Total Gym

Fitness Wisdom Wednesday: The Benefits of GRAVITY Felt 'Round the World

Let’s talk about GRAVITY training on Total Gym. You know from experience that Total Gym requires you to lift your body weight against gravity to perform total-body exercises. You are literally fighting gravity to fight the effects of gravity (e.g., the saggy parts) at the same time!!

GRAVITY 101. GRAVITY is a small group cardio and strength training workout offered in fitness facilities and taught by a certified fitness professional on a commercial version of the Total Gym (similar to the one you use at home). GRAVITY Personal Training and Pilates classes are also offered on Total Gym.

GRAVITY is available in health clubs in over 200 U.S. cities and 23 countries. The benefits for Total Gym users:

• You are already familiar with the equipment, so you skip the “new workout learning curve;”
• You’ll see great results from working out in a motivating group environment with instruction from a trained fitness pro;
• You’ll get new ideas for your at-home Total Gym workouts; and
• Your first GRAVITY class is usually free. The cost for GRAVITY sessions thereafter varies by fitness facility.

The FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO SEND US A PHOTO OF THEMSELVES IN A GRAVITY CLASS WILL RECEIVE A GIFT! Email your photo to totalgymblog@efisportsmedicine.com.

Want to find a GRAVITY workout near you? Visit our efi Network and search by your state.

Check out recent GRAVITY press coverage from the U.S. and United Kingdom!

Fitness Wisdom Wednesday: The Benefits of GRAVITY Felt ‘Round the World

Let’s talk about GRAVITY training on Total Gym. You know from experience that Total Gym requires you to lift your body weight against gravity to perform total-body exercises. You are literally fighting gravity to fight the effects of gravity (e.g., the saggy parts) at the same time!!

GRAVITY 101. GRAVITY is a small group cardio and strength training workout offered in fitness facilities and taught by a certified fitness professional on a commercial version of the Total Gym (similar to the one you use at home). GRAVITY Personal Training and Pilates classes are also offered on Total Gym.

GRAVITY is available in health clubs in over 200 U.S. cities and 23 countries. The benefits for Total Gym users:

• You are already familiar with the equipment, so you skip the “new workout learning curve;”
• You’ll see great results from working out in a motivating group environment with instruction from a trained fitness pro;
• You’ll get new ideas for your at-home Total Gym workouts; and
• Your first GRAVITY class is usually free. The cost for GRAVITY sessions thereafter varies by fitness facility.

The FIRST 5 PEOPLE TO SEND US A PHOTO OF THEMSELVES IN A GRAVITY CLASS WILL RECEIVE A GIFT! Email your photo to totalgymblog@efisportsmedicine.com.

Want to find a GRAVITY workout near you? Visit our efi Network and search by your state.

Check out recent GRAVITY press coverage from the U.S. and United Kingdom!

Total Gym Weekly Workout – Overhead Press

This week Tom demonstrates the Overhead Press to work your shoulders, triceps and upper back with the “Wing” accessory.  You may know, Total Gym has several accessories available to perform different exercises.  Most accessories are ideal for multiple exercises*.

We love to hear from you! Is there an accessory you use with your Total Gym that you can’t live without?  Or maybe an exercise that we can have Tom demonstrate for you?  Tell us about it…

*Accessories are model specific so check your Total Gym model number before ordering new items.

Tara's Friday Bite – Stressed Out? Eat Up!

You are so stressed out and busy that your sleep is either long and restless or solid but way too short. So you wake up and start pounding coffee to get going. There’s no time to eat so by the time you get around to it you are starving. Hunger in combination with the elevated stress hormone cortisol cause you to crave foods high in sugar, fat and salt. Poor sleep, caffeine side effects and blood sugar imbalance from poor nutrition leave you feeling tired, moody and unable to concentrate.

