Quite often I am approached by various people and their various opinions of what is healthy and what is not healthy.  As a general rule of thumb I say, if it makes you feel “good” (i.e. energetic, horny or want to be productive or help people), I say go for it.  But if it leaves you feeling lethargic, down or closed off from the world, it’s probably a safe bet that it is having a damaging effect on your body.  But, enough of my opinions!  I want to provide everyone with facts about the most popular things that we put in our bodies.

This is not to steer you clear of anything.  Remember that genetics plays a very big role in how your body is affected by any of these substances.

And, without further ado:

This information was taken from Drugfact Wars (annual causes of death by cause)

Note:  It is believed that the deaths caused by tobacco, poor health and physical activity are MUCH higher than what was recorded and that doesn’t even count the diseases caused by them!

Wheat (gluten aka “playdough” – minus the salt, water, veggie oil and tartar) This does NOT include wheat grass – The health risks of wheat and gluten are just now coming to light, even though our country has been living with many of the diseases associated with it since it became the main ingredient of our diet.

“Two American clinicians, James Braly and Ron Hoggan, have published a book, Dangerous Grains…  they claim that no fewer than 192 disorders, ranging from Addison’s disease and asthma to sperm abnormalities, vasculitis, rheumatoid arthritis and hyperthyroidism, are “heavily overrepresented among those who are gluten sensitive”.

Caffeine – Information on the health risks of caffeine are very easy to come by.  Severe amounts of caffeine can lead to cardiovascular issues, mental disorders, muscular dystrophy and even death.  Although, these effects can vary greatly depending on your genetics – Check D’Adamo‘s website to find more information about caffeine.

Corn - This one was too easy to even write much about on here.  Just google “corn health risks”.  So much for corn syrup “being good for you…”  But, once again, the effects of this food can vary greatly on your individual genetics – Check D’Adamo‘s website here to find more information about corn.

Pork - Again, google this one “pork health risks” – have fun.  But for more specific data, go to D’Adamo‘s website to find information about pork – Have a dictionary handy or use google to understand what the various “big” words mean

Marijuana – Given that this is my favorite one on the list, I could easily make it look good.  But I will say this.  Marijuana has the potential to cause severe paranoia, may cause some people to become lethargic, sleepy and uncoordinated and may even turn some people into “pottheads” or “stoners” and typically leads to feelings of euphoria.  This information is very common. But, the opposite is also true – It may lead to confidence, extreme levels of coordination, increased mind-body connection, additional energy and focus and may still cause some people to become “pottheads” or stoners”.  As of now, no diseases or deaths have been associated with jeeba.

“At present it is estimated that marijuana’s LD-50 is around 1:20,000 or 1:40,000. In layman terms this means that in order to induce death a marijuana smoker would have to consume 20,000 to 40,000 times as much marijuana as is contained in one marijuana cigarette. NIDA-supplied marijuana cigarettes weigh approximately .9 grams. A smoker would theoretically have to consume nearly 1,500 pounds of marijuana within about fifteen minutes to induce a lethal response.

“In practical terms, marijuana cannot induce a lethal response as a result of drug-related toxicity.”

The obvious question is why is it that of all the things listed here, the one that doesn’t cause death or disease is illegal….?  I’ll leave that for someone else to ponder over and blog about.

I hope this helps you to make healthier choices and be more aware about the choices that you are making.

-Ciao!

Anywhoo…  I’m excited!  Western medicine is beginning to recognize and acknowledge that muscular imbalance is the primary cause for low back pain.  Not only that, but I just found this quote on WebMD:  “Surgery is rarely needed for low back pain. Even if you have a herniated disc or nerve damage, you are likely to improve without surgery.” – WebMD.com

To make it even better, that same website is encouraging proper body mechanics and exercise to reduce the risk and cause of low back pain and other postural imbalances.  Look here!

In other words, to get relief and prevent low back pain and other postural pain, one must exercise and get massage regularly.  Exercise and Massage are like regular maintenance for the machine that is your body.  This habit is no different than taking your car in to the shop to get worked on; or no different than taking your vitamins everyday or eating your vegetables….  Maybe “veggies” wasn’t the best analogy given the relationship that many people have with their greens or maybe it is the best.

The exercise and massage that will work best for your individual issues will change from person to person even if the pain is in the same part of your body.  Luckily, I’ve been very well trained to recognize hundreds of different muscle imbalances in anyone and can relieve them in anyone.

I make massage very affordable at only $80 per hour, plus discounts.  And the medicine feels good too!

Call me for more information on how to get the relief you want and the best ways to maintain it.

Thanks for reading!!

Happy Holidays!!

