Tag Archives: Fitness

Late last month my trainer asked me what sort of fitness goals I wanted to attain.  Aside from stating vague goals like building muscle mass and eating more healthy, I committed to do my best to try and get in 3 cardio routines a week and to get two solid lifting work outs with him each week.

Last week I was in Provincetown away from both my gym and trainer.  I was not able to get to the gym, but I did get in 3 30-minute runs which proved to be quite difficult due to the hot, hot weather. However, in light of the lack of time at the gym and my glutinous streak I’m now working to make up for lost time at the gym.   Here is tangible evidence of my 3-runs from last week.

Have you set any fitness goals lately?

Kris Kranzky, my personal trainer at The Boston Sports Club in the South End, shared his typical weekly workout regimen in last week’s fitness tips posting.

Kris has recently modified that routine to get into shape for two hockey tournaments next month by adding different workouts that focus more on power and explosive movements.

If you are looking to add variety into your routine, consider including sports specific exercises including olympic lifts, cleans, snatches, deadlifts, squats, plyometrics and quick feet drills.  Ask trainers at your local gym for suggestions or advice.  You can also use YouTube to watch demonstrations and to give you ideas on how to include new routines into your work out regimen.

For the past month I’ve been posting fitness tips from my trainer Kris Kranzky from the Boston Sports Club in the South End.

This week he shares his workout routine. Kris works out for five days and rests for two; his routine typically includes: Monday/ Chest; Tuesday/ Back; Wednesday/ Legs; Thursday/ Shoulders; Friday/ Arms.

Before each workout Kris starts with a 20-minute cardio, using a high intensity interval training setting on a bike or treadmill; followed by 40 minutes of weight training.  His goal is to complete approximately 120 reps per muscle group meaning if he does four sets of four exercises he would do 8-10 reps per set to 8 x 4 x 4 = 128 reps.

Since the end of May I’ve been posting fitness tips from my trainer Kris Kranzky from the Boston Sports Club in the South End. These posts serve serve as a reminder for me to take time to work out and maximize my fitness routine and diet.  I hope you find these tips interesting too.

Following up on last week’s tip, A Sensible Diet is Key, Kris encourages us all to be more aware of what we are consuming. If you do not know a licensed nutrition, you can check out this nifty daily caloric expenditure website to determine how many calories you should consume each day.  According to this tool, I burn approximately 2,800 calories a day so if I want to lose weight I need to consume slightly less than this and if I want to build muscle mass I need to consume slightly more.

Kris is quick to caution that those calories should not be saved for foods with little nutritional value and he suggests natural foods like fruits, vegetables and lean proteins.

Work has been busier than usual and my time at the gym has suffered (that’s a nice way of saying I’ve not been going). While huffing and puffing my way through my first workout in more than a week my trainer asked me, “Have you given any thought to what sort of fitness goals you’d like to set for yourself?”  UGH… really? I was just trying to not embarrass myself by gasping and groaning too loudly.

However after my work out it got me to thinking about setting some goals in terms of activities (e.g. setting a minimum number of workouts per week) as well as fitness goals that can be monitored and <gulp> measured. Are you trying to set some personal fitness goals? Misery does enjoy company – do tell.

For the past few weeks I’ve been posting fitness tips from my trainer Kris Kranzky from the Boston Sports Club in the South End.  In previous week’s tips have included: scheduling time to work out, finding the right balance, and mixing up your work out routine.  This week’s tip deals more with decisions made outside of the gym.

A sensible diet is key: It is important to consume a variety of carbs, fats and proteins in your diet. Try to eat a range of fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins.  Natural sources of fat from foods like avocados, olives, nuts and types of fish in moderation is okay too.  As a rule of thumb, your total fat consumption should be 15-30% of total daily calorie intake.

Last week’s tip.

The month of June is synonymous with summer in my mind.  The spring was more hectic than I would’ve liked and my time at the gym was impacted so I thought I’d start these weekly posts to keep me (and maybe you too) focused on personal fitness. These tips are from my trainer Kris Kranzky from the Boston Sports Club in the South End.

Mix up your work out regimen: Your body is like a machine and continues to improve based on the demands that you apply. If you continue to do the same exercise over and over, then your body will become more efficient at performing those types of workouts so it is important to continue to switch up your work out regimen every 6 week weeks.

Last week’s tip.

