Winter’s over! It’s time to shed those extra pounds again! Time to start that diet again, maybe hit the gym & do the same routine you did last spring again, or you could run 5 miles & ice your knees when you get home again. What if you could meet your weight lose goals, cut your workout time in half & still get the benefit of a cardiovascular workout as well as a challenging strength building ever changing routine  would you do it?

Jumpstart your training today! Call Chicago Training Core       

If want to improve your golf swing, first you must improve your core strength.

Unless you’ve lived in a cave for the past few years, you know the benefits of having a

strong core. Hi, my name is Marcus Brent. I’m  a Certified Personal Trainer & licensed

Massage Therapist in the Chicagoland area. I specialize in functional strength training.

My goal in the wellness arena is to bridge the gap between fitness & function.

I have listened to novice & seasoned golfers alike over the years, & many of them have

complained about injuries sustained after just a day or two of golfing. In most cases many

reported that they had not performed any specific training or strengthening before getting

out on the green. So, its not surprising to me that many of them seek massage for relief

from an acute injury. The problem is that most people attribute acute injury to age or

“sleeping funny”. The fact is soft tissue pain or discomfort without having experienced

some sort of trauma is unhealthy tissue & it needs to be addressed.

It is important that you know just where your core is before you  begin a core training

regimen. Most people think that the core is in the abdomen or stomach area, if

you are among them, then you are partially correct. Actually, the core is everything

from the knee to the neck, anterior & posterior, excluding the arms. With that in mind,

during a core training session there is no focus on your arms, but they do benefit from

core training. The reason being is that a solid core enables the arms to carry more load; it

all has to do with leverage.

Everything we do in the world around us calls for mobility in 3 dimensions. Our ability to

move in 3 dimensions instead of just linear motion (straight lines forward, backward, up,

down, & side to side) requires good functional strength. A great example of this is

documented everyday in emergency rooms across the nation. No, it isn’t the proverbial

300lb squat, or the 100 mile extreme cross country race, although either of those will do

the trick.  It is actually people simply getting in & out of their cars! Surprising huh? Now,

just imagine forcefully swinging a club for the first time after just a few months of little

or no activity.

Now consider this, just 2 to 3 kettlebell workouts a week for 30 minutes each can greatly

improve your core strength as well as your cardio-vascular capacity. The combined effort

of resistance training with an aerobic element provides you with the best of both worlds

in one time-saving workout. So do yourself a favor, forget the humdrum 60 minute

treadmill routine, oh & the “arms, back” day & step into the new millennium! Consider

kettlebell strength training, call Chicago Training Core today!

So many of my personal-training clients have been getting great results with kettlebell workouts that I’ve decided to offer a Kettlebell Bootcamp for men and women.  

You might have seen kettlebells in your gym. They’re traditional Russian cast-iron weights that look like a cannonball with a handle. Unlike barbells and weight machines, kettlebells don’t have weight evenly distributed on two ends.

But here’s the key: Kettlebell training is not weight lifting.

Kettlebells can quickly improve your strength, power and balance—but to use them safely, it’s very important to understand the proper technique. And that’s what you’ll learn in Kettlebell Bootcamp.

Using kettlebells promotes muscle confusion because kettlebells don’t have weight equally distributed on both ends. Kettlebell training combines cardio and resistance training for results that will amaze you.

 With kettlebell training, you can:

• Burn 600 calories or more in just an hour
• Lose inches off your waist and hips
• Tone your arms and legs
• Fit into your skinny jeans again

 Kettlebell Bootcamp also offers you:

• More-affordable sessions than private training
• A fat-burning cardio workout
• A muscle-building, fun way to burn calories

 Space is limited—Register for Kettlebell Bootcamp today!Call 773-593-6846 or 773-770-6015 

Kettlebell Bootcamp will be held in a brand-new facility in Chicago’s Roscoe Village. Personal Space Fitness is located at 2203 W. Roscoe, three blocks west of Damen Ave. near the corner of Roscoe and Leavitt. Street parking is available.

 March Spring Special: Only $15 per class  Class times are:

• Monday and Wednesday at 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday at 10:00 a.m.

