All posts by NTrainers

3 Simple Yoga Moves to Clear Away Spring Stress

March 16, 2016

judyBy Judy Kuan (NASM-CPT, NASM-CES, RYT-500)

Spring in New York is a glorious time of year, but it does come with its special set of stressors. Dreading tax season? Kids going stir crazy in the apartment on a rainy weekend? Do the following three calming yoga moves, recommended by personal trainer and yoga teacher Judy Kuan, and let your calm and focus shine bright. Stress, stress, go away, come back another day!
3-part yogic breathing: This is how I start almost every yoga class and private session that I teach.
Close your eyes, and as you breathe in, you expand your abdomen, diaphragm/ribcage area, and upper chest, pulling in as much fresh oxygen as possible. Then you reverse the flow as you exhale completely. You can do this when you’re sitting in a chair or on the ground – just make sure your spine is nice and upright. Slowing your breathing will help you slow your mind, lower your blood pressure, and allow you to hone your focus.
If you want to feel balanced, keep of the lengths of your inhales and exhales the same (For example, inhale for 8 counts, exhale for 8 counts.)
If you want to calm down, you can lengthen your exhales to take more time than your inhales. (For example, inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 8 counts.)
If you want to energize, you can lengthen your inhales to take more time than your exhales. (For example, inhale for 8 counts, exhale for 4 counts.)
Childs pose yogaChild’s pose: This is very much a calming, inward-focusing pose. Kneel on the ground and fold your torso over until your forehead is resting on the ground. Extend your arms on your mat, reaching away from your head. This fosters lymph movement as you open up your chest and underarms, where a lot of lymph nodes are located.  If the front of your thighs are too tight and your hips cannot rest on your heels, simply place a cushion or rolled-up blanket behind your knees.
252_hp_move_10aMalasana (low squat): Open up your hips and feel more grounded in this low squat posture. Once in position, close your eyes, and take 10 very slow, deep breaths, feeling your mind settle. Here’s a link to the pose instructions with photos. This pose invokes a sense of relief, because it opens your hips, which can tighten up from sitting in a chair too long, and lengthens your calves, which can shorten from wearing heels – without requiring as much balance or flexibility. It’s also a great leg-strengthening exercise, and I incorporate this pose into all of my prenatal yoga classes and sessions with private clients.
Trainer Bio: Judy Kuan is a NYC-based personal trainer and yoga instructor who coaches healthy growth for individuals, companies, and communities. She is the founder of Fitphile.com. Judy is a NASM-certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist, a RYT-500 hour yoga instructor, a 1st degree blackbelt in TaeKwonDo, and the founder of the Kick-HIIT(TM) workout. She is also a pre-natal/postpartum exercise specialist, and an expert in kids fitness.

The Importance of the Deadlift

By Geo Chang, personal trainer

geo

A deadlift is a very functional movement, because it’s basically the same movement one would use to pick up a heavy box, a suitcase, or a child off the ground. The exercise is done from a dead-stop hence the name deadlift.
The deadlift works most of the muscles in the legs, lower back and core. It’s most commonly associated with building strength and power, but more importantly, strengthens the spine which can improve posture.
Arnold deadliftTo perform a deadlift, put a barbell in front of you and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Grip the bar with your hands outside of your legs and lower your hips until your back is at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Push your chest out, look straight ahead, and keep your abdominals tensed and lift the bar from the floor by straightening your knees and hips.  Stand fully upright, then return the bar to the floor in the same manner. Always focus on perfect technique.
Because it is a very functional total-body exercise, a true indicator of strength, improves your posture, and is applicable to all ages and levels of fitness, it is my favorite exercise!
Have a great spring!
Geo Chang, C.P.T.
Start making changes today!  Contact Geo!

One Step Closer

Adam Shuty, personal trainer

You may be gung-ho about your fitness routine right now, but at some point, sooner or later, you are going to lose motivation.

What then? How do you keep going and avoid the temptation of binging on peanut butter-stuffed pretzels and Netflix? Pausing your exercise program for lack of time, work stress, or lapse in motivation should never be an option, yet still it happens.  When cycles of losing momentum, stopping, and then restarting a workout regimen repeat, this predisposes the weekend warrior to injury, weight gain, and mood swings. Rather than attempting to lose ten pounds, a better goal might be to search out the exercises and type of that will continue to keep you excited, inspired, and motivated. People give up when they lose motivation or become bored, and their logical reasons for for hitting the gym seemingly disappear. Motivation comes from having a purpose. A proper training routine that you enjoy could give you that purpose.

