You will probably already know this, but in case you don’t… I am a huge believer in the power of Interval Training. Not only for what it does mentally, but what it does to your metabolism as well. Something powerful about getting uncomfortable and really pushing yourself hard and what it does to your stress levels.

To prove a point let me share my experience from two days ago. Monday’s are my day to go for a run and I typically do Intervals on a Treadmill or a Track (I love the one behind Peachtree City Elementary) because its about a mile from the big World Gym and my office. I will run over as a warm-up and then be ready for intervals as I arrive.

Yesterday was an especially hard day with a lot of 1/4 mile repeats and my goal was to get faster with each quarter mile. It was one of those magical days where everything is feeling good, if you a runner you know what I’m talking about. Anyways, I know you don’t care about my run…BUT I think you will care about what it did to my metabolism.

I arrived back at the gym around 2:30, got my Advoare Rehydrate and Post-Workout Recovery Shake and went to do some stretching. I stretched until about 3pm and then went to shower before my next client. By the time I got done it was nearly 3:45 (you know it takes time fixing up a country boy). I went up to my office and spent about 30 minutes there… The entire 30 minutes was spent wiping off my arms and head because I couldn’t stop sweating. I was worried I would have to take another shower at one point. My metabolism was absolutely through the roof!

What do you think caused that, it sure wasn’t the temperature in the office. It was a very comfortable temp, but my body was still burning calories at the same rate as if I was still working out. Its not just a theory either, did you know that with Interval Training your metabolism stays elevated for up to 4 hours after the workout is over?

Intervals don’t have to be running on a track for quarter mile all out efforts either, you can perform an interval anywhere you want and with any form of workout. The basic concept is to warm-up properly and then do time/or distance cycles of really hard effort followed by recovery efforts. For example:

• 5-10 Minute Warm-up
• 2 Minutes Really Hard Effort
• 2 Minutes Recovery
• Repeat this for anywhere from 3-10 cycles (depending on your fitness level)
• 5-10 Minute Cool-Down

The goal though is to try and recover as much as possible during the recovery 2 Minutes. If you keep pushing hard your body will not be rested and can not possibly put out as much effort. You want to force your heart rate up high and then let it come down. Another thing to keep an eye on is how quickly your heart rate drops after the hard effort. If it drops quickly it means you are in great shape, if it takes a long time to drop it just means you are doing the right workout and it will get better.

Next time you are doing a cardio workout…put the book or magazine down and really get after it! Burn tons of calories during and even after the workout is over. One day per week of intervals is a great goal each week, just make sure it is on another day opposite your Boot Camp, Fit Camp or Kettlebell Workouts.

My quads, hamstrings and hip flexors are still “thanking” me for that workout yesterday so I know I really had a good one.

If you would like myself or one of the A Cut Above Trainers to design a specific Interval Routine based on your needs and goals be sure to email or call us right away (678) 364-6800 or shellywilcox@att.net

There is no better time than May, to rip off a few unwanted pounds before Summer Arrives.

 

Your Coach

Jeremy Gritton

 

Have you ever noticed how I have Broccoli in a lot of my meal plans? I usually recommend either broccoli or some other form of vegetables to be eaten with dinner. I thought I would take a minute and share with ya’ll WHY broccoli is listed so many times.

Broccoli is really vegetable royalty, if you talk to any nutritionist and ask them for their top ten healthiest foods its almost a guarantee broccoli will be in there somewhere. Usually near the top.

That’s because broccoli is full of nutrients and its a lower carbohydrate vegetable which means its great for dinner time. Here are a few of the nutrients you get from broccoli:

• Protein
• Fiber
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Vitamin C
• Folate
• Magnesium
• Phosphorous
• Beta-Carotene
• Vitamin A
• Lutein and Zeaxanthin (which are good for your eyes)

As you can see those little “trees” as my boys Seth and Sam call them (you know parents come up with creative things to get kids to eat their vegetables) are one of the healthiest foods on the planet.