  Interested in a 6:00 a.m. class? Let me know—if I get enough earlybirds, I’ll add 6:00 a.m. classes.

 As we all know the club was the very first weapon & tool ever fashioned by man. The very fact that it is an extension of the arm makes it the most ancient means of self-protection and self-empowerment.  heavyclubs are specifically designed weighted clubs that look like baseball bats & are coated in a rubbery jacket for protecting anything close to them as they are very dense. They are great tools to help build total body strength, mostly by performing circumduction (circular motion) exercises. By wielding the clubs in various awkward & unusual motions you cause your body to use more muscles than you do during any normal daily activity, such as work, or even conventional workouts. By performing these movements you also reduce the risks of repetitive use stress & injuries, which can impede muscle performance. The human body amazingly has 6 trillion muscle fibers of which we use only about 1/3 on a daily basis. If you are an intermediate (6 months or more consistently) or advanced workout person (1 year or more consistently) still performing bench press & lat pull-downs you are not targeting anything new & subsequently nothing new will happen. The human body works on the S.A.I.D. principle, specific adaptation-to implied demand it simply means your body has gotten used to your routine. When you think about it there’s no real need for practical application of the bench press in your daily life. In the time it takes to perform 3 sets of 10 isolated muscle bench presses you could challenge your entire body performing mills, which is, a better exercise for total body strength and a whole lot more fun! Not to mention cutting your workout time significantly!  As a personal trainer in Chicago I see a lot of shoulder problems, flexibility, range of motion, weakness, are some examples which can also lead to more serious problems such as chronic pain, nerve entrapment, or impingement. These problems almost always are the result of repetitive motion in linear planes.  heavyclubs are great for building shoulder strength & flexibility because you’re actually rotating the shoulder using more muscle fiber than conventional exercise. heavyclubs are also good for cardio workouts giving the user leverage because of the centrifugal force used in creating motion, combined with the weight of the club makes it a truly challenging exercise    heavyclubs are a fun way to enhance your workouts, as well as adding functional strength training to your routine to boost your stamina!Give club swinging a try! Call Chicago Training Core today at 773.593.6846Or visit us on the web. www.chicagotrainingcore.com

Chicago Training Core wants you to know; in recent weeks several long-term studies have been concluded concerning women’s health & heart disease. In recent years the research has gone back and forth on whether exercise or weight has a greater influence on heart disease risks. About two in five U.S. women at age 50 will eventually develop heart attacks or other cardiovascular problems. Excess weight can raise those odds in many ways, including by increasing blood pressure and risks for diabetes, and by worsening cholesterol. Exercise counteracts all three. The new study involving nearly 39,000 women with an average age of 54 were tracked for about 11 years. The women were considered active if they followed government-recommended guidelines and got at least 30 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week, {walking, cycling, swimming, etc.} Overall 948 women developed heart disease. The study did not include men.

Of course there are no guarantees in life, and the women’s diets were not reported on, however, just taking into account exercise alone helped 4 in 5 women counteract the effects of heart related complications is arguable in it’s self. For more information refer to the Harvard-affiliated researchers in Monday’s Archives of Internal Medicine.

Also in the month of April, research found that in addition to exercise, the 2,000-calorie a day DASH diet helps in the fight to prevent heart disease. The diet suggest that by increasing grains & grain products to 7-8 servings, vegetables 4-5 servings, fruits 4-5 servings, lowfat or fat free dairy products 2-3 servings, lean meats, poultry, & fish 2 or less 3oz a day, & nuts, seeds, & dry beans to 4-5 a week, significantly reduced heart disease/attack in women ages 50 & up. Again this study did not include men, however, we are all only human right? So men don’t despair, we have had our studies too. They concluded nearly the same results pertaining to exercise that is, & of course there is no reason to believe that improving our diet would not have the same effect on us as well.