It’s important to recognize the difference between training and exercise. Any exercise is good for you, but great training (the kind that stays with you for life) should be progressive, planned, and focused. Exercise can be anything you do to activate your body, and therein lies the trouble. The roads to exercise are infinite but not all of them will lead you to true fitness. In contrast, training is like climbing a mountain. It’s not glamorous but every day that you take a step, you are one step closer to your goal. If your goal is, “to exercise until your lose twenty pounds” you will either succeed or fail based on what your scale reads each morning. Or they reach their goal and then let up on their training. By this approach most people fail repeatedly.

Staying motivated with exerciseSimilarly, most people don’t give themselves a chance to succeed because they place the initial bar too high. Forget about losing twenty pounds, focus on lifestyle changes that can be maintained. It’s well documented that small achievable goals add up to big accomplishments over time. So set small goals, and then make a plan to reach each one. Keep in mind that a plan is an outline, not a rigid set of rules. You are training when you work the plan. If your plan doesn’t work, don’t give up. The good news is you learned something about what doesn’t work. Simply reevaluate with this new information and re-plan. Congrats, you are now one step closer!

Queens Personal Trainer Gyms

The following is a list of independent personal training gyms in Queens that welcome personal trainers to train their own clients at their facilities. For more details, contact that facility directly.

If you are a gym owner or know of a gym that should be included on this list please contact us.

Are you a personal trainer in Queens, NYC? Trainers and instructors, add your profile here.

Queens

vigorousfitnessVigorous Fitness Clubs
79-32 Metropolitan Avenue, 2nd Floor
Middle Village, NY 11379
718-894-1271
Contact: frank@vigorousfitnessclubs.com

omi wellnes personal trainer whitestone nyOmi Sauna Wellness Center
1244 Clintonville Street
Whitestone, NY 11357
(718) 746-0513
Contact: info@omisauna.com

Manhattan A-Z
Other areas of NYC with personal training gyms: Uptown Gyms Upper East Side Gyms Upper West Side Gyms Midtown East Gyms Midtown West Gyms Downtown/Lower Manhattan Gyms

Brooklyn Personal Trainer Gyms

The following is a list of independent personal training gyms in Brooklyn that welcome personal trainers to train their own clients at their facilities. For more details, contact that facility directly.

If you are a gym owner or know of a gym that should be included on this list please contact us.

Are you a personal trainer in NYC? Trainers and instructors, add your profile here.

Brooklyn

class one mma brooklynClassOne Mixed Martial Arts & CrossFit
85 4th Avenue @Warren Street
Brooklyn, NY 11217
(718)230-3530
Contact: info@c1mma.com
Global Strongman Gym BrooklynGlobal Strongman Gym
987 Pacific Street
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(347) 425-1400
Contact: hans@globalstrongmangym.com
Other Areas of NYC: Uptown Gyms Upper East Side Gyms Upper West Side Gyms Midtown East Gyms Midtown West Gyms Downtown/Lower Manhattan Gyms

My Phone Has A Pedometer

February 29, 2016

My phone has a pedometer

It is scary when you start to realize what others walk, or don’t walk each day.  For so many, walking is their only activity of the day. Yet, many look to see how to limit the amount of walking they do.  They drive more instead of walking.  They look for the parking spot closer to the front door.  Anything to save a minute.  But at what expense?

I have made conscious changes to my route to and from work based on the weather. Oddly enough, walking more has cut my commute by 10-12 minutes. However, even if it cost me 10 minutes the other way it would be worth it.  The benefits out weigh the any potential negative.

The walk is time to focus. Frame out the day, maybe listen to some music, and best of all get out,of a cramped subway where you can feel everyone’s tension about the work day.  Everyday there is a powder keg-like person on the train ready to unreasonably erupt on another innocent commuter. Now that person needs to walk.  But, I digress.

Walking has the benefit of reducing risk of dementia, heart disease, depression and many other diseases. It’s just so important for the body to move. Then there is also weight management.

Which brings us to exercise.  Yes, walking is exercise, but we must remember to train the whole body.  This doesn’t mean “getting huge” like a bodybuilder.  It means gaining muscular and cardiovascular strength to handle the daily tasks and a even a little bit more, because cleaning out a closet or going for a pleasurable hike with friends shouldn’t be a difficult task.

It may not be possible for everyone to get one-on-one personal training, but either that or group training can help make a difference in one’s quality of life and daily routine.  There are Upper East Side personal trainers available for either type of training at both chain gyms or independent personal training gyms.

It may seem trivial, but I would recommend getting a pedometer app for your phone.  Depending on your operating system you will have different choices.  I consider myself an active guy since I go to the gym 4-6 times per week, but it isn’t enough. The pedometer helps me see how little a person moves once they get to work.  It’s better to be conscious of our activity levels during the day.  Small incremental changes can lead to better results over time.

Glenn Dickstein

NeighborhoodTrainers, Founder & CEO

Make 2016 about results! A roadmap for fitness success.

