Fusion Fitness Studio News

As the second month of 2010 comes to a close, where do you stand with your New Year resolutions?

Have you made progress or did your motivation sizzle out?

Most people wait around for the motivation needed to get in shape to strike them like a lightning bolt. Well, I’ve got news for you: motivation isn’t something that just happens to you – it’s something that you create for yourself.

You have to SEE it…
You have to FEEL it…
You have to THINK it… 
You have to WANT it…

SO bad… that the desire to be healthy, fit, in great shape and peak physical condition becomes so powerful that it TAKES OVER your actions.  Namely, the food and activity choices you make on a daily basis.

Yes.  If there is ONE single “secret” to attaining the health, fitness and performance you desire, it’s THIS:

You HAVE TO WANT IT so bad, that it changes the way you THINK.

Let me repeat that so it sinks in.

You HAVE TO WANT IT so bad, that it changes the way you THINK.

If you don’t, you will find yourself constantly floundering to find your way… and your body will be too.

If you don’t feel motivated to achieve your goals, it is likely due to mental roadblocks that hold you hostage.

Read the following 21 Mindset Tips and prepare your mind for success.

1. Success comes first in the mind, so visualize yourself accomplishing your goals.
2. Remember, you are the only person who can hold you back.
3. Forgive yourself and love yourself despite past failures.
4. Decide what is important in your life, and focus on that.
5. Conquer each negative thought the moment it enters your mind, when it is weakest.
6. Give up the idea that things won’t go right unless you worry about them.
7. If you bring the body of your dreams to the point of resolve, then you’ll soon be living in it.
8. Look towards your future, if you believe the best is yet to come then it will be.
9. You become what you think about most.
10. The margin between success and failure is very small and easily bridged by determination.
11. Start your day by accomplishing your hardest task first.
12. Set small attainable goals, rather than one monumental goal.
13. Convince yourself that exercise is fun, and it will be.
14. Know your big reason ‘why’.
15. Create a motivating play list of songs to use as the sound track to your workout sessions.
16. Every decision you make leads you either closer toward achieving your goal, or farther from it.
17. If you think you’re a fat person, then you’ll stay fat. If you think you’re fit, then you soon will be.
18. Once you’ve set your goal, your attitude either pushes you toward accomplishment or failure.
19. If you don’t know exactly where you want to go, you will likely end up someplace else.
20. You can have the body of your dreams, but first you must give up the belief that you can’t.
21. You can only have two things in life: excuses or results – choose the latter.

Read these 21 Tips over again, identify were YOU need more help and work at it. Believe me when I say that for the majority of people, mental fitness is the game-changer in success or failure. 

No exercise routine or nutrition plan will be able to REALLY help you until you get your MIND focused on the right things and thinking the right way.  

And if you’re sick and tired of making excuses and having mental roadblocks constantly getting in your way, then contact me today to get started on a roadblock-busting results-driven fitness program!

Fernando Paredes, CPT, NASM, NSCA, YFS1
Bucks County, PA’s #1 Fitness & Performance Coach

Another Success Story

That’s what one of my clients, Richard, emailed me the other day….even though I haven’t worked with him in months. 

When Richard first started with me…he had been having serious problems with lower-back pain, which he had for years and couldn’t exercise because of it. 

And it was steadily getting worse.  

Tough to take for a person who’s been active and athletic his whole life.  And then to feel as if his body was “falling apart”.

When he asked me if my exercise program could help him, I said “Of course it will!  Let’s start slow, and you’ll see how well it will work for you.” 

And it DID.  

Here’s the PROOF and the actual email he sent me:

—–Original Message—–
From: ro
Sent: 6/18/2009 8:16 AM
To: Fernando Paredes
Subject: thanks

==================================================
Just goes to show the difference and power that REAL core exercise can have on the body when done in the RIGHT way and in the right AMOUNT. 

And how simple it is to MAINTAIN once you know WHAT to do for YOUR body.

How about YOU?  Can YOU echo the same words Richard did?

Are YOU feeling BETTER than you had in a long time?

If not, I’d be more than happy to help YOU too…

Fernando Paredes, CPT, NASM, NSCA, YFS1
Bucks County’s #1 Fitness & Performance Coach

On page (4) of today’s Bucks County Herald newspaper is a story on one of my most dedicated, hard-working and most improved clients…Sam Miller.

You may remember Sam from a previous blog post I wrote about him in December of last year.  Sam is such a great kid and his story is so incredible that it deserves another blog post. 

He survived a life-threatining car accident…
Had titanium rods put in his legs…
He was confined to a wheelchair for 3 months…

Sam’s future didn’t look too bright….according to the medical experts, that is.

How about according to SAM?

