My fantastic weekend in Stamford Connecticut with Elite Fitness Pros
I’m here at the Ryan Lee Boot Camp in Stamford Connecticut. It’s been great catching up with all of my colleagues who I rarely get to see as we are spread out across the country.
One of my favorites is Dax Moy. Man this guy has great energy and hilarious stories. Plus today is his 38th birthday. Brother rocks!
A couple other are Steven Cabral and Eric Cressey. Two other fantastic fitness professionals, who actually live in Massachusetts…although it’s still nice to hang and enjoy casual conversations 😉
Brian Grasso always rocks! I’m actually flying to Chicago in April to check him in out in some athletic action. Plus hang with some of my Chicago/Schaumburg friends.
Ryan Lee is always a tremendous host and outdoes himself each event. This guy totally outs his passion into this industry. He even cried on stage this year. Very emotional moment.
Been hanging with my good friend Victor Hurtuk the whole weekend too. He and his family are beautiful people. I usually stay with them the first night driving down through Connecticut. Always a blast with this guy!
Tomorrow I have some IYCA seminar to devour and revel within. Pumped!
Plus a dip in the pool in the AM.
Celebrity trainer to Jennifer Garner, Cindy Crawford and countless other celebs Valerie Waters is here too. She’s always beautiful.
Ran into a local Pembroke trainer too. Dave. Great guy. We may be coming up with some cool fitness plans for the town of Pembroke. Can’t wait to brainstorm with him.
Well I’m just in between sessions and the last of the day is about to start.
Take care, and me taking the time to stay advanced and elite in this field only helps the rest of us as a big training family 😉
Rob Belley
i LOVE twitter
If you haven’t checked it out, it’s an amazing site where you can post Super-Short blogs of 140 characters or less.
Every meal, every day, every week.
Talk about a fly on the wall of a day in the life of a Fitness Professional.
I do NOT lie on this site either. I post my real meals, measurements, etc.
And remember year round I stay +- 10% body fat. Enough to see my abs year round.
Let’s be honest for a minute.
How can I expect you to show me what you’re eating to stay on track for major physique success if I don’t share my own eating plan to you.
I even post brief synapses of my workouts!
You can do the same.
In fact, check out my eating plan over at www.Twitter.com/RobertBelley
See you on the slim side!
To helping you achieve success,
Rob
Bigger Goals Greater Success!
Just read this over at MSN.com while eating my traditional first of the morning apple,
10 Reasons You’re Not Losing That Weight
// Woman’s torso (© Peter Glass/age fotostock)
Roadblock No. 6: You’re shooting for a realistic size 6 instead of a near-impossible 2.
What’s wrong with that? We know size 2 jeans look like they were made for a 10-year-old, but, according to a study of 1,801 people published in the International Journal of Obesity, women who set unrealistically high weight-loss goals dropped more weight in 24 months than those who kept their expectations low.
Detour: The study authors concluded that having an optimistic goal motivated women to lose more weight. And the participants who failed to reach their magic number did not quit trying to drop the weight. Could aiming for Sienna Miller’s figure really help you reach your goal weight healthfully? “If you’re a driven person and a lofty goal motivates you,” says Blatner, “it can work.”
Some Cool Food for Thought… no pun intended 😉
To helping you achieve success,
Robert Belley
This may hurt…
Chubby, Fat, Obese, Hefty, Overweight, Gross, Slow, Exhausted, Disgusting, Tired, Huge, Big, Enormous, Look Pregnant, etc.
These are REAL words from REAL people that I’ve heard on a consistent basis for the better part of 15 years… my fitness career. And if I think back harder I can recall moments when I heard my mother and her friends and Oprah and the media using them too.
So many people suffer from being overweight.
So many people have self-created, most often unintentionally, positions in life where they feel stuck or cornered.
I know a lot of people who feel TRAPT within their own body.
Are you one of those people?
Do you feel satisfied with yourself?
If you haven’t changed your behaviors to feel fitter or to feel like you should, like you again, then you most likely will have the hardest time in the world the longer you put this off.
Too many people with too many “I WISH” or “I’d LOVE TO” are in this world.
Not enough people who can say “I DID” and “I AM” are.
Which category do you fall into to?
One small choice.
Just one small choice.
What do you want to do?
All day I’m confided in by people who wish to lose weight/fat. Monday thru Sunday.
Whether I’m at the bank, the beach, the gym, a friend’s, a party, dinner, emails, editors, grocery shopping, EVERY WHERE.
It’s common. I get a bit of exposure in these parts so people know what I do for a passion.
And every time my answer is exactly the same,
“You can’t train your way through nutrition, and abs are made in the kitchen”
Then of course the response,
“Well what diet or foods work best?”
I say,
“Either the one you’re not on or, to make this simple, the eating diet”
Now Imagine the confusion and curiosity on their faces.
“What’s that?” “Is it low carb? Or organic?”
Me,
“It’s a simple equation. It takes consistency and dedication, but the results are amazing, you’ll easily lose 4 or more pounds in a week and probably a size or two the first two weeks. Guaranteed.”