954-471-7950

I want to thank all of you people who support my blog and read it so often, I hadn’t come in quite a while and I was surprised and very pleased to see how many hits I was getting.  I’ve heard a lot over the past month and a half about how much people appreciate this blog and I want to thank you all for the kind messages, I have received them and I will continue writing and sharing with you as often as possible.  I started this blog because I wanted to provide some place where people could obtain information about health and the best approaches that they could take to transform their body and I am very thankful and happy to see that that is happening.

I have to say, all this new education I’ve gotten has created lots of room for discussion on topics that I normally would not touch on, so expect some very good stuff over the course of the next few months.

I am now and officially, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine, a Corrective Exercise Specialist and a Performance Enhancement Specialist…  Ok, great title Des, what the hell does that mean???

First off, these two certifications were designed for athletes to keep on top of their training on and off season and through injuries.

Corrective Exercise Specialist – This is a modality designed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine to correct postural deviations that typically lead to injury or in many cases can be used as a form of therapy to any injury.  I did post a blog on this a while ago, I recommend you scroll through and check it out.  It’s really good stuff.

Performance Enhancement Specialist – This certification is quite interesting and I am still learning alot around it.  The most interesting part is that partway through the training session people experience a “high”/adrenaline rush which honestly makes you feel stronger and more powerful than you’ve ever felt before in your life!  I’ve gotten addicted to exercise before, but this takes it to a whole new level and the people I train in this modality seem to go into overdrive when they are drenched in sweat and get totally insatiable for more exercise!  As I learn more I will provide it, but it definitely centers around exercising the body from the inside out.

Anyway, thank you for keeping in the loop.  I promise to deliver more useful information as time permits and I promise to continue to be committed to my own education and giving you as much of it as I can.

Ciao!

-Des!

1.       Exercise  - Go to the gym!  Burn more calories than you are taking in, the surplus of calories will come from your bodyfat.  Do NOT get into a “routine”.  Routines are a trap, because once your body gets used to what you did the last time, it stops producing results.  Your workouts should follow a program that increases the amount of calories you burn at the gym and the amount of work that you do.

If you are overweight, the culprit is probably that you are burning less calories than you are eating.  This doesn’t mean that you should eat less, as this will do nothing for the calories that your body is already storing.  Besides that, many of your organs DEPEND on exercise to do what they need to do two examples are your liver and your thyroid, both of which are two of the main organs that are in charge of telling your body to “burn fat” and until they see a calorie deficit or heal, they will not allow your body to do what you want it to do.

2.       Nutrition – Anyone knows there are hundreds of different diets out there that claim to manage weight, bodily function, and so forth.  Not every diet will work on you.  Even the most typical will not necessarily work on YOU.  So, I’m going to share with you a few different options that are available for you and you can choose the one (s) that will work for you the best.

Starting with a personal favorite is the Blood type and Genotype Diets, discovered by Dr. D’Adamo.  His work goes into a nutrition plan that is completely customized for you based on your genetics.  He even takes it a step further and shows you in fine detail what your lifestyle and exercise programs should be based off of this same information.

Vegetarian/Vegan nutritional programs, take most or all of the meat/animal products out of your diet and have you eating vegetables.  Determine for yourself which is a better choice for you.

Note:  If you are a drinker, you will have to lower your drinking consumption.  I recommend no more than two glasses per week.  If this is too tempting, then cut it out for at least 3 months while your liver and body performs the necessary repair.

3.       Muscle Maintenance Massage & Stretching – When exercising frequently, muscles tighten up and become stiff, eventually inhibit movement and lead to domino effects of pain and eventually injury.  It is for this reason that many men tear an Achilles by the time they are in their early 30’s or people blow an ACL, a shoulder cuff muscle, etc.  It’s just from not stretching and getting massages.  Keep in mind that stretching and massage do very different things to the muscles/tendons/myofascia (outer covering of the muscle), so be sure to get BOTH or find a massage therapist that will stretch you after you are massaged.  I take that approach and am masterful with getting all the different muscle groups that you cannot stretch or massage on your own.

4.       Coaching – Someone has to be around to keep you on track when you don’t want to.  It is after you can accept that you have gotten yourself into this situation and accept that you will need help to achieve your dreams and goals.  Whether it is reading a blog like this that is full of information that points you in the right direction or you have someone who is guiding and “pushing” you to move forward in the right direction.  If you really want it, get out of your own way and allow someone else to take over.  Having a coach/personal trainer is great if you will check in with that person before you put anything in your mouth, but truth be told, you only have a few hours a week where that person can be in control of what you are up to, the rest of the 250some hours of the week, you are left to your own devices.

