bodyweight exercise Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Orange County Personal Trainers

Stuck at a Desk All Day? This is the Exercise for You…

March 16, 2014 by ptpt 1 Comment

Last week, I was fortunate to attend a body weight workshop in San Diego. Max taught us a variety of cool exercises, progressions and drills that will be a great addition to IR. One of my very favorites was the sit thru to thoracic bridge.

Let’s face it…Most of us have pretty crappy posture from sitting hunched over a computer all day. And because of that crappy posture, many of us have back pain. To reverse that pain we not only need to stretch, but we also need to ACTIVATE inactive muscles.

The Sit Through to Thoracic Bridge is a great stretch AND activation move to fight against our rounded, forward posture and the pain it causes.

To do the Sit Through to Thoracic Bridge:

1. Set up on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. Flex your feet and lift up onto your hands and toes.

2. Then lift your right and bring your left leg through and place your left foot flat on the ground.

3. Rotate your hips up toward the ceiling, squeezing your glutes to lift them up as high as you can.

4. While your lift your hips, reach your right hand down toward the ground, rotating your chest toward the floor.

5. Feel your glutes working to keep BOTH hips up, while you reach your hand down. We have a tendency when we rotate to drop that hip down. Make sure both stay up.

6. You should feel a nice rotation and stretch through your spine. You are twisting almost like someone wringing out a towel.

7. Then drop your hips and step your foot back through while placing your hand back down on the ground .

8. Rotate to the other side, bridging your hips up as high as you can.

This is a great move for anyone with back pain because it stretches out your tight muscles from sitting all day while activating your glutes.

You can also simplify this move by doing the Thoracic Bridge by itself. To do this, start in a seated position supported with one hand. Then bridge up and reach your other hand toward the ground. Make sure both hips stay high.

Cori is a personal trainer in Costa Mesa, CA and a valued member of the Innovative Results family.

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The Results are In – Wrapping Up February’s Challenge Month

March 7, 2014 by ptpt Leave a Comment

What an awesome month!

We had so many new faces, incredible workouts, and man, oh man did each of you step it up for these challenges! Our team cannot even believe how awesome these scores are, the astounding improvements, and all the wonderfully kind things you had to say about the Innovative Results facility, our training team and IR3 workouts.

“…The workouts aren’t boring like the ones you would find at your local “globo gym” because each session is different. During my seven sessions I’ve been exposed to kettlebells, sled pushes, VersaClimbers, battle ropes, box jumps, and sandbags (most of them new to me) and after each session I’ve walked out feeling like I got a great workout and as of today I am 7 lbs lighter and feel a whole lot better…” – Chris Desamito

Now it’s time to celebrate and claim your prizes!

Let’s start with Eric Berringer and Alan Gutierrez …

Eric burnt up his keyboard writing up reviews and claimed 50% off his training for life & a brand new foam roller!

Read some of Eric’s Reviews Here and Here

Alan couldn’t go a day without letting someone know he was at IR, tallying up the most check-ins on Facebook and Yelp! Read what Alan has to say about Innovative Results HERE.

But Alan wouldn’t stop there, going toe-to-toe with Harrel Carman on each of the posted physical challenges claiming 1st place by top score(s) and taking that sweet 40% off victory, as well as a brand new foam roller!!

Now for the individual board winners!

Prizes include IR apparel, TraceMinerals, ONNIT supplements, discounted pricing on Way of Life Cleanses, a special offer on subscriptions to My Mad Methods Magazine, a complimentary chiropractic exam, Banzai Jerky and C2O!

Max Pull Ups
Brett Adams – 22
Marianne Mabie – 11

3 Minute Push Up
Jordan Salkin – 115
Marissa Rogate – 57
Aisha Saucedo – 57

1 minute Versaclimber Max Dan Nguyen – 320
Jessica Helal – 245

10 second Versaclimber Max
Aaron Boaitey – 80
Sandra Reid – 55
Jessie Perez – 55

2 Plate Sled Push
Steve Roney Jr – 4.82

1 Plate Sled Push
Moana Tuipala – 5.14

30 Second Tsunami
Harrel Carman – 93
Emma Quick – 76

*Be sure to claim your prizes by Friday, March 14th or these babies will be going back in the prize pot for future winnings!!

