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Body Weight Training Seminar

04 November

Body Weight Training Seminar

Colorado Springs Precision Fitness

November 10, 2012

9:00 am – 10:30 am

 

 

Holiday Survival Guide – Learn by Doing Seminar this Saturday

 

Prevent The Holiday weight gain by using this cutting edge body weight program designed to burn fat 9x faster than other generic aerobic programs.

 

  • Learn why a body weight exercise program is perfect for the holidays as well as for recovery.
  • Discover new body weight exercises that will set your metabolism on high.
  • Improve your cardio and muscle endurance with out any equipment.

 

We’ll be teaching three different levels of each exercise so that you can find the appropriate challenge for you. You’ll also learn how to progress each exercise so that you are always improving.

New exciting body weight exercises, not your regular push-ups, sit ups or jumping jacks.

 

**Exercises you can do anywhere and anytime.**

 

Once we find the appropriate level for you, you’re going to complete a whole body, fat burning exercise session in about 20 minutes.

 

Free for active clients and only $10.00 for non-active clients and guests.

 

Space is limited, Don’t miss out!

 

Contact me at info@precisionfitnesstrainer.com or leave a comment below and simply state “I’m in” and we’ll get you registered for the seminar.

 

Hope to see you there,

 

Edward Scaduto

Make Every Exercise Session Better Than The One Before – 5 Proven Tips

09 October

 

Are you spinning your wheels in the gym?
Working hard but not making any progress?
Lack of results can easily dishearten the best of us.
With a little bit of planning you can avoid this feeling altogether.
Follow the five principles below to make the most of every exercise session.

1. Review Your Goals 
Take a look at your primary fitness goal.
It’s a good idea to review this daily.
It’s even better if you can do the review right before your exercise session.
Know why you’re working out and what you want to improve.
This will give you the extra fuel you’re going to need to push to the next level.

 

2. Proper Warm Up 
Stepping right into exercise can be a big shock to your body.
Similar to jumping into a cold pool of water on hot summer day.
A proper warm up eases your body into the work out.
It prevents injuries and can improve your exercise output by up to 48%.
A complete warm up consists of foam rolling, corrective stretching, activating the core, performing dynamic flexibility and movement pattern training.
All of this can be done inside of 15 minutes and will prime your muscles, joints and nervous system for your workout.

 

3. Have a plan 
Any plan is better than no plan.
Have your exercise session written out before you walk into the gym.
It’s going to put you in the right mind set.
Knowing exactly what you’re going to do helps you mentally prepare for the work.
As an example, if you’re lifting heavy you’ll need more intensity and longer rest periods.
Plan to spend 10-15 minutes for your warm-up.
Add another 40-50 minutes for your strength and conditioning.
Leave an additional few minutes at the end for your cool down.

 

4. Cool Down and Recovery
So you just finished your workout. Now it’s time to call it a day, right?
Not so fast.
Don’t forget to cool down.
Take a walk for a few minutes or lightly ride the bike to help lower your heart rate.
This will help circulation and prevent muscles from getting too sore after your workout.
Then perform a couple of stretches to help release the tension created from lifting weights. Include stretches for the muscles of the chest, shoulders, back and legs.
Your recovery from the session starts right after your cool down.
This is the perfect time to have a meal replacement shake.
Look for a shake that has a 4 to 1 ratio of carbohydrates to protein (four grams of carbohydrate for each gram of protein).
That’s the perfect post-workout blend for your body.
Make sure you drink it with-in 45 minutes of your workout.
Miss this window and your recovery will take twice as long.

 

5. Track What You Do 
We improve the numbers that we track.
Writing down your weights, sets and reps each time you train is the best way to ensure that you are constantly improving. Any notebook can serve this purpose. There are even specific journals to track your exercises as well as smart phone apps if you prefer the hi-tech method.
I use pen and paper as it seems to work the fastest for me.
Take a look at what you’ve done in the past and challenge yourself to improve.
It doesn’t have to be heavier weights. An extra set or shorter rest period are also signs of improvement.
Jot a few notes on how your session went over all and list some specifics on what you can adjust to make your next work out even better.

