Posted by Ken Karnack on Fri, Sep 25, 2009 @ 11:19 AM
When starting a body building workout you need to first make sure you have a plan. Like any good body building workout, you will need to space out your body parts. Most people use a 3 or 4 day body building workout split with chest/back on day 1, day 2 is delts/arms, and day 3 is legs.
I would recommend that if your male you never miss leg day. A body building workout is not complete with out a good hard leg day. Some of the best body building workouts would consist of using a standard workout with 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per set. Doing no more then 3-6 sets for beginning boody building workouts, and add one set for intermediates and one more for advanced.
Remember that the body building workouts of the past champions like Arnold Schwarzenegger that performed 25 sets per body part is for the advanced body builder, not beginners. You will not get huge from an advanced workout just starting out. You will grow from just getting started. give your muscles a chance to adapt to the stress then raise reps and sets after a few months if your not seeing growth.
I remember my first body building workout, I was so deflated and weak after a few weeks since I was so excited and just wanted to be sore. I grew a few months at first then I started to get weak and suffered from adrenal stress. Adrenal stress is caused form the nervous system getting overloaded with too much stress. It could be physical, mental or even emotional stress.
Here are a few great tips to help you with your new body building workout.
- Never miss a meal
- Neve skip your post workout meal
- Never lower your protein below body weight
- Always eat protein with every meal
- Get lots of rest, even if you think you don't need it
- Keep carbs to 1 gram to 1 pound of body weight
- Push your self each and every workout
- Keep up with cardio, 20-30 daily
- Take creatine, vitamins, and omega-3's daily
- Never I mean never act bigger then you are!
This should get you started on your own body building workout.
Posted by Ken Karnack on Thu, Aug 27, 2009 @ 10:47 AM
To Raise Metabolism means the total number of calories you burn in a 24 hour period. Per day, you have a set point of calorie burn. When you raise metabolism you need to raise your caloric intake as well to keep your body burning more fat. Furthermore you will need to exercise with weights as well to increase metabolism. Lowering calories can and will cause adrenal burnout.
Repeatedly you have might read from the articles about accelerating the rate of metabolism. The most common reasons are consuming highly nutritious food and performing workouts. If your metabolism rate is slower, it shows you are burning less of calories. In order to increase the rate, you must follow the below tips:
Here are your 10 Free tips.
1) Do not observe fasting because you burn too many calories at once, which is really harmful to your body. In this process your muscles turn weak and you face dehydration rather than minimizing the fat content.
2) Dine about 6-8 times a day by consuming nutritious items such as fruits and vegetables.
3) A heavy rate of metabolism. Since you are awake for the whole day, the rate of metabolism will increase with breakfast.
4) There are many kinds of healthy fats available such as nuts, fish, olive oil, and flax oil. They can be the substitutes for processed carbs.
5) Consume less of sugar so that the insulin production is regulated and you will thus burn calories easily.
6) Eat about 1 gm of protein per pound because the excessive fat content will be drained away.
7) Remember that alcohol is uprightly harmful for the people planning to loose weight. It prevents fat burning and contains almost 100s of calories.
8) Green tea and water are the best forms of beverages that do not affect the metabolism process. So use them instead of tea, coffee and alcohol.
9) Night shifts are normally not advisable, but if you think they are unavoidable then follow the above-mentioned tips carefully.
10) In order to make your metabolism process effective use the Turbulence Training manual that provide you right instruction to perform workouts..jpg)
In closing, always remember that your metabolism will go up or down depending on your exercise level, experience level, metabolic factors hormone balance and of course natural environment factors. When you workout out too much with little food( fuel) in your system, you will slow your rate.
Get better at the game and Join our Weight Loss Challenge for Mom's!
Posted by Ken Karnack on Wed, Aug 12, 2009 @ 02:53 PM
Most leg workouts for women in Frisco promise that you will sculpt your leg muscles and shape them in dramatic time. I hope by now we all understand that we cannot shape or sculpt a muscle. Our muscles are genetically shaped at birth and we can only expand the size of them. They will only take the shape they want to, period.
Here are 5 tips to help you get the most out of your leg workouts.
1. Remove the Phrase Bulking Up From Your Vocabulary
Remember, just because you're a women doesn't mean that you can't train hard. It has always been my experience that increased weights will not build muscle mass to extremes like a bodybuilder. You need lots of calories to go along with that much training to bulk up, so hit those weights! Ever wonder why a fitness model can lift 185 pound squats and still maintain a size 1 or 2?
2. Cardio on Stairs
We have heard that stairs will burn lots of calories and raise metabolism and they will. Start out slow and build up to a level where you're working and breathing hard. Never start out full speed. You will overtrain and recovery will be slow causing you to have sore legs for a week. You will adapt to the stairs in a week or two.
