7 December, 2011

Special Discount on Sessions Plus a FREE GIFT!

Filed under: Deals — Joanne @ 8:09 pm

It’s the last month of 2011. Where did the time go? Hope you all had a fantastic year, and will have for the remaining couple of weeks. We’re sure you’re well on your way to achieving the fitter, stronger and more flexible body you’ve wanted with the help of your Personal Trainer Toronto.

But even if you’re currently neglecting your fitness goals a bit due to all the holiday hubbub that’s scheduled this time of year, you can still take advantage of an offer that expires on Saturday, December 31, 2011.

Find out more about Flexibility Therapy.

Find out more about Bamboo Kung Fu School’s unlimited kung fu and kickboxing group classes.

Only one gift per client, please. Contact us to get your discounted pricing and FREE GIFT!

 

 

9 November, 2011

No Weights? No Problem!

Filed under: Muscle Training — Joanne @ 5:20 pm

You don’t have weights but you want to build muscle. Does this mean that you get to skip your workout just because you don’t have any equipment? No!

There’s absolutely on reason why you should skip a workout in the event you don’t have weights. This is not a valid reason! Personal training Toronto experts want you to get off of that couch and into your gym clothes, ready to train with a number of body weight exercises that are guaranteed to be just as, or even more, challenging than weights.

The great thing about body weight exercises is that not only do you not need any equipment, you also get a great workout that can be customized according to your level of fitness. Lower intensity by doing less reps at a leisurely pace, or increase intensity by really concentrating on each, doing more reps, and picking up the pace.

1. Push ups. A perfect push up is an exercise that targets the chest, arms and mid section. This really is one of the most efficient and strength boosting exercises you can do, as long as you do it right. Switch up to keep it interesting by narrowing the space between your hands. Remember to keep your elbows as close to your body as possible.

2. Burpees. A cardiovascular and muscle-toning exercise. As you jump up, go as high as you can to work the leg muscles.

3. Lunges. Deeper lunges are more challenging here. You can perform stationary or travelling lunges – whatever you prefer.

4. Plank. Keep your back as parallel to the ground as possible. You don’t want your butt to be sticking up or your back to curve.

5. Jump squats. Another great exercise that will burn that butt flab and make your thighs quiver after you’ve finished.

Perform one set of each without resting, then take a little rest before starting the circuit again for the second and third time. By the third and final time, you should be barely able to complete all the reps, because your body will be that tired.  Don’t believe us? It’s okay, we’re used to people not thinking this is hard – until they try it themselves! Aim for 8 reps for beginners (with a 30second hold for the plank) and kick it up to 15 (with a 2 minute hold for the plank) if you want the challenge.

The fantastic thing about this circuit is that you don’t need any equipment at all, plus you’ll still be building muscle and improving strength. Exercises courtesy of Personal training Toronto

3 October, 2011

Introducing Our New Prowler!

Filed under: Personal Trainer Toronto — Joanne @ 7:42 pm

Our personal training facility in Scarborough is fully equipped with only the most effective fitness equipment to get your body in prime physical condition. That’s right, we don’t have any of those fruity contraptions that don’t do a thing for your actual fitness capability. So you know that when we add something, it’s going to work well.

Personal Trainer Toronto is pleased to announce the arrival of our new Prowler. Check out the photo.

You like?

Prowlers are  fitness aids that are guaranteed to change your perception of training forever. How? They are designed to give you the ultimate full body workout, where your ENTIRE body is engaged, not just one little muscle. No more spot training to bulge up just your lats or quads. That kind of training is time consuming and inefficient. The prowler gives you real world strength in every part of your body that needs more power: your arms, legs, hips, buttocks, back and core. Nothing is left untouched by this device. You’ll get:

fantastic endurance
general conditioning
improved strength that’s real, not just for look
muscles that are more flexible, even when stretched beyond your comfort zone
drastic calorie burning in one session, burning up fat stores so you slim down

Do you like what we’re saying? Give it a try, but we warn you in advance: the prowler isn’t for the faint of heart. You need to have the ability to test your limits and maintain the discipline of going way beyond your comfort level, because your personal trainer will push you. And if you have tried it before, don’t worry. We’ve got regimens that will make it harder than ever to keep you “interested”.

Drop by our Scarborough personal fitness studio to meet the prowler in person. If we have the time and you’re in the right clothes and physical capacity (you’ll be briefly assessed physically to ensure you can take it), you may even be able to give it a try. Just be prepared to be sore!

1 September, 2011

15 Minute Workout

Filed under: Working Out — Joanne @ 3:00 pm

Got 15 minutes to spare in your schedule? If you do, then you can work out and still get some health benefits, even without your Oshawa personal trainers!