All of those nutrients are great, but the best part about broccoli is that it contains anticancer properties. Specifically broccoli helps reduce the risk of both breast and cervical cancer for women. In addition, broccoli may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer so both men and women should be eating this vegetable royalty.

PLUS, in 2003 broccoli was put on a list of foods, least contaminated with pesticides.

The next time you are trying to decide on what to buy at the grocery store go ahead and load up on the broccoli.

If you are ready take your nutrition or your intensity to another level I would like to invite you to join our 24 Day Challenge. Jamie and I are starting our 4th round of the 24 Day program next week and if you enroll before this Friday you can save $30 off the regular price. If you need a jump start or if you need to take it to another level then get on over to the site here and get enrolled before we are sold out: 24 Day Website

The Challenge is 7 workouts with Jamie and myself. Four workouts of half Kettlebell and half core/strength work and three total body workouts.

Don’t forget, broccoli is a food you can eat anytime but its absolutely perfect to go with your lean meats at dinner.

 

Your Coach

Jeremy

Over the past few weeks I have noticed a lot of people really watching their heart rate monitors during our workouts and getting excited about the number of calories burned for a session together.

It got me to thinking about how great those high numbers are, but then also how they can be a bit mis-leading. Just because the number is a little lower is not necessarily a bad thing (unless there wasn’t much effort in the workout). A lower calorie, total burned, during a workout could mean something totally different.

I thought I would pose this blog as a question and opportunity to win a free packet of Spark.  For each person who answers correctly you win the Spark flavor of your choice.

Here is the million dollar question? Ready…. Drum roll please…

Over the course of a full 24 hour span, what form of exercise burns the most total calories? (example; swimming, running, strength training, elliptical trainer, cycle classes, zumba class, etc…)

Hint: this form of exercise actual helps you burn calories while you sleep…

The deadline to respond is this Thursday afternoon 3/24 at 3pm. At that time I will provide the answer and announce the winners.

Good Luck Everyone

 

Your Coach

Jeremy

 

Results are in!!! 21 of you got the correct answer of Strength Training.

Even though cardio exercise has it place your metabolism returns back to normal much sooner. If you are completing a lower intensity session your metabolism returns to normal after about 1 hour. When you perform interval cardio training it stays elevated for 3-4 hours after the workout is over.

When you strength train (kettlebells or any version of resistance training) your body burns more calories for up to a 24 hour period. YES, even when you sleep. In fact when you are sleeping your body is actually doing a lot of important stuff such as the majority of repair to your damaged muscles. Making you stronger, leaner and more capable of burning even more calories. Its a beautiful thing my friends. That is why if all you do is cardio you are missing out on some huge benefits. Every one pound of lean muscle forces your body to burn 50 extra calories every day, so you need that muscle to burn more fatty calories!

To each of you who got the right answer, you can pick your favorite flavor of Spark at your next workout.

Congrats to everyone and thank you all for playing along.

Jeremy

 

 

New Year’s is just around the corner and of course I have been thinking about my own personal goals for 2011. Maybe you are so bogged down in the Christmas Holidays you haven’t even had a chance to consider what you want to accomplish next year. Either way I have some thoughts I think will help you not only reach your goals, but then also to possibly need to set new goals.

Everyone starts out the new year with a clean slate and an opportunity to put a good, bad or mediocre year behind them. The first step is setting clean tangible and incremental goals. This will keep you on track for not only short term, but long term goals as well.

One of the major reasons some people fail to reach their goals is because they don’t set specific enough goals and the mind will just dismiss them as irrelevant. The mind can not formulate proper actions required without being extremely specific. You can’t just say, ” I want to be healthy next year” or “I want to lose some weight next year”. You need to say I want to lose 10lbs by May 1st or I want to lose 30lbs by the end of the year. If you fail to create these specific goals, you are ultimately just hoping that these things will happen.

Have you ever thought about someone going to the bank for a loan and saying to the loan officer, “I want to make a million dollars and retire early”… The loan officer is going to say, exactly…specifically how to you plan on getting there. What is your one year, three year and five year goals and strategy?  SPECIFICALLY!

