Too many El Pasoans who seek a healthy lifestyle and try to
be physically fit share the following type of exercise format:
Upper body one day, lower body the next day with 30 minutes
on the elliptical or treadmill at least 3 times per week. Maybe you might be a
little more specific, like: back and biceps one day, chest and triceps the next
day, etc. Something along those lines.
First off, I think it’s awesome that you are at least making
an effort and not just making excuses and complaining about not being in better
shape; even if your workouts are something like what I just described. At least
you’re doing SOMETHING!
If that is your typical workout routine, I’m sure you go to
a place where you’ve seen pretty much the same people you’ve been seeing there
for a long time… And their bodies have not changed one bit. And maybe you got in
good shape at first, but nothing really noticeable and you haven’t seen much
improvement lately.
The reason is this: The only way those types of exercises
and that style of working out will get you noticeable results – I mean the kind
of results that when people see you they’re like, “Wow! What have you been
doing!?” is if you’re a body builder.
No disrespect to bodybuilders. I admire their discipline.
But is that the kind of body YOU want?
Most people don’t. Being a personal trainer for over ten
years now, the #1 thing clients tell me is:
“I want to be more toned. I want to slim down, tighten up
and be more toned. Toned arms, toned legs, and toned stomach.”
Sound familiar? How do I have MY clients attain a tighter
more toned body?
I make them work out pretty much the same way I used to work
out when I was a professional boxer. (I said “pretty much” not exactly. You’ll
never have to box against anyone and worry about getting hit in the face.)
Think about it: not counting the heavyweights, when have you
ever seen big, bulky boxer, or mma fighter? Almost never.
That’s because fighters have to stay slim and lean so that
they never weigh more than a certain amount pounds depending on their weight
class.
But it’s not enough to just be light and slim. Fighters must
also be strong enough to punch hard and even push and wrestle themselves into
position when fighting.
And still that’s not enough! Fighters must also have
flexible, lean muscles in order to strike fast and move smoothly. Almost like a
dancer.
Throwing punches and throwing kicks is a FULL-BODY exercise.
If you’re reading this at home or someplace where you don’t care who sees you,
go ahead and stand up and put up your dukes as if you’re about to punch someone…
If you’re doing right – you should be in a sort of crouch
with your knees slightly bent; almost like you’re holding a half squat. That
right there engages your glutes, thighs, hamstrings and calves. BOOM!
Next – you should have good posture: not too hunched over
and certainly not too straight up or leaning back. Now your core is engaged.
From this stance you need to be ready to move quickly and
powerfully. So you can’t just be standing there all tensed up. All your major
muscle groups are engaged, but at the same time they’re ready to move. Ready to
throw punches and kicks as well as avoid punches and kicks.
And when kicking, it’s not enough to just raise a leg. Legs
are basically 50% of our body so it takes quite an effort to throw them.
Lifting your leg immediately engages muscles in your hip flexors (those muscles
that make a “v” by your belly button) abs and of course legs. Then throwing
your leg for the kick requires a burst of energy from your abs, core and
glutes.
Punching, kicking, ducking, bobbing-and-weaving, jumping in,
jumping out – Every single time, every single move tones the legs, glutes,
core, arms, etc… By the time they’ve done 1 hour of training fighters have made
these movements hundreds, maybe thousands of times.
And the end result is this:
So how are you working out? Are you working out like a body
builder? Maybe you should try working out like a fighter.
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