What I Predict For The Future Of Fitness

Well, it’s almost Christmas and it’s time for my annual fitness year in review. Sadly, it appears as though the fitness industry as a whole has again failed to produce any significant results on a broad scale to effectively reverse the scary obesity epidemic that is plaguing society. More specifically, the sickening fact that British adults keep getting fatter, more lethargic, and less healthy has mirrored the unabated deterioration in the health and fitness of our youth population. However, on a positive note, I feel that 2009 will be host to several growing fitness trends that will provide the long-term answers to solve this ever-growing problem:

Fitness Prediction No.1- Fitness Boot Camps Will Rise, One-On-One Personal Training Will Fall

You would have to have spent the last 6 months living in a cage if you didn’t know we are in the midst of the biggest global recession since the “Great Depression”. With the disappearance of the middle class and an economy that will most likely get worse before it gets better, the average person simply does not have the disposable income for typical personal training rates that run about £30-£45 per hour.

However, with every problem emerges a solution; fitness boot camps are just that. Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now. The group training business model creates the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients making the one-on-one alternative obsolete. Personal trainers like myself get to help more clients per session and the client gets affordable professional fitness coaching. Clients also get to work in a unique dynamic team environment that provides better social support and accountability for only a the third of the cost of typical one-on-one training rates.

Fitness boot camps are popping up all over the country, and for good reason. If you are trying to lose weight in 2009, do yourself a favor by saving your hard-earned money to get better results by joining Commando Fitness Camp.

Fitness Prediction No.2- Interval Training Takes Over As The Number One Method For Fat Loss And Fitness 100% Of The Time

High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. Thankfully, 2009 will see more people doing sprints and less people doing marathons to lose weight. However, make no mistake about it, lots of people are still going to do hours of snail-paced cardio to burn fat.

Aerobic or endurance training is essentially going at a slow, low intensity pace for a long period of time (typically at least 30-60 minutes). In other words, the focus of endurance training is on the total volume of exercise (not quality). Think about all those speed limpers you see every New Year foolishly running for hours pounding the pavement or treadmill to get rid of that winter blubber. Sadly, this results in minimal fat loss and lots of overtraining injuries.

With interval training, you focus on the quality of the exercise by working at a higher intenisity. Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals works best). This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat AND lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative.

Two landmark scientific studies come to mind here:

The Tabata study compared the effects of four minutes of high-intensity interval training with 45-60 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio. The interval training group burned just as much fat as the endurance group and also had greater improvement in both anaerobic (think sprinters) and aerobic (think distance runners) fitness… in only four minutes!

The Gibala study compared the effects of 20 minutes of interval training (30 second sprint followed by four minutes of rest) with 90-120 minutes of endurance training in the “heartrate zone.” The conclusions of the study were that both methods of training lead to the same improvements in oxygen utilization (or aerobic fitness). In other words, intervals accomplished what endurance training did from a fitness standpoint in only a sixth of the time!

The time is now to jump on the interval training bandwagon. Come 2009, do yourself and your body a favor and start sprinting to look better naked.

Fitness Prediction No.3- Lean Protein And Fibre Are The Carbohydrate Addict’s Answer For Improved Health, Performance, and Body Composition

We Brits are carb addicts. We simply cannot get enough starches and sugars in our diet, and we have the bulging midsections to prove it. One of the biggest misconceptions about diet today is that eliminated starches and sugars from your diet automatically means low carb. Better said, eliminating grains (even whole grains) and refined sugars still allows for consumption of the other carbohydrates: fruits and veggies. These nutrient-dense carbs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber and create more stable blood sugar levels to keep your body burning fat all day long. All of my clients who have lost the most fat have followed our guidelines of unlimited veggies all day long (besides corn, peas, carrots, beets, and potatoes). In other words, eat lots of veggie carbs, and very little of the other stuff if you want to see your abs!

The overwhelming scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fibre is finally catching the eye of mainstream consumers. Protein is the most important component of each and every meal or snack you consume. It builds and maintains muscle, allows your body to preferentially burn fat, increases metabolism through the thermic effect of feeding, and fills you up. Fibre (ideally obtained from fruits and vegetables, specifically green vegetables) helps slow digestion for a more steady supply of nutrients and sustained energy, it prevents overeating at each meal, and it helps keep you more full between meals. Thus by combining protein and fibre every two to four hours, you provide your body with the optimal one-two belly fat burning punch for a leaner, sexier you.