5.       Education – Read, learn, absorb, implement!  The more you can learn how to take care of your body, the less chance you have of going back in the other direction.  If you know something is poisoning you, you will stop eating it; if you know that “that pain” that is annoying you will go away by going to the gym or seeing your personal trainer, then you will do it!  And having a personal trainer will provide LOTS of education in and of itself; in fact, that is probably the best part of having a personal trainer.  You get to take away a lot from that trainer and you will pass it on to your family and friends, so not only does it benefit you, but also your whole community.

6.       Community – Speaking of community…  It takes a community to recreate your health.  You need people who know more about the human body than you do.  You need someone who can look at you and see what needs to be done.  You need people who can support you in creating new habits with food and won’t shove a bunch of food in front of you that you shouldn’t be eating or encouraging you to go and do what you’d “rather” do instead of go to the gym.  And chances are you NEED a personal trainer for all of the above stated reasons.

7.     Lifestyle – Be clear!  This is not a function of any one of these steps, it takes all of them.  Leaving one out, will rob you of advancement.  Implement all of it and have what you want.

8.       Goals – Probably my favorite part!  In fact, I’d also like to refer to this as VANITY!  My recommendation: Is sit down with a few magazines and construction paper, clip out pictures of what you want your body to look like, a leg here, the waistline there, arms there and so on.  Make a collage for yourself and hang it somewhere that you MUST see it whether it’s walking out of the door or on your ceiling before you go to sleep, keep a picture of it on your phone a constant reminder that will keep you in pursuing your dream.  Without this, you’ll mess with yourself and your dream.  Look in the mirror and appreciate what you see there.  It is yours, you have earned it, whether you like it or not.

In closing, I’ll say implement as much of this as you possibly can.  But truth be told, unless you yourself go and get a personal trainer’s certification and begin taking the time to study (approximately 10 hours a week), you will probably do best with having a personal trainer as a guide to helping you achieve your goals and trust that person, whether it is me or someone else.  Also, do research about that person and the certificates that person holds.  No two certifications are equal, no two books on anatomy and physiology are equal, that would be plagiarism

I want you to have the body you want!   I am available to YOU!

Now go therefore and cause hotness!!!

Much love

-Des

Some believe these pains are genetic, but that is usually quite inaccurate.  “But my dad/mom/etc. just got a hip replacement or knee surgery and mine is hurting too!”  Yea, you probably got it from them, but not through genetics.  Its more of a monkey-see-monkey-do-kind of phenomenon.

When you are a child you mimic what your parents do: the way they walk, the way they talk, what they eat, when they sleep, maybe even a similar profession.  All of these things and more contribute to the attention and care that you give to your body and also your movement patterns.

Given that most people are not taught to move properly, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize just how common improper movement can be.  Just walk down the street with me one day and I’ll point out hundreds of them to you within just a few blocks.  The truth behind joint pain is that it is caused and contributed to by improper movement patterns and muscle imbalances that lead to joint dysfunction.  And it usually takes years of improper movement to develop them. Muscle imbalances are quite easy to reverse, initially.  But keeping them that way to encourage new movement patterns though, can take a bit more effort, strategy and focus.  The goal is literally to reeducate your Central Nervous System on how to control your limbs and actions (I bet you control freaks are goin to love that!)

How does one transform their movement?  Well, first, identify and inhibit the overactive/tight muscles.  Next, identify reactivate and strengthen the underactive muscles.  And lastly put all of that together in a new functional movement.  This process takes about 6 weeks to accomplish and the results are amazing!!  With my clients (without diagnosing anything of course), I have been seeing arches raise, pain has been relieved, movement has been corrected, people have gotten faster, stronger, more agile, balanced, the works!  Could you imagine being able to exercise again and reclaim your health after suffering an intense injury or post-surgery??  How great would it be to no longer be put off from what you love??

Not only does this method relieve the body of the pain, but it also allows you to move faster, more efficiently and your exercise or “therapy” (if you want to call it that) makes you burn calories and look sexy!

This is what it means to be a Corrective Exercise Specialist!  Are you ready to start running or lifting again?  If so, great, let’s talk!

As if it hasn’t been for a while already!  If the heat wasn’t a big clue, then the loss of clothing most certainly is.  I love this time of year.  Having lived in Florida for so many years, one gets used to seeing beautiful, barely clad bodies roaming around freely everywhere all year round.  But, living up here in the North when summer comes rolling around, it’s like Toys-R-Us!  Everything has been locked up all year round and the toys finally get to come out and play….  ummm, no pun intended, don’t go too far with that….

So, here we are, summer time and it’s time to play, dust off that bicycle, break out the picnic baskets, blankets, friend(s) or whatever it is you choose to keep under your ass while sitting around outside, head to the park, beach or start some adventures far away and unexpected.  Remember to bring some good music to get down to, something cold to drink, suntan lotion, sunglasses and have a really great time.

