Merritt Clubs Blog

Chances are by now you’ve heard about the “surprising” appearance and percentage of body weight lost by the most recent winner of The Biggest Loser. Rachel Frederickson, lost almost 60% of her body weight in only five months. The trainers and other contestants could hardly contain their surprise and seeming concern at her reveal and final weigh-in. This would be more shocking if it weren’t the logical outcome of a contest conducted in the manner of The Biggest Loser. The contest is judged on total weight loss and pays no attention to body composition; the percentages of fat mass versus lean body mass. There are some wonderful aspects of the show, but this aspect is very misleading. Don’t be fooled.

In this post I mention that weight is only one aspect of a person’s overall health...the one everyone obsesses over. Unfortunately, our attention to the number on the scale is misguided. What most of us are really concerned about is our body fat - a percentage of our overall weight. When most people say they want to lose weight, they really mean that they want to lose fat. The two are not synonymous. However, some people are still under the illusion that gaining muscle is bad, because it contributes to the total number on the scale or for fear of becoming bulky.

Gaining muscle is NOT bad. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself, especially if you are trying to lose fat. Muscle is expensive, calorically speaking. It takes a lot of calories to maintain and build muscle. The more muscle you have the more energy (calories/food) your body needs to maintain it. Gaining muscle helps you burn fat for energy even at rest, helping you reach your weight loss goals (or fat loss goals) even quicker. Gaining muscle will also make your stronger, not bulkier. Cinnamon buns make you bulky, not dumbbells.

Additionally, when you are too preoccupied with the number on the scale it is way more tempting to crash diet. When people crash diet (ever heard of the master cleanse?) they lose weight for sure - both fat and muscle weight. However, at some point after a crash diet you have to start eating food again. When the inevitable occurs your metabolism is now slower because you’ve lost calorie burning muscle. Meaning, you’ll gain more fat eating the same amount of food that you were eating before. And the cycle begins. You starve yourself to lose weight, you lose fat and muscle, eventually you have to start eating again, but now you get even fatter than you were before, so you starve yourself again to lose some weight…

Stop telling yourself that the number on the scale is the enemy!

Television shows like The Biggest Loser are for entertainment first and foremost. Unfortunately, they perpetuate idea that the scale is the enemy. Contestants are rewarded for losing the most weight, not the most body fat. The insane amount of weight the contestants lose each week is not realistic. It makes a more realistic and sustainable rate of weight loss seem disappointing. If you are trying to lose weight (and keep it off), you want to maintain your muscle mass, if not build upon it. Therefore, ideally most people will be losing some fat, and gaining some muscle each week. That’s why we say it is safe and most effective to lose 1-2 pounds each week...not 25. You have to take a gradual approach to weight loss if you want the results to be long lasting. Remember it’s a journey.

It’s time to end that unhealthy relationship with the scale. To get a more accurate picture of your overall health and weight loss progress find out your body composition. Ask a personal trainer to help you find your body fat percentage, or check out the Bod Pod that comes to Merritt several times each year. It is a quick and highly accurate way to test your body composition and get your estimated daily energy expenditure (the number of calories you burn daily ). The scale is not the be all and end all measurement of your health and fitness. Don’t give it more importance than it deserves.

Joanna Meade (view bio) is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer at the Downtown Athletic Club. She is a Level OneCrossFit instructor and competitor. She can be reached at Merritt Athletic Clubs Downtown Club at 410-332-0906 or click here for a Free CrossFit Session.

Recently I asked a friend what they thought I should blog about. “Sex” was the answer. I laughed. All I could think was fitness is more than looking good naked. If that is your only motivation to get fit, you will most likely never get there. You have to find something that challenges you, inspires you and motivates you to get your lazy behind off the couch every day. Trust me. Looking good naked, isn’t enough.

On second thought, however I remembered that Valentine's Day is coming up and realized that sex is actually a perfect topic.

For a lot of people going to the gym is like unsuccessful online dating. You are trying so hard to get in shape, or find the right mate, but nothing is working. You can’t seem to get what you want no matter how hard you try...and it seems like you’ve tried EVERYTHING. Strangely, we often find someone worth dating in the weirdest places when we aren’t looking for them at all. What gives?

The truth is if you are looking for someone else to fulfill you, then you are doomed to be unhappy. It starts with you. You have to love yourself before you can love anyone else. A welcomed side effect of self-improvement, of loving yourself first, is that others find you more desirable. Fitness is no different; the side effect of being fit, is a rocking body that you worked hard to earn. If you are trying to get the rocking body without being fit - without earning it - you may be that desperate online single looking for love in all the wrong places.

And, to satisfy my friend, the fitter you are, the better your sex life will be. Research shows sexual dysfunction is more likely among women and men with poor physical and emotional health. Moreover, sexual dysfunction is highly associated with overall well-being. In the United States there is a surprisingly high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in both sexes. It is estimated that 31% of men and 43% of women experience some form of sexual dysfunction. That’s right - more women than men experience sexual dysfunction. Your physical and emotional health are the key.

