Your Atlanta Personal Trainers

As you have seen around the gym, we have begun a 90-day weight loss challenge! While this is great for those who can participate, we know that some people’s schedules just do not allow it! If you would like to get you’re your body in shape, here is how you should begin your own 90-day weight loss challenge!

The first thing you need to do is periodize your training. This means you need to have a plan!

The first two weeks you should do a detox. You are going to need to get a detox kit that has fiber. You also should be taking some calm plus calcium that has magnesium. This will really hydrate your colon. This is also what makes the cense work!

Basically, you’re going to be going to the bathroom a lot. This is going to aid in your ability to burn calories on this 90-day program.

Your going to lower your calorie load, cut out meats, and have a couple of protein shakes a day. This means your are going to be eating mainly vegetables! Yes, I know- it is pretty boring!

Your daily intake will be:
1. Vegetables
2. 2 Protein shakes
3. 2 fruits a day (Maximum)

You should be following this food intake schedule for the first ten days. Your cleanse should last somewhere between seven to ten days.

Now you may be asking yourself- what type of workouts should I be doing? You should be focusing on light cardio. Do not kill yourself the first two weeks. I want you to do circuit training for weight training. Get your joints and your ligaments limber! Do some stretching and get your body moving!

After the first two weeks, the program is going to change! We are going to get more intense with the weight training so get ready for the next portion.

Keep your eye out for our next blog on what you should be doing for weeks 3 and 4 of the 90-day weight loss challenge.

Focus these first two weeks on cleaning out your body. Cut out all the junk that you have been eating and moving your body more than you have!

We have expanded our space and can NOW offer lower cost UNLIMITED female bootcamps/ We are opening this large 2,000 s.f. ADDITION to Atlanta Fitness Diva next week and we are now able to offer the following….NEXT WEEK FREE BOOTCAMP CLASSES TO EVERYONE!

1. Large open room downstairs of the main studio for larger female only bootcamps! Zumba classes, and yoga coming soon!

2. THESE ARE MAXIMUM FAT BURNING INTENSE CLASSES FOR OUR LADIES OF FITNESS DIVA WHO WANT TO BURN FAT FAST! NOT TAKING THE PLACE OF STRENGTH WORK BUT IN ADDITION TOO!

3. Low cost of $149 a month for UNLIMITED classes with NO need to schedule appointment….JUST SHOW UP!

4. Great addition to your strength training upstairs for a complete program of FAT destruction! AND STRETCHING AFTER EVERY CLASS.

5. 13 classes per week from 6 am, 7 am and NOON on Mon-Wed-Friday Plus Tuesday and Thursday evening at 6 and 7 pm SO you can get in everyday day during the week! More classes to come plus zumba and yoga.

6. See the schedule at our main floor counter and GET SIGNED UP TODAY…CLASSES START NEXT WEEK!

FOR THE FIRST 25 CLIENTS TO SIGN UP THE FIRST MONTH IS JUST $99 AND ALL THE CLASSES NEXT WEEK ARE TOTALLY FREE!

COME TRY THEM! AND PLEASE BRING YOUR FRIENDS AND IF THEY JOIN RECEIVE A FREE MONTH AND A FITNESS DIVA SWEATSHIRT! WE CAN’T GROW THIS WITHOUT YOUR HELP SO….

THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE FOR HELPING ATLANTA FITNESS DIVA GROW!

Get in the gym and get moving!

Do you go to the gym and find yourself doing the same things every time? If that sounds like something you are doing- LISTEN UP!

It is a question that many women ask themselves-should I be doing the same workout everyday? Why should I change it up and how should I do that?

As a women-only training facility, we specialize in workouts that are catered to women’s specific body challenges. Because we specialize in workouts for women, we know that doing to same workout over and over will not get you the results you are looking for.

The human body is so amazing! It adapts to the stress placed upon it. So, when you do the same routine or even something very similar for more than a week or two in a row, your body gets accustomed to that routine and it burns fewer calories. Your body adapts to the stress you place upon it and the workout becomes easier. Your body doesn’t need to burn as many calories as it once did in order to accomplish the same amount of work.

Because your body is so amazing and it adapts you MUST change up your workout so that your body is continually surprised. When you change up your workout, you effectively put your body into a shocked state where it burns more calories and builds more muscle fiber.

I suggest you do a different cardio workout each time you do cardio! Mix it up! Do the bike one time, running the next time and then try the stair climber. Sometimes for your workout, you can do 10 minutes of each!

Jump around- shock your body. Between your cardio workouts, do circuit workouts with weight training. In between your sets, make sure you are keeping your energy high. Try doing mountain climbers or jogging in place between your sets. You can even do jumping jacks or squat jumps! If you are breathing hard… you know you are working hard!

You want to keep your body from adapting so that you burn the maximum amount of calories each and every time you work out.

Make sure you are switching your workout routine up! We make sure your workout is challenging and effective every single time. If you have any questions at all just give me a call at (404) 531-5000 or you can email me at Pamela@atlantafitnessdiva.com!

Have a great workout!

In a word ABSOLUTELY!!  In my 25 years experience training myself and other women there has been a lot of information published about the benefit of strength training for women. 

If you would like more details or guidance for your specific needs please contact me. You can stay updated on your health & fitness needs monthly.