Scientists have long promoted 30 minutes a day almost every day of the week as the standard and bare minimum for health benefits. If you’re an adult, that means you have to exercise, at moderate intensity, for at least that long to stay fit and reap the benefits. An example of a moderate intensity workout would be a brisk walk. But let’s be serious – 30 minutes is a long time and somewhat of a luxury when you’re on the go all day and can barely breathe, let alone exercise!

But here’s some good news for the oh-so-busy: a study has found that a quick 15 minute workout may still give you a boost fitness-wise.

The study, published in the medical journal, The Lancet, followed 400,000 people living in Taiwan who self-reported their activity to the country’s National Health Research Institutes. According to the participants, even performing 15 minutes of exercise at moderate intensity experienced a reduction of:

all-cause mortality by 14%
all-cancer mortality by 10%
cardiovascular mortality by 20%
and an average of a three-year longer life expectancy when compared to participants who were inactive.

The more exercise the participants performed, unsurprisingly, the more health benefits they obtained.

Why is this interesting to us, Oshawa personal trainers?

You’ll be surprised by the number of people who don’t do anything at all just because they don’t have enough time to do a full workout (half an hour to an hour, usually). Many people will simply give up and say, “well, I don’t have enough time so it’s not worth it. Might as well watch tv instead.” That’s the wrong attitude! While 30 minutes is still better (only because it’s longer), 15 is still acceptable.

If you have the choice of doing a short 15 minute workout and doing nothing at all, go for the 15. At least you’ll still be getting something out of it!  And no worries if you can’t do a full hour – there’s no harm in breaking up your hour into smaller segments you can do throughout the day. 30 minutes in the morning, 15 at lunch, then 15 before dinner – it’s all good.

Sample 15 minute workout, courtesy of Personal Trainer Toronto. This is roughly 15 minutes. Modify for intensity if you wish by switching up the regular pushups with one-arm ones, for example.

4 minutes: Light jogging on the spot to warm up. Throw in some jumping jacks for good measure.
2 minutes: 10 pushups
3 minutes: 12 deep squats
4 minutes: as many burpees as possible – pay attention to your form!
2 minutes: shallow squats and light stretch

Sounds easy enough. Try it out!

4 August, 2011

The Benefits of Circuit Training

Filed under: Working Out — Joanne @ 2:37 pm

Unless you’re chosen career is in the fitness industry, you aren’t spending most of your day exercising and working out. You probably just have a bit of time set aside out of your hectic schedule to work out – and even doing that forces you to adjust your schedule to accommodate your work out. You don’t have a lot of time to spare, and you demand that your work out is as efficient as possible to maximize the benefits. You need to do circuit training.

Circuit training is not for the faint of heart. This style of training is high intensity for a shorter period of time and demands the effort of your entire body for muscular and cardiovascular improvement. You’ll be moving your body in a variety of ways to target all parts of your body, whether it’s the your legs, arms, abs, back, or wherever else you want to improve. No muscle group is left untouched. Here’s an example of what a regular circuit training session would be like with your Scarborough personal trainer:

pushups
squats
pull ups
situps
lunges

Each exercise would be done slowly or quickly, depending on the intensity level, and some jumping may also be incorporated into the routine to increase the cardio level. Between each exercise, don’t expect much of a break – you need to keep your heart rate up to get the full benefits. Rethink what a “break” is – you’ll be giving your arms a break while you do squats, but rarely will you be allowing your entire body rest. Your personal trainer will customize the circuit according to what your fitness goals are.

It is typical that no weights are used during circuit training when you first start exercising this way. Your body is sufficient in providing enough weight resistance during each exercise. Of course, after a while weights may be added to increase intensity, but again, this will be quite light.

No weights or ones that are very light – sound too easy? We challenge you to try a bit of circuit training with us, your Scarborough personal trainer. Your first session is free so what do you have to lose?

4 July, 2011

Oshawa Personal Trainer

Filed under: Women — Joanne @ 1:44 pm

Thanks to our expanding team of trainers, we are now able to provide  Oshawa personal trainer services! Let us come to you so you can achieve the body you want, in the safety and comfort of your home or neighbourhood. Our Oshawa personal trainers understand that everyone’s goals are different. We can tailor your workout to make it challenging for you. It’s a perfect way to get fit on your terms, and is fantastic for first time moms!