Astonished Public,
“OH MY GOD! Can you give it to me?”
Lean, Fit and Expert National Fitness Pro (me),
“Yeah, just stop drinking alcohol, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Soda, Energy Drinks, Gatorade and eat Apples, Broccoli, Natural Proteins, like steak, chicken, lamb, fish, and have peanut butter, almonds, cottage cheese, yogurt, eggs, milk, butter, coconut milk, some other stuff, and lots of veggies and fruits. And DON’T eat anything from a box. Nothing processed. No deli meats, no mac n’cheese ,no oreo’s, no juice, no enriched anything.”
Disappointed Public,
“Are you kidding me?”
Me,
“Do it and I guarantee you’ll lose a half a pound maybe a pound a day so long as you train with weights 2-3 days a week no more than 20-30 minutes at a time and do absolutely no cardio except maybe 15 minutes twice a week. And not on an elliptical or treadmill or StairMaster or bike.”
Public,
“I don’t know, I don’t think I could do that.” “Is there any workouts I could do instead that will get me the same results? Maybe running, cardio kickboxing, body pump, yoga, boot camp or spinning?”
Me,
“Don’t say ‘I can’t’. You can. It’s easy.” “Once you start, and see the results, you’ll be pissed off at yourself if you cheat even once. It’s addictive. All you’re doing is swapping one habit for another.”
Now this is a typical conversation, day to day, about 3 or more times a day.
It’s amazing how much people, even after talking to someone who is living-breathing-proof that it works, who also writes for national magazines & owns his own fitness service, will not believe or think there is an easier way out.
Truth is, there is no easy way out (ignore the Rocky IV soundtrack similarity).
It’s hard work.
The formula is easy. Hell its elementary.
But the human element gets in the way.
I can not begin to elaborate on how simple the equation is because every time someone walks away telling me they’ll start something Monday, or next week, or when the kids go back to school, or when their job changes, or when the Red Sox win the next world series (09′) I lose nearly a thousand brain cells from the disbelief that people aren’t willing to sacrifice a tiny bit of junk food and trash for an amazing life.
I’m always shocked.
Me, every day is Christmas. Every day is the fourth of July. Life is amazing.
It could be bad and it does have its moments of suck and lame but overall I make choices and those choices produce results. Whether this way or that way. I control that.
You control you.
We’re lucky in that.
So how bout yourself?
What are you waiting for?
Because the equation is above. With the information I’ve just given you you’ll never, EVER have to buy another fitness magazine, DVD, gym membership or anything ever again to be lean. And by reading through the workouts posted on this blog you’ll be set for a good year.
So you have the answers.
But are you going to use the Truth?
Or are you going to look for another Excuse?
Truth brings AMAZING results, happiness, love, friendships, trust, romance, self-esteem, strength, knowledge and more than you can imagine.
Excuses bring depression, pain, bitterness, jealousy, envy, attitude, pessimism, anger, insecurity, low self-esteem, etc…
So what do you want to do?
Think about it,
Then immediately start.
To helping you achieve success,
Rob Belley
What You Can Learn from the Olympics
WOW! What another great Olympic games!
I’ve been loving every second of it. And normally I don’t watch these games but this year I’ve been glued every night. They are tremendously THE GREATEST athletes alive. No doubt.
But what makes them great?
Genetics first and foremost.
Not just any one can be an Olympic athlete. It’s an amazing blend of physiological factors tuned with progressive training that will make an Olympian an Olympian.
Kind of like kids. Every parent seems to think their child has a shot at the majors or pro ball but in reality the child at best barely has a chance of playing Division 3 football, baseball or basketball in College.
Travel teams, Extra Leagues and the rest are just ridiculous and a waste of time. Kids will learn just fine by sticking to town leagues. Besides, if a child is competing in a sport year round or even more than 3 months consistently they most certainly will be FAR MORE harm than good.
Adults barely can handle that kind of stress on the joints yet alone a growing child.
But anyway, that’s an entire other post and book I’m working on right now….so we’ll leave that one alone.
So take home points of how the Olympics can help you and me:
1. Set a deadline and stick to it! They rise to the occasion because they are willing a response by a certain date. Deadlines always work! And if you don’t think so, think about society and how we always live by deadlines. You always pay the mortgage or rent on the 2nd or 1st right?
2. Train intelligently. Set up a program and stick to it. Most people wing this one and it’s ridiculous. Unless you have a guide and measure to see if things are working you’ll end up wasting time and most likely dropping fitness all together. These Athletes have amazing programs set in place. Each workout leads into the next, thus yielding the response they want.
So if you’re training for fat loss, each week the weights you’re handling should increase, or the length of the set, or the reps should alter… something should always be increasing.
3. Eat for your needs. Too many people wing this too. Michael Phelps east between 8,000-10,000 calories a day to maintain his body weight. If any of us did that we’d gain 30-40 pounds in a year. But swimming 5 hours a day plus his training yields a greater need for more calories.
