workday physical activity one can expect from a variety of common occupations.

They recruited 98 volunteers from businesses in the La Crosse area. The volunteers represented 10 different occupations. They had secretaries, restaurant servers, construction workers, mail carriers, custodians, lawyers, police officers, nurses, teachers and factory workers.

One of the things they wanted to achieve was to raise the awareness level of how much individuals move about at their places of work. Hopefully the researchers could also provide them with feedback that may encourage them to adopt a regimen of lifetime fitness.

Each participant was assigned a basic pedometer and asked to wear it during work hours for three consecutive days. The subjects went about their work days as usual. At the end of the days, they completed a daily log. They recorded the number of steps taken, total distance covered, and a brief description of the duties they performed that day.

It was found that secretaries, teachers, lawyers and police officers walked significantly fewer steps and less distance than other occupations. At the low end, secretaries were observed to walk only an average of 4,327 steps. That translated to the equivalent of 1.7 total miles.

On the other end of the spectrum, custodians and mail carriers accumulated significantly more daily steps and mileage. Mail carriers topped the list at 18,904 daily steps or approximately 7.5 miles. Their distance covered nearly double Shape Up Americas minimum recommendation.

There was a huge difference in the number of steps taken by all occupations. Results indicate that workplace physical activity varies widely among most occupations. If you are not in a very active job you definitely need to get some kind of supplemental physical activity.

Minor lifestyle adjustments can help meet the 10,000 step goal. Lifetime fitness can mean doing something as simple as not taking the elevator but walking up the stairs. How about a vigorous walk at lunchtime? Whenever playing a round of golf walk the course rather than using a golf cart.

Small group personal training, usually less than five individuals, is an excellent idea. This is a great way to get personal instruction and close supervision at a more economical cost. This approach allows parents to show their children that being active can be fun.

Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi continue to provide a great alternative to higher impact activities. The key elements of mind and body activities include proper posture, breathing and body awareness. By incorporating elements of mental and spiritual fitness, individuals will take better care of their entire being, not just their bodies.

Wycliffe Williams
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/lifetime-fitness-stunning-study-reveals-best-physical-occupations-100112.html

What is it they say, oh yeah, no pain no gain! What the heck’s that all about. I mean, why should we have to endure regular pain and discomfort just to look physically normal. Why can’t we just go about our daily business doing what we do and stay in relatively good shape? Well, to put it bluntly, many of us abuse our bodies. That’s the long and short of it anyway.

We lounge around and stuff our faces with all the harmful junk and convenience foods we can get our greedy little mitts on then wonder how we’ve gotten so chubby. This, my friends, is why we need to embark on a physical exercise training program.

To a greater or lesser degree, most folks as they get older become less active. Some call it ‘taking it easy’ whereas others give it a name like retirement, but whatever your reasons, it all amounts to one thing and one thing only, which is procrastination.

If you’ve fallen ill and can’t physically move around for medical reasons then that’s a different story and this article will be of little use to you. But for all you armchair complainers out there, you should be grateful you still have all your bodily functions, and while you have the ability to move then move you must. Unless you’re looking for a premature death I suggest you get into an exercise training program while you still can.

Look, everyone is different, but there is one thing that’s the same for all of us and that is there’s an exercise training program out there for everyone. Whether you’re clinically obese, or just need to shed a few pounds, I can guarantee you one thing; put more of the right kinds of grub down your gullet and take the dog for a good walk every evening and you will notice a difference. You’ll not only start to look better you’ll begin to feel great too, and that’s a promise! What! Don’t have a dog? Well walk somebody else’s pooch then. Honestly, these are typical comments from idle folks, always looking for a get-out clause.

Depending on who you are, how out of shape you are, and your personal circumstances, are all factors which will determine what kind of exercise training program you set yourself. It costs nothing for simple basic exercise, but if you need a little kick start to get you going, and let’s face it, who doesn’t!, then it’s probably a good idea to either buddy up with someone and support each other through your fitness regime, or join a local gym and have a professional trainer set an exercise program that is right for you.

Listen, right sized people have more energy full stop. They also get sick less often, sleep better, and wake up refreshed. Oh, and did I mention they live longer too? If you can think of one good reason why slouching heavily into an armchair and cramming all sorts of the ‘wrong foods’ into your eager mouth day in day out as viable option to wellbeing, then good luck to you. If you want to feel healthier and be able to look into the mirror with glee, then get your flipping act together and start on an exercise training program today.

There are no magical cures out there, or wonder pills, nor will there ever be, so I wouldn’t sit around too long waiting for such. You need to simply take a good hard look at yourself and repeat the words; If it’s to be it’s up to me!

You can do it but you have to work at it and follow through. Remember, today is the very first day of the rest of your life. Make it a good day, a day of change and personal improvement.

John Doe
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/training-program-good-reasons-to-start-an-exercise-today-93226.html

Everything is high tech these days. So why not go electronic with dieting and exercise too? It’s the new hip way to reach your health and fitness goals.

Originally, online dieting was designed to let you customize a weight loss plan to your own pace. Fitness equipment, low fat cookbooks, dietary supplements and vitamins, you’ve seen them all and more but if they aren’t used together in a perfectly balanced routine you may not ever see any results. Fitness gurus caught on and started providing systems that keep track of all the many aspects of dieting and more importantly what results you personally will see from using them.

The prices for these memberships are low compared to most other methods of dieting. And if you’ve already spent a lot of money on fitness equipment, gym memberships, and other costly products, it will only help you maximize their use.