Article By:Pamela Turnage

12 tips that every “Diva” should know:

• Form is more important than lifting heavier weights.
• “10″ repetitions is not a magic number; the key is to overlaod the muscle by reaching muscular fatigue in each set.
• Although reaching muscular fatigue is the goal in all lifting sessions, care must be taken during the initial workouts (or the first few workouts following an extended leave) NOT to overdue the workout. This tends to lead to discouragement and discontinued participation.
• After the initial few workouts, the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) will lessen.
• You don’t need to be sore after every workout in order to achieve gains in muscle strength and/or size.
• Muscular size is based largely on the type of muscle fibers (slow twitch vs. fast twitch) and testosterone hormones. Generally, women do not produce enough testosterone to gain a lot of size.
• You will see a very rapid initial improvement in stength as your muscles “learn” how to recruit more muscle fibers (motor units). The more motor units recruited, the more complete the tear-down and subsequent development.
• Weight lifting actually tears down your muscle. You are weaker and in worse shape after your workout than before it. If you do not allow your body enough time to recover, you will not allow your body to build itself up.
• The objective when weight training is to reach muscular failure/fatigue. You have achieved this when you cannot perform another repetition with proper form.
• It is a good idea to start new clients who do not have an exercise background on machines rather than free weight equipment. It will take a little while for them to develop the necessary balance and kinesthetic awareness necessary for safe and effective control of the weights. By the same token, experienced lifters should be encouraged to use free weights in order to develop balance and control.
• Women and lifting: weight lifting will help a woman’s body look more proportional; strong legs look leaner than weak, soft legs; weight lifting will improve upper body strength and appearance; weight lifting will improve body composition due to hypertrophy as well as by enhancing the metabolism through metabolically active muscle tissue
• Balance: when designing programs, be sure to create a balanced routine.  When working one muscle group, always be sure to train the opposing group.  Be sure to create balance between the upper and lower body.

The research has been here for so many years now, and I continue to see evidence of more and more universities finding the same results time after time. Also, in my workouts, and many of the others I have trained over the years, this piece is crucial to your recovery and ability to produce enough force in your next workouts that you must not omit this piece of the program because you think you don’t need it. It makes the difference in getting results. (Increasing your RMR or lowering it) Just as simple as that.

It really makes sense if you understand how foods cause hormonal responses in the body i.e. sugars cause the secretion of insulin (fat storage hormone) etc. one of many examples. This one seemingly small piece of the puzzle seems to slip through most of your fingers because you don’t see or understand how very crucial it is.

There is a 45 minute window of muscle cell sensitivity when the receptor sites will absorb and retain much more, in the way of amino acids, glycogen, and water than it will at any other time. This is the time when the cells are fully depleted. (After weight training with me, of course) For them to recover fully, get hydrated, secrete those muscle building, fat burning hormones, and increase the residual metabolic effect of the training session well into the next 2 days, you must feed them what they need, and it needs to get to them in that 45 minute window, immediately following your weight workout. No meal is going to be digested, assimilated, and absorbed in 45 minutes. That is why a drink is crucial.

Eating Strategies

1. Low carb/low calorie 3 days a week, on cardio days
2. 100 grams of carbs on weight training days, so more calories
3. Increase protein intake (90-150 grams of lean protein is what you should have a day)
4. Increase water intake
5. Increase number of meals (5-6 small meals/snacks)
6. Never forget your after workout carb/protein shake, 30g protein/30-50g carbs
7. Supplements help so much in recovery, immune system, and energy production
8. Eat very light in evening and maybe just a shake.  Low carbs all night

Physical Strategies

1. Morning cardio 30-40 minutes/high intensity/intervals/lots of sweating
2. Do legs twice a week
3. Big exercises and isolation – lots of direct glute and hamstring work
4. 1 hour each workout, cardio to follow each weight training session at least 20 minutes
5. Do 2 a day workouts, up to 4 days a week. Cardio in the morning and weight training later

Emotional Strategies

1. Spend 5-10 minutes in a.m. and be in gratitude, peace, and a state of acceptance
2. Start to see yourself as healthy, disciplined, and fit and your subconscious mind will make it real
3. Develop friends who are like minded for fitness
4. Be giving of your energy, time and concern for others and you will receive same from universe

Mental Strategies

1. No excuses (don’t think about it, just do it)
2. No negative thought (“every thought of yours is a real thing-a force”)
3. “If you fully believe you will be successful and can visualize yourself being successful, you will succeed”
4. Trust your trainers to lead and guide you to the next level of fitness
5. Tell yourself everyday that you ARE worthy, fit, beautiful, healthy, strong, capable, and a DIVA!

Weight training sessions (consistent and intense) provide the stimulus for building muscle, causing the secretion of muscle building, fat burning hormones… and cardio does not.  Muscle tissue that is trained secretes hormones that burn fat, and fat tissue on your body secretes estrogen, which is a fat storage hormone, and we know now that estrogen dominance (which most women are) increases your risk of cancer.  Also, when a large quantity of traumatized muscle is in the process of protein breakdown, your body must repair the damaged muscle.  This process is protein synthesis.  (You  must have protein available all day, every day for you to even repair what you broke down in your workout).  During protein synthesis, your RMR is elevated due to the repair work your body is performing.  Hence, you end up burning a lot more additional calories from the residual RMR increase than you would from a cardio session.  Also, muscle is the only metabolically active tissue as far as burning calories goes.  Its not just heavy weight that builds muscle, you also need a large amount of volume to do enough damage to build.