Archive for Exercise training
Are you the biggest loser?
Posted by: | CommentsRecently, I came across a news article which ripped Jillian Michael’s to shreds. Who is Jillian Michael’s? If you have ever seen the show the “Biggest Loser,” you may know who Jillian is, but if you haven’t you probably won’t. Jillian is one of the personal trainers who is regularly seen on the show the “Biggest Loser”. The show takes overweight people and whips them into shape and the person who loses the most weight is awarded a prize. Sounds great, huh? It is a good idea especially for people who can’t get enough of reality tv.
Kettlebell
Jillian Michaels is well known in most fitness circles. She has been a trainer since her teen years and her image is attached to several well known exercise products including dvds. I imagine this is why they chose her for the show. This is where the probably lies as most of the so called fitness celebrities constantly have to maintain their “shine” to keep their spot in the public’s eye and maintain marketability. Who wouldn’t want to remain relevant? The difference between remaining relevant and disappearing can decide things such as driving a Mercedes Benz or a Ford. It might even mean having to cook yourself or hiring a personal chef. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am all for trainers making money doing something they are passionate about but I don’t think it should be at a client’s expense. In Ms. Michaels “microwave” approach to kettlebells dvd, many people have criticized her form and technique saying it can and will eventually lead to injury. I can attest to this as I took a kettlebell class and you definitely want to make sure your form is correct and it takes plenty of practice. Its not something you can “grab and go” without first practicing and getting some private instruction. It looks easy but it really isn’t. Its one of those things where image and perception can get blurred and this is what I wanted to talk about today.
Image and perception
Let’s say you venture into your local gym and you’re approached by two trainers with the following characteristics: Trainer A has muscles bulging everywhere and he talks the talk about the bodybuilding championships he’s won and who he knows in the fitness industry while Trainer B is a scrawny guy who doesn’t know anyone and looks like he can barely put one foot in front of the other. Who would most likely be your choice for a personal trainer? I can tell you from experience for most people it would probably be Trainer A. Why? Most people correlate bodybuilding with gym experience and this is not always the case. Bodybuilders body build….this is what they do. It doesn’t mean that person knows the correct way to train you, it just means they knew the correct way to train to achieve the look they wanted. Unfortunately, they’ll probably try to train you the same way and leave you injured. This happens all too often in the fitness world where image and perception becomes blurred leaving innocent bystanders standing in the crossfire. I am not just picking on bodybuilders as some of them know their stuff, because it can happen in a completely different way.
Used car salesmen or personal trainer? Maybe both!
Personal “Gym” Trainer
Here’s the scenario. You recently join the gym and you’re approached by a personal trainer for a free introductory session. He or she takes you on a tour of the facility and then puts you through the workout and its a “doozie”. They then try to sell you a bunch of training sessions and since you want to lose weight, you sign up. Bad move or no? You figured you can’t go wrong because they work in a gym, right? I am going to make a safe assumption here and tell you only 10% of the trainers in your local gym are serious about training people and helping them with their weight loss goals. The other 90% are probably between jobs, just losers, or they thought personal training was cool so they wanted to give it a try. If you don’t believe me, take an inventory of the trainers the next time you go into your local gym and then do it again about a month from now. I can almost guarantee over half of the trainers there will be gone. They will have quit, gotten out of limbo, or were fired because they weren’t serious about the job. So what does that tell you?
Don’t be fooled
Never get caught up in image. It can deceive you. For instance, most people who may have bought Jillian Michaels dvd will look at her and think she’s a kettlebell expert when she isn’t. She does play the part well to those who don’t know any better and this happens all to often in the fitness industry. You have people giving advice or training people based on an image and how the image is perceived. Jillian might be a great personal trainer but she isn’t a great kettlebell instructor and shouldn’t pretend like she is one. On the other hand, no one should pretend to be a fitness trainer when they obviously aren’t one, leave that to the trainer who is serious about touching people’s lives and making a difference. There comes a time when you have to value integrity over a fast dollar and all too often this isn’t the case. Until next time, see you on the lean side!
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Lordy Lordy…. Darren’s Forty
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Last week, I turned forty and I am proud to say I took it pretty well. I thought I would be running around like Chicken Little screaming,” the sky is falling.” Its amazing when you’re 20 how far away 40 seems to be. I thought it was really far away but those 20 years went by like zoom! I can tell you I am very different from 20 then 40 and I have some observations on going from “there” to here which I want to share with you. These are some of the things I have observed over the years, I guess you can call them “duffie- isms”, if you wish. Some of these might be fitness observations but some of them are just life lessons. Here goes:
1. Don’t get braces in your thirties. I did this at the age of 39 because I was always self conscious about my teeth and the spaces I had between them. These things hurt like hell and I can’t wait to get them off! They also take the fun out of eating my favorite foods! I had no idea eggs would get stuck in your teeth with braces like they do.
