"Guaranteed to work or your money back!" I can't tell you how many times I've heard that. So I always get asked about fitness products,equipment, supplements,books,videos etc.  So lets start with what I think started it all:

Body For Life

Body For Life was a book written by Bill Phillips (founder of Muscle Media 2000) that started the whole fitness contest craze. It was simple. Take a before picture . Use at least one EAS product and take an after picture 12 weeks later. The winners were featured in the movie Body For Life and then the book Body For Life. The book was very simple. No great secret here. If you burn more than you take in, you lose weight. Add 3 days week of resistance training and you will improve your physique. What I really like about this whole thing was that it got everyone excited about fitness. The result, Body For Life spent 200 straight weeks on the best seller list.

Total Gym

You gotta love Chuck Norris. Seriously, if Chuck told me that eating cat food would turn me into a better fighter I probably would have to try it. Throw Christie Brinkley in there and you have got a recipe for success. I actually like the Total Gym. It is based on the principal of using portions of your body weight to perform exercises. The pulley system adds an element of instability. Get the delux version it is more stable and not as shaky. I recommend the Total Gym to maintain you body. You can also get some very original Pilates like movements on this machine.

The Bow Flex

I loved the infomercial for this thing. It was comical. Yet very accurate. This is actually one of the most complete pieces of equipment I've ever seen. No real drawbacks. I like the"power rods". While I've seen a number of these machines in the garage collecting dust, I have yet to hear a complaint. Like the Total Gym , the rods add an element of instability. 

P90x

I get so many people that say Austin Fitness Extreme is a great deal like this DVD. I bought it a while back and was very impressed.  I love the concept. Work every body part and never rest. The exercises are very  smooth. The transitions are flawless and the workouts are diverse enough to keep you interested  and motivated. I like P90x. 

The Power Plate

I'm gonna get myself in trouble here. Every now and then a piece of equipment comes along that makes too many claims for it's own good. The Power Plate is  a platform that vibrates at varying levels of intensity. The user can perform varying exercises and/or poses to engage their stabilizing muscles and core. I am not a fan of this machine at all. While it does cause you to engage stabilizing muscles , it does so in a way that doesn't address the users individual lack of balance or stability. The plate vibrates at an even rhythm. Conversely if you get on a balance board, you find out real quick which side you favor, and how you need to correct your own stability. The power Plate doesn't do that. The claim that it improves strength has been disproven by The Cooper Clinic and Harvard Medical School.  However, if you are sore it does offer some relief much the same way a massage chair would. 

So What do I like? 

I love kettlebells, plyometrics and my new set of gymnastic rings. More than anything else, keep your workouts new. try new things. Just be logical about it. Like I said a while back, "Does balancing on one leg ,on the bosu,holding a weight in one hand, closing one eye,   while doing a squat realy do anything?"  Not so much.

Before I start, several people have said...."so would you encourage Tommy to fight professionally as you have?" The answer is..... I would discourage it. If he did choose to pursue fighting I would make sure he was prepared and focused.  Even so, you can prepare 4 hours a day, 6 days a week and still be unsuccessful. 

 Now on to some fun stuff. I love working  sitting back and watching people workout. I try to figure out what is driving them . I also look at what they are doing or who their training with.  I read enough fitness magazines and fitness books that I can tell who has a subscription to Mens Health. I also can tell who is obsessed with "youtube". Myself included. I love to watch old Duran Duran videos. 

   What amazes me these days is that so many people try to reinvent the wheel. 

  So here is my question to you:

If you stand on a bosu(blue boob) with one leg and do bicep curls what exactly are you accomplishing? 

Better yet, if you do an incline chest press with a medicine ball between your legs what exactly are you accomplishing?

