Some people really like to be sore after a workout and some people really don’t.  Personally, I don’t mind being sore but as a personal trainer it is not my goal to make my clients sore all over all the time, although I do get the request quite often. 

Muscle soreness is not a gauge as to how well your workout went or how great your personal trainer is.  You don’t want to destroy the muscles every session, they can’t take but so much. 

Here’s a link to one of O3Fitness Magazine’s articles this month about how to avoid muscle soreness.  Read it and make sure you’re working out as safely and efficiently as you can.

Battling Post-Workout Soreness

The annual O3 charity event for St Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital was a great success.  Collectively we raised over $1,000!!  Thank you to everyone that came out on Saturday and everyone that gave.  We had five tire flippers this year flipping a tractor tire for five minutes to see how many flips they could get and the results are in:  Wendy (me) 119, Darin 107, Keith 103, Elizabeth 90, and Abe 81. 

We’ll have this event again next year so if you want to try your hand at beating me or if you want to raise some money for St Jude’s in an unconvential way give us call.

Our annual Workout For St Jude is this Saturday at 9:30am.  This is a fun event where the participates flip a 250lb trackor tire for 5 minutes to see how many flips they can get.  Participants get people to sponsor them and donate money per flip.  You can donate $.25 or $10 per flip if you like.

I am currently the record holder for the gym at 114 flips in 5 minutes.  I plan to beat my own record this year but time will tell.  I’ve got some pretty steep competition.  Keith, owner of O3, will flip again as well as our newest trainer here at O3, Darin.  It is particularly exciting for my this year because I’ve got two of my clients doing the tire flip for St Jude and it will be their great joy to beat me so I better get plenty of sleep for this one.

Come down to the gym and join us for some tire flipping fun this Saturday at 9:30am and if you haven’t sponsored anyone yet you still have time.  Remember this is a charity event for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and all the money goes to them so donate BIG!!  Be well, flip a tire.

What would you give to know the greatest, most effective, never fail plan in the world?  Wouldn’t you like to know the golden keys to weight loss?  What if you had the missing link to your weight problem? 

Okay, really?  I’ve heard that same line of yada yada on infomercials and ridiculous ads claiming the world and delivering the same old song and dance.  Don’t fall for that garbage any more.  All you have to do is diet and exercise and you’ll succeed.  Oh, all you have to do huh?  My clients laugh at me sometimes because I’ll ask them to do just 15 reps of something and they say, “Oh, just 15 reps huh?”  I know it’s not that easy and hopefully you should too.  It’s all those infomercial gurus that are banking on the hopes that you don’t know that and that you’ll fall for anything out of desperation.

I’m not trying to beef up my profession when I say this, I’m just very passionate about what I do.  A personal trainer can challenge you, teach you, guide you, and mostly, #1,  A,  the holy grail of mostly importantlies…hold you accountable!  What are you willing to do to yourself if you don’t make it in for your workout?  How will you hold yourself accountable for feeling too lazy to make it into the gym or eat too much of the wrong thing too often.  What kind of consequences are you willing to endure from yourself if you don’t follow through with what you’ve set out to accomplish?  A personal trainer can be there to ‘hold your feet to the fire’ sort of speak…or literaly. 

Maybe it’s not accountability that’s the issue.  Sometimes you’re not too sure of what to do or how many of those things to do or what they’re called.  Knowing the names of exercise is not so important but the basics of what muscles to work to receive the most benefit and what exercises will work those muscle is very important information and a properly trained fitness coach can help you with all that.

Food plays a huge role in your overall weight loss success.  You can go into the gym and do the most amazing workout ever know to man and walk down the street to some unnamed fast food place and undo every moment of your most amazing workout know to mankind.  Allow yourself to live on the 80/20 rule where you’re perfect 80% of the time and not so perfect, although not too horrible either, 20% of the time.  A clean diet consists of lean meats (preferably organic), fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and as little processed foods (stuff from a box) as possible.

I say all that to say this, the golden keys to weight loss, the holy grail, the grand secrets that everyone’s dying to know are… knowing some basics about strength training and cardio conditioning, the basics of a clean diet and then, get this, actually doing it. 

Action step number one, call me to set up a consultation.  In the mean time start a food journal, start walking, start doing some push ups and squats.  There, now you know the secrets and you’re well on your way!!

P.S. check out the videos page for great ideas on how get your workouts started today.