Was Sam downhearted?
Did he believe the Doctors?
What exactly was on Sam’s mind?

Let me tell you, the ONLY thing on Sam’s mind was…..how FAST he was going to PROVE EVERYONE WRONG! 

And He did just that!

Read Sam’s inpirational story in The Bucks County Herald by clicking here =>  sam-miller-story-bucks-county-herald-021209

We took a lot  of pictures for the newspaper but, of course, due to space limitations, they could not all be used. 

So I decided to include a “behind-the-scenes” look at Sam’s program by showing you two of the 9 main exercises that were KEY in Sam’s rebuilding phase that we’ve been working on for the past 8 months.

A BEHIND-THE-SCENES Look at Sam’s Program

 That’s Sam and I in my training studio.  Wish they would’ve used this picture!

Today…Sam has mastered this movemenmt and I now have to find different ways to challenge him with it! 

Front Rollout on Ball – End Position

Here’s another KEY movement Sam’s body needed to master and control for his body to fully recover.  The Lunge & Pushout with Bands.  This was another one that Sam’s body just could not seem to control at all….at first that is.  

Today….Sam is super strong AND stable with this movement and has absolute control over it! 

Lunge & Pushout with Bands – Mid Position

Lunge & Pushout with Bands – End Position

These simple, yet extremely tough exercises rebalanced Sam’s inner-workings allowing his body to now function as one TEAM again. 

A much BETTER team.  And his results prove it.

Thanks for trusting in me and my approach Sam. 

I TOLD you we could do it!

Keep up the good work! 

A Success Story

That’s what “Mr. Jay” (my nickname for Jay….I know, very creative…) said to me yesterday here at the studio as he was doing his post-workout self myofascial release on his hips and legs on the foam roller.

Jay has been with me for a while.  He’s a GREAT client, has a great attitude, he works hard, we have a lot of fun during our sessions and more importantly, his results show it. 

In fact, it was when he was reflecting on his progress during his time training with me that he said…

“You know Fernando, after all this time with you…I still can’t believe all the results I’ve experienced with doing so little exercise!  When I was training on my own…I never got THESE kind of results.” 

“And I still don’t understand how we do it.  Especially when the program you have me on, is almost the complete opposite of what I ‘ve ALWAYS heard and read about how to train!”   

“How could this possibly be working?”

Mr. Jay and I have these kind of conversations a lot.  And they usually end with Jay saying…

“I know, I know…the results speak for themselves, right?  The proof is in the pudding…if it ain’t broke don’t fix it…It doesn’t matter if I understand it or not, what matters is that it works…etc.  It just racks my brain!”

You see, when Jay first started with me, his goal was to put on muscle and lose some fat.  Muscle building was the top priority though.

Jay wanted to:
Get bigger
Get stronger
Increase his Bench Press  

The problem was that Jay:
Had nagging lower back and neck issues…
And he never felt his exercises where he should…
He struggled for years with little results…
Was frustrated…
Had a fast-paced, high-stress business…
And was over 35 years old…so he thought it may be too late for him to change his body.

Not anymore!

What kind of results are we talking about here? 

Well, Jay has:

Built 20lbs of muscular body weight…
Increased his Bench Press from 135lbs to 220lbs…
Increased his flexibility…
Strengthened his core…
Fixed his lower back…
And his upper back is now under control…

Not bad, huh?

And why is he STILL sort of bewildered about how he has achieved those results?

I think it’s what I said when I laid out his plan.  When I told him that I was going to:

Work MORE of his ”little” muscles vs. the big ones…
REDUCE his workouts from 3 to 2 days a week…
Work each body part only ONCE a week vs. three…
Use mostly TOTAL BODY Functional movements…
Use more BODYWEIGHT exercises…
Use mostly MODERATE weight training…
Use MORE Cable, Band & Stability Ball training…
STRETCH his muscles a lot more…

And that by doing all of THAT, we were going to FIX his particular problem.  He thought I was crazy!

While Jay still believes that I’m crazy…the program I designed for him DID fix his problems.

And he’s STILL left wondering ’how’ it all worked.

Funny…

MOST people are usually bewildered by the LACK of results they experience from their training programs.

I usually get the opposite!

My clients get bewildered by the ABUNDANCE of results they get!

How about YOU?…

What are you bewildered about? 

A Success Story

It was INCREDIBLE to watch…

To see Brian, one of my toughest clients, go through the workout I put him through yesterday and Bench Press 205 pounds for reps! 

Not bad for a guy that struggled with bench pressing 95 pounds when he first started with me. 

Talk about PROGRESS!

Furthermore, what Brian accomplished during our last workout, totally flew in the face and defied “traditional” exercise thinking and programming!

