Barbell Complexes for Fat Loss

A barbell complex is a series of exercise performed with a set number of  reps, essentially not putting the bar down until all exercises are completed. After a rest period, the same series of exercises is performed again, either for the same amount of reps or lower, based on the specific program.

These high volume complexes are extremely challenging. The exercise selection is especially important. Big, compound movements that hit several muscle groups, and use explosive power are best. When put together, these compound movements create a grueling, full body workout that elevate metabolism, increase caloric expenditure and pushes your body to the limit.

An example of some of the best exercises to use:

Deadlift
Push Press
Squat (any variation)
Clean
Row (any variation)

Always remember to maintain good form throughout the set. If your form begins to break down, rest.

The Club Welcomes Kristina Kurdyla to It's Staff

Kristina is the founder of Elemental Health, which is dedicated to empowering children and adults to make healthy decisions regarding their health and well being. She uses a holistic approach, emphasizing the necessity of looking at the whole person-body, mind, emotions, and environments- rather than at an isolated function or organ.

She received her training to practice Health Coaching at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, which is the only nutrition school integrating all the different dietary theories—combining the knowledge of traditional philosophies with modern concepts like the USDA food pyramid, the glycemic index, the Zone and raw foods.

Based in New Jersey, Kristina works with clients in person and over the phone, reaching out to clients across the the U.S. Private and group sessions available. To read more about tips and tricks and to see what Kristina's up to, check out her blog.

Kristina is also the site coordinator for Girls on the Run NJ East, a non-profit organization geared towards preteen girls, teaching them healthy living, self- resepect and empowerment through running.

Her Approach

I practice a holistic approach to health and wellness, which means that I look at how all areas of your life are connected. Does stress at your job or in your relationship cause you to overeat? Does lack of sleep or low energy prevent you from exercising? As we work together, we will look at how all parts of your life affect your health as a whole.

My approach is not to dwell on calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. It is not to create lists of restrictions or good and bad foods. Instead, I work with my clients to create a happy, healthy life in a way that is flexible, fun and rewarding.

Together we’ll work to reach your health goals in areas such as achieving optimal weight, reducing food cravings, increasing sleep, and maximizing energy. As we work together, you’ll develop a deeper understanding of the food and lifestyle choices that work best for you and implement lasting changes that will improve your energy, balance and health.

Here are some concepts that we will explore during our work together:

Bio-individuality™:
The concept of bio-individuality is that each person has unique food and lifestyle needs. One person’s food is another person’s poison, and that’s why fad diets tend to fail in the long run. Working on the principle of bio-individuality, I’ll support you to make positive changes that are based on your unique needs, lifestyle, preferences, and ancestral background. I use a personalized, holistic approach to ensure that you will have great success!

Primary Food™:
It’s easy to overlook all of the things that contribute to our sense of nourishment and fulfillment. It’s not just the food we eat, but all of the other factors present in our daily lives. Healthy relationships, a fulfilling career, regular physical activity and a spiritual awareness are essential forms of nourishment. When these “primary foods” are balanced, what you eat becomes secondary. I will support you in achieving all of your goals, from eating the right foods for your body to living an inspired, fulfilling life.


Integrative Nutrition Pyramid™:
The Integrative Nutrition food pyramid includes a balance of high quality vegetables, fruits, grains, proteins, healthy fats and water. To complete the picture, the pyramid is surrounded with lifestyle factors that create optimal health: relationship, career, physical activity and spirituality. I’ll introduce you to some of the healthiest foods on the planet and teach you how to find what’s healthiest for your unique body!

You can learn more about my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

Are you ready to start feeling better than ever? Schedule an initial consultation with me today!

100 Days til Summer Challenge Results

It was a long 100 days. After all was said and done, over 320 lbs were lost and a lot of members at The Club at Morristown were well on there way to their weight loss goals. The 100 day competition, which combined exclusive boot camps, nutrition consultations and weekly meetings with trainers, ended in a surprisingly close finish, with just 1.5 lbs separating First and Second places.