So if you’re an office worker or homemaker and you hit the gym only 2-3 times a week eat for your needs. You’re probably somewhere between 1,250-1,800 calories a day to maintain or reshape your figure. But don’t go less than 1,250. Even if you’re trying to lose weight.
4. Because I thought a 4th point would be fun. Teamwork is key. Notice Walsh and May tearing up the beach volleyball pool? These girls are awesome!! 104 straight victories?!?!?! That’s amazing. But after every play, even when they are scored on they slap hands or pat each other to say “hey it’s okay we’re going to be fine. Next play.” That in itself is amazing.
Imagine in life doing that with your spouse?
Something goes wrong, rather than walk away frustrated and mad at them you forgive quickly and say, “Honey it’s okay. So what’s next?” It’s not worth staying mad at each other. There’s so much life to live and to waste it with frustration and pain is never going to solve anything.
Well those are my 4 take home points about the Olympics today.
Dedicated to helping you achieve success,
Rob Belley
30 Creeping Around the Corner…
Okay, 4 months from today I will be 30.
I’m ecstatic!
I think I’m doing pretty well for a fella my age.
Every year I can recall the constant barrage of negative energy,
“Wait till you’re 21 then it’s gonna be hard to stay your size”
“When you’re 25 you’ll know what I’m talking about”
“When you hit 30, your metabolism shuts off… then you’ll be fat”
Let the good times roll! Seriously.
I can’t even begin to tell you how false all of those statements are if you stay active, keep an HONEST eye on what goes in your mouth, and refuse to believe negative comments.
I’m actually looking forward to 37 for some reason?? Don’t know why, but I see guys like Brad Pitt, Hugh Jackman and other celebrated actors and athletes like big movies and at these Olympic games and I know I’ll be in way better shape at 37 then I am now at 29. Check these 40 year olds out below.
Pitt is 40 in this pic (12/18/1963)
Jackman is 2 months from 40 in this pic (10/12/1968)
Will I still have great abs like the fella’s above at 40?
Will I still be below 10% body fat???
Will I still be as energetic now as I am today (feeling like I’m 14 years old)????
I SAY YES!
Mark my words kids…
To helping you (and myself) achieve success,
Rob
Robert Belley
Robert Belley Fitness
Schwarzenegger to battle Governors?
In a much NEEDED attempt to save the children of our nation from disease and obesity California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided to take a bold stance. Read the article below from Alliance for a Healthier Generation;
Governor Schwarzenegger Challenges Governors to Make Schools Healthier
On June 4, a letter from Gov. Schwarzenegger went out to every governor in the U.S., challenging them to make schools in their states healthier environments by enrolling schools in the Alliance’s Healthy Schools Program. Gov. Schwarzenegger co-leads the Alliance for a Healthier Generation with President Bill Clinton and American Heart Association President Dr. Dan Jones.
“I urge you to accept this ‘Challenge’ and to work with me and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to build healthier school environments for all students and school staff in your states,” Gov. Schwarzenegger’s letter reads. “The state with the highest percentage point increase in enrolled schools will be publicly lauded as overall winner. States with a 10% increase in overall enrollment will receive public recognition as well.
I agree that something has to be done. Should one school be over-publicized more than an other for doing the best? Maybe, maybe not.
But the fact of the matter is with Governor Schwarzenegger’s letter, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and through the efforts everyone over at the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA), including proud members as myself, WE CAN save our future.
Fitness and Nutrition are missing from our school system and it needs to make a huge comeback. QUICK!!
Remember,
WE CAN save our children from the mess that has occurred the last 30 years of chemical laden foods and lethargic academic programs.
To helping you achieve success,
Rob Belley
Robert Belley Fitness
The God Honest Truth!! A Food Journal
I think a day doesn’t go by when someone hasn’t asked what I eat to stay in shape.
Heather’s FETA OMELET … Robert Belley Fitness Style
My step by step guide to my FETA OMELET… almost complete but I forgot my baby spinach so I’m a tad disappointed… but I’ll live
Cue “Surrender” by Cheap Trick.LOL!
How Pan Should Look After Dishing…Nearly Spotless
Nice and Fluffy Omelet
A Guy just go for it!
Healthy fats, dairy and protein… can’t go wrong!
And today’s Meal plan thus far:
Saturday August 2nd, 2008
7:45 A.M. – Apple (1) Multivitamin
8:00 – 8:45 A.M. – Boot Camp in Pembroke center … I performed only 6 20 yard sprints top stay lean
9:45 A.M. – Chocolate Cytofuse (1 srv) with Water (12 oz) and Milk 2% (4 oz)
10:30 – 11:00 A.M. – Workout … BB Squats, DB Rows, KB Snatches, KB Cleans, Face Pulls
12:30 P.M. – FETA OMELET!!!
LATER – Niece Ashley’s Birthday Party at Bugaboo Creek Steakhouse and Cake afterwards!!
She turns Four today!! And she wants Jack Skellington Toys… Wish me luck as I hit Rexhame Beach first in Marshfield and Newbury Comics after to get her her new toy!
That’s all for today!
Robert Belley
Robert Belley Fitness