Love you all!  Have a fantastic good time!

Today, though, I was talking with a friend and at one point the conversation turned to how long it took me to find the proper nutrition plan, well I figured it out last year, but between my mother and I, it has been a part of my life for at least 20 years!!  Talk about trial and error!  But, I never gave up.  I knew it was out there, lol, even my brilliant mother just found out that there were a few things in her diet that were working against her and she had no idea!  And she has been doing this professionally for quite a long time.

Do one thing at a time, be patient with yourself.  The answers are coming, but keep looking and never give up.  Just when you think you are stuck and the answers are escaping you.  I promise they are coming.  Just look a little bit farther.  But the most powerful tool of all that nothing can compare to is your own education.  Find out as much as you can about what effect that thing will have on your body when you chew it up and swallow it.  Don’t eat it because so and so said it is good for you and certainly not because any particular organization says it’s good for you, look it up, read.  Find out what it does.  More importantly than all of that, listen to your body!

When you eat certain foods or certain amounts of certain foods, you may notice that you feel differently after eating different meals…  On one hand you may feel great, energized, powerful, uplifted and ready for some action or you might feel bloated, wanna sit back, loosen the belt and veg/digest or hell just go to sleep!  One is when your metabolism is full on, the other is when your metabolism is full off!  One is your body burning calories, because of the meal, the other is your body collecting calories…. also because of the meal.

So, here is what you do!  Keep a journal of what you ate and how you felt afterwards.  Soon you will begin to notice the pattern for yourself and soon you will find yourself with a diet that makes you feel AMAZING and makes your body look amazing with little to no effort!  Or here is a shortcut to a database that will answer it for you in advance!  That is the one that I trust and after 20 years of my journey, I have settled down into this VERY happily!  Knowing that I used to weigh 240lbs or even that a few years ago I was 12 – 15% higher in my body fat before doing this says a lot for me in validating that I have found the right choice for me and for those I love!

I would love to be a positive influence on you in helping you find the right path for you and after 20 years, believe me when I say, “I know LOTS of them.”  If you have questions, feel free to call or write.  I’d happily answer your questions!

Des Depass 954-471-7950 or email me at desdepass@yahoo.com

Hasta lluego!!

I know, you walk, you talk, you sit in a chair, big deal, you know how to move, we all know how to move!  Yes but how aware are you of your movement when you are breathing heavy, moving something heavy, repeatedly, it burns like hell, your muscles are shaking and you just want it all to be over, but you promised yourself 30 and dammit you are going to do 3o!  You focus and do them perfectly!  But, the little voice in my head is SCREAMING SOO LOUDLY!! I just want to get them over with!  Sounds familiar?  It is so easy to give into carelessly throwing the weight around at this point.

1.  That little voice is nothing more than that…  A little voice, notice how no one else can hear it besides you…  It is THAT small and insignificant!

2.  You promised yourself something, do it!  It’s called integrity, you are here to achieve your results and fulfill on your dreams.  Do what it takes to fulfill your promise.

3.  In accord with number 2, go for “time under tension” over the amount of weight.  Throttle back and drop a few pounds, then go back at it.  That is the way to get toned and sculpted.  That is also another way to make the muscles stronger, more capable and to endure longer.

4.  SLOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww down…………  Take your time.  How can anyone possibly be in control of something when theyhaven’t mastered the basics of the movement of what they are doing?  Besides, this also makes the muscle learn how to endure even LONGER.  And it allows the brain a chance to master the exercise through use of the nervous systems and activates all the necessary muscles.  Thus, causing added fat burn.  After gaining full control over this movement it is time to start throwing weights around.  And by full control, I mean nothing less than 100 reps, all just about the same and done properly, perhaps with very light weights or in some cases, no weights at all *cough*fullsquats*cough!*  If control cannot be kept for 100 reps, sooner or later laziness and sloppiness begin to set in and this is the perfect segue to number 5….

5.  Increase reps.  There is nothing wrong with doing high repititions, in fact, it’s the BEST way to tone out.  In fact, if there is a movement that you can do very high weight with, try doing it without the weight 100 times perfectly, I promise the next time you will be able to lift it more times and probably with more weight, with excellent form.  There are some muscles (Deltoids!!) that will almost only respond to high repeptitive perfect exercises and others that could highly benefit (Quadriceps) from such activity.

There is nothing wrong with just moving, but when doing an exercise that is intended to affect a specific set of muscles, if the movement is not kept under control and you are not present to the movement then it means that “other” muscles are doing the job of a major muscle or certain group of muscles and it is not getting the benefit of the time being spent doing that movement/exercise.  The exercise quickly becomes ineffective and to top it off, it is when that unbearable burn sets in that the most results can be achieved!