Let’s make 2016 about fitness success.
Let’s be honest, most of us know what it takes to ensure success in any endeavor in life: one must have a defined purpose, set specific and attainable goals, device a plan, and diligently execute it. Starting and/or following through on our goals, however, is another challenge all together. Maybe it’s our fear of failure, or the overwhelming stress of doing things out of our comfort zone. Maybe it’s both.
The truth is that setting performance or appearance goals is only good practice for those whom already know how to do it and have the resolve to do what it takes to get there. In other words, to achieve a goal you must change your habits and/or create new ones. Creating lasting habits will not take place until we deeply understand why achieving a goal is important, decide that we want it bad enough, and believe we can accomplish it.
So if you say to yourself “this year I want to lose 20lbs”, chances are that this alone won’t take you too far if you are not already working out at least once a week, or already have control over not eating high sugar foods on a daily basis. I believe there is a better approach.
Before establishing specific goals, you must become the person who can achieve those goals, and slowly but steadily create new habits and stick to them. Otherwise you may end up in the same place as most people:
You try to change and do everything all at once only to end up overwhelmed and stressed out in the process before quitting. Or,
You follow a drastic approach that creates short term changes that are impossible to sustain and, inevitably, give up and bounce back to where you initially started.
Motivation and inspiration have to come first from within before any external source can be of help to you.
Follow this success roadmap instead:
1. Define your Purpose. Ask yourself why it is important for you to take action now towards your goals. Ask yourself also what you will lose out on if you don’t. Then write down how you will feel every time you reach a small win towards your goal Vs. how it will make you feel if you don’t. Your goals will be hard to reach without internalizing a greater meaning to achieve them.
For example: To start exercising and lose weight are goals. To be healthier, live longer and be happier and more comfortable in your own skin, are examples of a defined purpose for training.
2. Become the person that can accomplish the goals you desire. Decide who you want to be before you work on specific goals.
For example: If losing weight, getting stronger, and becoming healthier are your goals, then focus first on becoming a person who works out 2-3 times per week and work on this so you consistently get your workouts in every week in spite of what life throws at you (major occurrences aside of course).  Once you prove to yourself that you can do this consistently, make sure to acknowledge your accomplishment and then proceed to make a small change in your diet. Keep following these steps and soon enough you will be well on your way to achieving your main goals.
3. Educate yourself properly. You may need Coaching. We all need good coaching to truly reach our potential. Only through clarity and competence can we push through the hard work it takes to be better. A good coach can pull the best out of his pupils. Remember that clarity plus competence gives us the confidence to act and do things better.
Focus on the process not the outcome.  With this approach you will enjoy your journey.  Each new accomplishment or milestone reached will be rewarding and encouraging to continue.  Likewise, each set back and obstacle will be met with the acceptance needed to not be discouraged, giving you instead more power to find solutions, over come it and move forward.  Remember that working out is meant to enhance your life and should not dictate your life or be a source of stress in your life.
Stay Strong!
JC

Fitness Over 50: Three Qualities To Look For In A Trainer

February 9, 2016

Brett cohen fitness over 50Finding the right trainer can be challenging. Finding a competent trainer if you are over age 50 is an even tougher task.

By Brett Cohen, personal trainer and functional aging specialist

If you are reading this article you have taken it upon yourself to do the research and not have one selected for you by the training managers at Crunch, Equinox or New York Sports Club.
If you are over 50 that’s like going to the hardware store for milk. You’re not going to find what you’re looking for or need in those places. You came to the right place. Neighborhoodtrainer.com

Fitness Over Fifty couple exercisesBelow are what I think are the 3 most important qualities you should look for when selecting a fitness profession.

Knowledge:
A trainer that works with the mature population should have the appropriate certifications that apply to that population. To become a “personal trainer” simply requires an individual to pass an exam from a certifying organization. Some of those organizations are more credible than others. Regardless of which certification a trainer has, it should simply serve as a base level of knowledge. A starting point, not an end.

To be an expert in any field you need to have much more knowledge and education than a general practitioner would. The same applies to the field of fitness coaching. I wanted to become an expert in working with the mature population so I have obtained two such specialty certifications.

The National Academy of Sports Medicine: Senior Fitness Specialist
The Functional Aging Institute: Functional Aging Fitness Specialist

These are in addition to the certifications I have as a; personal trainer, holistic lifestyle coach and golf fitness specialist. As well as a Bachelor of Science in Education.

Experience:
The book Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell, makes a case that based on research by psychologist Anders Ericsson, it takes at least 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become world-class (an expert) in any field.

I was first certified as a personal trainer in 1999 and got my first job in a gym in 2000! Since then I have worked at three major fitness chains as well as several privately owned gyms. Working an average of 1,000 contact hours a year over the last 16 years I have long since eclipsed that 10,000 hour mark. The bottom line is….I’ve worked with a lot of bodies, most of them over age 50.