I have no doubt, that people will be consuming more protein and fruits and vegetables next year, and because of that their bodies will reap the rewards.

Well, those are three of my fitness predictions for 2009 according to my crystal ball. I hope the information in this article gives you the push you need to be the trendsetter for your own body and the bodies of those whom you care most about in the New Year!

Train Hard, Eat Smart,

Marc Kent
www.commandofitnesscamp.com

How To Use Your leftover Christmas Turkey To Create Healthy, Fat Burning Meals

It’s nearly that time of year again, when that big old bird comes out of the oven for Christmas. People tend to associate the traditional Christmas dinner with sinful excess and winter weight gain. Now you can blame stuffing, mashed potatoes with loads of butter and gravy, and Christmas pudding for that, but leave the turkey out of it! After all, turkey is packed with lean protein that not only elevates metabolism which promotes fat burning and lean muscle growth. It is also a lean protein sauce, meaning there is very little fat in it, as long as you remove the skin.

Protein is the only macronutrient responsible for building and repairing your body’s tissue stores (fat and carbohydrates simply provide energy). In addition, regular protein intake is vital to accelerate the repair of muscle damage from high-intensity activities like strength training and cardio interval training. Adequate protein intake every two to four hours is also essential for maintaining your current levels of lean muscle mass. This is important as the more muscle you have the higher your metabolic rate, thus the more calories (and fat) you are able to burn on a daily basis as muscle tissue requires lot of energy to sustain itself. Protein is also the least likely of the three macronutrients to be stored as body fat as the mere act of digesting protein requires more than double the energy to digest it than that of carbohydrates and dietary fat. So, if there is any food that you can get away with overeating this Christmas, it will be the turkey.

Another key benefit to eating turkey is that it is easy to prepare in bulk and thus will save you much needed time in meal planning and preparation during the busy holiday season. You can roast a big old turkey and then have tons of meal options for days. Just think of what you can do with all those Christmas day leftovers! To inspire your turkey consumption efforts I’ve put together some awesome fat fighting recipes that you can create using turkey as your lean protein sauce. Enjoy!

Turkey Salad

Ingredients:

- 6-8 oz. Turkey Breast chopped into small cubes
- 1⁄4 red bell pepper
- 1⁄4 green bell pepper
- 1⁄4 red onion
- 2 Tbsp canola or olive oil mayo

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and enjoy over a bed of greens.

Makes one male serving and two female servings.


Turkey Cranberry Cream Cheese Roll-up

Ingredients:

- 6-8 oz. Sliced Turkey
- 1 Tbsp Fat Free Cream Cheese
- 1 Tbsp Dried Cranberries 1⁄2 Clove of Roasted Garlic Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 Whole Grain Tortillas

Directions:

Soak cranberries in water for 20 minutes or microwave until soft if you are short on time. Mash the 1⁄2 clove of garlic. Mix cranberries, garlic, and cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture into the inside of the tortilla(s). Add turkey breast. Fold up sides, roll up, and enjoy!

Makes one male serving and two female servings.


Turkey Medallions With Cranberry Glaze

Turkey Medallions:
- 6-8 oz. Turkey
- Non-stick spray Turkey Seasoning

Cut Turkey Breasts into small medallions, sprinkle lightly with seasoning. Reheat in a pan sprayed with non-stick oil on medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. Drip Cranberry glaze (below) over the medallions.

Cranberry Glaze:
- 1 Cups Dry white wine
- Turkey or chicken stock, as needed
- 1 1⁄2 Cups Dried cranberries
- 1⁄4 Cup of Pine nuts, toasted
- Pinch of Salt

Add 1⁄2 cup of white wine and 1⁄2 cup of turkey stock to pan. Add other 1⁄2 cup of turkey stock, cranberries, pine nuts and pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until reduced in volume by half, about 4 cups.

Makes one male serving and two female servings.


