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Working Out Outside. Is It Too Hot? Las Vegas Personal Training

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

I live in Las Vegas. Right now, at midnight, it’s 94 degrees. We had fitness camp at 7pm. I don’t remember what the temperature was, but I think it said 100 when I was driving up. To be honest, this wasn’t the hottest fitness camp that this personal trainer has put on. We’ve been out there at 105, I remember last year. Although it was a little uncomfortable, it wasn’t unbearable. So, where you live, what is the temperature? I assume parts of Arizona have similar weather. But how about in Iowa? Or New York? Florida maybe. Even in Oregon. Everywhere in the U.S. has a different climate and temperature, most of it hot right now. Should you be exercising in it is the question. I think why not? Certain things have to happen for this to be safe though. You have to be properly hydrated, so bring a bunch of water. I prefer Fiji, but you can drink whatever water you would like. Also, wear appropriate clothes. If you live in Las Vegas, it’s probably not a good idea to wear some sweatpants and a warm-up jacket with a ski mask on, unless you are walking into a 7 Eleven. To the same point, if you live in Alaska, and you are working out outside at 9pm, you probably aren’t going to want to be wearing some marathoner shorts and a sports bra. Yeah. I’m talking to you dude. But seriously, dress appropriate for your conditions. Also. don’t overwork yourself. When it’s hotter outside, you might not feel like you are putting forth a ton of effort, but trust me, it catches up to you. Take it easy the first few times, and you’ll get the hang of it, I promise. Other than that, I’ll reemphasize the hydrating part. Get plenty of water. In the heat, too much really isn’t an option. Don’t NOT drink water because you want to “sweat it out”, or whatever from the clubs the night before. Your life depends on this. Ok. Be safe, wear the right gear, and DRINK WATER. Everything else should just roll with that.

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Do You Really Want a Six Pack? Las Vegas Personal Training

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

You don’t want a six pack. I know you don’t. For those of you in Las Vegas, and well, I guess most places, if I asked you if you wanted ripped abs, you would probably say, “Of course I do!” To be honest, if you don’t already have ripped abs, you are lying to me, and you are lying to yourself. The problem is, your mouth says yes, but your actions say you don’t care. I get so many people who say they are doing their best, but their best involves drinking on the weekends, eating out 3 or 4 times a week, and doing half assed workouts. To be honest, if that’s your best, you will be lucky to have anything in that cooler of yours we call a stomach. When you are trying to get shredded, or just a little bit of muscle tone, it takes a little dedication. it’s not 30 minutes on the elliptical, some bicep curls, the ab machine and bench press. It’s plyometric workouts, interval training, sweating your tail off and eating food for fuel, rather than taste. Yes, you can get both accomplished, but when you really want to see results, those nights out, the random drinks at the bar, skipping the gym when you should be going, Taco Bell, ranch dressing, gummy worms, and a host of other things, have to stop. It’s a little time commitment, but if you say for the next three months, I’m going to work harder than I’ve ever worked, you’ll get results. I don’t think most people truly, honestly think it comes easy, I just think they don’t have the dedication to do what is necessary. It’s work. You will actually have to have some drive to reach your goal. You’ll have to sacrifice some things. It’s not like your life is over. You go to work every day right? Do you mess around at work? Consider this a 3 month job. Don’t mess around, and you’ll get that raise in the form of a better body.

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Do You Have Fitness Friends? Las Vegas Personal Trainer

Sunday, June 12th, 2011

SO I’m riding my bike on the back trails of Las Vegas today. It was pretty nice, around 90 degrees and sunny. Figured I’d get a tan. As I was riding, I passed a community recreation center. I passed by the outdoor pool, and tennis courts, and saw people in both. I love to play tennis, even though my shoulder tells me I shouldn’t. But it reminded me of something. If I wanted to play tennis here, I really wouldn’t have anyone to play with. Most of my friends, with weather like this, would rather go to a pool, or, they just aren’t very good at tennis. But it doesn’t just go for tennis. I play basketball every Tuesday, and to be honest, that’s one of my favorite times of each week. But besides that, I don’t really have any friends I can call and say hey, lets go play basketball. I’m just a fitness guy. I can’t help it. Most anything active, besides water sports for obvious reasons, I like to do. I just don’t know many people who like to do them. I know there are sites like Active and Meetup, and those are all well and good. But it raises a question anyway. Do you have people around you, who are into fitness? It helps, if you do. It limits the deterrents from getting your workouts in, if other people want to do active things with you. I mean, who doesn’t love Wet Republic, and Rehab, and laying by the pool and just hanging out? I’ve had a lot of those days myself, but to be honest, that’s not who I am. I think I just do that, because, that’s what everyone around me does. I’d MUCH rather go hiking, or to Utah for the day, and take up Red Mountain . I just don’t have a ton of friends who are into that? So, the point of this all is, if that’s what you are into, find friends who are into fitness too. If you don’t have that network around you, you’ll always have a hard time really enjoying your life, when what you really want to do, you aren’t doing. If you really love hanging out at pools, great. Good for you. It’s nice from time to time.

