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What to Look For When Looking For a Personal Trainer in Fort Lauderdale

April 28th, 2013 by

Personal Trainer in Fort Lauderdale

musclemag 003aFort Lauderdale personal trainers are a service that many people who are interesting in improving their fitness enjoy using.  Anyone can exercise on his or her own; however, having a personal trainer provides motivation, feedback, and expertise to your fitness workout.  Some individuals wonder what they need to look at when determining if the personal trainer is trustworthy.  Look for the tips below when shopping for personal training services in Fort Lauderdale.

Education

A personal trainer does not need to have a college degree in sports medicine in order to be good at his or her job; however, the trainer should be certified.  Also, the more education the trainer has, the better he will be able to serve you, so look for evidence that he is continuing to keep up with the latest trends in training and fitness.

Experience

A good personal trainer should have experience.  It’s true that new personal trainers need to gain experience by having clients; however, the trainer should possess some experience in relation to fitness.  Did he help with training programs in college?  Did he work with the sports team in high school or college?  These items can count toward experience when looking at someone who is relatively new to the personal training field.

Interest in Medical History

Personal trainers should be interested in your medical history.  For example, if you have had some type of cardiac event and are looking for a personal trainer to increase your fitness, the trainer needs to be aware of this so the program can be tailored to your needs.  If you have a history of back ailments, the trainer needs to know that because there are ways to strengthen the back muscles.

Individualized Fitness Programs

A good personal trainer will individualize the fitness program to meet your needs.  In reference to the above statement regarding back ailments, the trainer would perform strength and fitness tests to evaluate the strength of your back and work to strength those muscles by having a tailored fitness program for that need.  If you sit at your job for most of the day, the trainer would realize the muscle groups that would weaken as a result and tailor the fitness program to strengthen those areas.

Check References

Think of the personal trainer as a service which is being provided to you.  As with any service, you need to check references.  If a trainer is hesitant to provide references, this could be a red flag that something is not quite right.

Personal trainers can be effective at increasing weight loss achievements and fitness results.  The only caution is to make sure that the personal trainer meets the qualifications above so that you can achieve safe, healthy results.  Contact us today to see how we can help with your program.

Joe Kozma Can Help You With Nutrition For Weight Loss in Ft. Lauderdale

April 14th, 2013 by

Exercise and nutrition for weight loss go hand in hand when working towards your fitness and nutritional goals. You can exercise all you want, but if you do not change your eating habits you will not see a change in body fat reduction. On the other side, crash dieting, eliminating food groups, skipping meals or severely restricting caloric intake will cause you to drop weight very quickly but gain it back once you start to eat normally again. The key to reaching your goal and maintaining your new healthy body weight is to learn proper nutrition.

mbn-home4It has been proven that starving yourself or denying yourself food will only cause you to binge later. Fad diets do not work in the long term. You may reach your weight goal, but you will not be able to maintain that goal as you have not taught yourself proper eating and nutrition.

Your body requries fuel to run properly. You need protein, complex carbs, fiber and healthy fats for healthy weight loss. Eliminate, or greatly reduce intake of white sugar, white flour, fast food and large portions and stick to lean proteins, whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

Trying to create a healthy nutritional plan on your own can be daunting. Every day you are inundated with infomercials, talk shows, commercials and internet all yelling at you that this is the diet that works or this is the pill that works! All these products and diets are quick fixes and many people find themselves on the hamster wheel of yo-yo dieting. Obtaining your weight loss goals will take time and work. You did not gain weight overnight, you will not lose the weight overnight.

Contact us the best personal trainer in Ft. Lauderdale to once and for all stop the yo-yo dieting and learn how to lose weight through proper nutrition and exercise!

Strength training to prevent ACL tears – Ft. Lauderdale Personal Training

April 14th, 2013 by

squatsWith more and more high school girls becoming actively involved in sports, doctors are seeing more sports related injuries from girls than in the past.  The most significant injury that occurs is knee trauma, specifically a torn ACL or anterior cruciate ligament.

Girls have a higher incidence of torn ACL than boys in high school and college sports.  If you were to compare the number of ACL injuries sport by sport-baseball vs. softball, girl’s basketball vs. boy’s basketball, girl’s soccer vs. boy’s soccer, girl’s lacrosse vs. boy’s lacrosse, you will find that the injury rate is higher for girls by nearly 30%.  Orthopedists and physical therapists understand this is a result of the biological differences in the bone structure of the knee.  The gap on the femur at the knee (where the ACL is located) is narrower for girls and any lateral force that occurs at the knee can result in a tear.

