Squats on physioball

Caution; this is an advanced exercise. As with all balance exercises there is a slippery slope between the benefits and risks of an exercise. Although this exercise is extremely effective for all of the stabilizer muscles used in a squat is it dangerous, please use extreme caution. When adding more weight doesn't seem to be having much impact to your gains, you can always decrease stability for a more difficult workout.
Getting started.
*Be sure you are competent in free/body weight squatting. Practice on the BOSU and one leg.
*Getting on and off the ball is probably the most dangerous, have a spotter or be next to something you can hang onto.
*Make sure you are centered.
*Dismount before you are exhausted and fall.

This exercise is great for all sports that require balance and abductor, adductor strength, in particular skiing, horse back riding, and basketball.

Water Skiing Workout

Water Skiing is great exercise, though it's a good idea to prepare yourself in the gym before you do it. I only get the opportunity to ski once or twice a year, however; I do prepare myself in and out of the gym.

I only average about once around the lake in actually time skied, this equates to about 4-7 minutes. The entire time behind the boat is an isometric activity, meaning the muscles are constantly contracted or engaged, mostly biceps, back, quads and core. Specifically I train isometric movements to the weeks leading up to times were I know I will be skiing. I also prepare my balance doing many of the movements on one leg and in various angles of the elbow. I do a lot of neck training which is commonly injured when a skier falls. I have seen numerous people break ribs while falling as well, bone density and resistance training are important for these reasons.
The warm-up before you ski is critical. An active total body warm-up and stretching are done for ten minutes before I ski to help prevent cramping, muscle fatigue and strains.
Interested in more sport specific conditioning contact me on my website excelfitnessct.com.

Does your Metabolism really slow with age?

We've all heard it, "Wait until you get to be my age, your metabolism will slow down and even you will get fat. Just you wait." Haha, I laugh in the face of those who say that and I will prove why. I can tell you at 30 years old I was in the best shape of my life for a Muscle Mania Body Building show. I got my body fat to read "E4" on the electrical impedance hand held tester. Skin fold readings had me at 2.5%. Many other competitors in their sixties constantly achieve very low body fats and maintain muscle. How is this possible if our metabolism slows so much? Why haven't these people lost all their muscle and gained fat?
The reason is their metabolism hasn't slowed. It is true, the average person loses about 1% of function per year after the age of 30. We lose speed, coordination and muscle size and function. This is for the average person. The average person also watches 4.5 hours of TV a day now! If we continue to stay active or even become active we can improve coordination, speed and gain muscle. If we gain muscle we increase our Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). This RMR is the amount of calories we need a day to maintain body function even if we were to lie around all day. It is about 65-70% of the calories we consume everyday.
You see, by gaining lean mass through resistance exercise we can actually increase our metabolism and "reverse" the effects of aging. We could even eat more calories everyday and not gain weight, wouldn't that be great? Now, instead of doing less as we age we should do more. I like the quote by Emerson, "We do not stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stopped playing."

The 5 Components To Fitness

There are a lot of fads and gimmicks out there from different trainers, gyms and exercise techniques. Many focus on "having a sexy core", or building strength, or "being in great shape." Few; however, focus on all the components of fitness. I was recently out in Hartford and was approached by a guy who was doing CrossFit. It is a type of circuit training that uses some body weight movements and simple functional equipment like a bar, hanging rings, and medicine balls. He went on to rave about the system and kept telling me he was 36 yrs. old and in better shape than when he was 21 yrs. old. He even went so far as to say he was in the best shape of his life. The fact of the matter was he was "over fat." Although I did not check his body fat I could see he was not in the recommended body fat range. Whether CrossFit addresses nutrition or body fat percentage I do not know. I do know he was not in great shape and being over fat puts one at risk for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, Americas #1 killer.

All complete exercise programs should contain five components:

1. Flexibility
2. Body Fat Percentage
3. Muscular Endurance
4. Muscular Strength
5. Cardiovascular Endurance

We are only as complete when it comes to health as our weakest link. It doesn't matter how great your car's motor is if the doors are missing. When you enroll in any fitness program does your gym's instructor or trainer assess your health? Do they complete and document any baseline tests for future comparison? Do they address the progress you are making and modifying the program as you go? If not you have the WRONG TRAINER or are at the WRONG GYM, or are using the WRONG FITNESS SYSTEM. If your trainer or gym just kicks your butt to the point of complete exhaustion or you have fun but see little results and are constantly sore or hurt, you need to come to Excel Fitness where we assess you before we workout, wouldn't it make sense for your trainer to know what your limits are so they can create a safe workout for you? Would your mechanic start working on your car's motor if the biggest problem was that it had no doors? At Excel we also assess your exercise form and address muscular imbalances and decreased ranges of motion. We re-evaluate your progress continually and we HAVE FUN TOGETHER. Safe, Fun and Effective.

Try us out for free and experience the difference. www.excelfitnessct.com

Train Smarter,