If you’re a first time mom, you know how much your body has changed after giving birth. Your hips may have gotten wider and fat probably accumulates more easily in areas where you never had a problem before, like your stomach, hips and thighs. The changes to your body shape may be bringing you down, but don’t let them get the best of you. You have the capability to shed the pounds that you’ve accumulated from pregnancy. Do it now before it’s too late – a recent study has shown that gaining weight after your first birth can dramatically improve your chances of developing diabetes during your second pregnancy (gestational diabetes). The study, conducted by healthcare organization Kaiser Permanente in California, found that the risk for developing gestational diabetes is double for a woman who gains about 12-17 pounds following their first pregnancy, compared to a woman of the same height whose weight remains stable. Gain more than 18 pounds, and the risk triples. Type 2 diabetes may also develop more easily at a later time, and the child may also be more prone to obesity.

It’s important to note that women will gain weight during pregnancy – it’s only natural. However, excess weight that is a result of fat should be kept to a minimum; what’s healthy should be defined by your doctor.

Some ways to shed the baby fat after childbirth are:

1. Perform gentle exercises, like walking, regularly. Ramp up intensity after a couple of months, after your body has healed and has recovered from the trauma of childbirth.

2. Resist the temptation to finish your baby’s leftovers once they start on solids.

3. Stick to a healthy diet. It’s incredibly important, especially if you’re breastfeeding.

4. Research has found that women who breastfeed for a minimum of 6 months find it easier to reclaim a healthy weight.

5. Talk to us to get started on a bespoke exercise regimen created by your Oshawa personal trainer serving the east of Toronto area!

6 June, 2011

Equalizing Flexibility

Filed under: Uncategorized — Joanne @ 10:31 pm

Chances are, before and after every workout you stretch. At the beginning of a workout, you may just do some gentle stretches to get your blood flowing and to prevent injury while you actually workout. During or after your workout, once your body is thoroughly warmed up, you probably perform more intensive Toronto stretching training, this time to improve your flexibility and reduce potential muscle soreness.

Most people notice that they have one side that is more flexible than the other. For example, you might be able to touch your toes on your left leg, but barely touch them on your right. Or perhaps you are more flexible in your quad muscles in the front of your thighs, but not so much in your hamstrings in the back. This is a common problem. If left unattended to, this problem can lead to injury since your body will compensate by favouring your more flexible side, putting more stress on it and leading to an imbalance of weight distribution with a higher risk of developing back pain. To improve balance, athletic ability and reduce the risk of injury (whether from mundane daily physical activities or while exercising), equalizing the flexibility of both sides of your body is incredibly important.

The only real solution is to spend more time stretching the tighter muscles and joints. It’s easy to say, because after all, the more flexible you are on one side, the better it feels to stretch it (thereby worsening the problem). But it’s something you just have to do!

If intensity is a problem, simply increase the number of stretching exercises you perform on the weaker side. If your calves are tight, don’t just sit with your legs straight out in front of you and try to touch your toes – try a variety of stretches like:

1. Stand on the edge of a stair with your heel unsupported. Gently drop the heel down with the rest of your foot still placed firmly on the stair. Hold for a few seconds, then switch legs.

2. Assume a lunging position with toes in line and facing forward, hip-width apart. Keeping both feet firmly planted on the ground, and gently lunge forward, keeping your back leg and back one straight line. Hold a few seconds then repeat.

3. Sit with legs joined and straight in front. Gently point and flex the feet, holding a couple of seconds in each position. Keep the back as straight as possible.

Want more stretching training exercise suggestions? Call us and we’d be glad to help! 416-412-3930. Personal Trainer Toronto offers comprehensive myofascial stretching toronto training sessions to the Greater Toronto Area, including Brampton, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Scarborough, Markham and Richmond Hill.

4 May, 2011

Flexibility Training In Toronto at Personal Trainer Toronto

Filed under: Flexibility — Joanne @ 6:14 pm

Personal Trainer Toronto is dedicated to improving your fitness, and that doesn’t just mean your cardiovascular health and strength level. It also includes your flexibility, an often neglected aspect of fitness that many don’t realize the incredible importance of. But for all of you who have visited our blog before, you probably already know the importance of flexibility training Toronto, so we won’t repeat what you’ve already read (how flexibility helps increase range of motion, agility and prevents injury not just on the field or in the ring, but also in your daily life).

Flexibility training is beneficial for all people, whether you’re an amateur or top-rated professional athlete to a retired senior – everyone can benefit. It can also treat specific conditions:

Individuals with Circulatory Problems: Stretching increases circulation to the muscles and tissues, allowing better delivery of nutrients and oxygen as well as removal of toxins.

