First and foremost, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 is going to be an incredible year and the fitness industry is going to continue to explode.  Today I want to share my Top 5 Fitness Industry Predictions for 2010, but let’s start with an interesting study:

A recent study was done assessing whether clients got better results with or without professional supervision.

Reference: Supervised exercise versus non-supervised exercise for reducing weight in obese adults. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2009 Mar;49(1):85-90.

This research study looked at the effects of training with supervision/instruction (i.e. a qualified personal trainer) versus “advice” (i.e. “Can you just give me a program to follow?”).  There were two groups:

1. Group one met a trainer twice a week for 4 months (as a group).
2. Group two received basic advice to increase physical activity and access to a fully equipped gym (any exercise they did was unsupervised).

Results:  The group with supervision lost almost 10 pounds more over a 4-month period with a total fat loss of 13.4lbs in the coached group, and only 3.7lbs in the advice only group.

The bottom line here is pretty clear… if you are SERIOUS about getting rapid and lasting results then you NEED to hire a true fitness professional.

Of course, that comes with a BIG BUT doesn’t it?  For many, hiring a personal trainer is just too expensive.  And with that, let me share my Top 5 Fitness Industry Predictions for 2010…

Prediction #1: Weight loss and fitness boot camps will be popping up all over the place.

A quality boot camp is far more cost effective than hiring a one-on-one personal trainer.  In fact, that’s one of the major reasons I switched to running a boot camp business when I left my career as a health club personal training manager.  In addition, more studies are showing that people get better results when working out in a group environment.

There is, however, a BIG concern that goes along with this prediction.  My fear, and I know it will happen, is there will be a flood of copycat boot camp programs run by unqualified “trainers” who are simply jumping on the bandwagon to make money.  It’s simply the nature of the beast.  When an opportunity comes up to make money, people will jump on it.  There are multiple fitness business “gurus” on the Internet who sell their done-for-you boot camp systems.  As unseasoned trainers fail in the health club training world they will be relying on these “boot camp in a box” programs.

So, how do you know how to choose a good boot camp from a poorly run one or one run by an unqualified instructor?  Check out this post to learn more: http://tinyurl.com/How-To-Select-A-Boot-Camp

My next 2 predictions are direct results of Prediction #1.

Prediction #2:  More people will get injured while attempting to get fit.

Because of the increase in copycat boot camps run by unqualified “trainers” fitness related injuries will go through the roof.  We’ll see overweight and out of shape people performing exercises that are way out of their league.  The ever-increasing popularity of The Biggest Loser will also be a major contributor to fitness related injuries.  Viewers don’t realize that The Biggest Loser participants are very closely supervised and go through professional athlete level testing and rehabilitation on a regular basis.  In addition, the workouts you see on TV are not what they do most of the week.

Please be smart and safe when choosing your weight loss & fitness program.

Prediction #3:  People will lose more weight than ever before.

Here’s the positive effect of prediction #1.  There will be great weight loss and fitness boot camps like Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp that open up in your town.  You will be able to find qualified trainers running highly effective boot camp programs.  I’m personally part of an association with over 150 boot camp owners around the world.  We strive to provide the highest quality programs to our communities.  We have regular conferences and constantly communicate in an online forum sharing ideas and success stories.

These boot camp owners will deliver incredible results to their members and change the way their communities view fitness.

Prediction #4:  Online personal training will become more popular.

Let’s face it; the economy has taken its toll on a lot of people.  I personally think it’s a mindset, but that’s for another post.  Online programs can offer a very inexpensive alternative to gym memberships and even boot camp memberships.  The key is, of course, finding the right one.

I’ve experimented with a few, and have been less than impressed.  The biggest issue I’ve found is most of them are computer generated.  You answer a few questions and supposedly it spits out a custom program.  The truth is, programs don’t need to be as customized for most people as many “professionals” would try to lead you to believe.  However, these computer generated and some so called personal trainer generated programs often provide exercise and routines that are very inappropriate; oftentimes leading to under-training, over-training and/or injuries.