You need to push yourself beyond what your body is used to. Start steppin!
3. Lunges, Squats, Inner/Outer Thighs
Yes, yes and more please. There is a limit to these exercises. You must give yourself a day or maybe 3 days if you're still hurting. They are great for fat burning but you have to remember that there are other exercises that will help you burn more fat such as chest presses, shoulders shrugs, bicep curls, tricep extensions and others.
Don't get married to these exercises, do them hard and rest!
4. Sets and Reps
You should not worry about everyone telling you to do X sets and X reps. Standard beginners should do 1-3 sets for 12-20 reps, with light weight, intermediates, 2-4 sets 12-15 reps and advanced, 3-5 sets, 6-8 reps. After you get acclimated to exercise, you can always mix up the set ranges and weights. Intensity is everything.
5. Fear
Yes, I had to add this. Most women are afraid to add weights. I know that some of you ladies won't even go to that room, you know which one I am refering too. I can tell you that you will see more advances in your appearance if you try the weights over machines.
Machines are the easy way out.
Sure they're easier but they only move in one direction and not to mention, you burn less calories when you use them. Hopefully I scared you a bit into using the free weights, crank it up baby!
Posted by Ken Karnack on Fri, May 29, 2009 @ 06:57 AM
“How To Achieve Maximum Weight Loss & Fitness Results In Minimum Time”
Top Certified Fitness Expert Reveals The Essential Strategies For Lasting Weight Loss And Lifelong Fitness
By Ken Karnack CPT ISSA
Dear Friend,
I’m in an interesting position. In this report I’m going to give you something for free that many others typically charge for… but, I’m more than certain that, once you discover and apply these ten fitness tips for looking and feeling ten years younger, you too will become one of my happy and satisfied clients.
How would you like to drop three or four sizes in about eight to ten weeks? How would you like to tone and tighten your body and naturally reverse the aging process?
Would you want to look in the mirror and see a more youthful body again – maybe a better body than you have seen in a long time? And wouldn’t you like to protect yourself from disease and injury and live a longer, more vital life?
If you answered yes to these questions, just as the hundreds of individuals that I have coached, trained and advised as a certified personal trainer did, then this is going to be the most important letter you have read in a long time.
Right now, at this very moment, I’m going to reveal to you the 10 TOP strategies that have enabled my clients to shape and sculpt the body that they have always desired.
These strategies, though simple, can prove extremely rewarding when implemented into your lifestyle, with little sacrifice on your part.
But before we dive into it, I want to let you know you can easily obtain even more health and fitness advice from Dallas Texas top fitness expert on a regular basis by requesting a free subscription to my newsletter.
So let’s dive right on in and discover these ten proven tips…
10 Tips To Looking And Feeling 10 Years Younger.
“How To Get Maximum Weight Loss & Fitness Results In Minimum Time”
- Set realistically attainable goals. You must have tangible short-term and long-term goals for your fitness program so that you can gauge your progress and stay motivated. It’s crucial to have a “baseline” before you begin so that you can measure your success. A qualified personal trainer (like me) can give you a complete fitness analysis that will aid you in developing a personalized fitness program which addresses your particular needs. Having goals, particularly short-term goals, allows you to track your progress and keeps you motivated when times are tough and you don’t feel like exercising. Keeping a journal of your cardio and resistance training workouts, as well as tracking what you eat is truly a fitness success secret. Just remember that your goals should be realistic and attainable. The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable for you is to talk to a fitness professional - not to buy into the “hype” of infomercials or diet and fitness products that blatantly mislead.
- In the beginning your fitness plan should not be overly aggressive. One of the biggest problems most people encounter when starting a fitness program is rapidly depleted motivation after only a few weeks due to an overly ambitious fitness plan. Two days per week of 20-minute low-intensity cardiovascular exercise (walking, jogging, biking, swimming); and two days per week of 30-minute light resistance training (using weights or resistance machines) is adequate in the beginning. As you become acclimated to the lifestyle “shift” you can add more days and get improved results. But beware: if you try to do too much too fast, you may end up quitting altogether. If you’ve tried and failed doing it alone then I suggest you get a training partner or personal trainer who will help you sustain your motivation and accountability.