This is a cycle in which too many of us find ourselves today. There are, however, several things that you can do to stack the cards in your favor and regain control:

1. Cut out the caffeine after 2pm. OK, I know that I just lost half of you! I’m not saying get rid of it all together, just switch to decaf in the afternoon.  Caffeine stays in your system for 6 hours, so even if you are one of the people with a caffeine tolerance it will negatively affect your sleep.
2. Increase your B-vitamins. B-vitamins support the entire nervous system as well as our stress response. They also aide in energy production so you will feel a natural increase in energy. Food sources include: liver, soy, broccoli, beans, lean meat, sprouted grains, salmon, nuts and eggs. You can also supplement with a B-50 complex found at your local health food store. Always take B-vitamin with food and don’t freak out when your urine turns neon yellow!
3. Don’t forget to eat, especially breakfast. I know I sound like your grandma but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It will start your day off with good fuel and help you focus. Stock your pantry and office with easy options like oatmeal so you can make sure that you always have something on hand. While I’m at it, don’t forget your jacket and would it kill you to pick up the phone every once in a while? (Sound like grandma?)
4. Make sure everything you eat contains protein. Protein supports brain function, which in turn impacts mood, behavior and concentration. It will also give you sustained energy and decrease sugar cravings. No need to go Atkins with your protein (in fact, please don’t!), instead just include some protein with every meal. Food sources include: fish, meat, eggs, nuts & seeds, tofu, dairy, soy, beans and rice.
5. Add in some Magnesium. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer. Not the kind that causes you to speak gibberish and pass out, but the kind that helps pull your tense shoulders from your ears and quiet your mind so you can sleep. It is also one of the minerals that Americans are most deficient in. I recommend supplementing with a high quality Calcium/Magnesium Citrate before bed. It will also help with muscle soreness from all the exercise you may be doing to relieve stress!

Here’s to leading a calmer, happier life!

Tara Coleman www.taracoleman.com

Tara Coleman is a Clinical Nutritionist living in San Diego, CA, and the newest spokesperson for Salada Tea. She will guest blog on Total Gym Inside twice a month with “Tara’s Friday Bite.” Leave us your comments with ideas for future topics or email Tara directly at tara@taracoleman.com.

Tara’s Friday Bite – Stressed Out? Eat Up!

You are so stressed out and busy that your sleep is either long and restless or solid but way too short. So you wake up and start pounding coffee to get going. There’s no time to eat so by the time you get around to it you are starving. Hunger in combination with the elevated stress hormone cortisol cause you to crave foods high in sugar, fat and salt. Poor sleep, caffeine side effects and blood sugar imbalance from poor nutrition leave you feeling tired, moody and unable to concentrate.

This is a cycle in which too many of us find ourselves today. There are, however, several things that you can do to stack the cards in your favor and regain control:

1. Cut out the caffeine after 2pm. OK, I know that I just lost half of you! I’m not saying get rid of it all together, just switch to decaf in the afternoon.  Caffeine stays in your system for 6 hours, so even if you are one of the people with a caffeine tolerance it will negatively affect your sleep.
2. Increase your B-vitamins. B-vitamins support the entire nervous system as well as our stress response. They also aide in energy production so you will feel a natural increase in energy. Food sources include: liver, soy, broccoli, beans, lean meat, sprouted grains, salmon, nuts and eggs. You can also supplement with a B-50 complex found at your local health food store. Always take B-vitamin with food and don’t freak out when your urine turns neon yellow!
3. Don’t forget to eat, especially breakfast. I know I sound like your grandma but breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It will start your day off with good fuel and help you focus. Stock your pantry and office with easy options like oatmeal so you can make sure that you always have something on hand. While I’m at it, don’t forget your jacket and would it kill you to pick up the phone every once in a while? (Sound like grandma?)
4. Make sure everything you eat contains protein. Protein supports brain function, which in turn impacts mood, behavior and concentration. It will also give you sustained energy and decrease sugar cravings. No need to go Atkins with your protein (in fact, please don’t!), instead just include some protein with every meal. Food sources include: fish, meat, eggs, nuts & seeds, tofu, dairy, soy, beans and rice.
5. Add in some Magnesium. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer. Not the kind that causes you to speak gibberish and pass out, but the kind that helps pull your tense shoulders from your ears and quiet your mind so you can sleep. It is also one of the minerals that Americans are most deficient in. I recommend supplementing with a high quality Calcium/Magnesium Citrate before bed. It will also help with muscle soreness from all the exercise you may be doing to relieve stress!

