AmazingMFitness.com

It’s easy to get in a workout rut, and we all have those days when going to the gym is pushed to the bottom of the list. But no matter our workout woes, there’s no reason you have to miss out on a good sweat session.

Simply hop on over to Self.com, where the Workout Builder allows you to compile your own workout video, complete with step-by-step instructions.

Self makes it pretty simple to change up your routine. You simply pick your moves from the Self video library, drag and drop your selected clips, and save your compiled video so you can use it anytime you want.

With video clips for abs, arms, back, butt, chest and legs, you can decide if you’re in the mood for a total-body workout, or if you’d rather focus on one or two areas at a time.

The best part? No ultra-fancy equipment required. Well, that, and you can exercise in the comfort of your home … or even a park or the beach, if you’ve got a laptop and accessible WiFi.

How do you keep your workout routine fresh?

Ive been going strong for about six months. Six days a week I do some sort of exercise running, indoor cycling, yoga. Other than for dentist appointments, Ive not missed a workout. Even when I went on vacation, I was able to sneak in a few runs.

But last Wednesday I woke up and decided I needed a break, or more specifically, my right knee needed a break. It had been sore for two days. Not unbearably sore, just noticeably sore.

Later that morning as I sat at my desk, I couldnt help but fixate on my missed workout. I know I did the smart thing by skipping it, but I felt sluggish and unmotivated

and I was a little scared. It crossed my mind several times that perhaps my knee really wasnt that sore, but instead I was using it as an excuse to not exercise. Could I be falling back into my old ways?

I know this was completely irrational. But I could envision myself slowly finding reasons to skip workouts until, before I knew it, I was sleeping in and eating bacon for breakfast every morning.

I know this wont happen. It was only one missed workout. (I repeated this several times to myself.)

As I rubbed my sore knee, I reminded myself that its not like I slept in. I still got up early and spent a lot of time stretching and I didnt even have a craving for bacon.

People who cut hair and administer acupuncture treatments may be regulated in many states, but the personal trainers who minister to our muscles often are not.

Anyone can put a shingle out and call themselves a personal trainer in virtually any state, says Barbara Bushman, a Missouri State University exercise physiologist and fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine. You’re responsible for yourself.

Still, there are guidelines that consumers can use to find knowledgeable pros in the personal training industry.

The hallmark is earning that CPT. It’s the initials you can put after your name that stand for certified personal trainer, said Laura Fast, director of credentialing and certification at the not-for-profit Cooper Institute in Dallas.

Make sure they’re accredited

Neal Pire, a New York-based trainer and American College of Sports Medicine fellow, recommends looking for trainers with credentials from organizations accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. There are about a dozen, including the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the American Council on Exercise and the Cooper Institute.

You really have to jump through hoops to secure NCCA accreditation, Pire said. The litmus test is a nationally accredited certification by the NCCA.

Bushman recommends looking for a trainer with a higher-level certification, such as the ACSM’s Health Fitness Specialist, or HFS, and a bachelor’s degree in a field such as exercise and movement science or kinesiology. Trainers with such qualifications are trained to engage in pre-activity screening and to ask about potential clients’ medications.

What to look for

– Look for personal trainers who are certified through an organization recognized by the NCCA. The American College of Sports Medicine’s website, www.acsm.org, for example, has an online guide to certified experts.

– Do a background check. Verify the trainers certification with the organization and check with the organization to see if the certification is up to date. They must typically be renewed periodically.

– Ask about trainers’ insurance. Bushman carries $3 million in liability coverage. Pire said $1 million to $3 million per occurrence is typical.

– Compare rates. Trainers’ rates can vary widely from region to region and depending on whether the trainer works in a gym or has to schlep equipment and/or travel to your house.

– Ask about packages. Bushman said many trainers like to offer package deals for a specified number of sessions, because that guarantees them a fee, whether the client comes back or not. Pire recommends starting with a single session. If you like the instructor and sign up for a package, ask the trainer to apply the cost of the initial session to the package fee.

I subscribe to the thinking that breathing is a vital part of a workout. Ive had teachers and trainers beat this into my head since I was young. Breathing during a workout helps maintaining the correct balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in our blood. It helps focus your attention and ultimately helps you push through sprints or finish that last set of reps. It truly works when you do it properly. In fact, using the proper breathing technique can increase the amount of fat you burn, reduce exercise-related fatigue and injury, and increase endurance and stamina.

Although I understand and believe this, I have a lot of trouble breathing properly.

When I work out aerobically (running and cycling), I breathe in through my nose and exhale through my mouth. At least that is my goal.

Lately, I have been really concentrating on this since the first thing I do when Im really pushing myself is: FORGET TO BREATHE.

Its when you become breathless that you burn sugar instead of fat for fuel, become tight and tense (which can promote injury), and, in general, undermine your endurance and stamina.

Yes, yes weve heard it all before. It doesnt make breathing correctly any less tricky for me.

Now Ive added yoga to the mix. Here Im instructed to inhale through my nose AND exhale through my nose. As we begin seated or on our backs, focusing only on the inhalation and exhalation, breathing is a snap. Add some poses and again I find myself holding my breath.