2. It’s easy as hell to be in shape when you’re young because you have to do little if anything to maintain it. When you see someone over 35 who is in shape then you should be impressed because it takes real effort… just look at rest of the 35-40 population if you don’t believe it.
3. People spend to much time complaining and not enough time changing the situation so they won’t have to complain.
4. You can really tell when someone is serious about something because its only then that the excuses stop.
5. Time won’t wait for you but it will past you.
6. People fear one of two things either failure or success. Oh… I left out guns!
7. Sometimes you have to just learn when to let go. Life is too short to hold onto bad situations, people, etc.
8. People won’t value you unless you value yourself.
9. Your attitude determines your altitude. This is so so true!
10. If you’re going through constant pressure or stress its because you’re being prepared for something better. A lump of coal under goes pressure to become a diamond… get the connection?
11. You have to believe in yourself first. If you can’t believe in you, who else will?
12. Good friends are hard to find so hold on to them until the relationship becomes to stressful then decide if you need to let it go.
13. You need to change your thoughts first before anything else will change.
14. Its easy to be motivated in the beginning but to be truly successful you have to be motivated when you don’t feel like it.
15. You have to love yourself!
16. What you believe you’ll get, is what you”ll get.
17. You can’t tell if you have a true friend until they don’t need anything from you and you don’t need anything from them.
18. Love is unconditional and not based on perfect conditions and circumstances.
19. Negative people suck your energy like a vaccum. Stay away from them.
20. If you’re not happy at least 98% of the time its not anybody’s fault but your own. Find a way to be happy!
21. You can “give out” as there is no shame in resting, but don’t give up. Most people give up just before they reach success.
22. Don’t play victim all the time accept responsibility some time.
23. A year from now will it really matter who was right?
24. People spend too much time waiting for their chance to talk instead of really listening.
25. Women communicate and hear things way different then men do. Trust me on this one! 
Bonuses: All the stuff old folks tell you when you’re young will come true at some point in your life. It only takes a few seconds to be thankful for something in your life. Be grateful instead of worrying about what you don’t have.
Thanks for reading my blog!!!! I never knew that over a year and a half ago people would actually look forward to what I had to say about fitness or anything else. I truly thank you for visiting and commenting! Keep coming as it is going to get better and better.
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
It Takes Two to Tango and Exercise!
Posted by: | Comments“It takes two to make a thang go right. It takes two to make it outta sight!”
If you are from the “old school” like me, you know the lyrics to the song. Why am I quoting a song from Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock? I wanted to talk a little bit about exercising as a couple. Do you think this can help or hurt your fitness goals?
Play Together…Stay Together
I’m sure you heard this before, “couples that play together, stay together”? I have heard it many times and always wondered if it was true. I think it is true to a certain degree and I’ll explain my reasoning for saying it. It’s good for couples to spend time together but spending all their time together can be detrimental to the relationship. We all need our guy and girl’s night out to clear our heads and “shoot the breeze” with members of the same sex. It also gives you space and everyone needs it at one time or another, right? I have witnessed many couples who choose to exercise their “me” time when they go to the gym. You’re probably asking yourself, “what does he mean by that?” See if this sounds familiar: you enter the gym with your significant other and she/he goes to the treadmill section while you go to pump iron. You meet up when it’s time to leave. I see this all the time when I enter gyms and it’s very discouraging because you might be sabotaging your fitness goals! On a different note, if you don’t like your “sig” then you might be wise to separate when going to the gym just to keep the peace. 
So why don’t couples like to work out together?
Ego Trippin’
The couple who play together stay together!
I have heard male friends complain constantly about their girlfriend or wife and the gym. The guys complain the women don’t like lifting weights or they don’t know how to use the machines. From the perspective of a male, I can see these are valid points. There are hordes of women out there who still believe strength training makes them look bulky and muscular. A very small percentage of women who are genetic freaks build too much muscle when they lift, but as a whole this doesn’t happen. In addition, men have a distinct advantage in the weight machine category because we are a little bit more mechanically inclined than women. Guys look at the weight machine and it looks just like one whereas it may look like a contraption with gears and gizmos to women. I can see how women can get confused, can you? If you can’t, think about this. Most guys can’t cook and don’t know their way around the kitchen like a woman. This is exactly the way most women feel when they enter a gym for the first time and you don’t help them by “ego trippin”. I have seen some men load up the bar with heavy weights and then command their wife or girlfriend to “lift” and in that instant she is scarred for life. She never wants to lift weights again because the weight was too heavy for her and she failed on her first attempt. You have to start light before you can go heavy but the “ego trippin” boyfriend didn’t know this.
Toward a Common Goal
Its easy to achieve a goal if you have support and hard as hell if you don’t! If you want to eat right, but your wife wants you to buy cakes, cookies, and other junk food it defeats the purpose. I have read numerous articles on weight loss and the people who are successful are the ones who have a support system. It’s easy to reach your fitness goals if both of you are on the same page. This is why couples do great in weight loss transformation contests…both are moving toward the same goal.