But there is a way of improving those odds.  By engaging in a dedicated strength training program to improve quad strength, hamstring strength and lower leg strength.  Strengthening these muscles for girls helps to protect the knee from bending in odd directions and increasing the odds of a tear.  But don’t be fooled by in house strength and conditioning programs offered by schools.  The amount of direct supervision, or lack thereof, could lead to injury and not provide you with the strength needed.

If you want to develop your own strength training program and improve your odds of not sustaining a season ending injury, contact contact us at Ft. Lauderdale Personal Training.  Joe Kozma is a former collegiate football and baseball player who will develop a program specifically for you to get the results you want.

An ACL tear is season-ending with months of rehabilitation.  Prevent that from happening to you by starting your strength and conditioning program now with Joe Kozma.

Mass Building Tips from Fort Lauderdale Personal Trainer

March 17th, 2013 by

mass building expert trainerTips for mass building – Building muscle is a great way to get a healthy body that you can be proud to show off at our Fort Lauderdale beaches. In order create the muscular physique you desire, you will need to start by working on your upper body.  To get the best out of any exercise program you will also need a healthy diet to go along with it.  Below are a few good exercises that focus on building muscle mass in your chest, back, arms, chest, and shoulders.

Top Mass Building Exercises

Exercise #1: Bench Press
This exercise is the number one choice for building muscle in the triceps, biceps, shoulders, and chest. You start this exercise by lying down on a workout bench and using either a barbell or two dumbbells. All you need to do is bring the barbell or dumbbells to your chest level, extend the arms out as far as you can, and slowly return to starting position. Make sure you are using a weight you can handle or else have someone nearby in case a mishap occurs.

Exercise #2: Shoulder Press
A shoulder press is very similar to a bench press is what it targets and how it is done. To do this exercise stand up straight with the barbell or dumbbells at shoulder level, raise the weights above your head, the slowly lower it back down to chest level. This will work all of your shoulder muscles as well as your triceps.

Exercise #3: Deadlift
This is an exercise that works most of the upper body, specifically including the traps, biceps, triceps, shoulders, hips, glutes, thighs, forearms, and back muscles. The reason this exercise is called the deadlift is because the goal is to lift a heavy barbell, or two dumbbells, off of the ground by bending over and lifting it up. Most of your energy will be used when you lift the momentum-less weight off of the ground.

Exercise #4: Push Ups
A standard push up can be a powerful exercise for mass building  in your upper body. Stretch out your body with your toes on the floor and your arms about shoulder-width apart. While keeping you back straight, slowly lower yourself towards the floor and then push off of it back to starting position. The entire upper body is used in this exercise so be sure to include this in your strength training regime.

Strengthening the upper body can easily be done with the exercises above. Of course, there are many more different exercises that target upper body muscles, so what may be the best set of exercises for someone else may not be the best for you. That’s why it is important to find and speak with a bodybuilding trainer in Fort Lauderdale. A trainer will create a customized plan based on your body type so that you can gain a strong, well-built, and evenly-sculpted body that you will be proud to show off.

Top 4 Reasons Why you Should Start Training With Pompano Beach Personal Trainer Joe

March 17th, 2013 by

dennis

Pompano Beach Personal Trainer

If you are reading this page, then it is safe to assume that you’re interested in the benefits of personal training. Besides building muscle, there are many other benefits your body receives by working out regularly. These benefits will increase your wellness overall at any age and at any fitness level, so there is no reason not to start. If you’re not yet motivated, below are the top four benefits to strength training that will surely get you up and ready to work out.

Benefit #1:  Builds Muscle
As most people know, the main aim of strength training is to build muscle.  Don’t worry about “getting big”, you can build plenty of muscle that you won’t see.  The easiest way to get started would be to buy a few dumbbells at a weight you can manage. The goal is to tear the muscle tissue in order for it to rebuild itself during rest periods. Be sure to warm up and cool down before and after working out to minimize the risk of injury and to prevent soreness. A Pompano Beach personal trainer can help you choose the best types of exercises to do.