Imagine taking life on like this!

Here is a list of the Top 10 exercises I see most commonly desecrated and butchered like someone learning a new language and thinking they are doing a great job of it.  Proper form, fixes, corrective exercises and alternative exercises listed as well.

10.  Chest Presses – Common mistakes using too much weight, unsteady hands/elbows.  Most of us men are junkies about our pecs and triceps, so mostly this one is rarely ever messed up.  But every know and then I see someone not fully extending their arms or not going all the way down, dumbbells waving around like an excited person waving to their best friend.

Practice doing some Pushups on the ground, holding your body perfectly straight and allowing your chest to touch the ground, then pushing yourself all the way up as far as you can as far away as you can so you are pushing the ground down as it were.  If you can’t effectively do it with your body weight, then the weights are just wasting your time…. obviously.  Learn to do 50 of them, start where you are, if it is 2, start with two, if it is on your knees, then go with that, do as many as you can, breathe, then go back to them, get as many as you can done before your exercise time is done.  Trust me, this will work your pecs to death and get your abs at the same time…. afterall, pushups ARE planks!

An excellent corrective exercise:  Grab a pair of dumbbells that are of medium/moderate weight and a stability ball and use the stability ball as you would a bench, with your upper back and head comfortable on the ball.  Keep your hips up as high as possible, squeeze your glutes… lol yes they are going to BURN!  Alternate chest presses once you get the hang of it, lift them 24/30/40 times, make those triceps and pecs BURN!  Someone’s booty gunna b sore tomorrow…..  HAHAHAHA!!  (Note:  To get in and out of position properly with dumbbells.  Sit with the dumbbells on your lap, walk forward until you are comfortably in position, bringing the dumbbells to the sides of your chest.  When done, walk backwards and sit up, placing the dumbbells on your knees.)

9.  Crunches….  Common mistakes: pulling on the back of the head while crunching.  Good lord, I am waiting to see someone grabbing on the back of their neck rip their head off of the top of their spine… I am just WAITING!  When pulling on the back of the head it engages latisimmus dorsi (lats) and your biceps, the rectus abdonimus (abs) end up doing much less work, thereby defeating the purpose of the exercise – the lats and biceps muscles are FAR bigger and FAR stronger than the little muscles on the back of your head and have little trouble overpowering them and causing them unnecessary strain.  This can also lead to some very nasty cervical spine issues by encouraging redirection of the curve in that area.  It can also encourage spondylosthesis.

If your abdominals need this much help, find something else to work them with!  Take your hands off the back of your head.  Give yourself a great big hug around your shoulders.  Take your feet off the ground so your knees are bent at 90 degrees and sticking straight out away from your head or place your heels on top of a chair or bench, then crunch your elbows up to your knees.  Crunch your elbows to your knees.  Can’t do it??   Exhale HARD and squeeze your abs, you’ll get up there – make them more difficult by intentionally learning to keep your knees as far from your elbows as possible.  Being able to only do 10 very difficult crunches that leave you hurting and breathless can be just as effective as 30 that leave you sweaty and in a state of “cardio”.  It is ok to mix it up, it tricks the muscles into becoming more efficient.

8.  Planks…..  Common mistakes sticking glutes in air, relaxed at the shoulders, knees bent.  “Lemme see you get dat booty in da air, get dat booty in da air!!!”  Ohh, whoa, no not for this exercise…  So often, I see booties (gluteals…..) hangin out in the air when this exercise is done.  This is a sign of weak core and spinal stabilizing muscles.  The spine should be kept neutral and straight, much like when standing.  I recommend being on your hands, this allows a person to push their chest AWAY from the ground & make the planks far more creative.  Doing this strengthens the muscles around your shoulder girdle and that keep your scapula in place to protect your shoulder and not overstretch your pectoralis minor and serratus anterior (the muscles that keeps your scapula against your back.)  Practice doing planks and holding them for as long as possible.  Practice lifting a limb off of the ground and moving it around slowly, while maintaining your form.  Lifting feet is different than lifting hands.  Exhale hard and tight all of the core muscles to maintain form while lifting a limb.

7.  Pullups:  Common mistakes include going up/down part way, rocking back and forth.  Learn to do these smooth and controlled, if wobbling occurs it means weakness or lack of balance between the front and back core muscles to keep the lower legs and hips steady and the core muscles are losing out on an amazing exercise.  If you are not allowing yourself to go all the way up (chin above the bar/your hands) or all the way down (arms straight, but shoulders locked in), then you are not getting the full benefit or are just using your arms and not enough lats.  Use an assisted pullup or try different hand positions to find out where your core muscles can manage.