I’ll be honest, I’m hoping the online trend helps my online personal training program take off.  IT’S IMPORTANT TO NOTE; www.OnlineVideoBootCamp.com is very different than anything on the Internet, although I’m waiting for the copycats.  This post isn’t supposed to be a sales pitch for OVBC so I won’t go into the details, so if you’re interested just go to the website.

Prediction #5:  High Intensity Interval Training (H.I.T.T.) will become mainstream.

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 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 show this:

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!

Most boot camps, at least the good ones, use various forms interval training to accomplish astounding results in minimal time.  As these continue to gain popularity so will H.I.T.T.

Bonus Prediction #6:  “Low-carb” diets will make a final stand and win.

I simply can’t talk fitness without addressing nutrition.  Over the past 20 years I’ve seen every kind of diet imaginable.  Many of them keep coming back and going away.  There seems to be a cycle to them.  There was a time when extreme low-carb diets that touted “eat all the fat you want” were popular.  While a lot of people lost weight, many people suffered serious health problems as a result – even death!

The fact is, excess carbs do lead to obesity and diabetes.  And, most people live a very sedentary life so most people don’t really need a lot of carbs.  Finally, most starchy carbs are extremely calorie dense and lead to over-consuming calories, ultimately leading to weight gain.

There is a fine balance, one we teach through our boot camp programs.  Without going into excessive detail, I’ll point you to one of my favorite resources – The Carb Rotation Diet by Jason Hunter, R.D.

With that, have an incredible New Year.  I look forward to providing you with more informational and inspirational content in 2010.

Have Faith & Take Action!

Justin Yule, B.S., CPT

Your friendly neighborhood Chaska / Chanhassen boot camp instructor and online personal trainer.

Burn 9x more fat at a fraction of the cost of other personal training programs.

P.S. – There’s still time to take advantage of 2009 prices on Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp and www.OnlineVideoBootCamp.com.  In fact, you can still get OVBC for 50% off simply because I haven’t gotten around to taking down the special and I’m going to watch football now with Janell so I don’t see it happening today

Weight Loss & Fitness Boot Camps are a growing trend in the fitness industry today, and for good reason.

Weight Loss & Fitness Boot Camps like Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp in Chaska, MN are typically much more affordable than personal training.  They also offer more camaraderie and social support, are much more exciting than traditional personal training programs, yet they still have 1:1 attention and scientifically designed programs with exercise progression and regression.

Unfortunately, boot camps do have their downside.  Many fitness instructors want to jump on the boot camp bandwagon without having any of the skills or experience to design custom workouts for the wide variety of fitness levels typical in large group training.  In other words, a lot of boot camp programs suck, and worse, can be very dangerous.

Here are 10 tips on how to select a boot camp that will get you results and keep you safe at the same time:

The Top 10 Boot Camp Safety Checklist

1.  The Instructor(s) Must Be Certified With Nationally Recognized Institutions such as the National Strength and Conditioning Association or the National Academy of Sports Medicine. 

There are many online pay-for-certifications where people can get a certificate with little or no knowledge of proper training methods.  This is a big part of what gets people hurt and gives fitness a bad name!  You’ll be even one step better if you can find a program where the instructor has a college degree in fitness such as  a B.S. in Physical Education or Exercise Science.
2.) The Instructor(s) Must Look The Part And Walk The Walk.

If the trainer takes physical fitness seriously and is on the cutting edge of new training methodologies, they will be fit themselves, plain and simple.  After all, who wants to take advice from someone who is in worse shape than they are!

3.) The Instructor(s) Must Be Experts With Exercise Progressions and Regressions.

Every exercise has the appropriate regression (easier version) and progression (harder version) based on your current fitness level.  Overweight, de-conditioned beginners SHOULD NOT perform the exact same exercises as their more fit counterparts.  If you ask your trainer if he/she can show an exercise modification that better suits your particular situation and they give you a blank stare, leave the class on the spot!