Turkey Shepherds Pie

Ingredients:

- 2 cups cubed cooked turkey
- 3⁄4 cup turkey gravy
- 1 small can whole kernel corn
- drained 1 cup of chicken stock
- 1 cup of water
- 3 cups steamed cauliflower
- 2 cups celery, chopped 2 carrots
- chopped 1 onion chopped 2 cloves garlic
- minced 1 bell pepper, any color
- chopped Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. First you must make the gravy. Take the garlic, 1 cup of celery, carrots, onion, bell pepper, chicken stock, water, vegetables, salt and pepper to taste. Add to a pot, boil until vegetables are soft and blend in a blender or food processor.

Next, you will take the steamed cauliflower and mash it, or place it in a food processor until the consistency is like that of mashed potatoes.

Next, in a baking dish, layer the turkey, gravy, corn, remaining celery and mashed cauliflower. Bake, uncovered at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Makes 2 male servings and one female serving.


Turkey Florentine

Ingredients:

- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
- 2 tablespoons smart butter
- 1 cup cooked whole grain fettuccine
- 2 cups diced, cooked turkey
- 1 cup turkey or chicken stock 1
- (8 ounce) package fat free sour cream and onion dip
- 1⁄2 teaspoon onion salt
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- Non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

Cook spinach according to package directions; drain. Stir in smart butter. Place noodles in a non-stick sprayed baking dish; top with spinach. Combine turkey, stock, onion dip and onion salt and spoon over spinach. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 25 minutes or until bubbly.


Turkey Green Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

- 1 bag of frozen green beans
- 6-8 oz. of cubed cooked turkey breast
- 1 can of organic cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups Kraft all natural fat free cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients into a casserole dish and bake for about 30 minutes or until completely hot. Makes one male serving and two female servings.


Marc Kent

http://www.commandofitnesscamp.com/

Tyre Flipping Race

We decided to have a tyre flipping contest a the conclusion to Saturdays Commando Fitness Camp

It was Adam vs me in a five tyre flip. The video reveals the winner.





I was beaten , fair and square. Good effort Adam, but I'll get you next time!!

Marc
www.commandofitnesscamp.com

Saturdays Camp

Saturdays Commando Fitness Camp was awesome!

The session was a tough one but the guys & gals worked hard throughout despite the cold and the hail towards the end!

Talk about dedication, I'm proud of them all for coming down in all weathers to burn fat, get fit and raise money for a good cause, the "Help For Hero's" charity.

Check out the video and then come along to the next session.





"There are those that do

and those that don't

Those that will

and those that won't"

Which one are you?


See you on the beach


Marc

How To Design the Ultimate Fat Blasting Workout

In the past the performing exercises in straight sets has been the cornerstone of most resistence training programs. This basically means you would perform a certain number of reps for one exercise, rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes, depending on your goals and then repeat this process for the number of sets you required based on your goals. If you wanted to gain more muscle you would use longer rest periods and conversly if you wanted more of a fat burning workout you would use shorter rest periods.

So, what's the problem with this format? Well although straight sets are extremely easy to understand for people new to fitness, they are an extremely inefficient way to work out. For instance in most gyms you would see some one perform 3 sets of 10 reps on the bench press. They pump out ten reps, sit on the bench and sip some water, chat with the friends and possibly watch some TV before walking back to the bench to perform their second set. In general, guys in particular, tend to take between 3-5 minutes between sets. So in this example , 3 sets of 10 reps would take approximately 15 minutes, just to do one exercise, that means you would need at least an hour to perform four exercises!!

A much more effective and time-efficient way to ordering your exercises is to utilize the alternating set format. Here you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. By alternating sets like this you can work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is improved training economy and density: more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program. There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:

1.) Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and squats)

2.) Tri-sets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, pull ups, and lunges)

3.) Circuits Training: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and tri-sets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s take a look at my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:

The 50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- Squats

Exercise#2- Dips

Exercise#3- Single-Leg Hip Extensions

Exercise#4- Pull-ups

Exercise#5- Leg Raises

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench press you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercise for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus, the intensity on each exercise will be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).

So to reiterate, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Feel free to use the following template I use during my boot camp workouts for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:

Exercise#1- Double-Leg

Exercise#2- Push

Exercise#3- Single-Leg

Exercise#4- Pull

Exercise#5- Core

I’ll be sharing some more great circuit training workouts from my boot camps in the weeks to come ;)


Marc Kent

www.commandofitnesscamp.com