The winner, Tim Jabbour, lost a total of 40 lbs, surpassing his original goal by a large margin. Tim will be celebrating his first place finish with a trip to Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel & Casino courtesy of The Club. Tim worked with Matt Kovacs over the last 5 weeks of the competition. "Tim's focus and drive throughout the entire contest was inspirational, "says Kovacs. "He'd make weekly goals and consistently hit them. He took everything I showed him and completely changed the way he trained. I'd see him every morning at 6am on the power racks or the treadmill. It's a great feeling to have contributed in a small way to his success." Tim and his wife, Katie, who recently became parents for the first time, are already looking forward to the next weight loss competition.

Second place finisher Cathi Hewston lost a total of 39 lbs. According to Cathi, her journey has just begun. Training with Greg Pompei, mostly in the boxing studio, Cathi's plan is to lose another 40 lbs by Christmas.

Rounding out the top 3 was Rachel Collins, a native of Ireland in the U.S. on an internship. Rachel lost a total of 16 lbs, and more importantly, has a newly found healthy lifestyle.

Kovacs says the success of the program can be attributed to the dedication of all the contestants as well as the training staff. "Seeing the reactions at the weigh ins every week was great. The participants really pushed each other. We're all proud of everyone involved."

Look for the next competition this Winter.

The Female Strength Training Movement

There's a movement that's sweeping through the fitness community. Although it's not a new concept, it's finally reaching the masses and making it's way into gyms and studios across the country. Thanks to resources like Girls Gone Strong, women are finally realizing the role that strength training should play a role in their training routine. Hopefully the days of steady state cardio routines and going to the gym just for the spin classes are over.

I'd like to say the myths associated with women strength training are gone as well. Statements like 'I don't want to get bulky' and 'I don't want to put on muscle, I just want to get toned' are unfortunately still heard by trainers every day from new clients. I always stress the importance of strength training as a key component on transforming their bodies, getting healthier, moving better, and just generally feeling better about themselves. Progressing through squat and deadlift variations, I always enjoy the reactions from my female clients when they hit a PR, or are finally able to squat past parallel. Accomplishments that they couldn't realize pounding away on the treadmill or working on machines. Big, compound movements such as some variation of the squat, deadlift, clean & press and pull ups should be incorporated into a program that also includes conditioning.

The self confidence and excitement I see from most of my female clients when they finally squat their body weight, or get through a set of heavy kettlebell snatches with perfect form, or are finally able to do a strict pull up makes my day. When a client hits her PR on deadlift and tells me to throw on 10 more pounds or hits a sticking point on bench press and tells me not to touch it; I know she's caught the bug. I know that coming to the gym means something different to her now. She's set goals for herself. She sees the changes, feels different, more healthy and confident. It's a great transformation to witness, both physically and emotionally.

Some strong women to follow. These are the founders of the Girls Gone Strong movement:

http://www.niashanks.com/

http://www.myomytv.com/

http://www.jencomaskeck.com/

http://www.negharfonooni.com/

http://allimckee.com/

http://www.julialadewski.com/

http://mollygalbraith.com/

Superfood to be Super Fit?

Every wonder how superman is super strong? I bet he ate his blueberries. Yes I said it blueberries. A nutritious superfruit that has been around for ages. Did you know that blueberries can help the body dissolve fat cells and allow the body to fight off any other fats that are ingested into the body? I bet you're saying I'm going out to get a pound of blueberries right now, but waiiiiiit......there's more. Polyphenols which is a chemical found in blueberries can prevent type 2 diabetes. So not only do you lose weight, but can prevent one of the worlds most deadliest diseases. I think killing two birds with one stone is the appropriate saying for fact.