- Eat regularly throughout the day. Fasting or overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight – in the short run. Because the weight you lose is primarily water weight and lean muscle tone. But in the long-run it has exactly the opposite effect you want. When you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it’s being starved and shifts into a protective mode by storing fat. Your body’s energy expenditures will be fueled by your lean muscles causing your body fat to remain essentially the same while you lose vital fluids and muscle. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism becomes, and the less fat you burn. You should be eating three nutritionally balanced meals each day, and you should have at least one or two healthy snacks. Avoid fried and processed foods at all cost – talk about dead calories! Here’s a good rule of thumb: make sure that you are consistently “grazing” on health foods about every three hours. This includes at least half a gallon of fresh water every day. This keeps your metabolic furnace firing, so you burn more at a faster rate.
- If your goal is fat-loss then your cardiovascular exercise should be low intensity. Your heart rate during cardio exercise should not exceed 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. Let me say that in another way: If you can’t hold a conversation during your (fat-loss) cardiovascular training – then your intensity is to high — bring it down. If the intensity of your exercise increases your heart rate beyond 70% (which can occur very easily if you are in poor shape), you start shifting from using body fat as your energy source to relying on glucose metabolism. Your personal trainer can supply you with a simple heart rate monitor you can wear during exercise so you always stay in your peak fat-burning range.
- Don’t waste your time working small muscles with isolated movements. If you don’t enjoy doing resistance training, or are pressed for time, concentrate on working the largest muscle groups with compound resistance movements. When I see overweight people doing wrist curls or lateral raises, I cringe knowing that they will not see results. It’s probably due to a lack of understanding about how their bodies work. Most people want to lose fat and tone and firm their bodies. The way to do that is to use resistance (weights or machines) to train the large muscle groups. Men should be concentrating on legs, chest and back. Women should concentrate more on their legs and back. The best exercises for legs are lunges or squats (a personal trainer can show you the proper form and then monitor you during the exercise) and leg press. The best chest exercise is bench press, and the best back exercise is the seated row. All of these are compound movements, which means they incorporate multiple muscle groups, and compound movements are known for quickly increasing your metabolism.
- Always stretch. Stretching improves flexibility, blood flow, muscle recovery, low back pain and a host of other things. Additionally, stretching can prevent injury, make you sleep better and improve your performance in all sports. Always stretch, but be certain not to stretch cold muscles. You should always warm up before stretching. However, it is very important that you know how to stretch to achieve optimal fitness results. Never bounce, or aggressively push and pull a muscle beyond its natural range.
- Never Ever do a traditional sit-up. Unless you are super athlete with an incredibly well-developed midsection, sit-ups can lead to a strained lower back and possibly lumbar injuries. But it gets worse. Rather than hitting your abdominal section, sit-ups can shift exercise tension to your hip flexors – which defeats the purpose. There is so much misinformation about how to strengthen, tone, and firm the midsection, it’s almost frightening. It is very difficult to learn proper abdominal exercise technique by reading about it or watching it demonstrated on a video. You need to do it with supervision and get feedback about your form from a knowledgeable source. And keep in mind that you use your abdominal muscles in almost every single movement you make. Strengthening your abdominal region is the single most effective way to prevent, or recover from, low back pain – and to get that firm, slim look you are after.
- Set exercise appointments with yourself. Use your day-timer to set appointments for exercise – and then stick to them. You wouldn’t miss a business meeting or client appointment, would you? So don’t miss your exercise appointment with yourself. Nothing is more important than your health. Nothing. Everything else will crumble around you if your health goes south. So make your exercise appointments a priority. If you find it difficult to keep these appointments, then consider hiring a personal trainer who will hold you to your commitment. When you have money invested, and someone waiting for you to show up – you are much more likely to actually show up!
- Remember the benefits of resistance training. Remember that feeling of euphoria you experienced after a particularly good workout? You experienced that feeling because the most powerful “feel good” drug in the world – endorphins – are coursing through your veins. If there is a panacea, it’s exercise. It will fuel your motivation on those inevitable days when you just don’t feel like exercising. Additionally, exercising with resistance has tremendous benefits for your metabolism. Further, resistance training is the only way to sculpt, tope, and tighten your muscles on demand. Do you want shapelier legs? Resistance training will give it to you. How about a firm perfectly shaped rear? Resistance training will give it to you. Firm tummy, defined arms and a strong back? Resistance training will give it to you. Being physically fit affects every single aspect of your life: you sleep better, eat better, love better, overcome stress better, work better, communicate better and definitely look better!
- Never Ever skip breakfast. If you want to maximize your fitness results or fat-loss efforts, you’ve got to eat breakfast. Even if you don’t exercise at all – breakfast remains the most important meal of the day. Your breakfast should contain complete proteins and complex carbohydrates (if you’re trying to lose weight, you should eat the bulk of your complex carbohydrates at breakfast and lunch, and only have vegetable carbohydrates at dinner). A great breakfast is oatmeal (not the pre-packaged, pre-sweetened kind) with a little honey and banana and a protein drink. Or try scrambled egg whites with Healthy Choice turkey sausage.