Benefit #2: Lose Weight
Every exercise will speed up your metabolism and burn fat with strength training being no exception. Performing intensive exercises will not only burn calories while exercising, but will keep burning fat throughout the day thanks to the boost in your metabolic rate. The reason strength training is the preferred way of losing weight is due to the fact that the body needs to quite a bit of effort into repairing the muscles, thus burning more calories than most exercises.

Benefit #3: Bone Health
If you are young, this may not sound like much to you. Of course, you may want to look into how common bone diseases such as osteoporosis can be as you get older, and if you looked it up you will see that it is a lot more common than you think! In order to prevent such a disease and to keep your bones as healthy as can be then strength training would be a good option. Also, if you have stronger bones the less of a chance a bone fracture will occur if you were to get injured.

Benefit #4: Mental Health
Stress, insomnia, and concentration are three mental problems strength training, or any exercise for that matter, can fix. When you are stressed or anxious, your brain releases two hormones called cortisol and norepinephrine, and if you have too many of these hormones it can cause your mind to go into a state of depression. It has been proven that resistance training will lower the output of these hormones and that will result in a lower stress level. Since your brain is not filled with unneeded stress hormones, it will be easier to concentrate at work or on any project you are working on. Insomnia is cured due to the fact your body is worn out from working out and it will cause you to fall asleep faster in order to recover. That and insomnia is usually linked to stress hormones, which are also prevented thanks to strength training. As you can see, three major mental problems common in most people are linked together and can be prevented with exercise.

Above are only the top four benefits to strength training. Exercising can also reduce cholesterol, strengthen the heart, and keep the body healthy overall. Although strength training may be a little intimidating to those who have never exercised before, it is quite easy to get started but you have to make sure to keep working at it. It would be wise to consult with a personal trainer in Pompano Beach in order to get the best out of a workout, plan out a diet that will benefit you even more, and stay motivated to continually workout until you have reached a healthy, physically fit body.

Call me to get started on your new workout plan!

Build Endurance by Running for Weight Loss in Fort Lauderdale

February 17th, 2013 by
Hilary Swank in Bikini Running
Hilary Swank Running

Long distance running is popular form of endurance exercise people interested in having a healthier body and losing weight. The reason long distance a popular choice for weight loss is due to the fact that a lot of people enjoy the “runner’s high” – a rush of endorphins released by the body after a certain period of consistent running. Running addicts take great pleasure in long runs. Although studies do show that a higher intensity / shorter duration may burn calories faster, more people tend to follow through with a plan that lets them run at there own pace, even if it is for longer periods of time. The truth is you need a bit of both in order to lose fat. It is important that you build enough endurance to last through a running session that is a little faster than your comfortable pace. Below are a few tips to improve your endurance.

Endurance Tip #1: Warming Up
This isn’t so much a tip as it is more of a necessity. Warming up your muscles and getting the blood flowing will allow your body to perform at its best condition. By getting blood in the muscles you allow the muscles to take more impact thus letting you run a bit longer than normal. This can be done either by stretching or by jogging slower than normal. Cooling down is just as important. A cool down will stabilize your blood flow and muscles which will help prevent the possibility of injury.

Endurance Tip #2: Resistance Training
Cardio alone is not enough to build up your endurance and lose weight, so it is important to add strength training exercises to your routine even if it is only a little bit. The idea here is to train your body to get used to pushing itself beyond its limits. Overcoming different obstacles will help the body build endurance overall. Weight loss is sure to come to those who keep pushing their limits and work out intensively.

Endurance Tip #3: Distance Running and Hill Climbing
One of the most obvious way to build endurance and lose fat is too run a bit farther every session, even if it’s only a tenth of a mile. Slowly but surely you’ll be able to last a bit longer each time you work out. When hill training, it’s best to see how long you can run and be sure not to compare it to normal running. Hill running is entirely different in that you will get tired ten times faster than normal.

Building endurance can be quite easy after you start seeing your first bit of improvements. Following the advice above will help, but following the guidance of a personal trainer specializing in weight loss in Fort Lauderdale will be an investment far greater than it is worth. With Joe’s help you will lose weight quickly and improve your endurance and general health.