Growing Athletes
Flexibility training is vital for athletes and active adolescents for the purpose of injury prevention. It’s the bones that tend to grow the fastest at this age, and since the muscles do not grow as fast, they remain shorter and tighter. Lack of flexibility also inhibits athletic performance. For these reasons, stretching is important to prevent any injuries than can happen more easily during this time and improve overall ability.

To relieve stress: Much like massage, increase circulation combined with the relaxing effect of flexibility training has a great positive impact on stress or anxiety.

There are several other benefits that we will list at another time.

So what’s the difference between Flexibility Training by a Personal Trainer Toronto Pro and someone else?

Personal Trainer Toronto has discovered that the Stretch to Win method of flexibility training is far more effective in obtaining positive benefits for anyone than other methods. The patented system is far more comprehensive, targeting not just stretching the muscles, but also the fascia. The system is designed to alleviate joint compression as well – a disintegrating problem that can cause serious health concerns if left untreated. Stretch to Win techniques involve the natural movements of your body to maximize their range of motion. While there are a set of standard techniques, these techniques are modified according to your needs only so that each session is customized and unique.

To find out more about flexibility training Toronto and speak to a certified Stretch to Win therapist, contact 416-412-3930.

2 February, 2011

Saving Your Joints

Filed under: Human Anatomy — Joanne @ 7:29 am

The human body has about 200 joints (or more depending on who you talk to). Comprised of connective tissue that connects two bones together, every one is responsible for some type of movement. Whether it’s to bend, turn, or rotate, we rely on joints to perform daily functions. But weight gain, weak muscles, aging and many other factors can all contribute to the disintegration of the cartilage and fibrous tissue that make up the joints, leading to the painful and debilitating disease, osteoarthritis. You can prevent getting osteoarthritis by following these 5 tips:

1. Do strength training. Muscles help the joints do their job, and if they’re strong enough, your joints won’t have to work nearly as hard. This prevents the erosion of connective tissue.

2. Improve your balance. This requires more strength and flexibility to a certain extent. By working on your balance, you’ll be adjusting how your joints bear weight and getting it to be more evenly distributed. This will even out the muscles and joints in question, so you don’t have one section of your knee, for example, that must be responsible for bearing all your body weight. Personal Trainer Toronto offers free structural balance testing with most fitness packages.

3. Move more. Joints love to move, so get moving! No matter how old you are, try to remain physically active to prevent the pain and stiffness that can easily result from a sedentary lifestyle. If you’re concerned about over exerting yourself, stick to gentler, less intense exercises such as walking and swimming at a leisurely pace.

4. Stand up straight. Bad posture is terrible for the joints, since it makes the spine contort unnaturally. Sit and stand up straight.

5. Lose weight. Medical research has found that an extra 4 pounds of stress is added to the knees for every pound of weight you gain. Now imagine if you gain 10 pounds – that’s an extra 40 pounds that your knees have to bear! It’s as if you’d be carrying a small child around on your knees alone, all the time. That’s why a common problem with people who are overweight is knee pain. Lose some weight and you’ll find your knees to be less problematic.

25 January, 2011

Improving Strength for Martial Arts

Filed under: Muscle Training — Joanne @ 12:37 pm

Are you a martial artist that wants to improve your game? Personal Trainer Toronto offers a unique fitness program specially designed for you:

Martial arts classes tend to focus on developing form, but rarely does training ever address the actual physical strength of the students. You learn to punch, kick, and all that other good stuff, but ability tends to plateau at a certain point without additional exercises. A student’s ability can never improve if they do the same punching and kicking drills over and over again. A martial artist’s regimen must be supplemented with practical strength training exercises, something Bruce Lee knew all too well. Adding this fundamental part of training not only improves strength, it also enhances explosive power (if the exercises are performed correctly).

Our background in martial arts allows us the ability to custom design a fitness regimen that targets all the necessary muscles that are involved in delivering the strongest and most lethal movements in your martial arts style. From punching and kicking to grappling and throwing, Fighting Fit addresses weaknesses to transform them into strengths so can become the lean, mean, fighting machine you want to be.

Sign up for Fighting Fit, and you’ll endure a rigorous program at our Markham facility that’s 3 times a week on an 18 week cycle. You’ll be using special equipment, under the guidance of one of our personal trainers with a martial arts background, to improve strength, true explosive power, and flexibility – all essential traits contributing toward a good martial artist. You’ll be performing some exercises that appear in any fitness program, like the squats that Bruce Lee did, as well as some that are tailored to help you achieve your ultimate goal.

Tired of getting beaten up and losing the fight? Call us to sign up for your Martial Arts Strength Training program. It’s only $59 per session – and if you want to train with a sparring partner, they’re free.

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