Fitness Over Fifty happy coupleEmpathy
Why did I chose to work with the over 50 population? I’ll tell you why.
First, I’m 54 myself, and even though I’m in great shape I can fully appreciate what it feels like to live in an aging body and the physical challenges associated with the aging process.

“I bring real life experience to what it takes to maintain a health body after age 50 and I want to share that.”

This population is grossly underserved. Having worked in the industry a long long time I see what’s it’s all about. Most of it revolves around the desire to burn fat, get ripped, shredded or huge. But for the most part those are not the goals of a person 55, 60, 70 or 80. I know, I have two clients that are octogenarians and neither one of them is training to get 6 pack abs!

The fitness industry has forgotten this population. There are very few trainers that truly understand the needs of mature adults. The grim reality is if you were to go to a big box gym your trainer would likely be someone in their 20’s or 30’s and have very little real life experience. Most often they will use the same training strategies that they use on their 20’s and 30’s clients. I see it all the time and it frustrates the hell out of me!

Brett’s Bottom Line:
Boomers and Seniors have different needs that what the traditional fitness industry focuses on. Fitness trends, gyms and fitness publications tend to focus on a much younger audience, ignoring the needs and desires of the mature audience.

If you are over age 50 and want some help with your health and fitness call me and get the personal attention you deserve from an industry expert who fully understands what’s happening in you body.

To find out more about my Fitness Over 50 program log onto my website: www.fitnessbydesign.nyc and download your FREE Fitness report today!

Exploring NYC Personal Training Gyms: Vigorous Fitness Clubs

Vigorous f9tness,clubs middle village queens nyLooking for a well equipped and well maintained gym to train your clients in Queens? I found it

On a frosty January afternoon, I had the opportunity to speak with Victoria Oliva, one of the co-owners and a personal trainer at Vigorous Fitness Clubs in Middle Village, Queens.

This is a great find as far as gyms go. Not only for me as the owner of NeighborhoodTrainers and an advocate for NYC’s fitness community, but for all independent personal trainers who service clients in this area of Queens. For the past few years, my Exploring NYC Personal Training Gyms column has focused mainly on Manhattan facilities. That’s because that is where the more notable independent training gyms are concentrated. Vigorous Fitness Clubs is not only putting its stamp on the Queens fitness community, but it is also raising the standard for gyms open to independent trainers all over #NYC with its equipment, services, and policies.

vigorous1The facility spans 8000 square feet over two floors. The top floor is a newly renovated studio, while the main floor is a fully equipped gym. While it is just three years old, Victoria and her co-owners Sean and Frank, completed a renovation last month, which should speak to their interest in creating an environment people want to come back to again and again.

“We want this to be the best part of your day,” says Victoria.

Vigorous Fitness Clubs is unique right from the entry. There is a very inviting courtyard in front, which on warm days is used for outdoor personal training or even an outdoor small group training class. In the dozens of gyms we’ve written about, we’ve only found one other to have that option.

Once inside, you will see the vast array of equipment. One of the newest pieces seems also to have the greatest gravitational pull for trainers and their clients, alike. The Life Fitness Synrgy 360. This versatile apparatus allows for trainers to work with clients one-on-one or in small group training settings without shuttling to from one end of the gym to another.Vigorous Fitness Clubs life fitness synergy 360

The gym is also fully stocked with strength training and cardio equipment. Machines, dumbells, kettle bells, treadmills, ellipticals, etc. It’s all there to cater to young and old, athletes and first-timers.

Vigorous Fitness Clubs middle village queens loungeFor independent personal trainers, this is a welcoming place. For starters, I’ve already mentioned the equipment, but the club is also furnish ed with a small lounge area. This is the perfect spot for an initial consultation, going over assessment results, or to enjoy time in between sessions.

There are changing rooms and bathroom facilities, as well as towels for all. On top of the one-on-one training, the second floor studio is open for trainers to do small group training when classes are not in session.

Vigorous Fitness Clubs middle villageAs for rates for bringing in your clients, the fees are quite reasonable and Vigorous offers a few different options. Best of all, your clients don’t have to be members. However, after experiencing Vigorous Fitness Clubs for a little while, they may decide it makes sense to become one since they can also use the club on non-session days.

For more information about Vigorous Fitness Clubs:

79-32 Metropolitan Avenue, 2nd Floor
Middle Village, NY 11379
718-894-1271
Contact: frank@vigorousfitnessclubs.com

Enhance Life Outside the Gym With Exercise

February 7, 2016

Adam shuty personal trainer“Your time spent in the gym should enhance your life outside of the gym.”

 

Doing crushing workouts that leave you so sore you can’t walk is not an enhancement to your life. Training so you can play better tennis, hike or go skiing without injury would definitely add hours of enjoyment to your life. That’s what exercising is supposed to be for anyway. Right?!
Ready for a life enhancing workout?  Contact Adam today!