Fitness franchises have even gotten in on it, offering fitness club software or online memberships to help you keep track of your goals and stay motivated without any extra billing. Bally fitness has one of these sites that provides its clients with meal and exercise plans as well as personal support for members of their gym. If you can see that you’re getting results, after all, they know you’ll keep paying those monthly membership fees. And it probably will be more worth it to you as well.

Here’s why. Imagine counting every calorie in the food you eat, then keeping track of those you burn in your exercise routine. Do you really have time for that? Instead you can login to your online membership site each morning and check your personalized menu. If you follow that menu you’ll know that you’re only taking in calories or carbohydrates that won’t hinder your fitness goals. Many membership sites also include daily exercise programs, so you know when to work on cardio, strength training or take a day of rest.

Add to that online support from a personal trainer, dietician or other health expert that most sites include in the price of membership and you’ve got a great resource to keep yourself on track. And isn’t that the hardest part of dieting anywayjust doing it?

Karen Gates
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/diet-the-hightech-way-fitness-club-software-provides-unparelled-tools-76103.html

The true origins of kickboxing date back over 2,000 years but although classed as a martial art, Kickboxing Tournaments are relatively new and the sport of kickboxing was started in the US in the early 1970’s. Many American Karate practitioners were sick of the strict controls placed on all traditional forms of martial arts tournaments and formed a break away group and thus kick boxing came into being with full contact kicks and punches that were formally banned in martial arts competitions At that time many people were worried by the chance of high injury rates so protective clothing was added and safety rules were put into place. The kickboxing tournaments we see today vary in style and are closely related to their traditional martial art style.

People take kickboxing classes for a number of reasons and learning kickboxing techniques is a great way of protecting yourself. Kickboxing classes are becoming extremely popular for fitness and many personal trainers are adopting forms of kickboxing for their clients. Most importantly are those individuals to whom kickboxing is their sport and indeed to some that are totally committed, kickboxing becomes a way of life and entering kickboxing tournaments a personal challenge.

Preparing for these tournaments is heard work as fitness levels must be high. Not only does the artist have to deliver powerful kicks and punches but has to be fit enough to avoid their opponent and or recover from the impact themselves. It is necessary to build up muscle strength and tone the entire body with weight training, increase endurance with cardiovascular work such as running, skipping and jumping etc. Flexibility is all important not only when competing in kick boxing tournaments but to limber up and relax before hand to eliminate stress and strain and help avoid serious injury and also to cool down afterwards to avoid muscle stiffness.

Diet needs to be strictly adhered to. Low in fats, high in protein and the necessary amount of carbohydrates as fuel. Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables round off the diet. It is necessary for all of us to drink enough water and it is recommended that the average person needs about 8 glasses a day and those in high exercise groups such as the kick boxer training for and entering kickboxing tournaments will require much more. The martial artist must stay hydrated at all times for peak performance. If not the artist will suffer from muscle soreness, fatigue and will not recover as quickly. Junk food, alcohol and caffeine are a no go. As with all martial arts the power of the mind is all important. Controlling our emotions and concentrating on our movements can make the difference to winning or loosing. Keeping tempers under control and relaxing into our moves makes for stronger and more accurate kicks and punches.

Preparation for kickboxing tournaments depends a lot on the level of fitness and the determination of the martial artist and can take a considerable amount of training and indeed time.

Yoshi Kundagawa
http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/training-diet-and-preparation-for-kickboxing-tournaments-130974.html

A fitness instructor is a hot job lately. It’s even been showcased in a TV reality show where a fitness instructor has this outstanding life, working out with her celebrity clients. The show really shows you about the lifestyle of fitness instructors and how dynamic and challenging the job can be. Have you ever thought about becoming a fitness instructor and living that kind of life? It sounds not only healthful to your body, but also seems fun and lucrative.

A personal fitness instructor course seems like the best way to get the training it would take for that kind of job. I’m considering taking this type of course as well – not to actually become an instructor, but to learn about the business and about what it takes to be fit and toned. Think of it this way: if these fitness professionals know what it takes to be healthy, why not learn all about what they know? If you took a fitness instructor course, you wouldn’t actually need to hire a trainer. You’d be your own personal trainer for free. You would already have the skills and be capable of training yourself. Sounds really cool, right?

Besides being your own personal trainer, there are other reasons why you might decide to take a course in becoming a fitness instructor. You could take up the job on a part-time basis and keep your regular day job. It would allow you to work out with others for free and you may get a free club membership. I know a guy who had acting goals, moved to California and, when not going to auditions, he used his skills to be a part-time fitness trainer. He ended up really liking the job and now has his own personal clients. He makes a great living and many of his clients are among celebrities and the very wealthy. He tells me that if a fitness instructor can get a few high-end clients, you can make great money without sticking to the nine-to-five job. His experience happened in Los Angeles, but it could happen to you almost anywhere in the country.

If being a fitness instructor or taking a fitness instructor course seems like the thing for you, take the time to understand all you need to know to find the right course for you. Start your search on the Internet by typing in the keywords “fitness instructor course”. You will probably find a lot of hits so you may need to narrow your search down to someplace closer to where you live. Take the time to compare prices and course materials. Talk to prospective course instructors in your area and see which one is the best one for you. Whether you want to just learn the fitness material, get a part-time job or go the route of being a full-time instructor, the fitness course is exactly the first place to start.

Joe Goertz
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/a-fun-lucrative-and-healthy-job-fitness-instructor-72760.html