Tags: basketball, Fitness, Las Vegas, pool, Rehab, tennis, Wet Republic
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Do You Know What You Are Doing That Exercise For? Las Vegas Personal Training

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

I go to a few gyms around Las Vegas, and I watch a decent amount of people work out. They work out alone, or with a personal trainer. They have friends or significant others they work out with. So, a lot of people, do a lot of different things for their workout. My question to all of you, personal trainers, avid exercisers, and first timers alike, is, do you know, why you are doing, what you are doing? Why have you picked the exercises you do? (that didn’t sound right, but Step Brothers is on, and I love that movie. A little distracted.) But yeah, why do you pick your exercises? I get it, if you are with a personal trainer, because most likely, that trainer picked your exercises for you. But if you ARE that trainer, why did you pick those exercises for your client? Did you pick them out of a hat? Did you see them in a magazine, and thought it looked cool? Do you want to impress the other people in the gym and get more prospective clients from the “cool” exercises you are doing with this client? Or is there an actual purpose, for that client, to do the exercises you are giving to them? These are all questions, if you are that client, that you need to be asking your personal trainer, and your personal trainer, should be asking themselves.

If you aren’t working with a personal trainer, why do you do the exercises you do? Did you see them on the newest infomercial? Did your friend say they worked for them, or worse yet, just someone you saw in the gym who seemed to be in great shape recommended to you? Maybe you just do them because you don’t know what else to do. Maybe it was your high school football teams workout, or that’s what the trainer on one of those TV shows was having the contestants do.

Whatever the reason, you need to ask yourselves WHY you are doing those exercises. You need to do exercises that work for you, and serve a purpose for you. If you are a 130 pound woman, who just wants to make sure her triceps don’t jiggle when she waves, you might not want to be doing bench presses with 600 pounds, or flipping tires around a junkyard. If you are a 45 year old man with knee problems, you might not want to be doing heavy squats because you saw them on whatever the newest DVD program is. Maybe there is a cool machine you just want to try out at the gym. Could be a big mistake for you.

Whatever the case, know the purpose of your exercise program. There are plenty of routines on maybe websites like fitness.com and ideafit.com. But your routines should be based on your goals, and what you can and can’t do individually. If you have previous injuries, you shouldn’t be doing the same exercises or routine, that people without those injuries. This doesn’t sound like it’s all that important, but if you think about it, it’s pretty logical. If I can’t push off my knee to jump, and the person next to me can, would it make sense that we both do barbell squats? No. I need fix the inhibition in my knee before I compound the problem. This goes for almost any muscle, joint, or bone injury.

We all have different bodies, and different ailments. We can’t all do the same workouts. Know what workouts and exercises will help you become more movement optimized. Now, I’m gonna fall asleep while watching the rendition of “Sweet Child Of Mine” on Step Brothers. If you haven’t seen it, it’s pretty amazing.

Tags: exercises, Las Vegas, Personal Trainer, work out
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You Can Look Like THIS- Las Vegas Personal Training

Monday, May 16th, 2011

Do you have a personal trainer? If not, Las Vegas has some great ones. Look into it. But seriously guys, the reason I am writing this post, is to debunk a myth or two today. I hear a lot of people saying this or that is the reason they can’t work out, or get in shape, and they can’t look like this, or this. (thanks Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel) The question I pose, is, why not? How do you think they got there? Because they are famous? Probably not. There are PLENTY of famous people who aren’t in shape at all. So that’s not it. We’ve talked before about having the time, money, equipment at home, knowledge, and on and on and on, about the pitfalls to not being in the best shape you can be in. But the only thing holding you back, is you! You make the effort. Jessica Biel doesn’t have someone work out for her, she works out herself. She actually takes the time out of her day, which I am sure involves some sort of acting, to get her workouts in. Same with Ryan Reynolds. I know they have more money than most of us, but what does that matter? Do you need money to work out? Or to take your kids to the park? NO. You just need effort from yourself, and the will to become great! We all have it, it’s just where will you find it in you? There is no stopping you from getting your best body. You are only stopping yourself. Take those limitations off, and start to move. If you are already working out, and not seeing the gains you would have hoped, assess your situation, and figure out the solutions to getting there! There is NO REASON any of us should feel bad about our bodies. Take the right steps, and you will lose that feeling, and gain a wonderful one.