Thank you all for making February such a special month!

“IR is my second home. The people there are like family. That’s pretty much the only way for me to put it.” – Tri Luu

“…I look forward to many returns to this gym! Every muscle is worked, and I love the constant changing types of workouts! You will NOT be bored! You will NOT regret it! Come join us!” – Amy Beth

“Innovative Results has exceeded every expectation I have ever had in a gym. You can’t fully understand the joy of working out and getting fit here unless you actually train with some of the great trainers in this fun and upbeat facility…” – Ashlee Evans-Smith

“…I just started at Innovative Results and absolutely love it! Everyone is knowledgeable, positive, caring and push you to work hard…” – Marissa Rogate

“I am NOT a morning person. So it is some sort of miracle that I actually look forward to waking up at 5:00am to make it to my innovative results training three times a week. It is that good of a workout…” – Lee Braun

Unsure IR is right for you, check out more reviews Here.

Innovative Results preps for the adventures of an active lifestyle, if that’s for you, then come play!

First one’s on us – Fill out the form below to schedule your first training session with the Innovative Results Team!

Why YOU Should Be Doing Inverted Rows

June 26, 2013 by ptpt 2 Comments

Sit hunched over a computer all day?

Constantly struggle with neck pain? Have tight upper traps and shoulders?

Want a stronger, more toned core? Want to increase the number of pull-ups you can do? (Heck…want to even be able to do one pull up?)

Then its time to add inverted rows to your workout program.

Inverted rows are a great way to work your mid and upper back as well as your core. They can help you correct your posture, which will help relieve pain and injury. And they will help you develop the scapular retraction necessary to perform more pull-ups.

So how do you do a perfect inverted row?

One of the best ways to learn how to do a proper inverted row, is by first performing the Bat Wing or Scapular Wall Hold.

The Bat Wing can be done as an isometric hold and teaches people how to activate their lower and middle traps, which is necessary when performing the inverted row, standing up straighter and/or performing pull ups.

To do the Bat Wing, lean against the wall with only your elbows touching. Press out your chest and pinch your shoulder blades down and back. Squeeze your glutes, core and quads to keep your body in a nice straight line.

You don’t need to walk your feet very far from the wall to feel this move if you are really retracting your shoulder blades.

Hold the move for 30 seconds to 1 minute. As you advance, you may want to walk your feet a bit further out or take the move down to the ground.

Once you activate the muscles in your back using the Bat Wing, you may want to move on to the inverted row.

The inverted row can be done a number of different ways with a number of different grips.

One of my favorite ways to do the inverted row is using TRX or Jungle Gym Straps.

Whatever you use though, the form for an inverted row remains the same.

Below are tips to help perform the row perfectly:

1. Choose an appropriate incline. The closer to parallel to the ground you get, the harder the row will be. Beginners should start with only a slight incline. Advanced lifters may even want to lift their feet onto a bench as they progress.

2. Keep your body in a nice straight line. Your hips shouldn’t sag toward the ground and your back shouldn’t be super arched. You want to pinch your shoulder blades down and back while squeezing your glutes and drawing your belly button in toward your spine. If you squeeze your glutes and tighten your core, your body will remain straight. Also do not tuck your chin or let your head sag back. You want a nice straight line from your heels to the tip of your head!

3. Do not allow your shoulders to come up by your ears. When you row up, your shoulders should not be up by your ears. If they are, your upper traps are going to get sore and tight from being overactive. You want to use the muscles lower between your shoulder blades to really pull yourself up.

4. Your elbows shouldn’t be up by your ears. While you can use different grips when you row and your elbows don’t have to be directly by your side, they also shouldn’t flare up above your shoulders. You want keep your arms below making a T with your body to really activate the proper muscles in your back.

Once you master the form, you can then play around with inverted row variations.

Try holding the row at the top for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Or try going slowly as you lower yourself down. Count to five before extending completely at the bottom!

What is your favorite way to do inverted rows?

Need help developing or redesigning YOUR workout plan?