(when I say “traditional”, I am talking about ALL the typical things you hear you should do in order to see results like: using isolation exercises, machines like leg extensions, leg curls, etc., using split routines, performing 10-20 sets per body part, training 3-4 times a week, doing cardio for 40-60 minutes to burn fat, performing crunches to reduce your waistline, etc.. - along with all the rest of that miscellaneous NONSENSE ‘they’ say should work – but in reality, DOES NOT WORK for the VAST MAJORITY of people.)

Brian is one of those clients that has an alter-ego.

You see, by day, Brian is a 41 year old, mild-mannered executive at the top of his field.  But when he comes into my studio for his sessions….he becomes like Superman or something. 

He takes whatever I throw at him, and then some!  He is focused and INTENSE.   

He’s a GREAT client!  

Through his hard work Brian has:
Built a lot of muscle…
Lost fat…
Sculpted his muscles…
Improved his conditioning…
Re-balanced his body…
Reduced his waistline…etc.

Traditional programming says in order to see the progress Brian achieved on his Bench Press, going from 95 pounds to lifting 205 pounds he MUST HAVE done the following:

used a split routine…
trained the Bench Press AT LEAST once a week…
used HEAVY weight training…
trained 3-4 times a week…
performed 10-20 sets PER body part…

What did WE do? 

The EXACT opposite! 

FULL-BODY routines…
TWO workouts per week…
Training no more than ONE HOUR…
Functional & BODYWEIGHT exercises…
MODERATE to LIGHT WEIGHT training…
2-4 sets PER body part…

AND, get this, here’s the REAL kicker…

We’ve only performed the Bench Press, a HANDFUL of times….EVER!

That’s right…WE DON’T EVEN TRAIN THAT EXERCISE. 

Yet, Brian was able to DOMINATE IT.

How can that be?

It’s the power of the ORIGINAL system of exercise. 

REAL core & functional training.  And it DELIVERS results like these, EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Which is why that is the ONLY system I use with all my clients.

And for all you strength and Bench Press aficionados that believe Benching 205 pounds is NOT a big deal, thinking that….you see teenagers doing that all the time….you personally Bench Press 300 pounds…etc…

I neglected to tell you the circumstances in which he did it…

1.  We ALREADY did a FULL BODY workout.
2.  His core and body was already ‘toasted’.
3.  With only 10 minutes left in our session, I challenged him!
4.  Brian benched AFTER an INTENSE FULL BODY cycle.

Here’s the Cycle he did:
- Pull Ups to fatigue (10 reps)
- Deadlift with 200 pounds (explosive 10 reps)
- Bench Press with 205 (8 reps)

And he performed that cycle with ONLY 30 SECONDS REST in between EACH exercise! 

Then…he repeated that very same cycle AGAIN.

No big deal, huh? 

Try THAT routine during the last 10 minutes of YOUR next workout, after you are already tired, and see if you can duplicate Brian’s 205 pound Bench Press….WITHOUT hurting yourself, of course. 

Did I mention that Brian NEVER uses a weightlifting belt?  He doesn’t have to.  We’ve strengthed his CORE so much, that it’s become a PERMANENT ‘weightlifting belt’ that supports his body and is ready to respond whenever called upon!   

And one LAST thing…

WHY did Brian hire me in the first place?

Two reasons:
1.  Brian wanted to get back in shape after not exercising for years. 
2.  And he wanted to fix his shoulder. 

You see, Brian had just finished weeks of physical therapy for a severely INJURED ROTATOR CUFF that left his shoulder very much out of balance with his entire upper body feeling EXTREMELY WEAK. 

So what do you think?…

Did we fix it? 

A Success Story

That’s what Michele S., said to me yesterday as she blasted through the ’lunge and stretch’ exercise during her training session here at the studio!

(Yes.  I’m using her last initial for a reason….I have a couple of ‘Michele’s as clients: Michele S. and Michele B….I’ll tell you more about ‘B’ on another post)    

But she loves it!

Michele has been working with me for a while and is one of my most-intense, hardest-working clients.  

She’s looks all sweet and lady-like on the outside…but when she gets into the studio, she’s a workout ‘fiend’!  

Michele moves through her workout with a vengance, giving 100% all the time….she’s GREAT! 

And she’s made SO much progress!

Michele has:
Increased her strength…
Sculpted up her muscles…
Reduced her waist-line…
And has dramatically improved her tennis game!
(Michele takes her tennis very seriously…)

Michele also LOVES to give me a hard time and throw in some ‘good-natured’ complaining during her sessions. 

She says things like:
Take it easy on me Mister!…
What did I ever do to you?…
You’re SO mean to me!…
You’re bringing me to tears!…(today’s post)
Hey!…does anybody care that he’s KILLING me over here?!…

etc, etc.. you get the point, right?  