Once I realize it I try to snap back into the flow I easily inhale properly (through the nose its the one constant between exercises), but then Im flummoxed by exhaling through my mouth oops I catch myself and finish through my nose.

Im a disaster.

I know I shouldnt get frustrated. It will come with practice. Good thing I dont have as much trouble breathing when I’m not exercising. That would really be a problem.

In my opinion your summer workout should be brief and not interfere at all with having a blast outside. When you are young it is easy to forget that your summers are limited in number. Believe me, at some point you will realize that this is not the case. For instance, I have 25 more summers until I am a senior citizen. I am not sure how that happened, but one thing is for certain…I don't plan on spending most of my summer in a gym. If your workouts are cutting into your time in the sun, then maybe this post will help.

[I am going on a 2 week road trip this year and a large part of it will be exploring Highway 1 and Highway 101 on the California Coast. Some of the coolest spots are located in between major destinations, which is why road trips (just about anywhere) are a blast. This picture was taken off Highway 1 in the central California Coastline.]

Would Love to Hear Readers Tips as Well

I plan on listings some strategies I have implemented over the years to maximize summer, but would love to see reader tips as well. My hope is that this will include dozens of tips to shorten the time doing structured workouts. This will be one of those posts where the comment section will become a better resource than the actual article. I just want to get things rolling, so here goes…

Tip 1: Get Your Workout Done in the Morning

If at all possible get your workout done early in the morning before work. I am not a morning person, but it is easier to get up early when you are waking up to a sunny day. I realize that some lucky people live in areas where it is sunny 365 days out of the year, but most of us live in climates where it is cold during winter and warmer in the summer time. Anyway, get the workout done so you don't miss out on BBQ's, picnics, boating, afternoon boating, etc. For some reason, people seem to organize a lot of last-minute activities during summer afternoons…If you are in the gym, you will be unable to join your friends.

Tip 2: Use Non-Competing Supersets In Your Workout

Craig Ballantyne is the master of this technique. This article <--- on his blog gives a full explanation along with what a workout would look like (opens in a new window). Basically a non-competing superset is alternating 2 exercises without rest in between, but these 2 exercises are working different muscle groups. This is why this is called a "Non-Competing" superset. An example would be alternating dips with barbell curls -or- military presses with calf raises. This is a way to do the same amount of work in roughly 1/2 of the time. I don't think you want to train like this year round, but it is a perfect technique for summer. You can get the lifting portion of your workout done in 15-20 minutes if you structure this properly.

Tip 3: Skip Gym Cardio if You Are Going to Be Active Later

I would never recommend that anyone perform 2 gym workouts per day. That being said, it is actually an extremely effective way to burn body fat. In fact, a lot of actors and actresses in Hollywood do this when they need to drop weight quickly. So why don't I recommend it? Training twice per day sounds to me like a life obsessed with training. The way to get the benefits of a daily split workout (without becoming a gym rat) is to do a brief intense gym workout in the morning and then simply do a fun outdoor activity in the afternoon.

[I like to use Matthew McConaughey's workout approach when summer hits. Here is his quote about exercising..."I think the body is a beautiful thing, and you should take care of it. Whether its going for a run, dancing or loving, my rule is break one sweat a day."]

Tip 4: "Break One Sweat a Day"

Matthew McConaughey's rule is a great one to follow for summer. Just really try and do some type of activity that works up a good sweat, each and every day during summer. Whether that is playing tennis, jogging, ultimate frisbee, HIIT, basketball, etc…you are on the right track. Try your best to get in some brief resistance training 3-4 times per week (in the morning) and you will be good. If you can do something that makes you break one sweat a day you will be able to maintain low body fat without having to worry as much about structured HIIT. Just throw in the occasional HIIT after lifting on days where you have more time.

Tip 5: Track Weekly Calories NOT Daily Calories

I've talked about this in my newsletter (to people who have downloaded my free report). The idea is to not worry about how many calories you eat day to day, just try to insure that your total weekly calories aren't way too high. So for instance if you eat 3,000-4,000 calories per day on a weekend camping, simply eat quite a bit less the following 2-3 days. When I say "track" calories, I don't mean calorie count either (I never do that). Just eat quite a bit less early in the week and on days where there aren't social events happening. It doesn't hurt to have 2-3 low calorie days right after a couple of high calorie days (in fact it works pretty well in helping you stay lean).

Enjoy Life – Please Don't Live in the Gym

I like working out, but if I could go back in time I would have trained a little less in my 20's during the summer. I wasn't a gym rat or anything, but I think my workouts were close to 90 minutes 4-5 times per week. I think I was worried that I would lose strength or muscle if I didn't do a certain amount of training. Don't make this mistake. If it is sunny and you have the day off, you shouldn't even be allowed to be inside of a gym past 10:00AM. Put on some shorts, flip flops, grab your beach towel, call up some friends and live a little!

Note: Do you guys spend less time in the gym during summer. Please comment and give out any other strategies or suggestions below. I can't wait for summer. Also…I know this site has a lot of loyal readers in OZ and this post won't apply to them for another 6 months. Maybe I will put out another summer post for you guys in December

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