Oct 02

FVP 003 Change Your Mind, Change Your Body, Change Your Life w/ Michael Ashford

by Personal Trainer in 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, Fitness Friday, health, monday motivation, movement, nutrition, podcast, training, workout, workout wednesday
"Life was different back then. You had to work for things. You couldn't drive up to a door and get a 1200 calorie meal in a bag. You had to work to grow that food and they you have to make it all yourself. Life was just much more physical at that time"
Oct 04

4 fitness Mistakes & How to Solve Them For Ultimate Results

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, Fitness Vida, get back in shape, hiit, home workout, movement, routine, training, workout, workout wednesday
4 fitness mistakes & how to solve them for ultimate results Speding time in a gym for 50+ hours a week as a personal trainer was much as a daily ongoing study in human behavior for me. I could watch thousands of people a week come and get their workout on. Watch what they do, one after the other, day after day. The majority of people I saw were making major mistakes in the gym, but seemed very unaware. It is extremely important to not only do the movement practice, but do it with purpose and intent. Weather you are currently making them yourself, or working out and could become victim at some point,  here are the common 4 fitness mistakes how to solve them for ultimate results . Not Enough time. As with anything, time is of the essence. Contrary to popular belief, one does not have to spend hours a day to maintain a fit lifestyle. (3-4) one hour resistance/movement sessions and (2) 20 minute cardio sessions is all it takes for most people if, that is a big IF you train smart. Mix up your workouts and push a little harder on your cardio. Try adding circuit training […]
Apr 05

Workout Wednesday #4 Movements for Paddle Sports

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Workout Wednesday, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, get back in shape, movement, routine, SUP, surf, swimming, tips, training, workout, workout wednesday
Summer is almost here, prepare now! It’s been a while, but Workout Wednesday is back. Today I want to talk about summer. If you live in the northern hemisphere, you most likely have 1 thing on your mind, time on the water! Whether you kayak, sup, surf or swim, there’s no better time to get the body ready for a long injury free summer of fun activities. Quality time prepping the body will also make the body perform better in all aspects of you activities. Swim longer, paddle further and recover quicker. Isn’t being healthy and playing all the time what life is all about? Getting hurt is no fun. Getting hurt early into summer, or early on an epic fun trip can mean lots of time and sessions missed. Paddle sports in general are very tough on the upper body as most motions will be done hundreds ,  if not thousands of times every day while out there adventuring. That sets them up to be very stiff, sore and left in a  weak state where they could rip or tear much easier. Strengthening and stretching muscles on a regular basis will keep your body stronger and more prone to […]
May 25

Workout Wednesday #3 HIIT For Runners

by Personal Trainer in Exercise, Inspiration, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, health, hiit, runner, running, tips, training, workout, workout wednesday
If you missed my first 2 post’s on HIIT, and why it is so important for runners, I would recommend reading them first before proceeding with this workout to get  better understanding of the how/why to my methods for the workouts.  Both posts can be found here and here. This will be part 3( or week 3) of 5. Intensity goes up a bit, and we start to work with lateral (side to side) movements. The process will be the same as in part 1 and 2, as it will be for the following 2 workouts to come in the series.   Why work lateral when you run forwards? When I train runners, the first thing I always find out is that most of them are not training any other motions then moving forwards. This is not a good thing! When the body becomes used to doing one thing over and over, it can easily adapt to the movement which means it will not be functioning at peak performance. Injury Prevention is also a big reason. In fact, the largest connecting tissue in the body runs right down the side of your leg (Iliotibial Band or ITB ). It’s job is to hold your thigh muscles […]
May 11

Workout Wednesday #2 HIIT For Runners

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, fitness, hiit, routine, runner, running, tips, training, workout wednesday
If you missed my first post on HIIT, and why it is so important for runners, I would recommend reading that first before proceeding with this exercise to get  better understanding of the how/why to my methods for the workout.  It can be found here. This will be part 2( or week 2) of 5. Intensity goes up a bit, and we start to work the legs a bit more. The process will be the same as in part 1, as it will be for the following 3 workouts to come in the series. Below you will find pictures of each exercise for those not familiar with the names. Backward Lunge Plank w/ Alt Arm Extension Alt Leg Bounding Push Up Deep Squat Jump For a short refresher on our HIIT workout, perform each exercise with maximum intensity as you can for 20 seconds (30 seconds for pros). rest for 10 seconds before moving on to next exercise. Do this for all 5 exercises and rest 1-2 minutes before performing a 2nd and 3rd set. Repeat 2-3x/week instead of running! Save your knees and get the same cardio impact in less then 20 minutes! Stay tuned for part 3 of our HIIT For Runners […]
Apr 12

Workout Wednesday #1 HIIT For Runners

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration, Workout Wednesday 0 comments tags: exercise, get back in shape, hiit, runner, running, tips, training, workout, workout wednesday
“Prolonged intense exercise causes excessive oxidative stress, which basically burns through the antioxidants in your system and predisposes you to problems.” According to Dr James O’keefe , all that running that you are doing isn’t all that great for you or your health. He goes on to say “Exercise may be the most important component of a healthy lifestyle, but like any powerful drug you’ve got to get the dose right“. So, what does that mean for you? How does training mix in with running while preparing for Marathon season? It’s a long summer with many miles of pavement that will punish those poor legs of yours. No reason to burn out or set yourself up for injury before you even get started. Your health and longevity should always be your biggest concern. The main thing to keep in mind while training is to not overdue it. The easiest way to overdo it? Run MORE THEN 3 DAYS A WEEK while training/preparing. YES, you heard it right, only run 3 days a week. Supplement the other 2 days with some type of HIIT (which is what we will be introducing here) or a low weight/high rep full body weight routine. What exactly is HIIT? First, lets talk […]
Dec 10

Level 2 Abdominal (ABS) Fitness Routine

by Personal Trainer in Blog, Exercise, Inspiration 0 comments tags: abdominal, abs, core, exercise, fitness, get back in shape, home workout, post workout, tips, training, workout wednesday
Bored with your same old AB routine? Abs not getting as sore as they used to when you work them out?   Try this mix of strength and endurance exercises that is sure to get your heart pumping, and your abs burning.Since exercises are performed in a quick fashion, it also doubles as a perfect circuit routine to help build your cardio. Focus is on all of the core muscles front and back. This intermediate routine can be done at home (if you have access to a yoga ball and medicine ball ) or in the gym, while easily substituting items not available with things you can find around your house.  We recommend doing the entire workout routine top to bottom as fast as possible(2-0-2 rhythm). Keep track of the time closely resting 20 seconds between each set, and 30-60 seconds between exercises. As always, make sure to stretch and warm up for at least 5 minutes pre workout, and cool down and stretch after workout. Have fun and be safe!