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Innovative Results has a variety of killer workouts that keep your mind and your body guessing. Their training is unique and their private gym in Irvine is one of the coolest gyms in Southern California.

Crawling Drills For Improved Core Strength From Innovative Results – The Orange County Fitness Playground

March 27, 2013 by ptpt 3 Comments

Give these 7 crawling drills a try, and watch your abs and arms get lean and strong:

The “Work Your BODY” Workout Move.

Functional and Simple.

Even a baby can do it!

Crawling.

We did it when we were little.

But now?

Now we never crawl and when we do it seems ridiculously hard…especially crawling backwards (And the crazy part is… some of us even started crawling by crawling backwards!)

But crawling is probably the best core move you AREN’T doing!

When you do a tabletop crawl, you work everything down the front of your body from your shoulders to your knees.

So how do you do it?

1. Start on your hands and knees with your hands under your shoulders and your knees under your hips.

2. Draw in your belly button toward your spine and tuck your toes under and lift up onto your hands and toes.

3. Move forward by moving the opposite arm and opposite leg. So step forward with your left hand and right foot.

4. Stay on your toes and focus on keeping your knees close to the ground and your butt down as you move!

Crawling can be done forwards, backwards, laterally and even in circles!

Want a strong core?

Crawling is one of Innovative Results favorite ways to build stability, strength and increase body awareness.

Crawling is a contra-lateral movement, which is a fancy word for right arm and left leg moving together, while the left arm and right leg move together.

This is how we walk, run, swim, and bike from one place to another.

It is a great way to train your brain, and we have given you some crawling moves to train your body as well.

Enjoy these core, ab, upper body, lower body, and brain enhancing movements.

Try crawling today!

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Payson has improved every aspect of his mental and physical health! Check out these results!

August 31, 2011 by ptpt 12 Comments

When Payson Davis first came to Warrior Training at Innovative Results he was out of shape and ready to change into a better, stronger, and faster person.

Check out this incredible improvements to Payson’s physical health and performance!

Old Payson:

Weighed a skinny 189 pounds and 6 foot 3 inches tall
Could barely run a mile
30 push-ups in two minutes
20 sit-ups in two minutes
His mile time was between 9 and half minutes and ten minutes
He quit a lot of things he would start
He had a negative attitude about most things

Well, Payson has decided to join the U.S. Army and do something about his areas needing improvement (mindset, movement, and recovery)

Since joining Warrior Training at Innovative Results during the beginning of July (one and half months ago), Payson has improved incredibly in every area…

New Payson:

Weighs a POWERFUL 211 pounds, filling out his 6 foot 3 inches!
Finished a 3 mile run strong!
30 push-ups in only one minute (The same in HALF of the TIME!)
35 sit-ups in two minutes (15 MORE)
1 mile run in 8:30
1 mile vertical climb n the VersaClimber in under an hour! He was the first of the IR Family to accomplish this!!
Stronger mentally and physically
He can FEEL and SEE the DIFFERENCE!
Has more confidence in his abilities (this alone is worth it!)
Stopped quitting workouts all together
More positive mindset
Passed a MARINE CORPS CFT!

He also successfully performed 5 minutes on the battling ropes; 100 foot forward, backward, lateral right, and lateral left bear crawl, 1000 two-handed and single-handed kettlebell swings!!

Needless to say Payson’s mindset, movement and recovery TRANSFORMATION, pays great tribute to his HARD WORK, FOCUS, and the Warrior Training program at Innovative Results! Great work Payson!!! We are excited to watch you excel in U.S. Army Basic Training and beyond!!

If you are interested in joining the progress schedule your free trial by filling out the form below!

Stop Reading Fitness Magazines – 4 Common Sense Tips to Get More Results from Your Workouts

September 10, 2010 by ptpt 3 Comments

Most fitness magazines haven’t changed for 30 years.

Bodybuilding split routines, bodybuilder diets, bodybuilder stories, advise, supplements, etc.

Decent advise if you are a bodybuilder…

Are you a bodybuilder?

