Category: Personal Training

Virtual Fitness: How To Do Chest Stretches With The Exercise Stick

October 8, 2021

Overhead and Diagonal Stick Chest Stretch

Overhead Stick Chest Stretch

Twisting Stick Upper Body Stretch

Instructions: The top video demonstrates two movements that stretch the pectoral muscles; directly overhead, and diagonally overhead. The center video demonstrates the overhead movement only. The bottom video demonstrates a twistiing stretch for the obliques and spinal rotators.
Equipment & Benefits: The Stick is light and versatile. It’s used to improve balance and stretching. Click the link to read more about the stick. LINK
Modification: Don’t bring the stick all the way back. Cut the movement down by stopping when you feel you’ve had enough. Recognize your limits, and do not force the stretch.
Cautions: If your chest or front shoulders are tight, these exercises may be difficult for you. If that’s the case, then the diagonal move will be harder to do, and you’ll experience discomfort in your neck. Take it easy, and maintain a slow pace.
EXERCISE DOs and DONTs – As with all exercise programs, when using exercise videos that appear on this site, you need to use common sense. If your muscles are weak, either do the modifications, or don’t attempt this exercise if it’s too difficult for you. When starting an exercise program, be sure to discuss your plans with your healthcare provider

Virtual Fitness: All Fours Hamstrings and Glutes With Band

October 8, 2021

All Fours Hamstrings & Glutes

Target muscles are the glutes (backside) and hamstrings (posterior thigh).
Instructions: The All Fours Hamstrings and Glutes is a strength training exercise that targets the backside, and hamstrings . Lie on your back on your mat. Bend your knees at right angles, and place the fitness band around your thighs just above the knees.
Instructions continued: Roll over onto all fours. Align your wrists under your shoulders, and your knees under your hips. Slowly kick up your right leg aiming the sole of your foot at the ceiling, while maintaining a right angle at your knee. Pulse your leg toward the ceiling. Perform 3 sets of 8 – 10 repetitions. Repeat on the left leg. Do fewer sets and reps if you can’t do 3 of 8-10.
Equipment: Fitness mat, elastic band, sneakers.
How To Use The Elastic Band: The closer your knee gets to the mat, the greater the chances of the band sliding down and out of position. Thicker bands provide more resistance.
Modification: To reduce resistance, perform the exercise without the band.
Variation: Instead of the elastic band, use ankle weights around each ankle. Once secured , they will stay in place and are easier to control, than the elastic band. The heavier the weight, the greater the resistance.
EXERCISE DOs and DONTs – As with all exercise programs, when using exercise videos that appear on this site, you need to use common sense. If your muscles are weak, either do the modifications, or don’t attempt this exercise if it’s too difficult for you. When starting an exercise program, be sure to discuss your plans with your healthcare provider

Virtual Fitness: How To Do Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

October 7, 2021

Dumbbell Reverse Lunge

Description: The Dumbbell Reverse Lunge is a strength training core stabilization exercise that develops upper and lower arm, leg and thigh strength.
Instructions: Hold the dumbbells at your sides as if you’re going to do a Hammer Curl. As you bend your elbows to begin the exercise, turn the dumbbells upward so that both hands face the ceiling. Slowly step back into a Reverse Lunge as you perform the bicep curl.
Tempo: The model in this video is moving quickly throughout. I recommend that you slow down your movement until you get the hang of it, to avoid loss of balance. Failure isn’t funny, when it comes to working with hand weights.
Caution: This exercise requires the ability to stabilize your body as you step back while moving the dumbbells. If you’re unable to steady your movement, do the modification. Move slowly. This is not a beginner exercise.
Modification: Perform the exercise without the dumbbells. Place your hands on your hips, until you improve your ability to stabilize your body while moving into the Reverse Lunge.
EXERCISE DOs and DONTs – As with all exercise programs, when using exercise videos that appear on this site, you need to use common sense. If your muscles are weak, either do the modifications, or don’t attempt this exercise if it’s too difficult for you. When starting an exercise program, be sure to discuss your plans with your healthcare provider

Is Personal Training Too Expensive?

August 29, 2021

BUYER HESITATION

When considering whether or not to hire a personal trainer, a buyer may anticipate spending hundreds of dollars on a long-term commitment. Right away, they’re calculating the fees they can’t afford.

THE PURPOSE OF PERSONAL TRAINING

When a buyer understands that the purpose of personal training is to solve a fitness problem, it narrows down the time they need to spend fixing the issue. This puts finances into a realistic ballpark.

AFFORDABILITY

An example of a common fitness problem would be chronic low backache, whose origin is muscular weakness. While this issue may seem insurmountable to a client, it will not require months of endless training.

CLIENT PARTICIPATION vs. BYSTANDER

A personal training client should be willing to participate in their training program, by asking questions, giving feedback, and recognizing the functional improvements in everyday life, as a beneficial outcome of their exercise program. This understanding improves motivation and compliance. The more you participate, the more money you’ll save on training.

Irene Pastore, is a Certified Personal Trainer, fitness blogger, health educator, and speaker. She has 24 years experience teaching exercise in New York City. Visit the About page to read her bio.. to read her bio4

Loser Workouts: Why You’re Not Getting Results

June 25, 2013

This might not be the best exercise for her.

You can’t lose weight, your abs are still weak, your flexibility isn’t what you’d like it to be, and you keep getting injured. What’s wrong?

Ask Yourself A Few Questions

Would you consider do-it-yourself dentistry, or do-it-yourself medical care? Would you allow an amateur photographer to photograph your wedding?  Most likely not.

When you want the job done correctly, you hire a professional to do it.  But most people think they can go to the gym, pick up the equipment, start working out, and achieve their goals. In most cases it doesn’t work that way.

Loser Workouts

Both women have weak upper back muscles.
Both women have weak upper back muscles.

A Loser Workout is when you spend considerable time and effort working out, and fail to get the results you want.  You may even experience injuries like muscle strains.

Depending on the severity, a muscle strain can put a stop to your workouts, and even your daily routine, because you’re in too much pain to move.

Break The Loser Workout Cycle

You need to realize that hiring a personal trainer will get you on track to a winning workout.

That means, you’ll achieve your goals, see quicker results, understand which is the best equipment to use, and you’ll stop hurting yourself.  In essence you’ll be turning your life around.

Don’t Hire a Personal Trainer To Count Reps

You can count to ten on your own.  So you’re not hiring a trainer to do your counting.

Reasons To Hire A Trainer

A trainer is an educator who teaches you all of the following:

  • Correct alignment during exercise, so that you avoid injury.
  • Where you have muscle imbalance, and how it affects your workouts.
  • Faulty lifestyle habits that cause poor posture, and how to correct it.
  • How to improve your nutrition, and how to break bad eating habits.

When you’re eating better and exercising regularly, you’re going to lose weight, and feel alot better!

Copyright 2013 Irene Pastore and Blue Moon Personal Training