We had a blast!!  I recommend it to anyone.  There were people of every fitness level there.  The best thing about the event was that is was a team effort.  The whole race we were helping each other and cheering one another along.  It was dirty, challenging, and I loved it!!  Set goals, exceed your own expectations and live life better!

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The gym has been booming lately!  We’ve got a lot of people working out everyday around here and seeing great results.  Although work is picking up and my days are busier than ever I still find time to workout.  I’ve got a goal and goals are extremely important in order to keep yourself on track.  My goal is competing and completing the United States Marine Corps MudRun held in Columbia, SC next week weekend.  Myself and three of my clients are teaming up and we are stoked!!  It’s 5.2 miles with 35 obstacles throughout the way.  Oh yea, and there’s mud.  Lots of mud.  Climbing walls, swinging from ropes, jumping over logs all while cover in mud from head to toe.  Sounds like a day well spent to me.

Our training has been a little unconventional to say the least.  We’ve got a rope here at O3 that I can tie to the ceiling so we’ve been practicing our rope swings.  We also have a four-foot wall down the hallway leading into the gym so we’ve been practicing our log jumps as well.  Getting and staying in shape doesn’t have to be boring trust me.  If boredom is what’s keeping you from the gym come see me and I’ll take care of that obstacle for you (haha). 

I’ll make sure to post before and after pictures of the MudRun so you too can get psyched up for your next awesome, out-of-the-box goal.  Live Life Better!!!

Here’s a great partner workout for you.  Go through the workout three times, rest as little as possible between exercises and rest 1 minute before starting again.  Have Fun!!!

Ball Pass: 10 passes each direction

Partner Pull: 15 reps

London Bridge: 10 times total

Plank Push Up: 8-10 reps

Leg Throw: 20 reps

Wheel Barrow: 50 feet

Calf Hop: 50 each leg

Partner Drill: 20 forward lunges with high push up iso, 20 squats with plank, 20 jump squats with low push up iso.

Check out boot camp O3 style!!!  Get your new year off to a great start with boot camps, personal training, nutritional counseling, cardio planning, and accountability.  Call us today (828)712-1929.

I am a personal trainer in beautiful Asheville NC.  The great outdoors is what calls more and more people here every year.  We are home to rock climbers, mountain bikers, kayakers, and any other outdoor activity you could think of.  With that in mind I design my boot camps.  Here’s a glimpse into what we did today in boot camp 101, or 1001 as it’s not exactly your mother’s step class.

Round House Kicks

TRX 1 leg pylometric squat with row

Split Snatch

Forward lunge with rotation

1/2 burpee push up

Rope bag drag

Plank toe tap

2 arm kettlebell arm swing

Wall shots

All that after a 10 minute warm up or deadlifts, bent over rows, cleans, push presses, front squats, and push ups.

Maybe some of that sounds familiar, and yet maybe it doesn’t and that’s the point.  When I train I want to train the whole body.  I train the whole body so that it never knows what’s coming next.  That’s how you continue to challenge the body into changing and that’s how you train the body to do any and every sport, hobby, and activity you what it to do.

It’s just my way of saying Happy New Year!!!

If you’re looking for a great workout, something interesting that keeps your body challenged, for a weight loss group fitness class, or a crosstraining routine to get you ready for the next event then this boot camp is designed for you.

The gift giving season is upon us with only 9 days left until Christmas!!  Make sure this year is the year you don’t gain those holiday pounds.  Instead make this the year that you either maintain or lose weight for good.  Instead of buying all those cookies and cakes too soon, wait until the last day or so before the holiday to buy those sweet traditional treats.  A client of mine mentioned to me that she only eats in the inside of the pie and not the crust.  Great idea and a neat trick to leave out a good bit of the calories.  Enjoy the holidays with all your regular delicious favorites only this year try to substitute the high fat, high calories options for a low-fat, low-calorie version instead.  For example, use whole wheat flour in place of white flour, use all natural real butter in place of margarine, use half the amount of sugar called for in your favorite cookie receipts. 

But remember the holidays are about others, so another unique gift idea is buying some personal training sessions or a healthy cook book or workout book or magazine subscription to Oxygen magazine.   Or how about making a pledge with them that the two of you will get on a fitness plan together and see it to the end this time and get real, lasting results.

If you want to see things different in your life then you’re going to have to do some things differently.  Start now before the end of the year, before Christmas even, and watch your life mold into the life you desire.