The majority of fitness magazines are glorified advertisements, filled with supplement ads, laim bodybuilding routines and full of modes that a juiced out of their minds or depleted and dried out for their photo shoot. Is this information really applicable to the weekend warrior or athlete that is looking to improve their performance.

Absolutely not!

1. If you are an athlete, train to improve performance at your sport. Our bodies know movement, not individual muscles. Bodybuilding techniques and gyms full of machines have dominated the fitness world, but those techniques are NOT beneficial for athletes. In fact, training like a bodybuilder will make you slower and more prone to injury. Train your body to move more efficiently, faster and you will notice huge benefits.

2. People have been using traditional bodybuilding splits for years. Most would benefit enormously from trying a new routine. Try getting away from the gym and try some new workouts. Get back to basics, like a barbell, body weight movements, kettlebells, heavy ropes, sandbags, sleds and other drills that are proven to make ya sweat!

3. Supplements have become a huge distraction for most people looking to get in shape or perform at their best. Do NOT worry about supplements until you improve your eating habits. The foundation of weight loss, energy, muscle and performance is nutrition. Trying to overcome a crappy diet with a handful of pills is ineffective and a costly waste of money.

4. Understand that a hard body and top performance takes sweat, consistency, sacrifice and discipline. Developing a killer physique and massive strength takes time. Set your goals, work hard and find someone that can hold you accountable along the way. Having a coach or training partner is vital if you want to make fast, consistent gains.

Now, I dont believe that all fitness magazines and articles are bad, but you have to be careful who you listen to. In my opinion, the more machines that are involved, the less you should listen. If they are pushing tons of supplements, instead of healthy natural foods, don’t listen.

People are individuals and need specific programs that are tailored to their ability level and goals. Take some time to find a good coach, learn to control your own body, develop a foundation of strength, learn to eat more natural foods, constantly improve, smile along the way and charge towards your goals with all of your effort.

Need help with your program?

Give us a call 866.243.4472

Orange County Personal Trainer Reveals 8 Factors to Turbo Charge Your Workouts

September 23, 2009 by ptpt 2 Comments

No goals, no variety, no intensity!

Here are a few ways to help you change up your workouts to turbocharge your results!

Movements/exercise – Most people always do the same stuff. They run 2 miles everyday or they use the same machines at the gym or they take the same class for like 2 years. The bad part is that your body quickly adapts and stops really being challenged. When there is no challenge, the results slow to a hault and your body stabilizes leaving you frustrated. What most people need is a new workout and the first place to start is by the exercises you choose to do. So, switch it up, try new things, use new machines, try not to use any machines, use dumbells, kettlebells, squat, bodyweight exercises, sleds, sand bags, etc. There is a world of possibilities!

Load – how much weight are you using? Has it changed in the last few weeks? Months? Are you getting stronger? If not getting stronger every week, you are probably burnt out and need to change of some other variables.

Repetitions – everyone knows this one. How many times do you perform the exercise? This one is important. Most people do 3 sets of 10 reps, but there are a million variations. Low reps (1-5 reps, heavy weight), medium reps (6-15, medium weight), and high reps (15+, lighter weight). Most beginners should start with lighter weight, lower resistance and learn how to move properly. As you progress, get stronger and have more body awareness you can begin to use heavier weights and work in the lower rep ranges.

Sets – How many sets of a particular exercise depends upon your goal, experience and rep range that you a working in. A basic rule of thumb; the higher the rep range, the less sets you will perform. the lower reps, more sets. For example, a beginner may do 2 sets of 20reps, where someone more advanced may do 5 sets of 5.

Tempo – This is one of my favorites! Most people just lift and drop weights, not paying any attention to the speed at which they lift. Without getting into to much detail or scientific reasoning, vary the speed at which you lower, raise and hold each movement. Slowing an exercise down and making it explosive will dramatically change how your body is stressed. For example, a simple squat to a chair is easy, but squatting down, then jumping is much more difficult. Start slow, keep good form, develop a foundation of strength, then start experimenting with different tempos. Your body will respond quickly!