6.  Lunges:  Common mistakes include taking small steps (caused by tight hamstrings – this may cause discomfort/pain across the front of the knee when doing lunges), not allowing one’s knee to touch the ground (lol, also caused by tight hamstrings, this may also cause pain/discomfort across the front of the knee), half-curling dumbbells if holding them to gain stability (if this is a bicep exercise, then do full curls, otherwise, put the weights down and learn to balance, otherwise this may cause discomfort in the elbow), JACK-HAMMERING the ground with one’s knee (……..ok this one is self-explanatory, if you want to keep your patella (kneecap), then slow down and be gentle when tapping your knee to the floor… please.), leaning forward when going down (this is caused by tight hip flexors, this can cause discomfort either in the hip flexors or the lower back; stretch them out), and wobbling side to side and still not giving up those weights (your obliques are weak, lower/lose the weight and tighten your core). Most of these mistakes cause the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals and core muscles to lose out.

Before beginning walking lunges, master doing reverse lunges in place, lots of them, by lots I mean 80 and by 80, I mean as many as your legs can do after they begin to feel like jello, still maintain control.  Take HUGE steps backwards, the correct distance is looking from the side, your front knee should be BEHIND your toe when your back knee taps the ground.  After your first 20, try holding a weight in one hand 5 – 10lbs for women, 15 – 25 for men (This is one of the best and most simple oblique exercises you’ve ever done, even more than those standing side crunch things where you are holding a dumbbell) – remember to take your time.

5.  Cable Rows – Common mistakes are: Bending wrists, leaning back, elbows going WHEREVER, keeping one’s back rounded, not squeezing shoulder blades together, excessively arching out the lower back.

Sit up straight, slow down and for god’s sake, lighten up the weight.  Also stick your chest out and squeeze your shoulder blades together!  That is the whole point of it!  When you get the hang of this, then do that same weight one at a time, when you get the hang of it, then you can go ahead and up the weight.

A very cool fact about rows!  Where the elbows go determines what part of the back gets worked!  Keep the elbows high and the upper back gets worked, keep the elbows and close to the ribs and the middle back gets worked, keep the elbows a few inches away from the ribs at a 45 degree angle and a combination of both gets worked.  Just remember to use that same elbow position for all of the rows and all of the necessary sets of the rows being done.

4.  Vertical Leg Lifts – LOL!  What can I say about these leg lifts….?  Common mistake:  Doing them!  LOL!!  Or arching out the back when they are being done.  Chances are, anyone that is doing these is doing these because they want to strengthen their lower abs, But these target your hip flexors WAY more than the lower abdominals and I can’t imagine anyone wanting to strengthen their hip flexors, unless they are doing soooooooo many squats that they are beginning to feel pain in their hip flexors (Note: If you have trouble washing dishes without resting your hips against the edge of the counter, then you probably have weak hip flexors.  If you can lean over the sink, then you most certainly have tight hip flexors and hamstrings.)

You want lower abs, do planks, you want awesome lower abs, do reverse crunches SLOWLY!  Start on the floor, then work your way up to a decline bench.  Laying on your back on the floor, keep your head off the ground, bend your knees so your feet are down by your butt and your knees bent as far as possible, but pointing towards the ceiling.  Now, slowly crunch by bringing your knees as high up as possible, even up to your chest/head, then slowly and gently lower your glutes down to the floor, start off doing 20 of these, work your way up to 50.  When you are at the gym, get on the decline bench with your head at the top and your butt at the bottom.  Get into the same position and bring your knees up to the top of your elbows, then back down again.  Do the same thing, work your way up to 20, then all the way up to 50.  Get creative with these and have fun!

3.  Using Partial Range of Motion/Abrupt movements: Ummmm… Common mistake…:  This is the mistake.  Why even bother exercising?  This will only cause injury over time  Time to get a good personal trainer to weed it out of all movements!  Lighten your weight to where you can control it and use FULL range of motion to perform all exercises.  Also, slow down so that you have full control of your movement.

2.  Squats (of course, my favorite, yet the most desecrated), refer to my blog on Squats.  Proper form is there.

1.  BREATHING!!!! “Ohh, but Des, this isn’t an exercise…”  Think again buddy!  This IS the exercise!!  Everything else is just accessory.  Why?  Well, let’s take a look at how much is involved with breathing if done properly.   Many muscles assist in breathing:  rectus abdominus, transverse abdominus, external and internal obliques, lattisimus dorsi, all of the intercostals, diaphragm (The Master!), that is already 9 muscles, not counting the intercostals, because there are 3 of each of them between each set of ribs (that is a calorie burning factory if I have ever heard of one) and that is just rushing off the top of my head and there are many more.  But… why?  If I am not mistaken, almost all of these are core muscles… hold on, yep, they are ALL core muscles!  All the core muscles that every person goes into the gym and wants to have BETTER of.  Ayurvedic Medicine and the yogis had it RIGHT, breathing IS the source of all life and breathing is the source of all POWER!