Core? Blah Blah Blah Balance? Blah Blah Blah

 So lets talk about fitness. Fitness is your bodies ability or inability to do work. Now that is different for all of us.  Last year I got a chance to roll(jui jitsu) with a Hawaian ironman participant. Dimitri is in phenominal shape. He does ultra marathons in his spare time. When I got him on the mat, he lasted about 3 minutes before he completely gassed out. At the same time, he would kill me running. So who is more fit? Well, we both are, for our individual sports. I do some grueling workouts that are designed to prepare my body for combat in the ring. Not everyone needs to do those types of workouts.

  Dimitri had his workouts designed around running. Those workouts made sense for him. 

In return he was a successful at his sport.

   So what is your goal? I know ,the standard trainer question. Lose weight? Get stronger? Run faster? Run longer? Play with your kids? Only you know. When I design workouts I like to work "top 2 bottom" if my clients goal is to get more overall  fit and lose weight. I suggest they do these workouts 3 days a week. So for those of you who want to mix it up. Try this (no silly bosu or power plate nonsense)

Incline dumbell chest press 20 reps

Single arm dumbell row(right) 20 reps

Single arm dumbell row(left)20 reps

Scissor jumps 20 reps

cross body crunch 20 reps

Shoulder press 20 reps

Weighted squats 20 reps

Crunches 20 reps

Squat and Press  combo 20 reps

Single leg dead lift(right) 20 reps

Single Leg dead lift(left) 20 reps

Bicep curls 20 reps

Dips   20 reps

Crunches 20 reps

This is 1 circuit. No break in between exercises. Upon completion of  the full set, take 2 minutes and then repeat the whole set.

Good Luck.

I always get asked if I'm going to let my son kickbox or do jui jitsu.  Ever since Tommy was a baby  he has been around the fight game.  When he was in a  carrier I would bring him into the kickboxing gym and give him a bottle in between sparring rounds. He has watched every fight known to man. He usually reads or draws during the UFC. He actually has his own Thai boxing shorts and gloves. For his 7th birthday, the boys from Tapout made him shirts and shorts.  He knows how to kick, punch and do a few submissions.  I'm just waiting for that first phone call" Mr. Krausz your son triangle choked some in the playground. He kept saying tap or nap." If his mom doesn't already hate me she will then. 

   Last year in Vegas while training at Extreme Couture , I watched Josh Hayes teach a kids MMA class. It was awesome. There were 16(4-7) kids all in mma gear working on technique in the octagon.

     Here in Texas it's all about Football. If a kid can throw a football, their parents automatically think he is going to be the next Vince Young. That sport turns into an obsession for..........the parents. They buy them the best gear. Make them watch football. Posters or Brett Favre on his walls. And then they get them a personal trainer. This all happens by the time they are 10 years old.  By the time they are 12 , the parents are sending them to "football" camps during the summer. What was once a kids sport has turned in to a full time job for these young boys.  I watched an interview with Troy Aikman and Emitt Smith  on HBO's Real Sports last year. They were asked what a parent could do to improve their kids chances of getting into the pros. Their response surprised me. They both said  1.) make sure they are capable of getting into college 2.) don't put them in summer football camps.  I was shocked. They both explained that playing college sports required getting in to college. Even the slowest player needs to  be able to get into college.  They both also said that many of these sports camps are ruining young athletes. These kids get no breaks and it doesn't allow their bodies time to build,get stronger , and get better. In the end many of these young athletes get burned out and injured long before they hit college. This actually made sense to me.

    So, what is my advice to the parents that want their kids to be the next Deon Sanders, Eli Manning, David Beckam, Mia Hamm, or Nolan Ryan? 

First Let them be kids first. Make sure they get a good education. If they are gifted, rather than overuse and damage that gift ,reinforce and protect it by incorporating stability movements into their workout regime. Pay attention to their core strength. Everything starts in the center. So make sure that the relationship  in strength between their abs and lower back is proportional.  And by all means, if they can swim, get them in a pool. Trust me.

    It is finally starting to warm up again in Austin. It's about time. Those outdoor workouts are calling my name. 