 

So you’re probably thinking “All of this just for an exercise session?”
Remember this, anyone can work out and go through the motions. But not everyone can work out and get results.
You need to follow these principles. Set your goals, work your plan, and track your workouts.
Make the time you spend in the gym as effective as possible.
Your hard work will pay off.

 

Dedicated to your success,
Ed Scaduto
Precision Fitness
“Helping you become more”

 

P.S. Let me know what you do to get the most out of your exercise session. Do you already use these principles? Did I leave something out?
Please leave your comments below. They are greatly appreciated.

photo credit: jerryonlife via photopin cc

Precision Fitness Has A New Home

27 May

I am happy to announce that Precision Fitness has a new home. Yes, it’s been one crazy month (we put together the fastest deal in history, at least it felt like it anyway) but we have opened our doors at our new location on 5610 N. Union Blvd.

Our boxes are unpacked and the exercise equipment is ready to go!

I just want to say Thank You to everyone who helped this dream become a reality.

I am truly grateful for all the help and I couldn’t have done it with out you.

 

Here’s our new address:

5610 N.Union Blvd.

Colorado Springs, CO 80918

 

Thanks

Ed Scaduto

 

 

 

Use This Instead Of Willpower

24 January

Achieving your goals is simply a matter of having enough willpower, would you agree?

Well, recent research suggests that in many cases, willpower isn’t what’s needed to reach your body transformation goals…

Instead, it’s the disruption of “mindless” habits.

Let me explain.

Have you ever snacked in front of the television while watching your favorite show?

If the answer is “yes,” then it’s likely that there have been times where you ate an entire bag of chips or popcorn (or whatever you like to snack on) without realizing it.

It’s little habits like these that operate out of your conscious awareness that could be jeopardizing your ability to stick with the goals that you’ve set.

Researchers at the University of Southern California decided to find out what disrupts mindless habits and what keeps them going.

They invited participants to watch just fifteen minutes of movie previews while sitting in an actual movie theatre.

Then, each participant was given a free bag of popcorn to eat. What the participants did not know is that the researchers randomly gave the them one of two possible bags of popcorn:

1. A bag of fresh popcorn.

2. A bag of stale popcorn (a week old, actually).

After the movie previews, researchers measured the amount of popcorn the viewers ate.

Those with a weak popcorn habit (meaning they don’t normally eat popcorn while at the movies) ate significantly more fresh popcorn than stale.

But get this –

Those with a STRONG popcorn habit – ate the same amount, regardless of the bag they received (i.e. fresh or stale)!

That means that the people with the “mindless” popcorn eating habit didn’t even notice how stale the popcorn was.

That’s because the behavior is automatic and mostly unconscious.

The researchers didn’t stop there, however…

This time, they invited the same group of participants to a conference room where they were to watch movie previews. Again, each participant randomly received either a fresh or stale bag of popcorn.

The group of folks who had eaten the majority of the stale popcorn at the movie theatre (because of their strong popcorn habit) actually STOPPED eating the popcorn in the context of a conference room.

This means that just changing your environment or context of where your automatic habit is triggered, is enough to disrupt it.

And in yet another study, these same researchers conducted the same movie theatre experiment.

This time, they asked the participants to eat the popcorn with their non-dominant hand.

Again, those who had strong popcorn eating habits did not eat the stale popcorn.

Which means, also changing up how you do something is enough to disrupt an automatic habit or behavior.

So how can you use this in your quest to transform your health and your physique?

Well, much of getting in shape lies in your nutrition.

So if you have “bad” habits that involve snacking or eating mindlessly, you now have two tools you can use to change it.

For example, if every night after work, you like to relax on the couch and watch some television while snacking on cookies, chips or whatever, you can change one of two things.

Instead of snacking on chips or anything unhealthy, snack on veggies like carrot sticks, broccoli, or snap peas.

Alternatively, instead of sitting on the couch to relax, maybe you can lie down in bed and read a book… or go for a leisurely walk… or call up an old friend. You get the idea.

Whatever it is, focus on changing the context and/or how you normally do the “mindless” activity.

Focus on breaking one unhealthy habit a month, and by the end of the year you’ll be a whole new you!

We actually do this on the Precision Fitness Face Book page. Starting in February we begin the One Habit Per Month Challenge. Come join us!
Click here.

