Man, time flies don't it? I feel like I just blinked and a year passed me by. When I look back on 2008 I feel pretty damn proud of myself. It's always nice to look back and realize how much you grew within one year. What did I do?
- Watched a live UFC event in Las Vegas then ended up going the after party with the fighters, Eddie Griffin (comedian) and Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks Basketball team)
- Took a 3 week much deserved vacation in Asia (Shanghai and Hong Kong)
- Lowered my body fat percentage significantly since last year.
- Started a women's boot camp in Markham and corporate boot camps for Direct Energy
- My hamstrings are finally flexible as I can touch my toes easily :)
and much much more. I am definitely looking forward to more growth in 2009!
But when I look at the obesity epidemic that is hitting Canadians I can't help but feel that the fitness industry as a whole is not progressing at all. More and more people are getting fat. No joke! And it doesn't look like it is slowing down anytime soon.
The only thing I can focus on is providing you guys with the information that I KNOW will push you and your body forward in a positive direction. Here are the next trends in fat loss exercise as well as the fitness industry.
Fitness Trend#1- Fitness Boot Camps Will Rise, One-On-One Personal Training Will Fall
You’d have to be living in a cave to not be aware of the fact that we are in the midst of the biggest economic recession since The Great Depression. With the disappearance of the middle class and an economy that will most likely get worse before it gets better, the average Canadian simply does not have the disposable income for typical personal training rates that run about $60 per hour (probably more than that!)
However, with every problem emerges a solution; fitness boot camps are just that. Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now. The group training business model creates the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients making the one-on-one alternative obsolete. Fitness trainers get to better leverage their time and maximize profits by working with an unlimited number of clients per hour.
Fitness clients are able to better access personal training services in a unique and dynamic team environment that provides better social support and accountability for only a the third of the cost of typical one-on-one training rates. Personally I feel that fitness boot camps are 10X better than one on one training just due to the social support you get from every single member in the camp. It's an unbelievable experience.
Fitness boot camps are popping up all over the country, and for good reason. If you are trying to lose weight in 2009, do yourself a favor by saving your hard-earned money to get better results by joining a local fitness boot camp.
Fitness Trend#2- Interval Training Destroys Aerobic Training For Improved Fat Loss And Fitness 100% Of The Time
High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. Thankfully, 2009 will see more people doing sprints and less people doing marathons to lose weight. However, make no mistake about it, lots of people are still going to do hours of snail-paced cardio to burn fat.
I'll also make a bold statement that has been proven over and over again (this statement is so bold I have to put it in bold): Fitness classes absolutely positively SUCK at helping people lose fat. Studies have actually shown that if people have done the same fitness class for over one month they may actually be getting fatter instead of losing it.
Aerobic or endurance training is essentially going at a slow, low intensity pace for a long period of time (typically at least 30-60 minutes). In other words, the focus of endurance training is on the total volume of exercise (not quality). Think about all those speed limpers you see every New Year foolishly running for hours pounding the pavement or treadmill to get rid of that winter blubber. Sadly, this results in minimal fat loss and lots of overtraining injuries (e.g. ______-its).
With interval training, the focus is on the intensity of exercise (quality). Intervals consist of alternating between shorts bouts of all out high-intensity effort and active recovery periods for a much quicker and focused amount of time (typically 10-20 minutes of intervals works best). This approach is scientifically proven to burn nine times more fat AND lead to faster improvements in fitness than the aerobic alternative.
Two landmark scientific studies come to mind here:
The Tabata study compared the effects of four minutes of high-intensity interval training with 45-60 minutes of low to moderate intensity cardio. The interval training group burned just as much fat as the endurance group and also had greater improvement in both anaerobic (think sprinters) and aerobic (think distance runners) fitness… in only four minutes!
The Gibala study compared the effects of 20 minutes of interval training (30 second sprint followed by four minutes of rest) with 90-120 minutes of endurance training in the “heartrate zone.” The conclusions of the study were that both methods of training lead to the same improvements in oxygen utilization (or aerobic fitness). In other words, intervals accomplished what endurance training did from a fitness standpoint in only a sixth of the time!
The time is now to jump on the interval training bandwagon. Come 2009, do yourself and your body a favor and start sprinting to look better naked.
Fitness Trend#3- Lean Protein And Fiber Are The Carbohydrate Addict’s Answer For Improved Health, Performance, and Body Composition
Canadians are carb addicts. We simply can’t get enough starches and sugars in our diet, and we have the bulging midsections to prove it. One of the biggest misconceptions about diet today is that eliminated starches and sugars from your diet automatically means low carb. Better said, eliminating grains (even whole grains) and refined sugars still allows for consumption of the other carbohydrates: fruits and veggies. These nutrient-dense carbs are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber and create more stable blood sugar levels to keep your body burning fat all day long. All of my clients who have lost the most fat have followed our guidelines of unlimited veggies all day long (besides corn, peas, carrots, beets, and potatoes). In other words, eat lots of veggie carbs, and very little of the other stuff if you want to see your abs!
The overwhelming scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fiber is finally catching the eye of mainstream consumers. Protein is the most important component of each and every meal or snack you consume. It builds and maintains muscle, allows your body to preferentially burn fat, increases metabolism through the thermic effect of feeding, and fills you up. Fiber (ideally obtained from fruits and vegetables, specifically green vegetables) helps slow digestion for a more steady supply of nutrients and sustained energy, it prevents overeating at each meal, and it helps keep you more full between meals. Thus by combining protein and fiber every two to four hours, you provide your body with the optimal one-two belly fat burning punch for a leaner, sexier you.]
Without a doubt, people will be consuming more protein and fruits and veggies next year, and their bodies will reap the rewards of this.
Well, those are the top fitness trends for 2009 according to my crystal ball. I hope the information in this article gives you the push you need to be the trendsetter for your own body and the bodies of those whom you care most about in the New Year!
Go Hard or go home!
DG
Go Girl Boot camps
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