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Physical fitness can be broken down into two categories, health related and skill related. What’s important to you when you start out on an exercise program?

Health related fitness:

1. Body Composition

- Refers to the ratio of lean body mass to fat in your body.

2. Flexibility

- The ability to move a joint through its full range of motion.

3. Cardio respiratory Endurance

- The ability of the circulatory and respiratory systems to deliver energy to working muscles during continuous exercise.

4. Muscle strength

- The ability of muscles to exert force against a resistance.

5. Muscle endurance

- The ability of muscles to exert sub-maximal force repeatedly or to maintain a contraction over a period of time.

Skill related fitness:

1. Agility - precise rapid change of body position and direction

2. Balance – Static- holding a stationary position over a period of time. Dynamic – maintaining balance while

moving

3. Speed – rate at which the body or body part can be propelled between two points.

4. Coordination – organized use of muscles to attain a movement pattern in an effective and efficient manner

5. Power – the ability to produce maximum force in the fastest possible time

6. Reaction time – the interval between the presentation of a stimulus and the initiation of the response

7. Kinesthetic awareness – awareness of the body or parts of the body as movement occurs

I absolutely have the best job in the entire world, at least that’s the way I feel. There has not been a day that I get up in the morning (and I get up early) and don’t want to go to work. If you feel this way, then you also have the best job in the world.

I remember playing “King of the Hill” with my buddies as a young boy growing up in Guyana. This is a game where a designated mound, boulder, large tractor tire or any other elevated area, was deemed the hill. One of us would be the king. The objective of the game would be to remove “the King” from the hill by knocking him off. Someone else would then become king and the process continued. 

I play this game with my kickboxing clients to help increase dynamic core strength, teach foot work and just to have pure fun. The hill is a designated section of the training mat and we add or remove various strikes to the king’s and the attacker’s arsenal.

It’s practical, fun and it works!!

In trying to eat healthier, most of us are buying organic foods. We identify these products in the supermarkets by their labels or we purchase them from local farmer’s markets and organic farms. Knowing that the veggies you just steamed, came from a local farm and were cropped not long ago, is a great feeling. These foods taste fresher and we’re mentally rewarded for fueling our bodies with healthy produce. The same goes for meat and poultry, we’re leaning more towards labels that say free range, antibiotic free and wild caught.

 We eat organic food because we want to protect our bodies from unwanted substance AND sometines to support local farmers. However, research your organic purchases because farms are not always farms as we know them…they are sometimes owned by large food companies that bought the organic farm from the local farmer. You could possibly find out that the large company that owns the organic farm you bought your food from, is also owned by a cigarette company. All of a sudden, your organic meal does not feel so mentally great going down. An example is Back to Nature, owned by Kraft, and Kraft is owned by Philip Morris (a cigarette company).

 This post was inspired by an article I read in the latest issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, by Lisa Brudvik.

I was introduced to Mike “Mancini” McConnell a former amateur mix martial artist through a good buddy and client Andrew.  Mike expressed his urge to get back into shape because he hasn’t trained in nearly 5 years and has a very special engagement he wants to be fit for in October 2010. We started off with some basics and I introduced him to some exercises that would help him get re-invigorated. So, to help him with his development we decided to track his progress in a brand new client profile video series.  Check out this video of our 3rd week session.

Heavy Bag Rounds, Shadow Boxing, Weight Training, Pushups

Being in the fitness business for as long as I have, ever so often you hear some of the funniest comments. Sometimes it’s not in the gym that you hear “the funnies” but in your own home.

My wife was violently ill (disgustingly so) a few days ago. She had some sort of stomach bug that wreaked havoc to her system. It was one of those tornado like sickness events, in and out within 24 hours. I felt really sorry for her. She turned a few shades of green in a short time period.

This morning she looked at me, patted her flat tummy and said, “babe…I’m just two stomach bugs away from my ideal weight!” I almost fell over with laughter. This was particularly funny to me because I have heard various versions of this statement from my clients over the years. That last five pounds can be really hard to shed sometimes. Get a stomach bug and “Bam” it’s gone. However, I wouldn’t wish what she had on any of you –  but I do hope you stick with your exercise routine…because those last five are NOT impossible.

Don't get distracted from your training!

I’m guilty of it, you’re guilty of it; we’re all addicted to our BlackBerry (CrackBerry). The next time you go out to a fine dinner, look around…count all the BlackBerries you see on the tables around you. Better yet, find that young couple that seems to be so much into each other and see if Mr. BlackBerry joins them on their romantic night out. Times are different… get with it! We’re constantly connected and that is a good and a bad thing all at the same time.

I love my BlackBerry! My business has grown by having one because communication is instant. I can fill a training slot just with just a few clicks! Before having this device, I would have to check my voice mail or wait until I could turn my laptop on. By the time I got around to doing so, the client might have already made other arrangements…”too late!”

Here’s the deal, if you check your BlackBerry while training, the session appears to be just like that young couple above….on a romantic date, but distracted! Starting now, I will not check my BlackBerry during a training session – you should be prepared to do the same. There are exceptions to the rule, like waiting for that very important phone call or emergency calls (family, children, etc.). Establish this fact at the beginning of your (our) session and then focus completely on your workout!

I am a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and a professional Muay Thai instructor. I have been studying and teaching fitness for over 17 years. Born in Georgetown Guyana in 1971, I migrated to the United States of America in 1986. I graduated from City College of New York with honors in Physical and Health Education. After teaching Health and Wellness at Yeshiva University and managing the personal training department at Crunch Fitness International, I started my personal training company, D & I FITNESS CORP. in 2000. I have been married to my beautiful wife for six years and we are the proud parents of two wonderful children.

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