Create A New Habit In Four Easy Steps

05 December

Want to create a new habit?

Creating a new habit is not an easy thing to do. It’s takes a lot of energy, plenty of time and a sound strategy.

The four steps listed below are designed to help make the task of creating a new habit slightly easier.

 

 

1. Identify the new habit – The habit needs to be important to you. It needs to be relevant and help progress you to a bigger goal.  Remember it’s a hard road ahead, so make sure the habit is one you want to create.

 

2. Make it measurable – Sometimes a habit needs to be broken down to a smaller component or modified slightly in order for it to be measured. As an example, eating better is a great goal however it’s not specific enough. Eating 5 servings a day of vegetables is more precise and it can be measured. At the end of each day, you want to be able to review your habit and know whether or not you accomplished it.

 

3. Anchor it to an existing habit – We all have habits, some we are proud of and some we’re not. Either way we can use our existing habits to our advantage. This means you want to take an established habit and attempt to execute the new habit immediately after. If you already stretch every morning and want to start a walking program, try walking right after you’re done stretching.

 

4. Track it – You’ve got one measurable habit now and an anchor to attach it to. All you need to do is track your habit on a daily basis. It’s as simple as tracking the habit as “done” or “not today.” You can use a calendar to track your habit or stop by our Facebook fan page here. We track our habits there and you’re welcome to stop by and join in the fun.

 

I hope these four steps can help you create new habits and assist you in reaching new heights in your fitness program.

If you have any questions or need help identifying some new habits to work on, please don’t hesitate to write an email or call me at 719-640-0141.

Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it and hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks again,

Edward Scaduto

 

 

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5 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Doing Sit-Ups

05 October
by Edward Scaduto, Colorado Springs Personal Trainer and Owner of Precision Fitness

 

 

“Change means that what was before wasn’t perfect. People want things to be better.” – Esther Dyson

 

It’s time to change your abdominal training program, change it for the better.

It’s time to say no to sit-ups; by doing so you allow room for safer and more effective exercises that will fortify and strengthen your abs and spine.

At Precision Fitness our official recommendation is to avoid the traditional sit – up.

The reason you may ask? This exercise poses too much of a risk compared to the benefits and no matter how you put it, getting hurt is not a lot of fun.

 

Here are 5 reasons why you should avoid doing sit ups:

 

1. You can’t spot reduce, you can only spot build.

 

I know you want a flatter stomach or you want those wash board abs so it may seem logical that doing sit-ups and crunches will help your tummy fat go away.

Fat loss just doesn’t work that way. You can build the muscles of the abs but that does nothing to reduce the fat storage sitting on top of them.

Fat loss can only be accomplished through a sound nutrition program and a comprehensive exercise program like the Precision Fitness Training System.

 

 

2. Over training one movement pattern at the expense of others is a sure-fire way to muscle imbalances.

 

The body was designed to move in many ways.

Nowhere in the body is that more apparent than the abs.

They help you bend, extend and twist in countless ways.

Your body strives to perfect a hundred different movement patterns that activate a countless number of muscles.

By performing the same movement over and over again, like crunches and sit-ups, you set the body up for repetitive stress injuries.

These small movements done over and over again can create muscle imbalances in the torso. This creates a sub-optimal environment that can decrease the function and the potential of your body. In worst case scenarios it can cause low back pain and more.

 

 

3. The Abs do more than flex the spine, they do much more.

 

The abs have two primary jobs.

The first one is bracing the body. You brace every time you reach, push, pull, throw, swing or kick.

Any athletic movement requires bracing at some time during the movement and in most cases, twice.

You also brace during every day activities like when you pick up an object from the floor with one hand and even when you’re only opening a door.

The second primary job is to create the bridge between the legs and upper body to transfer power.

Take a tennis fore-hand swing for example.

The upper body and trunk rotates back in preparation to hit the ball, then the hips will rotate forward creating power for the swing. The the abs will then brace creating the ‘bridge’ that will work to rotate the torso and arms forward to strike the ball.

This is just one example of how the abs are designed to function. If you look closely you can find many examples of this function through out our daily and athletic lives.

 

 

4. Your spine flexes all day long

 

We flex our spine all day long.

