Marshfield Personal Trainer | Strength Training Better for Women
Here is an article by my colleague Rachel Cosgrove.
Her and her husband Alwyn are two great fitness professionals in Santa Clarita, California.
I’ve had the fanastic opportunity to share conversations, emails and learn from them over the years. They are trusted resource in my arsenal of advanced fitness knowledge.
Here is one of Rachel’s latest articles I’ve received.
I want to share it with all of you too 🙂
Enjoy,
Marshfield Personal Trainer Robert Belley
Marshfield Fitness Studio Robert Belley Fitness
Another Reason Why Strength Training is Better for Women Than Endurance.
By Rachel Cosgrove
I was just thinking that one of the number one goals I have with my clients to change their bodies is to change the negative mental chatter that goes on upstairs all day long. Most women spend a lot of time each day talking negatively to themselves and have to consciously stop themselves and catch themselves. I had a realization that when women are using the wrong type of exercise to lose fat it not only doesn’t work physically but it doesn’t work mentally as well. Long runs or steady state cardio on a machine perpetuates this negative thinking that is so common for women.
Picture this – A woman running for an hour- what is going through her mind? Maybe she is thinking about her day ahead or her kids or a vacation that she has coming up but I bet you most women spend a lot of their time thinking- “Ugghh I can still feel my stomach jiggling when I am running…my thighs are rubbing together….gee, look at that runner- why don’t I look more like her? Uh Oh, someone is coming up behind me and probably noticing how wide my ass is…How much longer…If only I hadn’t pigged out last night I wouldn’t have to torture myself like this…”
Ladies? I know you won’t admit it but aren’t these the kind of thoughts you might have while running at a steady state with nothing to think about except the tortuous exercise of repetitive motion you are doing to try to drop a few pounds and fit in your jeans so of course most of the time you will think about your body and how did you let yourself get here in the first place and beating yourself up?
Now Picture this- A woman goes to the gym to lift weights. Her focus is on the exercise she is doing, keeping her stomach tight and focusing on lifting the weight and keeping her form. She has to be thinking about what she is doing at that moment and most of her thoughts will be “I need to squeeze my butt and keep my stomach tight. I have 5 more reps, I can do this….”
I am not saying she won’t have the occasional fleeting negative thought but it will be a lot less than if she has an hour of doing nothing but the same motion over and over again with nothing but her thoughts swimming around in her head.
So not only is strength training better for women for all of the physical reasons but it is better for them mentally too. And having less negative thoughts and more thoughts about keeping your stomach tight and being strong and finishing your set will lead to better results. The mind and body are connected. If you are spending an hour everyday doing steady state cardio thinking negative thoughts to yourself you could be undoing exactly what you are trying to do while you are trying to do it…
Because your body is listening to what your mind is telling it.
Your Coach,
Rachel Cosgrove
www.thefemalebodybreakthrough.com
Butternut Squash Penne
This isn’t as trivial or cool as it may sound, but I think it tastes great.
Plus its super healthy!
Cook whole-grain or organic penne to directions.. I cook about half a box.
Prepare and cook, either one half of a medium butternut squash, or one bag frozen.
Once the butternut squash is near finish mix in about 1/2 – 1 cup of whole organic oats.
Place the penne in a large bowl, mix in 2-3 tablespoons of organic butter.
Then top with squash and oat mix.
Season with fresh cracked pepper, sea salt.
Enjoy.
Very simple, high in fiber, high in complex carbs.
And it’s super filling.
Robert Belley
Marshfield Fitness and Fat Loss Expert
Creator:
Belly Off! Marshfield Weight Loss Program
3 Extra Minutes to Weight Loss Marshfield
Did you know,
Just adding an extra set to each of your working sets could lead to some major fat loss?
One extra set.
3 extra minutes.
You could accelerate your goals.
If you’re going after size,
one more hypertrophy set, each workout could build your body.
If you’re after fat loss,
one more interval could increase the EPOC and get you slimmer faster.
3 simple minutes.
Do you have 3 extra minutes in your day?
I’m willing to bet you do.
Make it fun, make it count, make it happen.
Robert Belley Fitness
Marshfield Fitness and Fat Loss Studio
South Shore Boot Camp at its finest
Yummy Coconut Butternut Squash Soup
Here’s a great recipe I found on one of my colleagues sites. A french chef named Eddy did a segment for the JamCore Kitchen. Very cool.
This is a coconut butternut squash soup. And its delicious. I made it for myself and my clients at Robert Belley Fitness. They loved it.
And if you mess up and cook it too long you still end up with amazing tasting squash
🙂
It’s a win win.
Here’s the ingredient list:
- 2T Olive Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- Ginger Powder
- Sea Salt
- Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Shallot or you can use a regular white onion if you have difficulty finding one at your grocers.