In terms of U.S. fruit consumption, blueberries rank only second to strawberries in popularity of berries. Blueberries are not only popular, but also repeatedly ranked in the U.S. diet as having one of the highest antioxidant capacities among all fruits, vegetables, spices and seasonings. Antioxidants are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA. We recommend enjoying raw blueberries — rather than relying upon blueberries incorporated into baked desserts — because, like other fruits, raw blueberries provide you with the best flavor and the greatest nutritional benefits.

" One small step for nutrtition, one giant leap towards living longer" - Jesse Jeffers

Training Alternatives: Swim

Swimming is not just for tri-athletes and lap swimmers. Swimming can be a great alternative to the treadmill and elliptical machines for those of you who are looking to cut down body fat for the summer!  For a 30 minute session of swimming, an average person would burn 136 calories. When you use the elliptical or treadmill, you are actually burning more calories that may eventually lead to your muscles breaking down. Swimming offers the same amount of cardiovascular benefits while increasing muscle endurance and strength with light resistance.  Swimming is a full body, low impact, high VO2 exercise.

 

A great workout to start off with is what I like to call the “500 Pilates swim.”

 

          How this breaks down is an easy 500 meters (20 laps), really concentrating on tightening your transverse and rectus abdominals,  focusing on tightening your abs on each exhale. This will not only work on getting that well desired six pack, but it will also strengthen your oblique’s and is perfect for developing overall core strength.

 

       Next, you want to complete 10 x 100 meter (4 laps) sprints within 2 minutes.

 

          So you would break that down as follows…

 

·         4 laps and rest within 2:00 minutes. Making sure you are sprinting every 2 min.  

 

Afterwards, there is a 200 meter cool down to end strong!

Boxing Fitness

When people think of fitness, they tend to think of free weights, machines and running. But beyond the gym basics there are many other conditioning tools that can be used to improve athletic performance, burn fat and gain strength and endurance. Among the top tools is boxing.

In the past, boxing was seen mostly as a male activity. A testosterone driven activity that was not meant for the typical female athlete. This mindset has definitely changed.

In the sporting world, Boxing is known as “the noble art of self-defense”. It is a classic fistfight with gloves. But to box doesn’t necessarily mean to enter the ring and knock each other down. There are different ways to work on this art of self-defense, and if you are open to try out boxing, you will find that you will gain a lot more than just a toned body.

Boxing is an intricate way of working out, that incorporates all of the important aspects of fitness, including strength, endurance, speed, and coordination. During training, every movement will be worked on properly and systematically and you will build stronger and more defined arms, legs and abs.

Classical workout methods in boxing include running, jogging, intervals, jump ropes, and sparring, in addition to core work and agility drills. If you prefer to keep to yourself, boxing is very versatile and you can use heavy bags, focus mitts or shadow boxing to practice your fighting skills.

Calories burned per 30 minutes of boxing:

50 kg 240 kcal
65 kg 270 kcal
75 kg 300 kcal
85 kg 330 kcal
100 kg 390 kcal

In addition to working on your physical strength, boxing will improve your mental strength, leaving you with a sense of emotional balance. It is a great platform to develop your self-motivation, as it leaves you wanting to push yourself to the limit each and every time.

Boxing classes will let you push yourself to the limit, in a motivating and safe environment. Different levels in classes will let you work out on the level that you are comfortable with. You will learn self-defense skills that can turn out to be very valuable in many ‘unwanted’ real life situations. But most importantly, you will get an energy boost that will enable you to keep on top of your game in your day-to-day life.

With the addition of the private boxing studio, The Club At Morristown has recently introduced private boxing and kickboxing training. You have the option to train in a small group or privately. Your first session is complimentary so you have a chance to see what level you are at and if it's a right fit for your goals. Every session is an hour in duration. You will be instructed on the basic techniques of boxing/kickboxing where you will learn various punch and kick combos and self defense tactics while engaging every muscle group in the body. Come relieve some stress while getting an intense total body workout at the same time. Speak to Greg for more information and to schedule your complimentary session today.