There you have it. Ten essential strategies for an effective weight loss and fitness program that will have you looking and feeling better than you have in years – maybe ever! I realize that starting (or re-starting) a productive and effective weight loss and fitness program is not easy. That’s why I encourage you to get help.
because the hardest part is just getting started and sustaining your motivation until fitness becomes habitual. Once you develop the habit, which can take as little as thirty day, your whole life will change for the better.
Yours in good health,
Ken Karnack
P.S. I have taken the liberty of including a valuable certificate entitling you to a completely FREE Fitness Assessment & Training Program.
This certificate entitles you to a complimentary Fitness Assessment & Training Package including:
- A complete health and fitness analysis: this educational and fun analysis will provide us with starting data that we can use to produce a personalized fitness program and dietary and nutritional plan for maximum results ($65 value)
- One 30 minute personal training sessions with Ken Karnack ($60 value)
- Subscription to our monthly Client-only health and fitness newsletter ($29 value)
- Personalized seven day meal plan complete with weekly grocery list ($45 value)
Posted by Ken Karnack on Mon, Jan 26, 2009 @ 09:03 AM
Local fitness trainer, and personal trainer Ken Karnack has the best guide for beginning a resistance workout.
By now I am sure you have heard about work out for beginners and all the great fitness programs out there; low carb fitness programs, high protein, high reps for fat loss, 6 minutes a day for rock hard abs, the beach body workout, strength training for women and 10 minutes of butt blasters will get you in shape fast.
Well my friend, I am here to tell you that after 20 years of working as a personal trainer, and being in the trenches with all kinds of athletes and fitness professionals, there is still one thing that stands the test of time! SCIENCE! I have yet to see someone come to me and say that they followed this new REVOLUTIONARY fitness program and in only minutes a day, they got in fantastic shape. Never have I had a health club member, client, fellow personal trainer, fitness model, bodybuilder, or friend say, I just dieted and got in good shape.
I myself have tried many diet pills and nutritional products over the years and still I have not seen dramatic results until I started using Herbalife in my fitness program nor have I followed some special diet plan with out exercising and saw results. So why am I telling you this?
Because for the mass majority, we can’t just go and workout and whip ourselves into shape. It takes time, patience and a lot of planning. Yes, there are some of your friends that just had a baby and got back to their starting weight in just a few weeks. Yes. There are others who go to the gym and eat anything they want and they have their six pack back again in a few weeks. Well, we hate these people! I have had a six pack and it only cost me $6.99 at the local convenience store. OK, just kidding. But I was cut once, but it took too many band aides to keep me patched up. A little fitness humor…
Seriously! If you’re really looking to get into fantastic shape in a very short time, I would tell you to speak with fitness professional or a personal trainer and get a plan? Most times we see people struggling to get in shape, churning on the cardio, lifting so much weight they can’t walk for days and still stuck? Why?
Remember that word from above? SCIENCE! Well there is something to it. It refers to any systematic or practice of a system. So then how would we ever get into shape if by definition states that we have to learn something or follow a system? McDonald’s follows a system and it never fails. You cook a burger, you toast a bun, you top it, and you wrap it and then serve. It is that simple. A few years ago there were a few articles that had a list of the fitness products and gimmicks that were on TV and on the store shelves. I do not remember the exact number, but it was a little overwhelming. Hundreds upon thousands were reported all telling us that we will burn fat like no tomorrow.
They are selling hope! And yet as a society we are getting fatter by the minute. Obesity is at an all time high and growing. No pun intended. We tried fat free, low carb, diet pills that burn belly fat, come on, really? What is next a no protein diet rich in aloe juice and mangosteen?
Where does it end?
1. Get some Help. Starting out with a personal trainer will prevent injuries, and teach you good form that will result in more work that turns into more calories burned. don’t be ashamed to ask for help. IF you don’t believe me, just look around the gym, do you see someone form last year that looks the same? No knowledge, No Result.
2. Be Accountable for my fitness program. No one will do it for you. Even if you’re not ready to use a personal trainer, it is ok. Not everyone needs one. I can’t believe just said that, but it is true. There are many people who do amazing things with their fitness programs and totally transform their lives. The others? Well we are waiting to meet you. Repeat #1, schedule, prepare and write it down.
3. Track your progress. Get a journal and start keeping track. Back over a hundred years ago, a study was conducted with Harvard students that tracked information and saw a 90% increase retention rate with their studies. All business has a tracking method, do you? Track your workouts, weights, cardio, food, even your moods can have a positive impact on your fitness and health. We offer an on line fitness program that will help you stay on track. Or go to your local fitness equipment store and get a fitness journal for about $15. Use it daily.