On the part of the exercise where the muscles are relaxing, that is when you inhale.  If you can not do it on the way, then inhale just before you start the exercise and hold your breathe, go through the motion, then exhale on EXERTION, HARD and quick!  EXHALE TO LIFT!  (remember those 3 words).  The more power you need, the harder you exhale.  The other part is TO EXHALE TIGHTEN THE CORE MUSCLES!  (remember those 6 words also).  Try this:  Stand in front of the mirror, inhale through your nose as deep as you can first into your belly so that it pushes as far out as possible, then keep inhaling until your shoulders lift up as high as possible.  When you are full, exhale hard through your lips and tighten all of your core muscles.  Use this technique when you are exercising in the gym and need a burst of power.  Mastering this will quite often get you through a whole lot more sets of an exercise than you would expect to do.  It raises the pressure within your abdomen to force extra blood, oxygen, and nutrients into the muscles and at the same time, the extra pressure within your blood vessels helps those muscles to push even harder!  Start by practicing with light weight, then work your way up to heavier weight.

Of course there is more to look out for, but adding this into your exercise routines or practicing these will make a marvelous/noticeable world of difference in your workouts and ability to move and burn calories.

Have fun!  I am so happy I get to share all of this with all of you!

Now go therefore and cause SEXY!!  Make the mirror proud and your neighbor jealous!  Yep Yep, that’s what’s up!

-Des

Before, I get started talking about my own philosophy and techniques, I would like to just clear up a few things, because they will probably be on your mind the whole time you are reading this and I’d rather it not be.  First, I would like to address Pilates.  I LOVE pilates, I believe it is one of the best modalities of exercise to come along.  The reason I don’t use pilates is because I am interested in having a core that not just stable, but is both flexible and capable of stabilizing itself through any range of motion no matter what is going on and capable of developing power with ease. (Think of a cat or a martial artist).   Yoga is great for the stability and flexibility, I highly recommend it for just about anyone, especially if you are a bloodtype A (this doesn’t mean it isn’t good for other bloodtypes, just that it is believed to be most effective for bloodtype A.  An A doing yoga will look RIPPED, an O doing yoga will probably still look thick and maintain a higher bodyfat %, because yoga does not encourage their body to use their most efficient energy systems).

Now, when I think “core” training, I think martial arts or GYMNAST!  YES!!!  Bring da pain!!  There is no higher standard of core “ability” and “stability” than a gymnast.  We are talking about someone who can stabilize their core with split-second timing and extreme flexibility.  This is someone that will not accidentally fall and trip off of a curb, unless they are so intoxicated that they need someone to hold them walk.  A gymnast is able to generate instantaneous power to throw their body around dynamically, quickly and safely and still catch their body with ease on almost any limb or combination of limbs.  At the end, they still have flexibility to boot, even with all of that power they are capable of generating.  Much of the time when I am training someone, it is with this view in mind.

Now, let’s talk about how to accomplish this!

As stated before, the core has over 30 muscles in it.  For now, put aside the 5 that you know (Abdonimals, internal obliques and external obliques).  You probably work these all the time, if you don’t they are probably your first thought of working when you go into the gym.

Each of the muscles in your core serve an individual and very important purpose.  The way the muscles wrap around this area of your body is quite complicated and because there are so many muscles, you can imagine that it takes quite a bit of knowledge, patience, variety, and creativity to hit all the various muscles in this part of your body.  Fear not, I have the medicine!

There are many different directions to hit your core from.  For starters, each limb will have a different effect on your core, when pressure or lack of pressure is applied to it.  Think about it like this, when you walk one leg and one arm goes forward and then they switch.  Have you ever tried walking with one arm behind your back?  Try power/speed walking with one arm behind your back.  Your core suddenly has to do a pissload of work that it didn’t have to do before, nor is it used to doing.  Now switch hands to balance out .  The same concept is true in the gym.  The typical thing to do is do a plank on your elbows and toes…., lose the training wheels, get up on your hands, better yet, use ONE hand or ONE foot or one hand and one foot!  Tap that hand or foot on something so the movement will make it more difficult for you to maintain that straight plank and don’t stick your butt up in the air, this isn’t that class :p.