- 3 small to medium Butternut Squash Diced into Small Rectangles for Easier Cooking
- 1 Can of Pumpkin Puree or Pie Mix
- 1 Can of Coconut Milk
- 1 Can of Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
That’s all
Here’s how you do it:
PREP:
If you decide to peel and cut butternut squash understand it sucks 🙂 Really it does.
If you decided you want something more efficient you can just buy them pre-peeled and halved with the seeds already scooped out. A bit more money but still saves you a ton of time.
If you have great knives or a great peeler though you can do the traditional method.
After that just dice into smaller rectangles. They can stay chunky. Like an inch by 2 inches or smaller.
THE MAIN EVENT:
- Place a dutch oven or large deep pot onto your larger burner.
- Put the heat to medium-low.
- Drizzle or pour your olive oil in.
- Next add your garlic.
- Simply peel and crush do not mince.
- Let it simmer for a couple of minutes to blend and open the garlics flavor.
- Next season your oil with ginger powder, sea salt and black pepper.
- Stay conservative at first and add more in the later stages as you fine tune your dish.
- Next add your chopped shallot to the pot with your diced butternut squash.
Let it cook for a minute or two. - Then add the can of pumpkin and mixed it in for a minute
- Then add your coconut milk and mix that in. Let the mix bubble a moment.
- Finally add the chicken broth and allow to simmer for 45 minutes.
Very simple recipe and very minimal ingredients and you have tons of servings in
this one dish.
Plus its super affordable for an amazing amount of vegetables, fiber and healthy fats.
Did I mention its delicious?
😉
Robert Belley Fitness
Marshfield Fitness and Fat Loss Expert
http://www.rbfit.com/
I am a Proud Marshfield Personal Trainer & Marshfield Fitness Studio Owner
Today was a day that offered one of the happiest moments in my professional fitness training journey.
After having the opportunity to check out the Marshfield Police Station’s cool workout garage, I returned back to the studio and as I arrived, outside 4 of my favorite youth athletes, Cassidy, Emily, Jayna and Kathryn were running around playing games outside, and inside 3 of my favorite girls, Patti, Joanne and Karen were training hard!
Like killer hard!
They were doing Barbell suspended squats, sprinting stairs, flipping tires, hitting the ab wheel just plain out rocking it!
And I Love It
I know all of our sessions, conversations, socials and sharing have led us to this incredible, comfortable environment at the studio. When I walk into my own studio, and see my girls there, training and improving their lives, I know I’m home.
That’s an amazing feeling.
I’m not sure how many Marshfield fitness clubs or weight loss centers can say that about there members, but my core girls make me so happy and proud to be a fitness trainer in Marshfield.
Just to be able to joke, be friends, and be involved, to some degree, within their life is absolutely fantastic. I wouldn’t want my life any other way as a professional.
I’m a proud Marshfield Personal Trainer, Fitness Professional, Weight Loss Teacher and business man.
Thank you to ALL of my Marshfield training family,
You solidify why I am who I am in this arena.
Rob
Marshfield’s Most Unique and Fun Fitness and Weight Loss Center, Robert Belley Fitness
Super Bowl Super Shakes
Here’s are a few COOL shake recipes, along with an article, from a system I use for weight control.
Yum – Tastes Like Blueberry Ice Cream
48 g protein, 90 g carbs, 20 g fat
PB and Chocolate – You Can’t Beat It
2 tablespoons cocoa nibs
1 cup of ice
660 calories
A Good-For-You Creamsicle
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
Coconut & Almond – Like A Healthy Candy Bar
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
MRI Nutrition Pro-NOS – Certified Free of Banned Substances
PW Shakes
PW shakes are high in protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, these
shakes are best served after exercise (pw = post workout).Anytime Shakes
These shakes are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Therefore
they can be consumed anytime during the day.In essence, the “anytime” vs “pw” distinction is based on a concept known as nutrient timing.
How Isolation Sucks…
Unless you’re a bodybuilder. Let me say that first.
Or unless you are recovering from a traumatic injury that rehabilitation needs focus on a particular muscle group at a time.
But rest aside, isolation sucks if you’re after fat loss.
One reason is this, you burn less calories.
Doing biceps curls for 3 sets will not compare to doing squats or dead lifts (which involve multi-joint movements – total body) to burning calories and creating a turbulence in the body.
Second, the potential risk of injury at various points from a seamingly simple exercise.
And I couldn’t say it better myself, so here is a piece from an article from my Peak Performance newsletter I receive. One way I try to stay atop my reading to help everyone at Robert Belley Fitness in our BURN boot camps and in our semi-private training sessions.