In case the theme here is missed, exercise is the main component to overall long-term good health & quality of life! Don’t take chances with your health. Call a fitness professional today, Chicago Training Core can help. Call 773.593.6846

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846. Or visit us at http://www.chicagotrainingcore.com

Are you one of the millions of people living with chronic pain? Or maybe you have that achy knee when you run or climb stairs; if you’re with a friend you may find yourself saying, “My knees are going bad” sound familiar? The truth is, in most cases it’s an alignment problem of the pelvis, and or spine; and it can be corrected, usually without drugs or surgery. If you’ve had structural or muscle pain for 6 months or longer, it is considered to be chronic. It can be the result of a bad fall, you know the kind I’m referring to, when your feet go flying in the air and the next thing you know you’re lying on your keester, after clearing the cobwebs, and the initial embarrassment, you get up, pray that no one saw your clumsiness and go on about your day. You are now on your way to having achy knees, or that nagging lower back problem. Or maybe you’re one of the billions of people on the planet that do not know how to properly use the glutei muscles.

Muscle imbalances play a large part in alignment problems; as a result, one muscle or groups of muscles begin to compensate for the weakness of another, and before you know it, you’ve developed what is known as “kinetic chain issues” {the hipbone connected to the thighbone etc} Furthermore it may be the eternal quandary, which came first? You guessed it, improper muscle usage? Or the result of a trauma event? In any case, as with any system biological, mechanical, or ecological, the sooner it is addressed the more favorable the outcome.

A well-trained Chicago Personal Trainer can help you identify many of these potential problems, and assist you with making the right treatment decisions. As an experienced Personal Trainer in Chicago I recommend physical therapy as the first treatment option for chronic pain. Many of you may be thinking my Chiropractor is a miracle worker! You’re probably right! However, a session with a physical therapist helps you to not only re-align structurally, but also strengthen the immediate area. It is recommend following up your physical therapy with an experienced Personal Trainer.

If you think you have a chronic pain problem, discuss it with your doctor, and ask for a referral to a Physical Therapist, for the most part, insurance coverage is very good for most people for multiple physical therapy sessions, if you do not have medical insurance, look for a Physical Therapist that accepts self-pay. If you live in the Chicago metro area I recommend Hands-On Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine at 2828 N. Clark Street Chicago, IL 60657. 773.525.0190

Don’t take risk with your health for the sake of not having insurance! You will find that Physical Therapy is not as expensive as you may think; and the benefit will be well worth the cost.

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846. Or visit us at http://www.chicagotrainingcore.com

So, you’re ready to get in shape with the help of a Chicago, Illinois fitness trainer. Before you sign on with a Chicago personal training company, here are 8 tips to help you with choosing a personal fitness trainer in the Chicago area.

1. Your relationship with your personal trainer will be personal and one-on-one so you should feel comfortable with them. Take some time to interview and meet with your trainer before signing a long term contract.
2. Many trainers specialize in people who have a certain age, fitness level, or goals. You wouldn’t want to hire a trainer who specializes in training marathon runners when your goal is to build muscle. Talk to the fitness professional about other clients he or she has worked with.
3. Ask about the trainers experience. How many hours or approximate training hours do they have. Many areas in personal training can only be learned through working with many types of people.
4. What certifications does the personal fitness trainer have? Look for trainers with certifications such as the NPTI, ACSM, ACE, or other.
5. Look for a trainer that can work with your schedule and in locations that are easy for you. If you would like to train in the comfort and privacy of your own home, find an in-home personal trainer.
6. What is the fee structure of the personal fitness trainer? Get the specifics of how the trainer prices his or her service. Many trainers give a discount for signing on for multiple training sessions. Ask about any hidden fees or cancellation policies.
7. What equipment does the Chicago personal trainer have available? If you are trying to build muscle, a trainer may use different equipment than equipment used to help you lose fat. Find a trainer who has the proper equipment for your goals.
8. Ask your potential personal trainers in the Chicago, Il area about the results they have achieved with other clients who started with your same fitness level and goals. How long did it take to achieve those goals? Ask for specifics such as actual weight loss, fat loss, speed improvements, etc.

If you follow these eight tips, you will have a much higher likelyhood of getting the right Chicago personal fitness trainer for you.

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.