Long time readers know I’ve been pretty vocal about my training and personal fitness over the years so earlier this month I asked my trainer, Kris Kranzky over at the Boston Sports Club in the South End, to share some fitness tips I can post on my blog. I hope these forthcoming posts help you with your own personal fitness goals.

Find the right balance: Exercising is all about balance and if you take into consideration diet, resistance training and cardiovascular exercise you will see better results more quickly. Although this is common sense it is important to recognize how effective combining diet, resistance training and cardiovascular can be.

Last week’s tip

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer in the US.  Are you ready?

I asked my trainer, Kris Kranzky over at the Boston Sports Club in the South End, if he’d share some fitness tips I can post on my blog. I hope these forthcoming posts help you with your own personal fitness goals.

Fitness Tip: Schedule your workout We are all busy so it is important to schedule time to workout and remain faithful to that calendar.  This will help you get into a routine and make it less likely for weeks to pass between workouts.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, June is the start of the summer months and if you live in the US, many consider the Memorial Day Weekend later this month the start of summer.

With four weeks before visits to the beach and pool become a regular thing, I’m ramping up my physical activities by working out with my trainer and trying to eat healthier.  How about you? Do the summer months provide you with an incentive to get into shape, fill you with dread or doesn’t even appear on your radar?

In 7 short weeks June will be here. June = Summer in my mind and for that reason I’ve been working out with my trainer, Kris, twice a week.  He’s the maniac jumping over burning logs and covered in mud. He’s one part bad-ass; two parts great listener and fantastic motivator.

I try to schedule two one-hour sessions with with him each week. I know this is going to sound crazy, but spending this money is my way of pampering myself. I feel so much better on the weeks I get two solid work outs with Kris.  I do my part too by trying to get in a decent cardio 2-3 times a week but sometimes work won’t relent and my only physical activity is with Kris.

I’ve had conversations with several guys I’ve met through my blog, and I know finding time to get in a solid work out can be tough. A lot can be accomplished in 7-weeks if you modifying your diet slightly and get a couple of workouts in each week. Let me know how you are doing and we can chat off line to keep each other motivated. God knows I need as much help as I can get.

Last week I started working out with my new trainer, Kris.  It will probably take me a couple of months before our training sessions become routine and I can anticipate what he may have in store for me. For now, each work out is something a bit different and new.

Like my former trainer, he couples routines so one rep focuses on one muscle group and the next focuses on a secondary group. Thank goodness we take 30-second breaks after these back-to-back sets so I may catch my breathe.

We are still in the “honeymoon” stage; he’s figuring out what are my limits and structuring routines to push me and I’m trying to impress him by not gasping for air.  Although I miss my former trainer, Stu, I’m happy with the change and have faith that Kris is going to help me attain a higher level of fitness so I’ll be more comfortable when the warmer weather arrives.  Are you working out? Let’s chat and motivate each other.

It is the end of an era (sort of).  In February 2009 my partner gave me a  trial pack at my local gym to work out with a personal trainer.  That thoughtful gift resulted in a 3 year relationship with my personal trainer, Stew.  Long time readers will recognize his photo to the left.  His workouts still leave me winded and my last session with him this past Friday was killer, but after 3 years I’ve decided I need to mix things up and change my routine.

Starting today, I’m working out with a new trainer.  Kris shares a similar work out philosophy and both trainers know and respect each other so I feel like I’ll be in good hands.  However, not knowing what to expect has me a bit on edge. I’ll be sure to share more about my work out routine with my new trainer, Kris, in the coming weeks, but for now I wanted to recognize and say thank you to Stew for all his help.

It has been awhile since I’ve talked about my fitness and work out regimen and with the holiday season set to go into overdrive next week here in the United States, it seems like an appropriate moment to bring it up (again).

My job and the weather tend to greatly influence my commitment to the gym, which is really dumb when you consider its a combination of vanity and genuine interest in my own personal health that is the reason I work out.  However, September through the Thanksgiving holiday is terribly hectic as is the new year and much of spring.  Couple that with the fact that it is downright freezing in Boston and suddenly previously considered lame excuses not to go to the gym sound legit.  The days of when I would barely visit a gym in a month are long gone thanks to the fact that I work out with a trainer whom I do my best to see two times a week, but I need to get my butt in gear so I’m going to the gym on those off-days when Stu (my trainer – depicted at the start of the post) isn’t there pushing me.  Anyone else struggling with their gym routine?  Any gym rats out there who would like to provide  some pearls of wisdom on how you stay so focused despite all the distractions?