4. Mix it up. Most people do the same exercises over and over for years and they always look the same. It is because they have adapted to the exercises and forces the body to adapt. We have to increase the weights, reps, sets, speed or tempo and most of all the intensity. Have you ever worked out and caused a plateau. We all have, changing it up every 2-4 weeks will make a big difference.
Let’s be clear here. Changing chest press to decline press will not be that dramatic. I am talking about changing 3 sets of 10 to drop sets, super sets, or jump rope between sets. Maybe instead of the body part split routine, go to a full body 3 days a week with 30 seconds between sets. Talk about a cardio boost!
5. REST & Rehab. Do you ever feel so sore that you just do not wan to workout? It is ok. Rest is just as important as exercising. Walking around so sore they cannot move will hinder your progress. For instance, if you’re always working out with weights and cardio and you are still sore the next day and do it over again, you’re taping into your rest cycle and not letting the muscle heal. We make our changes when we rest and sleep. We break down muscle during the training. What to do? A hot shower after exercise, a light cardio cool down, stretching and massage never hurt anyone. Or just simply take the day off. You’re not going to lose your gains that fast.
6. Track calories. Tracking calories is a sure fire way to get great results. I would say that 90% of people I come across do not track calories, but they really think they do. The big question is if you really track them, what method do you use? I normally get a response of I look at the label, or add them in my head. Well you would not track your check book in your head would you? So get to it.
7. The power of positive thinking and reinforcement. We were all created equal as humans, so we can all get into great shape. Some may have a better genetic disposition as we discussed earlier, but we have no limits on fat loss. It may take more work, but it can be done. Have ever heard Tiger Woods speak? He says things like, “I will do better next time, I need to practice my tee shots a little better, or I didn’t have my focus today so I will go back and re-evaluate my game this week to prepare for the next!” Schedule, Prepare, and change your thoughts to positive thinking. It works!
8. Move More.Make it a daily challenge to find ways to move your body. Climb stairs if given a choice between that and escalators or elevators. Walk your dog; chase your kids; toss balls with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it’s a stress buster. Think ‘move’ in small increments of time. It doesn’t have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute aerobic dance class or tai chi or kick boxing. But that’s great when you’re up to it. Meanwhile, move more. Thought for the day: Cha, Cha, Cha…. Then do it
9. Cut Fat Avoid the obvious such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats (i.e. pork, bacon, ham, salami, ribs and sausage). Dairy products such as cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream should be eaten in low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine, butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts. Most are available in lower fat versions such as substitute butter, fat free cheeses and mayonnaise. Thought for the day: Lean, mean, fat-burning machine…. Then be one
10. Never Quit. Remember this is a process that we can all benefit from. It is a learning process. It took me 3 years to break all the bad eating habits I acquired growing up. I used to eat, sugar filled cereals, chips, sodas, cheese, whole milk and my favorite was McDonald’s. It takes time, but is all worth it. So much worth it that I do it for a living. So what are you waiting for?
So there you have it. You’re ready to get your fitness program a real boost. Never stop believing in yourself and give it a chance. If you stay committed, track your progress, and have a little more patience, you will be successful. For more information on how to keep up with your fitness program and not get scammed by clever ads and bogus fitness products, contact us at:
“You can have Excuses or Results, but you can’t have both”
Try this: I will prepare my foods in advance for the next day knowing I am busy at work and with my kids. I will meet with a personal trainer one time per week because I know it will keep me accountable and have him update my fitness program, monitor my body fat, and make changes in my weight lifting program when I begin to plateau. I will schedule my weight, cardio, and meals so I never miss and get the fastest results possible. Overall I WILL reduce my body fat by 10% and be ready for summer. I will learn how to train my
Set a realistic goal: Have a plan. This is your blueprint. Write it down and make it clear and concise. No written plan is a recipe for disaster. Microsoft had a plan, and so does Tiger Woods. When he was 5 years old he told the media that he would be a pro. Look at him now.
I have listed 10 tips for you to get started on the right track.
Let’s see if we map out a Fitness Blueprint for you that make sense. That is easy to follow. That is based on the rules of Science. That anyone who is breathing can do with a little planning and effort.
THOSE WHO COMMIT TO CHANGE! Research shows that drinking one serving of Mango and aloe per day combined with a high fiber, high multi grain diet, with only 30 grams of protein per day will reduce your hips, thighs, arms and that hard to lose belly fat once in for all. Oh, yea, and in only 5 minutes a day!