The Skinny On Dieting

Dieting for weight loss may sound like a good idea, but when you consider the potential health risks you may want to reconsider your strategy. Many of today’s diets South Beach, Atkins, and the pop culture favorite “Lemonade diet” share the same problem, macronutrient & micronutrient deprivation. Macronutrients put simply are carbohydrates, fat, & protein. Micronutrients are minerals calcium, potassium, sodium; etc. Vitamins are not considered minerals, but rather organic compounds; therefore vitamin supplements do not correct micronutrient deprivation.

What you should do

• Make healthier eating choices, moderate consumption, and exercise. Crash diets don’t work, for long-term weight loss. As a matter of fact fad diets do more harm than good, in the long run. These are also known as Yo-Yo dieting; and they can actually train your body to continue to gain weight. In addition you can even increase your chances of developing heart disease & related problems. To lose weight you need to expend more calories than you consume.
• Increase the number of meals you eat to 4-6 times a day. Make the meals about the size of your fist. Eating 4-6 times a day will increase you metabolism, unless you have a thyroid problem it will work for you. Don’t starve yourself!
• Reduce your daily caloric intake by 250 calories if you consume more than 1800 calories a day.
• Burn 250 calories a day by walking, cycling, or other aerobic exercise.
• Start a resistance-training program; you don’t need heavy weights to start. Simple resistance bands and a stability ball will do the trick. Refer to the series” how to build muscle” at http://www.chicagotrainingcore.com Resistance training causes you to burn calories even after your workout.

1 pound of body weight equals 3500 calories; a reduction of 500 calories a day 7 times a week equals 3500 calories. You can double that effort if you want lose 2lbs per week, but don’t do anymore than that, this system helps reduce your chances of the lose/gain cycle. So remember, loosing 1-2 pounds a week is a healthy approach to weight loss without depleting your body of essential nutrients.

The Skinny On Dieting

Dieting for weight loss may sound like a good idea, but when you consider the potential health risks you may want to reconsider your strategy. Many of today’s diets South Beach, Atkins, and the pop culture favorite “Lemonade diet” share the same problem, macronutrient & micronutrient deprivation. Macronutrients put simply are carbohydrates, fat, & protein. Micronutrients are minerals calcium, potassium, sodium; etc. Vitamins are not considered minerals, but rather organic compounds; therefore vitamin supplements do not correct micronutrient deprivation.

What you should do

• Make healthier eating choices, moderate consumption, and exercise. Crash diets don’t work, for long-term weight loss. As a matter of fact fad diets do more harm than good, in the long run. These are also known as Yo-Yo dieting; and they can actually train your body to continue to gain weight. In addition you can even increase your chances of developing heart disease & related problems. To lose weight you need to expend more calories than you consume.
• Increase the number of meals you eat to 4-6 times a day. Make the meals about the size of your fist. Eating 4-6 times a day will increase you metabolism, unless you have a thyroid problem it will work for you. Don’t starve yourself!
• Reduce your daily caloric intake by 250 calories if you consume more than 1800 calories a day.
• Burn 250 calories a day by walking, cycling, or other aerobic exercise.
• Start a resistance-training program; you don’t need heavy weights to start. Simple resistance bands and a stability ball will do the trick. Refer to the series” how to build muscle” at <a href=”http://www.chicagotrainingcore.com“> Resistance training causes you to burn calories even after your workout.

1 pound of body weight equals 3500 calories; a reduction of 500 calories a day 7 times a week equals 3500 calories. You can double that effort if you want lose 2lbs per week, but don’t do anymore than that, this system helps reduce your chances of the lose/gain cycle. So remember, loosing 1-2 pounds a week is a healthy approach to weight loss without depleting your body of essential nutrients.

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.

Hello muscle builders. Welcome to “How to build muscle part 2″. This is the second and arguably the most important phase of muscle building,  because this is the “Hypertrophy” or “Growth phase”. The human body works on the S.A.I.D. principle, “Specific Adaptation to Implied Demand”. it means, that your body will get used to what you put it through. For instance, if you train a particular part of your body say only your arms, they will recruit more muscle fibers {see how to build muscle: part 1} than any other parts of your body. Aside from looking funny, you will have trained your arms to adapt to the demand you placed on them, and they will no longer respond to training, if you continue to do the same routine day in & out, that is why you MUST progress! So let’s begin phase 2.