Rest – This is another powerful factor. Most people do an exercise, then talk for 5 minutes, then do another, etc etc. If you are looking to make significant changes to your body, then you need to pay attention to how much you are resting. One of the easiest ways to shock your body is to reduce and monitor your rest intervals between sets. Keep track and only take 30 sec-1 min between sets. The time will fly by and you will be surprised how much more intense your workout gets.

Recovery – listen to your body. If you a stressed, tired, have poor nutrition and try to workout 6 times per week, you will not get the results you desire. In fact, you will probably just end up burning out and falling over. Make sure to give your body time to recover, at least a day or two each week. Also use ice, massage and other therapy techniques to help speed your recovery. Read more about recovery here.

Intensity – This is #1 most important factor. Do you walk in the gym with purpose, focussed on your goals for that day and mentally ready to work hard and make things happen? You should be aggressively attacking your goals and focussed on making progress during each workout.

Goals – why do you go to the gym? Is it some general “wish”, like I wanna lose 20 lbs or get bigger arms? Those arent bad goals, but they are fague and lack any real commitment or vall to action. I believe that every goal needs to be specific, measurable, written as if its already occurred, realistic and timed. For more information, check out our blog on writing goals.

SO, there you have it. Hopefully you have some new ideas and can go into next week with a renewed vigor and excitment about the changes that are about to occur. Remember, the best workout for you is a new one! Shake things up and shock your body into changing!

Innovative Results Personal Training has been voted #1 Orange County Personal Trainer for ’08 and ’09 by FOX LA News. Schedule your FREE trial today!

I do crunches everyday, where are my abs? – Innovative Results – The Orange County Fitness Playground has a Solution for Your Six-Pack

October 11, 2008 by ptpt 36 Comments

I hear these questions all of the time:

I do crunches everyday! Where are my abs?

If I do a crunch everyday, will I have abs?

If I do crunches everyday, will I have a six pack?

Is a crunch a good ab exercise?

What exercises should I do to have abs or a six pack?

Without question, the single most important factor in the appearance of your mid-section is the amount of fat and fluid between your abdominal muscles and your skin.

You have a 6-pack right now its the natural shape of your muscles. But for most of us the layer of fat over our abs is so thick that you cannot see them.

Trying to burn fat with a crunch or sit-up is like trying to dig to China with a spoon its a complete waste of time.

There is no such thing as spot reduction. You will need to do more than just crunches and sit-ups.

Just because you work on your ab muscles doesn’t mean that you will affect the speed at which you lose fat in that area. Fat loss is a lot like scooping water from a bath tub.

If you take a cup of water out of the middle of the tub, it doesn’t leave you with a one cup dent in the middle of the tub.

It leaves you with a cup less water all over.

If you lose a pound of fat, you lose it from your entire body, regardless of how many crunches you do.

female six pack abs — This didn’t happen with crunches.

Solution

Get on a program of functional total body exercise and supportive nutrition. (Enter: The Orange County Fitness Playground)

This will help you burn as much fat as you can each day.

If you get your body fat percentage low enough, you will see your beautiful abs even if you don’t do a single crunch.

A very nice looking midsection, for a man, start showing up at around 12% body fat.

For women, it starts at about 18-20% because men store all of their fat on their belly, and women put it on their hips and thighs.

Guys six pack abs — Not a crunch or sit-up here, just weight lifting and diet.

One Extra Point

Excessive toxins from conventional plant and animal foods (and alcohol) overload your liver and encourage extra fat to form around your midsection, whether you are a man or a woman.

The more toxic and/or dehydrated you are, the thicker the layer of fluid becomes, making you appear more chubby.

So, eating organic, grass fed, and free range foods will greatly affect the results of your program.

female abs — This body shaped by hard work, discipline, and nutrition.

So here are some guidelines that have worked wonders for our clients!!

1. Eat every 2-3 hours or 5-7 meals/snacks a day.

2. Yes, you will probably need to eat more often to lose fat for life!

3. Serving size: listen to your body. If you are hungry 30 min. later, you didn’t eat enough. If you feel sleepy, you ate too much. If you feel great, you got it right!

Pretty simple, right?

If you’re looking for more nutrition details, then you should read this article:

How to Eat Right: A Short Tutorial on Healthy Eating

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