A typical day for the average person starts by waking up and sitting at breakfast with one’s spine flexed (bent forward).

Then this person commutes to work for an hour and then sits at work for eight hours all with the spine flexed.

After a day of sitting, the individual drives home and eats dinner flexed and then sits on the couch and watches a couple hours of TV with the spine in a flexed position.

There should be one place the abs and spine should not have to flex and that is during your fitness program.

The health of your back depends on your ability to balance the work load, movements and stress that you place on it.

 

 

5. Sit-Ups produce the same force in the disc that can create a disc bulge or disc herniation.

 

It’s estimated that 80% of the population will see a doctor or chiropractor at some point in their life due to back pain.

According to Stuart McGill, a professor of spine bio-mechanics at the University of Waterloo, sit ups produce the exact same force in the spine that can create disc bulge and disc herniation, two of the most common low back injuries.

Does it make sense to perform exercises that can create common back injuries?

I didn’t think so either.

 

The Bottom Line

 

These are the 5 reasons of why you need to stop doing sit-ups immediately.

In it’s place start using planks and leg lifts to strengthen your core. These two types of abdominal exercises are much safer on your spine and there are countless variations and modification that you can use.

Take these recommendations and apply them today in your program, your back will thank you for it.

 

If you have any questions on how to implement correct abdominal training into your fitness program please do not hesitate to contact Colorado Springs Best Personal Trainers at Precision Fitness at 719-640-0141.

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Welcome Traci B…

04 October

I wanted to give a warm Precision Fitness welcome to Traci B.

This is her first time working with a trainer and she started with our personal training program to take her fitness to the next level.  She’s already making good progress and working on her core is going to help her stay strong and prevent injuries.

Traci is also a big fan of the Martial Arts, and holds a black belt in Kung Fu.

Thank you for being part of Precision Fitness Traci.

Where have all the sit ups gone?

18 September

by Edward Scaduto, Colorado Springs Personal Trainer and Owner of Precision Fitness

One of the biggest “take home” messages I took from the NSCA conference this summer is to omit sit ups from my clients exercise programs. Honestly, the exercise has been under my scrutiny for some time but after hearing Stuart McGill speak in person, it got the axe, figuratively speaking.

 

According to Stuart McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo, “There are only so many bends in your spinal disks, if you keep flexing your spine and bending the disk over and over again, that nucleus slowly breaches the layers and causes a disk bulge, or a disk herniation.”

 

A herniated disk is no fun, and can cause persistent back and leg pain, weakness, and tingling. In fact, as I look back to my time in the PT clinic, disc herniations can be down right debilitating. It’s not a situation you want to go through, trust me.

 

That’s why you’ll be hard pressed to find sit-ups in any of the exercise programs at Precision Fitness.

 

I’ll be writing more about sit-ups and healthy alternatives in an upcoming article. Until then, though you may be tempted, avoid the sit-ups and save your back.

 

Committed to your health,

 

Ed Scaduto

The 5 Steps to Creating a New Habit…

30 August
By Edward Scaduto, Colorado Springs Personal Trainer and owner of Precision Fitness.

 

The 5 Steps to Creating a New a Habit

 

“We are what we consistently do, Excellence therefore is not an act, it’s a habit” – Aristotle

 

1.       There can only be one.

One key to successfully creating a new habit is the ability to focus your energy and time on that ONE habit. If any of the other habits fall in place, so be it, but your energy should be focused on only one habit.

The reason, we only have so much time and energy. Think about how busy your day is. Could you manage to fit in an extra hour just to work on several new habits?

If you are like me, your energy and time is already spread thin, leaving you with very little time to add to your already hectic schedule.

So how do you create a new habit?

Focus on making one change at a time.

 

2.       Start Small

I understand your ambition and wanting to start big to make massive changes but tackling big habits can lead to frustration and make it difficult to accomplish your goal.

Starting small is the best way to ensure success.

It helps you narrow your focus, allowing you to put all your energy and power on the goal.

It also helps to erase any doubts. If the change is small enough, deep inside you know you will be able to do it and succeed.

You gain momentum as you build one habit at a time. The small success can then build to bigger successes in the future.