    I was in Eisteins yesterday getting myself a bacon, egg, and cheese on toasted wheat bread and i noticed the person in front of me getting a box of bagels for work(at least I hope it was work). This person got themselves a bowl of fruit and blueberry bagel caked with creme cheese. They washed it all down with a diet coke. What caught my eye was that they were filling out a diet log as they ate. I am all about the diet log. Later in the day I sat down with one of my clients who was concerned about their weight loss.  I tend to be pretty blunt so I broke it down for them very simply. "There are 168 hours in a week. I see you 2 of those hours. A great deal of what your body looks like will depend on what you do with the other 166 hours."

     You need to :feed your body,test your body ,and rest your body. If you skip out or overindulge in any of those it can truly affect your energy and progress.  So what is the hidden danger out there? 

First off: Fat free doesn't mean calorie free! Stay away from saturated fats! Look at your sugar intake. Sugar raises your insulin levels. When your insulin levels are elevated your body doesn't burn fat.  So for all you smoothie people out there. Be careful. I know it sounds healthy, but many of those smoothies are loaded in sugar. 

     As the weather gets warmer take some of those workouts outside. Sprints are wonderful. Here in Austin we have several hills I love to torture my clients with.My favorites are the 7th street hill and the spicewood and 360 hill. Try sprinting up hills. Watch for traffic. Take a medicine ball with you and do side 2 side pushups for 30 seconds and then sprint up the hill. Do this for 6 sets. Take a 2 minute break and then do squats with the medicine ball and then jog up the hill backwards. Try that 3 sets. When your done get some food. NO SMOOTHIES!!

About 5 years ago I tore my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) while I was sparring with my training partner Nick Gonzales. While I went to kick Nick in the head with my right leg, he simultaneously kick my left leg. Normally my leg would have just gone out from underneath me. This time however, my leg  locked and my ACl was sliced in half. The purpose of the ACL is to keep your femur and tibia stable. When my ACL tore, i lost all stability in my left leg and when I went to balance on it it just collapsed. 

   I had a great surgeon here in Austin(Don Davis). I was a completely annoying patient. I asked way too many questions, and even wanted to videotape the surgery. I know, I'm a little sadistic. During some of our discussions, Dr. Davis told me that over the years he has seen an influx in ligament surgeries for young athletes. Why is this?

   One thing I've noticed while watching young athletes train, was that very few of them incorporate stability and injury preventative exercises. Yeah they all squat,dead lift,bench press, and do sprints. Coaches want you to max out those lifts and the minute you get injured  there is no shortage of kids to take your place. 

   So here is some advice: Perform stability exercises in conjunction with your traditional lifts. Single leg squats. Squat on the bosu(blue boob) or a balance disc. Try bounding from side to side . Don't just do a regular plank, perform a side plank and lift your top leg for 1 minute. We all know what a squat thrust is right? Balance on your right leg and perform a single leg squat thrust. Single leg dead lifts are amazing for your core and hamstrings. Remember, you can benefit from your traditional movements as well your stability movements. It doesn't have to be one or the other.  A good schedule for this week is shown below.

Monday

Full body Power Circuit

15 min moderate cardio workout

Tuesday

Full Body stabilzation and core work

10-15 min sprint interval cardio

Wed

Off

Thurs

Full Body Power Circuit

15 min moderate cardio

Friday

Full Body stabilization and core work

10-15 min sprint interval cardio

Sat/Sunday

Plyometrics upper/lower

Good luck

I got a confession for you guys. I love reality TV. Seriously. I think I have an addiction. It started with the bachelor. It was completely insane. We as a coulture are obsessed with seeing heartache on Tv as well as getting the chance to be on TV. No matter how horrible,despicable,gross, or nasty. I myself tried out for season 3 of "The Ultimate Fighter".  Sometimes you can't help but watch a train wreck. Don't lie people, "Rock of Love" is a little entertaining. If for nothing other than checking out all the different ways you can rotate"Every Rose Has It's Thorn" into 60 min.