4.) The Instructor(s) Must Make Themselves Available 10-15 Minutes Before and After Every Session.

Although a good trainer can effectively train the group as a whole and still give that personal touch, he/she must be willing to speak with clients before AND after every workout to address any personal issues that might arise within the scope of your training or in related topics like nutrition and supplementation.

5.) The Program Must Emphasize Body Weight Before External Resistance.

There should be no added weight to any movements until you have mastered the key foundational body weight exercises in full ranges of motion like push-ups, squats, lunges, etc.   A red flag should be raised if you are being instructed to add weight to a movement that you have yet to master with your body weight alone.  This one’s important because it’s not a matter of if you will get hurt… it’s a matter of when!

Note:  there are certain exercises that incorporate resistance bands that are easier than body weight exercises.  In addition, any pulling exercise will need to incorporate external resistance.  Resistance bands are typically the best means of external resistance, especially for beginners.

6.) The Training System Must Focus on Body Weight Circuit Training and Cardio Interval Training.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is scientifically proven to burn 9x more fat than the aerobic training alternative, so it is critical that both the resistance training AND cardio programs provided incorporate intervals since the goal of 99% of fitness enthusiasts is fat loss.  Furthermore, most people are seeking the lean, athletic look of a men’s health or women’s health cover model respectively, and this is easily accomplished with 2-5+ body weight resistance training movements organized in a circuit fashion with the proper pre-programmed work to rest periods between exercises.  Plus a truly skilled trainer has mastered the art of intensifying movements without the need for extra loading.

7.) The Program Must Provide Nutrition Information.

The National Weight Control Registry found that 89% of people who lost 30 or more pounds and kept it off for at least one year accomplished their goals through a combination of diet and exercise.  In that study only 10% succeeded using diet alone, and only 1% using exercise alone.

Nutrition is half the weight loss battle.  Without it, you are joining an incomplete program and wasting your money since there is no amount of exercise that can compensate for poor dietary habits.  People are too busy, and frankly too lazy, so the nutrition program needs to be clearly outlined and easy to follow.  It should provide both Quick-Start Nutrition Guides for Males and Females respectively that will have you eating to support your fat loss goals in 5 minutes or less.  Plus, a cookbook with a bunch of tasty and healthy done-for-you recipes should be provided to keep you on track!

8.) The Program Must Have A Website AND An Interactive Web 2.0 Social Network.

Bottom line, if the boot camp program in question does not have a website in this day in age it is not worth your time and money.  Personal training is not just about “training,” it is a business and it needs to be approached that way.  Furthermore, social support must extend outside of the boot camp workout.  A solid boot camp program will provide a high quality fitness information on a regular basis (ideally daily) through a FREE interactive blog that allows members to post comments and questions of their own.

9.) The Program Must Have Social Proof And Raving Fans.

If the program works, there should be proof in the form of client testimonials.  Their previous clients should have results and be raving about all of the benefits that they have received from the program. This should be made available on the company website.  And remember, it’s NOT just about the weight loss.  Benefits should include, but not be limited to, increased energy levels, dress/pant size reduction, improved health profiles, increased strength and flexibility, less joint pain, etc.

10.) The Program Must Offer A FREE Trial or Satisfaction Guarantee.

If the program is confident about what they have to offer, then they will let you come in and try it for free or they will guarantee your satisfaction or your money back to completely eliminate the risk on your end.  A results-based programs looks to minimize barriers of entry for prospects into their boot camps because they know that once the prospect experiences the benefits of the program firsthand they will surely buy!

In case you’re wondering, Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp meets all those criteria and a few more

Have Faith & Take Action!

Justin Yule, B.S., CPT

Your friendly neighborhood Chaska boot camp instructor and online personal trainer

Burn 9x more fat at a fraction of the cost of other personal training programs.