Our minds are the most amazing miracles of capabilities, but just like a computer it will only respond to specific instructions, not vague ideas (like I want to be healthy this year).

Make 2011 your best year ever for your health and fitness. You will be amazed at what happens when your health and fitness improves. It is impossible for other areas of your life not to dramatically change for the good.

I always suggest 90 day goals first and then long term such as one year. I think 90 days is as long as you can push it out without losing some focus and just saying, “I’ll get back on track pretty soon”… Set yourself some goals… Laser focused and specific goals to make 2011 your best year ever. Then put your head dead and go after that first goal without any thought or concern over what comes next. If you do this for every day for 90 days, when you look up I guarantee you will be ready for a whole new set of goals.

Maybe you need some help with those goals, if you are not a current client and would like to find out how Boot Camp can help you not only set your goals, but then reach your goals, contact me today for a complimentary one on one session (a $80 value). I only have a few spots available so you will need to call or email me asap to take advantage of this FREE offer.

When you are ready to get specific and reach your goals, contact me before all the sessions are booked.

Make this day a great day and set specific goals then watch them materialize in 2011.

Your Coach

Jeremy

404 625-5778

jeremy@grittonstraining.com

I was in church on Sunday and the preacher had an amazing message that I thought was directly correlated to our health and fitness.

Without getting back to my “preachers kid” roots, the jist of the message was how we are this great masterpiece and what a waste if we never uncover it.

I really got to thinking about this and how it relates to your health goals.

Every morning when I wake up and go into the bathroom, I spend about 2-3 minutes looking at myself in the mirror and think about… What I need to improve physically. I think those 2-3 minutes are so powerful because it forces me to be honest with myself about my exercise and nutrition. Sorta like my own accountability, even though some mornings when I have been slacking for any amount of time I can barely look… Its like taking a side look with one eye open.

This message I heard in church is so right on the money because each of us is a masterpiece, we just have to uncover the sheet and there it will be.

Next time you look in the mirror, maybe tomorrow, you will say, “I am ready to uncover my masterpiece I want to finally get the body that I have always wanted and know is there”. Each of us has our own version of a masterpiece, it is different and unique to each of you I know.

What a waste it would be to go through life never uncovering your masterpiece, no matter if that means 10lbs or 50lbs of weight loss don’t let those pounds keep your work of art covered up any longer.

Can you imagine if the Mona Lisa would been created and never uncovered, how about the Sistine Chapel? What an absolute tragedy that would have been for our society. I will venture to say that, when you make up your mind and are ready to make the changes needed your life will improve in so many ways. The air seems less polluted, the clothes you wear seem nicer, the every day obstacles in life seem less important and its because you have uncovered your masterpiece. You are a Mona Lisa and that means its time to “UNCOVER”.

When you are ready to uncover your art, email or call me for a FREE No-obligation consultation (a $45 Value) to set your destination and then your directions to get there. Its absolutely free, but my spaces are very very limited so you need to contact me ASAP:

Here is what I have available:

Dec 13 – 4pm, 4:30 and 5:00pm

Dec 14 – 7pm

Dec 15 – 4pm, 4:30, 5 and 5:30pm

Dec 16 – 9am, 9:30 and 12pm

Dec 17 – 8am, 8:30 and 9am

What better time than right now, with New Year’s less than a month away you know you will be thinking about this so why not have your decision made and ready for January 1st?

Your Coach

Jeremy

404 625-5778

Boot Campers,

I just received a “love” email from one of your fellow boot camp clients… I will leave her nameless in case she wants to post a blog here to the site, but here is what she said.

“I am starting a protest for us boot campers to never have to do lunges again! My legs are cursing at you right now! Ha Ha… Feel free to forward this to my fellow campers to get a petition rolling”

Well, here is the petition. If enough of you post your “love” blogs on the site we will NOT do lunges on Friday morning.

If you were not in class today “wednesday the 10th” then all you need to know was the routine was called “Lunge Routine” and ohh boy is that accurate 🙂

Everyone enjoy the good feelings and massive “fat-burning” from those lunges.

Your Coach

Jeremy