Additionally, small changes last longer. Take drastic weight loss for example. Dropping 20 pounds in two weeks is fine, but there’s a great chance you will gain the weight back and more. Instead, go for small consistent changes in your diet and fitness plan.

 

3.       Anchor it.

We all have habits. If you think about it, your day is habit after habit strung together. Let’s use the habits you now have in place to help create new ones.

It’s easy. When creating a new habit, just anchor to one of your existing habits. Let’s use running as an example. If you already have the habit of waking up to a cup of coffee every morning, you can anchor the new habit of running right after you have your coffee.

In time you will associate running with coffee. Then every time you drink your favorite brew, you’ll want to lace up your shoes and hit the trail. Coffee becomes the trigger.

You’ve just anchored a new habit.

 

4.       Allow 30 days to make the change.

It takes time to create a new habit. The exact amount of time differs from person to person and the habit they choose.

It’s estimated to take between 21 to 30 days to create a new habit. It takes that long for a habit to “sink in” so to speak. You have to work on the habit every day if possible.

Give yourself 30 days of this process to create your new habit.

 

5.       Tell and Report

Tell as many people as you can what you are doing. Then report to them daily if it was a success or not. They can be a great support system in helping you make the change.

Remember no one is perfect. There will be days where you may not succeed. There’s no shame in that so don’t beat your-self up for the misstep. Just try and focus your energy on the next day.

 

So let’s review the 5 keys again:

  1. Pick one habit
  2. Start small
  3. Anchor it to an existing habit
  4. Give it 30 days
  5. Tell and report

 

If you follow the 5 keys to creating a new habit, you will have a much better chance of creating the healthy life long changes you’ve always wanted.

 

Committed to your health and fitness,

Edward Scaduto

Colorado Springs personal trainer and owner of Precision Fitness.

P.S. During the month of February I am using our Fan Page to host  One Month – One Habit challenge using the 5 steps mentioned in this article. You’re invited to participate.

You can visit our fan page here.

What you need to know about cardio

20 August

You wanna lose fat. And you want to do it FAST!

To burn off that fat, you’ve got to burn some extra calories. There’s no way around it.

So the most common piece of advice you’ll hear is “do more cardio.”

Easier said than done, right? Especially when you consider that there is so much conflicting information out there. Some people say you need to do hours on end of cardio. Yet others say that long bouts of cardio are a waste of time. Instead what you need is HIIT cardio (high intensity interval training.)

So who’s right!? And more importantly, what should YOU do so you can start burning off that fat faster than ever before?

When it comes to what kind of cardio to do, it depends.

The main purpose of cardio in any fat loss program is to expend extra calories once you’ve ALREADY established a caloric deficit from your diet and are on a sound weight-lifting program. So in the end, the goal is to burn enough calories to create enough of a deficit that you’ll lose weight.

Both low-intensity and high-intensity cardio can do that.

The trade-off is time and efficiency. With low-intensity cardio (like walking) you have to do more of it to burn a decent amount of calories. This is why most recommendations for low-intensity cardio are between 45-60 minutes.

On the other hand, high-intensity cardio burns the same amount of calories in half the time (roughly).

So with just 20-30 minutes of intense interval training, you can burn the same number of calories as you do with 45-60 minutes of low-intensity steady state cardio.

So what’s the best advice? Mix it up.

Do 2 high intensity sessions a week.

If you still need more cardio than that, then add in maybe one or two extra bouts of low-intensity cardio. The only suggestion here is that you want to do this gradually. That is, if you’re out of shape, start by only doing low-intensity cardio.

Once you’ve lost a bit of weight and have improved your cardiovascular system, then start adding in one intense cardio session a week. Then build to two.

By mixing things up this way, you’re reducing the chances of overuse injury. And, you ward off over-training (5 high intensity cardio sessions a week plus weight training is overkill!)

So Start small. Then build up. Then mix in both HIIT type workouts with low-intensity workouts and you’ll see your fat loss speed up.

 

 

Please leave questions or comments below, i’ll be happy to answer them here. You can also call 719-640-0141 or email me at info@precisionfitnesstrainer.com if you need further help with your fitness program.

Comitted to you health,

Edward Scaduto

Colorado Springs Personal Trainer and owner of Precision Fitness