Challenge Challenge
When I started working out with my girlfriend, it was a new experience with a new person. I had a bad experience in a past relationship working out as a couple and I didn’t want to repeat it. I quickly realized it had nothing to do with working out but it was the person I was working out with at the time. I no longer have the hesitation I had in the previous relationship because I really enjoy the person and that makes a big difference. If you work out with someone you really enjoy, it makes it easier and you can challenge each other to become better and more fit in the process. It also keeps you motivated as you are feeding off each other. If you have to spend time with the one you love, why not spend it getting fit and having fun ????
Darren McDuffie
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
Certified Nutrition and Weight Management Specialist
Certified Exercise Foundations Specialist
Certified Fitness Testing Specialist
Exercise Training: From Pain to Pleasure
Posted by: | CommentsHave you ever experienced pain? I know that is a silly question, so I might need to be a bit more specific. Have you ever experienced any body pain? When I say body pain, I mean back and knee pain. Did you know back pain is the most common reason people miss work? Experts say 80% of the population will have a back problem at some time in their life.
How much you get for a slip and fall in a store?
If you have ever seen the movie Friday, you might remember a character called Ezal. In one of my favorite scenes, Ezal asks , “ how much you get for a slip and fall in a store?” The scene from the movie is funny, but what if this happens to someone for real? It can happen at anytime to anyone, but what about back pain which isn’t the result of an accident? Have you ever experienced that sort of pain? I have. I am approaching the ripe age of 40 this year and from time to time, I have what I like to call “old man pains”. These pains come out of nowhere and seem to leave as quick as they appear. I am glad they leave as fast as they come, but years ago I wasn’t so lucky.
What the hell is wrong with my back?
After my basketball career was over, I sat around and became a slob. I ate tons of food and exercise consisted of lifting the remote to change the tv channel. I was stilI an athlete in my mind, but my body was showing me something very different from my thoughts. I looked like hell from the excessive weight I picked up and my body started throwing me hints. The hints consisted of back pain and knee pain which kept me in physical therapy for a couple of months. It took some time, but I finally realized my back and knee pain had a direct correlation to my weight gain. I immediately committed myself to dropping weight and soon after my back and knee pain vanished.
What is your ideal weight
I know what my ideal weight is now. How do I know? I can tell when I am gaining too much weight when I start feeling it in my weight bearing joints which are my back and knees. I make it a habit to consciously be aware of what I am eating and start to make adjustments. Are you having any back problems or knee problems which might be related to weight gain? I would like to hear about it. Please leave a comment on the blog!!! See you on the lean side… Darren
Exercise Training: Quantity vs. Quality
Posted by: | CommentsI happened to be reading a book the other day. The author said something quite interesting which I never gave much thought. He questioned the quantity of the food versus the quality. Have you noticed the quantity of food has gone up, while the quality of food has gone down? What does that mean? I don’t know if you have looked around lately but there are an abundance of places selling bad food. Oh yeah, I’ll be doing a review of this book I’m mentioning, so look out for it.
The idea of more is better 
When I was kid, I would beg my grand mother to take me to McDonald’s. I would usually beg her on Friday because that was the only time she would take me. I would “hound” her countless times until she finally agreed. Once she agreed, we would pile into our big yellow car nicknamed the “yellow goose” and off we went to Mickey D’s. I can remember going through the drive thru and within minutes we had our food. In the words of my good friend Riley from the Boondocks, “it was the best thing ever,” or was it? As I think back, it may very well have been the worst thing to ever happen. Why do I say that? In the old school days the burgers were much smaller and there was no “supersize it”, go large, or buy one get one free. Did that make the food worse? The food was already bad for you but now you just have more of it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see if you eat more you gain more weight, right? Is the idea of more really better?
From a boy to a man
Some of our food choices are dictated by the money in our pockets. Do you think that’s true? I certainly do. If I had ten bucks in my pocket in high school or college, I would more than likely be at the latest fast food joint getting the cheap stuff. I had done this countless times in my evolution from a boy to man, until I realized you have to pay for quality. Quality is the nutritional dense food your body needs to heal itself and get rid of disease. I never looked at food in this manner, until I became passionate about fitness. I always thought food was something I just threw into my mouth because my stomach was growling, and I needed to satiate it. I realize most people still think this way and this is why there is an obesity problem in America. There are far too many of us who think cheap food is better food. Is that solely based on the lint in our pockets?
Food observations
Do you realize you always get more cheap food? You can go to any fast food spot to prove it to yourself. If you have ever dined at an expensive restaurant, you know you don’t get a whole lot of food, but it tastes much better. You enjoy the food more, but you might get hungrier a bit sooner. Why? If you noticed, you get less food and its balanced with healthy things like salads! This seems to be a hard idea for our society to understand and many of us are paying for it with our health. What do you think?