Tags: Jessica Biel, Las Vegas, Personal Trainer, Ryan Reynolds, work out
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Las Vegas Personal Training- The Only Thing In The Way Of You In Shape

Monday, April 4th, 2011

Good LORD is it beautiful in Las Vegas right now! It’s about 75 degrees and sunny. Can’t ask for much more than that. Well, A hot tub at my house would be nice, so I guess you can, but I’ll take it. I have a break from my personal training clients right now, so I thought I’d write a short post about obstacles to overcome in the journey of health and fitness. One obstacle in particular. This one, you can probably apply to many other aspects of life as well. Think of all the things that can get in the way of you not being in the best shape possible. Time, money, no good food choices, kids, work, your peers, your family, your girlfriend or boyfriend, your dog. The list goes on and on. Maybe it’s you. Not any of these other things. People tend to take the easy way out on these things, regardless of what it is. It takes discipline to go get a great body. That’s not a lie. But it’s easy to use excuses like time, which is my all time favorite excuse, because everyone has the same amount of hours in the day, as the reason for their shortcomings in whatever goal they are trying to aspire to. This may come off harsh, but maybe it’s you, who spent the last 20 minutes surfing the internet, stuck on facebook, when you could have gotten one of the best workouts of your life in. Maybe it’s you who could have been focusing on being productive, instead of arguing on how much time you don’t have to be productive. Don’t blame your dog. Don’t blame your kids. There are plenty of people who work two jobs, have three kids, and STILL find time to get a 20-40 minute workout in 3-4 times a week. If you are trying to reach your goals, they aren’t going to come with an easy way out.

Tags: best workouts of your life, Fitness, Las Vegas, obstacles, Personal Training, reach your goals
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Las Vegas Personal Training- Happy Hour? Not So Fast.

Monday, March 21st, 2011

We all work. Well, most of us anyway. When 5 pm hits, or here in Las Vegas, 4 am for some of you, the first thing you want to do is hang out, and have a drink. You work out, and you eat clean, so what’s one or two drinks matter? To be honest, that depends. What drinks are your one or two drinks? How much do you eat during the day? What do you do for your work out? What’s your zodiac sign? Kidding on the last one, unless astrologists know something I don’t. But let’s break it down for the average woman trying to lose weight.

Let’s say you are trying to lose weight, so you have lowered your calories to somewhere around 1600-1800 calories a day. If you are working out and exercising regularly, you shouldn’t be going much lower than this, but that’s another story. Ok. You decide to hit up the Applebees happy hour around the corner, or Drai’s after hours here in Las Vegas. You are only going to have a couple drinks. Let’s say that “couple” turns in to 4. Ok now here’s where we start. What drinks are you having. Applebees has drinks that can contain over 600 calories. That’s one drink. Say you have 2. So, you are restricting your calories to 1800. You have two drinks at 600 calories each, so your total calorie count is 1200 just for the drinks. So already, two thirds of your calories for the day hold no nutritional value to you. How to you expect to lose weight in a healthy matter, when the majority of what you put in your body is not healthy? Most people will say they stick to rum and diet or vodka and sugar free red bull. Ok. Let’s say you have 4 of these. We are still sitting at about 320 calories out of your 1800, which is actually probably higher, because most bartenders are more than generous, and you get more than a single shot serving in your drink. Not nearly as bad, but when we are trying to lose body fat, empty calories are as bad as no calories at all. Just take this into account the next time you decide to hit up your neighborhood Happy Hour. You can unwind, hanging out, and drinking Fiji instead.

Tags: Happy Hour, Las Vegas, lose weight, work out
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Do NOT Do These Exercises!

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011

Everyone I know knows basic workout exercises. The phrase, “How much do you bench?” is known universally. People pretend to do bicep curls with beer cans doing their “12 ounce curls”. So most people when they work out, do the stuff they know. Pull ups, push ups, squats, bench press, curls and all that. What if I told you that I thought some of those same exercises are ones that I would suggest to NOT do? Obviously some of these exercises are great strength builders, work and activate the muscles intended, and show visible results. The problem with some, is that you may be looking at this the wrong way. I’m going to give you a list of exercises I would say you should really dissect to see if that should be in your chosen few.

1. Squats Everyone do this one test. Take your shoes off, and stand feet shoulder width apart. Now raise your arms overhead in line with your ears. Now go down into a squat. Take a look at your mechanics. Do your knees cave in as you descend? Do your heels come up off the ground? Do your arms fall forward as you squat? Do your hips shift unevenly? Maybe your feet turn out. If any of these things happen to you, there are some movement compensations taking place. (just so you know, that link is a 20 page chapter, so be ready for some reading.) And if you keep doing the squat, especially with a bar and weights on your back, you basically are telling these faulty movement patterns to keep getting worse. Eventually, you’ll end up with something like knee pain, lower back pain, or maybe a chronic condition. You should look up corrective exercises for each faulty movement pattern, try to fix these, assess your situation, and THEN start moving into that squat, once those patterns have been remedied.