P.S. – If you live in the Chaska, MN area you can get a FREE 2-Week Trial to Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp and experience the best weight loss & fitness boot camp in town!

Well, we’re just over half-way through 2009; can you believe it?!  Today, I’m going to give you my mid-year review on the fitness industry and share 3 biggest weight loss & fitness trends that we’re seeing.

Sadly, it appears as though the fitness industry as a whole has again failed to produce any significant results on a broad scale to effectively reverse the scary obesity epidemic that is plaguing our society. More specifically, the sickening fact that American adults keep getting fatter, more lethargic, and less healthy has mirrored the unabated deterioration in the health and fitness of our youth population.

However, on a positive note, we have seen some growing fitness trends that will provide the long-term answers to solve this ever-growing problem:

Weight Loss & Fitness Trend#1- Fitness Boot Camps are Taking Over the Weight Loss Industry

Unless you’ve been living in a bubble with zero access to the outside world, you are aware of the fact that we are in the midst of the biggest economic recession since The Great Depression (although success-minded folks choose to create their own economy, but that’s a different discussion).  Nowadays, the average American simply does not have the disposable income for typical personal training rates that run about $60 – $80 per hour.

However, wherever there’s a problem you’ll find a solution.  Fitness boot camps like Chaska, MN’s Look Great at the Lake Boot Camp are just the solution people who are looking for.  Boot camps are probably the hottest thing in the fitness game right now, although buyers must beware (I’ll cover that in next week’s post).

The group training business model creates the ultimate win-win for trainers and clients making the one-on-one alternative obsolete in most cases.   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 a fraction of the cost of typical one-on-one training rates.

Fitness boot camps are popping up all over the country, and for good reason. If you are trying to lose weight, do yourself a favor by saving your hard-earned money to get better results by joining a local fitness boot camp.  If you can’t find a quality fitness boot camp in your area (again, I’ll cover that next week) then stay tuned to this blog for an exciting online program that’s coming soon!

Boot Camps Rock!

Weight Loss & Fitness Trend#2- Interval Training Rocks for Rapid Fat Loss & Fitness

High-Intensity Interval Training is rapidly gaining popularity as the best form of improving both fitness and fat loss. We see more people doing sprints and less people doing marathons to lose weight.  Check out a recent post in my Ask J column about this:  Should I jog or do sprints to raise my metabolism and lose fat?

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).  Now, if long distance running is your passion and you love to run races that’s great – more power to ya.  However, if you’re primary goal is to lose weight and “tone-up” AND do it in the most efficient way possible, then long distance running just isn’t the way to go.  It results in minimal fat loss and lots of overtraining injuries.

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 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 show this:

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!

Bottom line:  if you want rapid fat loss and fitness gains in the shortest amount of time possible, you need to jump on the interval training bandwagon.  Interval training is not a fitness flavor of the month or year.  It’s actually been around for decades, but is only now becoming more mainstream.

Sprinting = Sexy

Fitness Trend#3- Lean Protein And Fiber Are a Must for a Tight, Toned, Sexy Body

Americans 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 eliminating starches and sugars from your diet automatically means low carb.  That’s not the goal.  Instead, we want to replace the heavy, calorie-dense starchy carbs with other more nutrient dense carbs like fruits and vegetables. These 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 weight loss clients who have lost the most fat have followed this simple guideline – eat lots of veggie carbs, and very little of the other stuff if you want to see your abs!

There is an enormous amount of scientific literature proving the fat burning benefits of a diet high in lean protein and fiber.  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 more healthy, fit and damn-sexy body that looks and feels great!

Fiber and protein will make you a lean, fat burning machine!
Well, there you have it – the top fitness trends this year.

As always, please share your comments and questions below.  I’m here to help.

Have Faith & Take Action!

Justin Yule, B.S., CPT

Your friendly neighborhood Chaska boot camp instructor and online personal trainer

Burn 9x more fat at a fraction of the cost of other personal training programs.