Being a new mom is a real struggle, and so is losing the weight you gain during the pregnancy. As this article from Yahoo! Voices notes, medical science offers a clue as to why losing the “mommy bulge” is so difficult: [Read more…]

One of the many benefits of personal training from San Diego coaches like Andrea King of True Balance is getting a detailed, customized workout and diet plan that’s fashioned to fit your needs, and nobody else’s. You might notice however, that regardless of how varied your plan might be from another, cardio seems to be a staple. Since it’s always essential, you should find ways of ensuring that you get the best out of it every time. [Read more…]

It’s healthy in a number of ways to fantasize about sporting a lithe frame of the kind you see in Hollywood actors. Sunny Pepper of the Examiner news website has one such example: [Read more…]

Triathlons are among the most brutal physical activities any sports enthusiast or athlete worth their salt could ever participate in. However, these activities are not without danger, as Justin Levine expounds on one such flap in the triathletes’ resource TriFuel: [Read more…]

Legend has it that Milo—the famous athlete from Greek mythology—trained by carrying a young calf on his back until it was fully grown. People no longer train that way these days, but they do still use the same approach that Milo used—strength training. According to experts, strength training is primarily an exercise with the goal of increasing physical strength.

Runners, weightlifters, and contact sports athletes in America’s Finest City have long known that strength training is necessary to increase their max power, that’s why San Diego personal training programs are so popular. However, it turns out that cyclists can benefit from strength training as well, as reported by a Norwegian study. Bicycling.com provides more info:

“The study, conducted at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences in Oslo, followed 14 cyclists through a four-day-per-week strength program. Half the program was devoted to leg exercises that included squats and leg curls. After 12 weeks the subjects were tested and compared to a control group.

The control group remained unchanged, but the training group had boosted their one-repetition squat by 20 percent and their leg curl by 12. The researchers then compared how much energy the cyclists needed to pedal at near 40 percent of their maximum power (roughly the same wattage you’d use on a long ride) and found that the training group’s heart rate had dropped seven beats per minute and that they used three-percent less energy and oxygen.”

Why did the training group’s performance improve, you may ask? Simple: They got stronger. More strength means more force can be generated, which directly results in greater power output. According to a training expert, it’s likely the athletes in the training group learned how to better control their muscles through strength training, which helps their movements become more efficient.

Strength training is an essential part of body conditioning. The body has over 600 muscles, and the primary function of each is to allow the different parts of the body to move. The stronger an athlete’s muscles are, the faster the run, the higher the jump, the harder the hit, the further the throw/kick, and the longer the ride. It’s that basic.

If you’re training for a cycling race, don’t just spin your wheels, hit the gym as well. Work with a San Diego fitness trainer like Andrea King at True Balance Fitness to power up your performance.

(Article Excerpt and Image from Bicycling training tips: weights help you hang, Bicycling)

Exercise and diet—these are two words long the bane of people too lazy to quit their couch potato lifestyle, or those who don’t care enough about their bodies to keep it healthy. Whichever way you look at it though, fitness isn’t just a key to bragging about slim waistlines or rocking abs, it’s the way to happiness and socialization. Here are a few things to remember about keeping fit and getting personal training in San Diego:

It’s all In Your Head

If you want to achieve optimal fitness, what matters in the end isn’t what is expected of you, but what your mind expects of you. While personal trainers, such as trainers from True Balance Fitness and Coaching will guide you through the process of attaining these goals, the motivation to reach your goal is what will drive you to keep on.

Say No to No Carb Diet

One of the most popular notions today is simply to avoid carbs in your diet, and you, supposedly, will not get fat. This, however, is terribly misguided; removing carbohydrates from your diet also takes away the energy-building nutrients and fiber your body needs. Remember, undercutting on nutritious foods is just as dangerous as overeating.

Don’t Exercise Blindly

Oftentimes, by holiday’s end, the guilt starts to kick in, and people begin to cardio themselves to a shriveling pile of exhausted muscles and joints. Exercise shouldn’t be a ‘give everything on the spur of the moment’ thing. It involves systematic planning where the body is intended to adapt to the stress and, over time, learn to condition itself. This is also why getting a trainer can be important.

Fitness Training Adapts

An article from The Huffington Post has this to say about exercise regimens and diet plans:

“If you start walking a route in your neighborhood and think you can just do that forever- wrong! Ever noticed you start on new cardio equipment at the gym and it is hard to get through 20 minutes, but after a month you are hardly out of breath? That means it is time to mix it up and do something new.”

Indeed, the attainment of fitness, possibly with the help of a competent San Diego personal trainer, is no simple task, and you can’t always see where it’s taking you without the proper guidance of a trainer. However, if you have the determination and heart to improve your body and health, you should get what you want in no time.

(Article Excerpt and Image from Top 10 Tips From a Personal Trainer, Huffington Post, October 18, 2009)