2. Bicep Curls Now, there aren’t really anything wrong with these, except maybe that if you have shoulder pain, they may increase it. My problem with bicep curls, is that they are kind of a waste of time. You could be doing 500 other exercises that are more time efficient, that will also help your biceps look great for the beach. Or maybe try to combine the curl with something more worthwhile. Maybe try a squat, curl, twist and press. (providing you can efficiently and effectively do the squat. If not, change the squat to a step up on a bench.)

3. Crunches Before you say you need them to get a six pack, do this test. Stand up and put your right arm overhead and your left hand on your abs. Now, arch back and feel your abs. You’ll notice that they are tight, and working. But wait! I thought you had to CONTRACT your abs to make them work? Your abs work in both directions, and if you are anything like the general public, you already spend 8 hours a day or more, with your abs crunched, while sitting. Let’s work the opposite way. Do an ab rollout with that old school wheel. Or a plank, with your abs tight and butt flexed. You will get more abdominal activation than those crunches anyway.

I’m not saying this is the Golden Rule for exercising, but these are things you should look at when you develop your exercise routine. For more corrective exercises and plans, check out our website, tonycress.com .

Tags: abs, crunches, exercises, Las Vegas, squats, workout
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Las Vegas Personal Trainer- Quick Weight Loss Fix?

Monday, March 7th, 2011

Las Vegas is a fast city, let’s be honest. With all these casinos, nightclubs and attractions, it has to be. Being a personal trainer here is no different. “How fast can you get me in shape? How quick can I lose ten pounds? When will I start seeing results?” All these are questions people ask me. I’d like to ask all of them the following questions. “How quick did you put on the weight you are trying to lose in 2 weeks? How hard are you willing to work? What, if anything are you going to change in your nutrition?” So many people ask me about this diet pill, or that supplement. This cleanse or that one? Which works? I already answered the question with a few of my own. What are YOU willing to do, with your habits? I don’t think a pill is going to make you lose 20 pounds. That pill might make you think you are losing weight, or getting fit, but it’s usally the other things you do. Take HCG for example. You take these injections or drops, and supposedly you lose all this weight. That’s all well and good, but here’s where the weight loss occurs. You eat about 500 calories a day. That’s well below the 2000 calorie RDA we have for the general population. I myself eat about 3500-3800 calories every day. Yeah, I’d probably lose weight. I’m going to end with this. If you have gained weight over time, it’s probably best you lose that weight over time as well. The quick fixes aren’t pills or cleanses, they are working out, and proper nutrition. Try those for a while, see what happens.

Tags: HCG, Las Vegas, losing weight, Personal Trainer, quick, Results, working out
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Get Your Friends To Work Out, and Win an IPAD!

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

Win An IPAD, Just For Getting Your Friends In Better Shape!
Here’s How!
During the month of February, Tony Cress Personal Training will be running a contest in which the winners will get prizes like free Fitness Camp, T-shirts, and hats, and the grand prize, and Apple IPAD! What are the contest rules you ask? Easy. The person who refers the most people to join fitness camp and purchase at least a 10 punch pass, will win the IPAD. It’s that easy. If you aren’t a member of Fitness Camp, you can count yourself as one of your referrals. How great is that?
To Enter
All you need to do is go to Tonycress.com “http://tonycress.com/Las-Vegas-Personal-Training-Camp.php“, and sign up for Fitness Camp! Once you are directed to paypal, during payment, just write in a note of who you were referred by. If it’s yourself, just say so!
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Two Reasons To Work Out!
Isn’t it time you get your friends, family, and YOURSELF in shape? Now you can, with incentive! Even if you don’t win the IPAD, people will also be rewarded with other incentives like a free 10 punch pass to Fitness Camp for 2nd place, and T-shirts and hats to the next finishers, but the most important part… You will CHANGE your BODY!
What Are You Waiting For? Tell Your Friends, NOW!
Win and IPAD! Get in The Best Shape Of YOUR LIFE! Meet New People, and Share in The Journey!
Fitness Camp is held every Monday and Wednesday at 7pm, and Saturday mornings at 11:30 am. Classes will be held at Silverado Park, or Tony Cress Personal Training
Referrals may be split between two people if the referral wants to split the count.
Tony Cress Personal Training| Silverado Ranch, Las Vegas, NV, 89183
Phone: 702-489-7587 tony@tonycress.com “mailto:tony@tonycress.com”
www.tonycress.com “http://www.tonycress.com“

Tags: fitness camp, ipad, Personal Training
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