Here’s another idea, that most men will enjoy:  Those chest presses that you LOVE doing, start doing them with one dumbbell in the air while the other dumbbell is pumping up and down….  Too easy?  Take one dumbbell away, breathe and concentrate…. I suggest you lighten the weight before you get carried away and fall to the side.  Now half of the muscles in your core are going to try and balance that weight off of your opposite leg.  Take it very very slow, 4 – 7 seconds down and 2 seconds to lift.  Your core will have a field day with this.  Especially your transverse abdominus (the internal girdle and protection of all your organs) Note:  Most twisting exercises activate this muscle.  Do these on a stability ball for added core work to the muscles of your lower back, squeeze your glutes and keep your hips up.

Try doing reverse lunges with a dumbbell in one hand, ladies use a 10lb, men use a 25lb dumbbell.  Do upwards of 30 lunges on each leg or more.  The purpose is that all of the muscles on one side of your core now have a weight to play with and stabilize while you are doing an insane amount of lunges…  Can anyone say “fat burn”?  Yes, you’ve never burned fat like this or this quickly before, get busy!

The reverse crunch/hanging crunches!!  I love this exercise for what it does for your lower abdominals (My teacher Dr.Eston Dunn taught me this one while I was still in school, I’ve used it ever since!).  If you squeeze your abs while doing squats all the way down, you will notice a similar effect as this.  When people experience hernias, typically it is because the lower abdominal wall is weak, thoracic pressure from above pushes down on the organs and the weakest spot usually is in the lower half of the abdominals and an organ will push up against and bulge out against this soft “wall” of connective tissue and puts it at risk of tearing.  By strengthening it alot, this prevents that problem from ever happening.  Rule number one of the reverse crunch, don’t swing your legs, if you are swinging your legs even slightly, it is not your lower Rectus Abdominus doing the work, it is your legs, hip flexors and upper abdominals doing the work.  Stop swinging, get on a decline bench or roman chair with your legs hanging and your upper body held secure, bring your legs up to a bent 90 degree angle, take a deep breath and sqeeze those abdominals as you exhale HARD and SHARP, bring your knees as close to your elbows or as high as you can lift them, then lower them back down slowly to the bench as you inhale once again.  That is number one!  Tap your butt down and come right back up again…  Now do 20 of them!  Once you are used to them, work your way up to 40 or more.  Be sure to do your squats to balance these out.

My final tip for you comes from watching the ladies in the classes, men listen closely!  In those classes, quite often “balance” exercises are used VERY liberally, i.e. doing standing curls, while balancing on one foot, alternating curls, even shoulder presses, shoulder raises and any combination of these you can think up.  Men try this sometime, it is EXCELLENT core training, it forces those other muscles that hold your hips in place to get some work and assist in the exercise.  Try one arm shoulder presses with your feet together.  Those who are a bit more advanced, lift one foot in the air or hold it out in front of you with your knee bent at a 90 degree angle.  You just gave your core a whole leg to hold on to, better than a deep-fried chicken leg.  You don’t need much more than 35lbs to get amazing shoulders and do really high reps or slow down, 2 seconds up, 4 seconds down and always exhale with exertion.  Just be aware of your form, hold your core very tight while you do these, suck in your abdominals as well as your obliques and keep your glutes tight.  The more that you can tighten in your body, the more muscles that are working and demanding energy to keep them going,…. that means burning and using fat.  Balance and stability are excellent ways to cut down!  And the more control you have, the better.

Well that’s enough for today my friends, enjoy these wonderful exercise ideas and tips, I look forward to hearing how they go for you.  Feel free to email, call or comment me.

Recently, I found out how damn wonderful a blender can be.  Toss in a banana, an egg or two, some nuts, ice cubes, dried cherries, lots of dark chocolate, IsoPure protien powder (I haven’t found a good substitute for my bloodtype yet, but this works great so far), ginger, olive oil, and whatever else my tummy desires that is on my list of beneficial foods to eat.  I recommend a good oil in the shake if you are exercising frequently (more than 3 times per week and intense), to ensure that your body gets the necessary fats so that it gives up the fats it has been holding on to.  The end result is a delicious shake that is good for one or two meals that takes less than 5 minutes to make, I can drink it on the way and refrigerate the rest until I am ready for it.  It boosts my metabolism and immune system, heals my body, increases my ability to think and nourishes my body FAR better than anything I have done for breakfast in the past.  Ohh yea, eating like that on this diet will also reduce wrinkles… not that I have that problem, I doubt I ever will given how I am about my food; because it repairs your aging DNA.

So, here is your assignment for health, should you choose to accept it (I’ve always wanted to say some version of that, lol.)  Go to Foodtype Index and look through the fruits and nuts and compare them to your bloodtype to see what will work best in your diet.  Then blend them till creamy and enjoy!  For those of you who enjoy taking your sick days, I don’t recommend telling your boss about this diet, it’ll make it harder to pretend to be sick :p  HAHAHAHA!!!!

Have fun and remember make your food your medicine or your medicine will become your food!!

Much love!!

-Des