Here’s to leading a calmer, happier life!

Tara Coleman www.taracoleman.com

Tara Coleman is a Clinical Nutritionist living in San Diego, CA, and the newest spokesperson for Salada Tea. She will guest blog on Total Gym Inside twice a month with “Tara’s Friday Bite.” Leave us your comments with ideas for future topics or email Tara directly at tara@taracoleman.com.

Total Gym Weekly Workout – Fun at the Park

What a great way to spend your Labor Day holiday… at the Park!  This week I asked Nicole to mix things up with some options to help keep your workout fresh.   Follow Nicole through her full body Total Gym workout that includes great cardio options.   What’s at your neighborhood park that you incorporate into your workouts?

GRAVITYPick_Fun At the Park

Fitness Wisdom Wednesday: The Mind/Body Connection on Total Gym

I have loved lifting weights to get stronger, look and feel better and enhance my athletic performance since the age of 12. But it wasn’t until I delved deep into my Pilates training that I truly got the most from my resistance training routines – and helped my clients get the most from theirs. You don’t have to be formally trained in Pilates to understand the rewarding principles of focus and concentration.

Here’s an example I use to get my clients into the mind-body realm on Total Gym GTS. Let’s call my client Nathan, and today we’re working on his pushing muscles, starting with the chest. I’ll have him first experience an internal contraction of his chest muscles by simply pressing his hands together vigorously.

• Nathan’s goal is to hit his level of fatigue between 8 and 12 reps.
• He is doing a seated forward chest press on the GTS at level 6 to achieve his goal. He has done one set properly and is stretching his chest while recovering between sets.
• For the next set, I’ll take the GTS down to level 5 and Nathan’s goal is to get the same results with intense focus on the mind-body connection.
• I’ll have Nathan close his eyes and as his arms go back on the eccentric phase, I’ll have him visualize the pectoral muscle lengthening with control. I’ll ask him to feel his core stabilizing his torso like an anchor, allowing his strong chest muscles to do their work.
• Before he starts the concentric phase, Nathan will engage his core a little more and start his exhalation – breathing is very important in Pilates.
• As he continues this phase, he will activate his core throughout his exhalation and then at the peak contraction of his pecs he will internally squeeze the chest muscles and hold about a second, then release.

This kind of mind-body discipline is at the heart of Joseph Pilate’s philosophy of training the body. As a guy, I surely don’t mind the ratio, but it is disappointing that 95% or more of my Pilates class students and clients are women. Joseph Pilates was a body builder himself and he developed his wonderful Pilates discipline working with men. Studies have shown that when male body builders dropped their weight to about 80% of what they could actually lift and focused intently on the mind-body connection, they achieved better muscle development. Unfortunately for us guys, the gals seem to be the smart ones  when it comes to mind-body discipline.

Resistance training is like anything else in life:  If you stay present and focused during each set, you will get a better return on your workout. Use the versatility and ease of changing the level of your Total Gym to challenge you and your clients’ mental focus to achieve a new level of results. Practice the simple, yet hard to live-by, principle of “living in the present” to make your workout a moving meditation with proper focus.

Namaste’

JayDee Cutting is a GRAVITY Master Trainer, certified personal trainer and Pilates instructor. Feel free to contact JayDee at CuttingEdgeWellness@san.rr.com or check out www.NiceDogYoga.com. JayDee’s CoreGolf Fitness DVD is due out this fall.