If you have followed the instruction given in “How To Build Muscle: Part 1″ and are able to do 3 sets of at least 15 repetitions of 8 to 10 exercises, and able to hold a conversation while doing so, then you are prepared to move on, or progress.

In this phase you will increase the resistance or weight to about 80%- 85% of your maximum ability. This will force your muscles to adapt to the new demands. Perform 8 to no more than 12 repetitions with 30-90 seconds rest between sets. For best results, start off with 8 repetitions, doing 8 to 10 exercises. If you are truly performing at 80%-85% you shouldn’t be able to do 12 right away. When you are successfully able to perform 2 workouts back to back {all muscle groups} it is time to progress, DO NOT ADD MORE WEIGHT. Instead, add to more repetitions! Then repeat the previous step. When you get to 12 reps & successfully complete 2 back to back workouts {all muscle groups} add 2 to 5lbs and start from the beginning with 8 reps, and repeat the cycle.

Now let’s talk about a critical aspect of muscle growth. Stretching! Most of us overlook the importance of stretching, especially men! It seems like a waste of time for sure, however.. stretching aids in many aspects of muscle building & overall health. For our purposes stretching will help increase the cross sectional area of the muscle, allowing more muscle fiber to be recruited to the area, making the muscle bigger! So you see, as much of a hassle it seems to be, it is worth the extra 5 minutes to do it!

So there you have it! Phase 2 of muscle building. Keep in mind, this is part of a formula! You will still have to adhere to it, if you want to gain muscle mass, so be sure to check back soon to learn more about building muscle.

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.

Many of us want to build muscle but really are not sure how to do it. Just like anything else there is a systematic approach. Think about it this way; if you were preparing to take a test to become a mathematician you wouldn’t start out by studying calculus would you? The first & foremost thing to consider is that the Human body has 4 systems that each play a role in every aspect of our daily lives. They are; the musculoskeletal, Nervous, Cardiovascular, & Endocrine or{Hormonal} Systems. You need to first prepare the muscle properly, & train each system to adapt to muscle building. Next you need to know there are several types of muscle fibers. The human body will recruit these fibers the way you tell it to.

Muscles use oxygen. Thinner muscle fibers are more resistant to oxygen depletion than thicker muscle fibers. It is for that reason that it is easier to lift a lighter weight than it is to lift a heavier weight over time. When muscles burn oxygen it produces a by-product called Lactic Acid, its the burning sensation you feel just before you decide “NO MORE” this product impedes the ability to efficiently use oxygen, and it is very hard to overcome. The good news is you can train your body to tolerate its effects for longer periods of time. Let’s start with the thinner muscle fibers or type 2a first, since they can sustain longer periods of action they are somewhat easier to train.

We will first begin in the Endurance phase. As I mentioned early on you must follow a formula unless you happen to have many hours to spend a day muscle training, like say in certain Institutions. When training in the Endurance mode you will familiarize the body with the motion of exercise or for others teach the body how to exercise, you do this by starting out with 50%-55% of your maximum ability, so if your max bench press is 20lbs you’ll want to start off with 10lbs-12.5lbs and do 13 or more repetitions. Remember to breathe in when you are working WITH gravity & out when you are working AGAINST gravity. NEVER HOLD YOUR BREATH. You can do as many as you care to but keep in mind you will want to do more than 1 set so don’t over do it. Perform no more than 3 sets when operating in this mode. If you’re like most you’ll want to do anywhere from 13-20 reps, the way you know you are progressing is to increase the reps by 2 for your next training session, and maintain the extra 2 through the entire workout up to about 30 reps or so, then its time to move on. DO NOT ADD EXTRA WEIGHT! For exercise ideas visit http://www.chicagotrainingcore.com go to ‘Client sign in’ & click the link under “enter site” there you will find exercise pics with detailed instruction on how to perform proper exercise. Good luck & have fun!

If you are considering hiring a private personal fitness trainer in the Chicago, Illinois area, contact us at 1.773.593.6846.