Here is that bit,
Let’s just take a couple of examples of Chris’s educative approach. First,
the preacher curl – beloved of body-builders, because let’s face it, it makes a
guy look really tough. But read what Chris has to say about that:“Bodybuilders have long held the belief that the preacher curl trains
the ‘peak’ in the bicep. This is a fallacy; the only reason the bicep appears to
peak is because the starting position places the shoulder in 20 to 45 degrees of
flexion. This shortens the bicep so that the excursion of the muscle ‘pushes’ up
its bulk.”And here’s the problem:
“The inherent danger with this curl lies in the protracted scapular
position and forward tilt of the scapula (coracoid process is directed
anteriorly and inferiorly). In this position, the subacromial structures –
bursa, biceps tendon and supraspinatus tendon – are in a potential impingement
position.”
I couldn’t say it better.
But you get the point right?
Acute injuries, acute injuries, acute injuries…
Most often, people train with incorrect form. That incorrect form could lead to major damage structurally. Especially if you’re going at it alone.
Not to say that bad form on multi-joint exercises isn’t any better, but, dollar for dollar you are better off becoming proficient with exercise form with multi-joint movements as they will help you further in your journey towards fat loss.
Thank you for reading today’s post
Rob
Marshfield Fitness and Fat Loss Expert’s New Favorite Food…
So lately, I’ve been freaking out over Rachel’s Cottage Cheese’s!
And let’s not forget, cottage cheese is an excellent protein which metabolizes slowly so that our recovery needs from our tough strength training workouts are met.
All in all, cottage cheese is healthy.
I just happen to dig these new Rachel’s Cottage Cheese’s alot 😉
For more Marshfield fitness training and info on how you can get in the best shape, and put that healthy cottage cheese to use, click over to http://www.rbfit.com/ and see why my fitness service has hundreds of fat loss seekers and netted multiple reader’s choice awards.
That’s http://www.rbfit.com/
See you there,
and Live the Dream!
Rob
Reasons for Reflection: Congratulations Tara and Jeff
Today I am attending a wedding of one of the best clients I’ve ever had the privilege to train, Tara Kent.
She’s an amazing source of energy, and furthermore, she’s amazingly dedicated.
AMAZINGLY…
She’s one of those people that you’re excited to be around, always.
Because you know it will be fun, you are going to laugh, and you will have the opportunity to see what it takes to accomplish a vision. And, you will see someone who keeps their word.
A year ago I first met Tara, with Melissa, through one of my outdoor boot camps at Marshfield High School. The stunning results Tara has made over the past year have been nothing short of mind blowing!
If you could see where she started, and how far she has come, you’d be proud of her too.
Everyone at Robert Belley Fitness has seen her transformation.
From a girl who couldn’t do nearly a chin-up last August, she just rocked 10, YES 10 chin-ups on the elite rings on Thursday!!!
I’ve even seen her eat fire!
Literally ate fire back in July at one of our Creating Momentum seminars in the Pilate’s studio.
Her and Melissa have both made incredible changes. I’m so proud of both of them. Melissa ate fire too! 😉
And today, Tara is wedding her love. A man named Jeffrey.
And fortunately, I have been invited to her special moment.
I’m so excited to be going, to see how far she has come in just one year. How radiant she will look walking down the aisle on the beach.
The wedding dress she told us all about the day she found it, the days leading up to her wedding and all the daily preparations and planning.
The updates to her weekends and the consistency she kept with her eating plan.
These are the moments why I do what I do.
These opportunities, to see what the REAL transformation is all about.
A persons entire LIFE changing before your eyes each and every day.
And I’ve seen her almost everyday the last year.
I’ve spent more time at the studio with the girls, like Tara, Melissa, Patti, Karen, Joanne, Katie, Tina, Shelley, Shannon, Kate and their kids then I have with my childhood and later life friends.
But that’s why I have a family at my studio too.
When people commit to their lifestyle changes, it becomes empowering, moving and gratifying.
You learn so much about each other. And we learn so much from one another.
Of course there are far more people I see 2, 3 even 6 days a week, but that group has been with me at my Marshfield fitness studio since it opened. And they mean so much to me.
I’m fortunate to have these opportunities, as Tara’s wedding today to be in attendance.
All her hard work, all her ambitions, all the sweat, emotions and accomplishments that ravel into the woman she is. No doubt she will be a beautiful bride. Not a doubt in my mind.
And I’m just thankful she decided to include me in her journey.
So thank you Tara.
For allowing me an amazing first year of friendship, training, laughs and tears.
For reminding me everyday why I am fortunate to be a fitness professional.
Why I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to spend hours a week with people, like you, who also lift and motivate me to be better.
You and Jeffrey are stunning,
Congratulations Tara,
Rob