 

Fort Lauderdale Personal Training

Best Ways to Prevent Muscle Cramps from Fort Lauderdale Personal Trainer

February 1st, 2013 by

Fort Lauderdale Personal Trainer

Whether you are walking to lose weight or strength training to build lean muscle, muscle cramps end up getting the best of us. A muscle cramp is an involuntary contraction of the muscle which can cause quite a bit of pain to those unprepared. Serious muscle cramps can only be treated by stretching and massaging the leg, but a mild cramp will usually wear off in less than a minute. In most cases muscle cramps occur in a person’s legs or feet. Although the exact cause of muscle cramps is unknown, there are still plenty of ways you can help prevent it from happening to you.

The number one muscle cramp prevention technique would be to warm up before working out or running. Be sure to target the most common areas where muscle cramps occur, those being the legs, feet, abdomen, hamstrings, calves, quadriceps, arms, and the muscle groups you are working on that session. Warming up and cooling down will keep the muscles warm and flexible which is believed to aid in the reduction of an involuntary contraction.

Muscle fatigue can also cause cramps. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t push past your limits, but it does mean you should be weary not to over train and make sure you have proper form when performing an exercise. Over training is usually the result of people skipping out on their rest days in order to get ahead, but unbeknownst to them rest days are the period that the body best builds muscle. Improper form is often caused by those attempting to finish an exercise as faster than normal. Unfortunately this is also counterproductive, so be sure to pay close attention to the motions of an exercise and work out slowly.

Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are also suspects of inducing cramps. In most cases water is enough to re-hydrate your muscles and prevent possible cramping; however it would be wise to drink a sports drink filled with electrolytes after an intensive workout. Electrolytes are responsible for aiding in the function of our cells and an imbalance is usually caused by a lack of sodium, calcium, or potassium.

Consulting with someone who specializes in fitness and muscle cramps may be a wiser choice to make rather than guessing and testing different ways to prevent the cramps yourself. A personal trainer is the type of person you will need to look up. Be sure to do your research in order to find the best personal trainer in Fort Lauderdale. You will find that a trainer will not only prevent and stop muscle cramps, but will also help you reach your fitness goal whether it is to gain muscle or lose weight.

Personal Trainer in Fort Lauderdale Talks About Fitness At 40

January 15th, 2013 by
fitness after 40 | personal trainer fort lauderdale
Gina Ostarley, 42

Times have changed, and 40 isn’t “old” anymore; in fact, when you’re over 40, fitness is essential to staying healthy.

The three main components of staying fit at any age are cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise, strength training, and maintaining a healthy diet. For example, because we lose muscle mass as we get older, it’s important to eat enough protein to combat this. Osteoporosis is another concern as we age; not only is it important to get enough calcium, regular weight-bearing exercises can help slow loss of bone density. As we age, flexibility decreases, so it’s important to continue to stretch on a regular basis. Our metabolism slows, making weight loss more of a challenge.

If you’re returning to exercise after an extended time off, it’s important to start slowly in order to avoid injury. As we get older, not only do we become more prone to injury, those injuries take longer to heal. Talk to your doctor to prior to beginning any exercise program.

Working with a personal trainer is a great option for staying fit. Your personal trainer will have the experience and knowledge needed to adapt your workout to your strengths and weaknesses. Your trainer can help keep you from injuring yourself by making sure you use good form and don’t push yourself too hard.

Once you get in shape, maintenance is the next step; it’s important to keep exercising regularly. Setting goals is one important step towards fitness. Keeping those goals is another. As you set your fitness goals, it’s important to make sure they’re realistic. Our bodies change as we age, and what was easily attainable at 20 may less so at 40. Motivate yourself to keep working on your goals by celebrating your successes, and give yourself added accountability by working out with a friend or trainer.

Contact us to learn more how Joe Kozma, a top personal trainer in Fort Lauderdale, can help you in developing your fitness and nutrition plan to stay healthy at over 40.

The absolute necessity of proper nutrition for Fort Lauderdale personal training clients.

January 1st, 2013 by

jim-indexHere now my advice on nutrition for the success of your program with a top quality personal trainer. You client, absolutely must take in enough calories to keep your blood sugar levels even, so that low blood sugar levels do not cause reactionary hunger levels which create a virtually unstoppable hunger of which all binges have their beginning. Hear me again, if blood sugar levels are not controlled by regular protein based meals, you will binge and you will destroy all the work you are doing in the gym. Call Josef Kozma at 954-245-7896, He will for the paltry price of $199.00 write you a diet, completely unique to you, that will enable you to totally control your hunger, and then successfully enable you to lose weight and fat with ease.

Josef Kozma

Fort Lauderdale personal training