     When I heard of The Biggest Loser I was intrigued. Once I found out they kicked people off when they didn't lose enough weight , I was completely turned off.  But, I was finally convinced to watch about 2 years ago. After crying like a baby for more than half of the hour I realized I was officially hooked.  The Bigggest Loser shows all of us that being overweight is much more than just being lazy. 

   Once the participants on the show are able to focus themselves it's amazing what they can do. Our bodies can do some incredible stuff.  About 13 years ago while working out at the Chicago Fitness Center, I saw some guys doing a series of jumps onto platforms. It was crazy. They weren't basketball players, or football players, or even fighters. They were actually in the ballet. I tried jumping up on a 24 inch box and racked my shins as well as bruised my ego. These guys were jumping on top of 36 inch platforms for 10 reps at a time.  I was determined to master this thing called plyometrics.  The explosive movements involved in plyometrics is designed to create explosive power and strength. One of the great benefits of this is that plyometrics gets your heart rate elevated and helps you burn calories at a much higher rate. 

The draw back is that much like my shins and ego, you can hurt yourself. It's all about moderation. Anyone can do plyometrics.  Last week on The Biggest Loser, I saw people jumping on top of a  24 inch platform for reps. Impressive!

   Every morning I make Austin Fitness Extreme jump in one form or another. If you get a chance try this out at home or in the gym

5 jumping squats

5 clapping pushups(as you push your upper body up clap your hands together)

5 crunches

10 jumping squats

10 clapping pushups

10 crunches

15 jumping squats

15 clapping pushups

15 crunches

20 jumping squats

20 clapping pushups

20 crunches

Do all reps with no break. Once you do your last set rep of 20 crunches, take a 2 minute break, and then go in reverse order(20 reps,15 reps,10,reps,5 reps) back down.

Good Luck

I was watching one of my fellow trainers put one of their clients through a workout a while back and something struck me a little odd. I had seen this before.   I went home and looked through all my fitness magazines and low and behold there it was.  Muscle and Fitness Hers   center fold out workout. Almost the exact same workout exercise for exercise. I was perplexed. I payed attention to this trainer for the next few weeks and I saw the same trend. All but one of their clients received this exact same workout. I was amazed  that a client was paying $65.00 and hour for something they could have gotten for $3.99 at the local HEB. 

   I'll be the first person to say that personal training isn't rocket science. In fact I think sometimes we try to overcomplicate it. I actually heard someone say that standing on the "power Plate" can rid your body of toxins. You've got to be kidding me. Don't even get me started on the "power plate".

       I've always tried to make things new and inventive for my clients and for Austin Fitness Extreme. About 6 years ago when I was just beginning my first small camps I decided to spy on all the "other camps" out there and see what was going on. For the most part they all did similar things. Some were more intense. Some seemed like a social hour. And some just seemed as though the class was leading the instructor not the other way around.  I knew I needed to be different. I went out and bought 40 kettlebells , 40 resistance bands, and 40 pushup handles. It was a gamble. Every other month I would add something new. Eventually I couldn't just bring everything. I brought one item a day . On friday I started doing stations of 15-30 different exercises.  I also included days of nothing but military calisthenics . Now our list of supplies has grown to

 kettlebells

dumbells

weighted bars

resistance bands

pushup handle

plyometric ladders

plyometric benches

hurdles

sandbags

medicine balls

kickboxing shields

cones

gymnastic rings

I'm sure as the months pass that list will increase. I've constantly tried to think outside my own comfort zone.  I want to learn new things. At the same time I don't want to find myself doing the same workout everyday. One of my frequently asked about workouts is "the Deck Of Cards" so check it out.

Take a deck of cards

Diamonds:   pushups

Spades     :    curls(resistance bands)

Hearts     :    squats(with med ball)

clubs        :    crunches

as you draw from the shuffled deck  do 4 counts of each number. Jacks are 15 Queens are 20 Kings are 25 and an Ace is 30. A Joker is a minute of mountain climbers. Go through the whole deck.

Good luck!