Want to get a date, look better naked, have better sex, and generally improve all aspects of life? Focus on taking care of yourself first; loving yourself and prioritizing your fitness will take care of most of your problems. It’s that simple, and yet so difficult.

Joanna Meade (view bio) is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer at the Downtown Athletic Club. She is a Level OneCrossFit instructor and competitor. She can be reached at Merritt Athletic Clubs Downtown Club at 410-332-0906 or click here for a Free CrossFit Session.

Fitness is more than looking good naked. Granted, looking good naked is a welcomed side effect of being fit, but it shouldn’t be your only motivation to put down that cookie and lace up your sneakers. Weight, or more appropriately body fat, is only one measure of your health. It’s the one everyone obsesses about. However, there is so much more to it. Blood pressure, body fat, bone density, triglycerides, posture, flexibility, muscle mass, good and bad cholesterol, even your mental health are things we can observe to determine your overall health.

You have to think of your health as a continuum. Every night you don’t get enough sleep, every day you don’t drink enough water, every hangover, every skipped workout and extra slice of pizza; they may not look like they are affecting you now, but rest assured they are. Everything we do, or don’t do, gradually pushes us toward greater fitness or toward morbidity. Being fit is the best way to protect yourself against disease. It's not just something you do to look good for bikini season.

Fitness is a way of life. It has to be a habit. Otherwise, you’ll never gain any traction.

The next time you feel intimidated by some hoss deadlifting 500 pounds, or that gazelle of a woman effortlessly bounding along on her treadmill, remember that we are not all starting from the same point on the continuum. Fitness is a journey. Everyone’s is different. Regardless of where you are on your journey, don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Don’t despair that you’ll never look as good as that hoss or gazelle across the gym. Your workout is moving you a step in the right direction on the health continuum. And the next time you tell yourself you’ll make up for that overindulgence at the gym tomorrow, remember that it all adds up. You can't out exercise a bad diet. All your actions outside of the gym need to support your efforts inside the gym to make any progress on the continuum. Keep moving toward fitness and you'll have much more than a beach body. You'll safeguard your life.

There are a host of resources at Merritt Athletic Clubs that can help you continually progress your fitness. We have excellent personal trainers, group fitness instructors, massage therapists, dietitians, a meal service and even physical therapists, all on site. Improve your overall health by taking advantage of these available resources.

Joanna Meade (view bio) is a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer at the Downtown Athletic Club. She is a Level OneCrossFit instructor and competitor. She can be reached at Merritt Athletic Clubs Downtown Club at 410-332-0906 or click here for a Free CrossFit Session.

You may be a master of self-discipline, but if you find yourself bored with your current routines, the following will you help bring the passion back.

Hire a Trainer. Sign up for a boot camp, or a one on one session with a trainer at a Merritt Athletic Clubs. Trainers can give solid advice and the encouragement you need to make it past a plateau.

Compete. Sign up for an event, like the Merritt Challenges, or join a team. The social support a team gives you can fire up your resolve for a healthy lifestyle. Surrounding yourself with like-minded people is an important component in a healthy lifestyle.

Go for the gold. Give swimming a try. The pool can introduce you to muscles you didn't know you had! It is not too late to take a class if you had never learned to swim.

Take Martial Arts Class. Karate is a great place to start. Attending a weekly class as a newbie is a challenge to even the very fit. Build your confidence and focus while learning practical new self-defense skills.

Virtual Workouts. Technology can give your workout the boost of energy you need. Reserve a spot in the XRKade to kick boredom to the curb once and for all. Play your way out of boredom through an exhilarating session of Dance Dance Revolution or virtual sports like snowboarding and cycling.

Contact us to help you break out of boredom and into an enjoyable pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

JOHN POWER

“I’ve been coming to the gym off and on for the past few years and had used a personal trainer twice during that time. My time working with Ron Zwolak has been “kick ass.” Quite simply, a combination of dedication and new challenges from Ron brought me to a fitness level I’ve looked for since first showing up at Merritt. Each time I had a routine down, Ron would introduce a completely new circuit onthe body parts I was looking to target. I could run down 20 different exercises targeting the abdominals I’ve learned from Ron. Some of these things may have you looking like a fool around the gym, but they are sure to make you sore the next day(s). I’ve heard Ron is a tremendous resource in boxing training –it’s funny to think we have yet to touch one piece of this. I’d recommend Ron to anyone looking to bring it to the next level. Ron Zwolak will kick your ass, but he will warn you beforehand.”

