Antonio's Training

Final Body Transformation 

Before                             After

After 12 weeks the results are finally in and Stephanie finished her body transformation in great shape. She will be 45 next month and there is no doubt she is in the best shape of her life. A lot people might ask why someone that was already in good shape would want to submit them-self to such a dedicated program but I think the answer is obvious. There is always room for improvement no matter who you are and its the drive and commitment that keep us focused and keeps us from slipping. If someone with so little to lose can make such a big difference in how they look just imagine what the average person can do with this program if they put their minds to it. Great job Stephanie!

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                                                      In the news

Schell Brothers start corporate fitness challenge

Chris giving a motivational speech to employees at a corporate meeting

For the fourth year in a row I’m offering my Corporate Fitness Challenge to Schell Brothers Companies and I promise this will be a very competitive event. To date I have trained 36 different employees and already have a lengthy list of people signed up for to start again this year. The competition will allow participants to do my 12 week body transformation while competing against each other for a substantial amount of prize money offered by their employers. They will also have the opportunity to get reimbursed for my program if they meet their goals so you can bet there will be some great transformations. Stay tuned for more information as I will be posting pictures, videos and results throughout the contest.

 

 

The above video was shown to members of Schell Brothers companies at their corporate meeting last Friday as a source of inspiration to anyone that wants to join this years fitness challenge. The video features people from the company that have already completed my program and achieved great results.

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 Ask the Trainer

How many sets and reps are best for getting in shape?

Q:. I’ve read many articles on weight training and have spent my fair share of time in the gym but the one thing I’m still unclear on is how many sets and repetitions are best for getting in shape. There seems to be a lot of different opinions out there wondering what your thoughts were on this issue.

A:.There are many things to consider when designing a  winning program such as experience level, genetics, nutrition and lifestyle but before you can make any intelligent decisions on how many sets and reps would be best you must first determine your goals.

Most people fall somewhere in between strength, size or general fitness. Determine which category works best for you and try the following suggestions but before we get started let’s make sure everyone knows what both terms mean.

A set is a group of consecutive repetitions performed in an exercise without rest and a repetition or rep is simply how many times you lift the weight in a set.

Strength (power lifter)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6-9 sets per body part and (1-8) reps per set

If you’re sole purpose is to get strong and you care less how you look you’re better off concentrating on (6-9) sets per body part and 1-5 reps per set.  This set rep scheme can be divided into a variety of different combinations to allow you to lift heavier loads to increase strength and generally focuses on core lifts that work larger groups of muscles such as bench press, squats, deadlifts, barbell rows and dumbbell presses. Since strength athletes are only concerned with how much weight they can move its better to break sets into smaller rep ranges (5×5, 4×3, 3×3, 2×2) and rest periods between sets can be as long as 2-5 minutes so that one can properly recover to maintain strength. A good example would be 3 sets of bench presses for 3 reps each with a 5 minute rest between each set.

 

Size (bodybuilder)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8-12 sets per body part and (8-10) reps per exercise

Most people associate size and strength together but those who have spent time doing some serious strength training realize there is defiantly a difference. Don’t get me wrong strength training will defiantly get you bigger but it not the best way to put on size. To gain quality muscle mass you have to up the set rep range to (8-12) sets and 8-10 reps per set.

This set range works great for building bigger muscles for 2 main reasons. First it allows for more time under tension causing the muscle being worked to recruit and break down more muscle fibers and force them to adapt by growing larger.

Secondly the higher volume of sets and reps increases the body testosterone and growth hormone production. These key hormones help feed and repair muscles allowing them to grow to optimum size. Rest periods range from 1-2 minutes between sets on average.

Fitness (athlete/fitness buff)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(9-12) sets per body part and (8-15) reps per exercise

If you’re looking for a combination of size strength and fitness you’ll want your set rep scheme that falls between (9-12) sets per body part and (8-15) sets per exercise. This allows you to work through a variety of different set rep ranges while training for size, strength and endurance keeping your body off balance and continuously achieving results. For example you can cycle your repetitions by doing 3 weeks of 8-10 reps, 3weeks of 10-12 or 3 weeks of 12-15 reps. I do however suggest keeping sets mostly between 8-10 as anything more than 12 sets for long periods of time can cause overtraining.

 

As mentioned previously there are many other factors that contribute to a successful program but it makes good sense to find the set rep range that matches your goals and design a program that works best for you.

 

How do I stay on track with my fitness goals?

 

Q:.I am getting ready to start a fitness regimen and was wondering if you had any advice on how to be successful. I have no trouble working hard but sometimes have trouble coming up with a definitive plan. Do you have any helpful hints that might help me stay on track with both my diet and workouts?  

 

A:. Ask any accomplished person and they’ll tell you that planning is the key to success. The same principal holds true when deciding to get in shape. As I always tell my client’s fitness can’t be a grey area where you halfheartedly do a few things to lose weight but rather it should start with a specific goal and a plan that has the precision of a laser guided bomb. Here are 5 techniques I believe are fitness game changers when it comes to accomplishing your goals.

 Keep a food journal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

People that see you keeping a diary of what you eat will probably call you obsessive but don’t let them bother you because keeping a food journal can be a very valuable tool. I have found that people have no idea how much or how little food they eat unless they write it down.  Once they see what the problem is all they have to do is make a plan to fix it. This doesn’t have to be a long term but keeping track of at least a week of what you put in your mouth can be an eye opening, or should I say mouth closing experience.

Prepare your meals ahead of time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you think you can get away with going through the day hoping there will be healthy food choices for you to pick from I’ve got news for you, it’s not going to happen. If you don’t prepare your meals ahead of time you will surely end up eating those doughnuts someone dropped off in the office at work. One of the best investments I ever made was a collapsible cooler with an ice pack so I could prepare my meals ahead of time and keep them chilled and ready to eat at a moment’s notice.

Keep workout records

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For most people working out is mindless experience where all they have to do is show up and do some reasonably hard work and the rest will take care of itself but they fail to realize that results depend on constantly challenging yourself with new and creative workouts? Keeping records of past routines will give insight on what you’ve done in the past and how to make the necessary changes to continue making progress in the future. As the old saying goes, “How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve been”.

 Periodically evaluate your success

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find it extremely valuable to evaluate your success every 3-6 weeks. After you see where you are you can make new more ambitious goals you can strive to accomplish in the future. For people that are trying to tone up and lose weight I’d suggest taking measurements and testing body fat percentages. Once you see real concrete results on paper you will be motivated to work even harder to get to the next level. If the results aren’t good it can serve as a wakeup call to recommit to your goals and make the necessary changes to your routine.

 Challenge yourself with an annual fitness event

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I strongly believe that having something specific to train for at least once a year does wonders to keep you fresh, motivated and on top of your game. This event can vary depending on your interest but a few good examples are 5k races, mud runs, triathlons or even a friendly fitness competition among friends or co-workers. I personally make it a point every January to do my own 12 Week Body Transformation program to keep myself in check and to lose any additional weight gained do to the holiday season.

Remember nobody ever said staying in shape is easy but once your there its well worth the effort.