You killed my abs!

Last session, she was telling me about how SORE her abs were from the ab routine we did on our last workout.  

“I loved it!”  She exclaimed.  “We barely did anything though.  How do I get so sore from these ‘little’ exercises you come up with?  They all look SO simple, but boy do they WORK!  I can’t believe I’m getting MORE results with LESS exercise!”

You see, Michele fell into a trap that many high-energy people fall into….thinking that more is better.   They grind out the workouts and see results…for a while at least.

That is, until the body REBELS: 
You get injured…
The body just stops responding like it used to…
Nothing seems to work anymore…
Everything starts to hurt…
The results just – STOP – coming! 

Ouch…my calf!      

For Michele, it was injury.  One day she injured her calf muscle.  REAL bad too.  And she was laid up for MONTHS. 

That was it.  She’d had enough!  Tired of spinning her wheels….Michele decided to finally give me a call.  The rest is history.

Wish I would’ve called sooner!…I love it here!

That’s exactly what Michele told me one day.  You see, Michele had THOUGHT about calling me for a while.  But, just never got around to it. 

That is, until her ‘calf’ muscle MADE her pick up the phone and give me a call!

Now…
which part of your body…
is going to make YOU pick up the phone? 

A Success Story

That’s exactly what the Doctors told one of my clients, Sam.

You see, Sam was in a terrible car accident that left him severely injured.  So severe were his injuries, that the Doctors were amazed that he made it through alive.  They also told him that his body may never be the same again.   

Yes.  Sam cheated death.  And he was only 19 years old when it happened.

Afterwards, Sam was confined to a wheelchair for 3 months while undergoing physical therapy to get his body working properly again.

Sam is a strong-minded, hard worker that doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘quit’.

He kept working hard, determined to prove those Doctors wrong!  In his mind he KNEW that one day he would get out of that wheelchair, walk AND be better than ever!

And he did…AHEAD of schedule!

The only problem is that the accident left his body very weak, out of balance and had lost a lot of muscle. 

Not good for someone that was used to being very active, worked out regularly and had the body, complete with a very muscular ‘six-pack’, to prove it!

So Sam tried to resume his previous workout routine to no avail.  It just didn’t seem to be working like before.  After his workouts, his body would only feel MORE out of balance, twisted and weaker.

Nothing he tried seemed to work. 

He became very frustrated, and he decided to seek out some help.

That’s when he heard about me.

Sam and I have been working together for about 8 months now.  And his progress has been INCREDIBLE to say the least.

He was just in the studio yesterday.

We had a tremendous workout.  So much so that he started thinking back to when he first came in to see me.  

He said…

“Wow Fernando…remember when I couldn’t even DO these exercises?  My body would be moving around all over the place trying to maintain position.  It just kept twisting and turning.  I had no body control at all!  I was so weak.  I feel SO much stronger now….I can’t believe it!”

“Oh yes…I remember!” I said.  ”Look how far you’ve come…AND your body is getting stronger and better balanced every time!”

Sam looked at me and said “Thanks Fernando.  Working with you has made such a BIG difference.”

“No Sir!”  I exclaimed. 

“YOU, and only you, are the reason for your success, NOT me.  I was merely your assistant.” I told him.

You see, it was SAM that:

Had the burning desire to get better…
Had the will to succeed when others said he couldn’t…
Had the determination to stick with it…
Took ACTION to help himself…
Reached out for help when he realized he needed it!

All I did was provide the plan.  Thank YOU for letting me be a part of your personal Journey Sam. 

I am proud of you.  

I wish more people displayed the QUALITIES that helped Sam succeed…

Are you? 

A Success Story

Had a GREAT workout with one of my GREAT clients, Bridget, the other day.

She’s training for the NYC Marathon, and over the past few months we’ve been achieving some EXCELLENT RESULTS together.

Her running time is getting better…
Her running mechanics have improved dramatically…
She has less aches and pains…
Her conditioning is better…
Her core is stronger…
Her body is better balanced…
Her muscles are sculpting up…
And her waist is getting smaller…A LOT smaller!

In fact, I’ve had to start calling her “tiny-waist”.  Not a bad nickname to have, huh?

Which leads me to the title of today’s post…

The last time Bridget was here at the studio, she was VERY upset with me!

She had a SERIOUS problem.

Seems like her jeans were getting SO loose and baggy around the waist, that she just couldn’t stand it anymore. 

And she actually had to go shopping to buy some NEW jeans…2 sizes SMALLER!

Oh…the horror of it all.

I am very sorry to put you through all that Bridget…but, I don’t think there’s a lot of people out there that are going to feel your ‘pain’.

I don’t know…do YOU?