Taste The Six Pack

“Do you have abs”? This is a question that a friend of mine who is also trainer was asked by one of his clients. The quick answer, for anyone who is asked this is, YES! We all have “abs” which is the short name for the rectus abdominis, a large muscle in front of the abdomen that if weren’t there we couldn’t walk, lift things, stand upright, and our intestines and other organs would be falling out! So, yes, we all have abs. The specific question this client meant to ask is, “do you have visible abs, or the ever sought after six pack?” That is a very different story. So if we all have abs but most of us can’t see them the question is how do we get a six pack? Well the easy answer is exercise and a proper diet with a strong emphasis on proper diet. We all can’t see our abs but we can all taste them. Taste abs? What the heck do I mean right?! Well as you are reading this right now (as long as you aren’t eating anything) you are tasting what a six pack taste like. Six pack abs taste like seeing that bag of peanut M&Ms and walking past them. Six pack abs taste like not eating a piece of cake, not eating that bag of chips, not overeating, not overloading on carbs. This is a little trick that I taught myself to keep myself from eating junk food. I see something that would be delicious and I am tempted until I remember that NOT eating it is the way to the six pack.

One thing I have learned as a Trainer is there are many methods to training, but principles are few. One trainer may like bodyweight stuff, while another uses kettlebells. I subscribe to no specific style of training, except hard work. The truth is, there is no perfect program and if you want to get somewhere, there is no quicker way than hard work. I will use kettlebells, dumbbells, machines, bodyweight, TRX, ropes, bands, barbells, sandbags, tires, etc to get the effect I want. All those tools provide me with variety and help break up the monotony of training. Let me tell you, it ALL works. Work people in ranges of motion they can control and vary the tool or apparatus and you WILL get a training effect.

Free weights vs. Bodyweight

Free weights are a great way to train the muscles and allow many benefits. I love bench press because it keeps you more stable and allows for more overload where as the bodyweight push up allows more core and trains the stabilizers. It all comes down to physics, for example if you weigh 150 lbs and do a full bodyweight push up, you have to support probably close to 80-90% of your bodyweight, let's say 120 lbs of your total 150. That force is distributed through both your arms and for convenience lets says close to 50 lbs per arm. That would equate to 50 lb dumbbells in each hand, or close to a 100 lb bench press. How many of you ladies scoff at the bench press as a “manly” exercise and prefer plank holds and push ups on knees? I say put the weights on and get stronger! That will make your body feel lighter and allow you to progress to a harder version. Weights don’t necessarily make you bigger they make you stronger.

Won’t I get bigger? I just want to tone up!

Tone is a misnomer. I don’t know where people got their information, but muscles don’t get longer, slimmer, sexier, or more toned. Muscles can get stronger, weaker, smaller or bigger. You don’t want to be weak; strength is the foundation of movement. If you don’t have strength or stability in a joint, you will likely get injured. Most people (guys included) don’t have to worry about getting too big, because to tell you the truth, gaining muscle mass is probably the hardest thing to do. Also it takes a dedicated nutrition plan, and lots of consistent hard work to put considerable amounts of muscle on. The best way to get toned is to get stronger. You get stronger by lifting heavier weights or increasing the resistance. Of course you should learn perfect technique before you load on weight. Ladies don’t have to worry because unless you take steroids you will never get big like you see in some of those magazines. Women don’t have high levels of testosterone, which is a major anabolic hormone.

What should I do?

The best exercises are the ones that work the total body, are multi-joint, compound lifts. These allow you the most bang for your buck, because they work the entire body and allow you to load on weights to get stronger. This strength can then be used during circuit style training, which gives you a strength reserve to tap into. That means more work done because things are easier when you’re stronger. This is good because the more work you do the more calories you burn. Some examples include deadlift variations, squat variations, rows, bench, and shoulder press. Some notable bodyweight lifts are pull ups, 1 arm push ups, pistol squats, handstands and V-ups.

To learn more about Lee, click here

What's your favorite training style?

Skeptical, anxious, excited, nervous, curious, hopeful. These were just some of the feelings I experienced while going through 12 weeks of training to become one of the few A.L.I.V.E. trainers at Merritt Athletic Clubs. Is there really a protocol that can reduce body fat, increase energy, cure dis-ease, reverse the physical signs of aging, and get people off of medications? How is this possible when this protocol is challenging some of the fundamental elements of health and fitness programs? How is this possible in just 8 weeks, starting out with only 6 minutes of cardio per day?? Phil Kaplan was making some bold statements about this program, and I was willing to keep an open mind and an open heart and jump in with both feet. If this program was even half as successful as Phil claimed, I could be saving lives!

As our pilot group of A.L.I.V.E. participants completes week 8 of the program I couldn't be more excited and proud! Here are just SOME of the results achieved from our group: dramatic weight loss WITHOUT restricting calories or cutting carbohydrates, increased strength and endurance, decreased blood pressure, relief from migraines, decreased blood sugar levels, increased energy, sleep better, cured of intestinal issues. Do you or anyone you know take medications daily? Have you been on every fad diet and extreme exercise program only to have all of the weight come back? What are you waiting for? Please don’t use time as an excuse… if you don’t make time for yourself, you won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

A.L.I.V.E. is an 8 week program designed to coach you through a lifestyle change… this is only the beginning!

To learn more about A.L.I.V.E. visit: http://merrittclubs.com/alive