Hey,

It’s that time of week!  Friday Team Challenge!  What a better way to finish a total body workout off than with some good ol’ tug of war!  I brought my 50 ft rope down and surprise everyone at the end.  It got crazy!

We started the morning off right with a 6 station circuit, 30-30 style workout with all sorts of different fat burning, muscle building movements.

We did some kettlebell swings, push ups w/ rotation, single leg squats, dynamic side planks, mountain climbers with bands, and some box jumps!    It was killer to say the least

Things are really starting to get rocking which is good.  The crazy part of the year is coming up with Thanksgiving and Christmas steadily approaching!

If you’re reading this and you don’t have some sort of workout plan going or accountability system to keep your fitness in check, you’re destine to gain anywhere from 5-10 lbs just in 2 months!  That’s the American avg, which is super sad!

I hate seeing people gaining all this weight and falling so far off track this time of year.  The only thing they get for themselves for the New Year is a long road out of a deep hole.

Don’t let this happen to you!

Instead of waiting to get on the wagon after Jan 1^st (after you gain a few more pounds), you need to get moving NOW!

Make sure you contact me at omahafitbdoy@gmail.com to snag a spot in boot camp to help get your fitness progress moving before 2010!

We can always use another member of our Fit Body team!

Check out the highlight below of the 1^st ever Tug Of War Championships!

Click here to view the embedded video.

And make sure you contact Travis at omahafitbody@gmail.com to get your 1 week free trial of Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp so you can join in on the fun before the New Year!

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Hey,

Wow, I’m now writing this article just as I got home from my last bootcamp.  It was crazy to say the least.

One of my bootcampers caught me breaking a “golden rule” so I had to pay up with 50 push ups   All in good fun!

No, the main reason I’m writing this post about kettlebells is because these pieces of equipement are so darn fun and effective!  They are still a little under the radar and lots of people sadly don’t even know what they are!  It’s crazy that such a great tool is left unused and unnoticed.  I’m here to change that hopefully (for my boot camp anyways).

So, here are The 5 Reasons Why Kettlebells Kick Butt for Boot Camps!

1)       Kettlebells are FUN

Come on, what’s better that being able to swing or throw around a heavy object?  Nothing really.  No, Kettlebells are fun because they are different.  Kettlebells are so versatile that they give the boot camper a good change of pace.  Instead of always using bands, bodyweight, or dumbbells (which are all super effective) kettlebells supply another means to getting the job done and achieving top results.  Kettlebells are easy to implement into boot camp and are also a very effective tool to use for conditioning, fat loss, and strength.

I want to make my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp the best workout experience ever for my members.  Besides making sure my boot campers get results, I want the workouts to be something they look forward to each morning.  Throwing kettlebells in the mix will give bootcamp that new challenge and serve as a fun way of getting folks into tip top shape!

2)      Kettlebells Build Strength

This one should be a no brainer.  Just look at a kettlebell, that alone will get you stronger!  It’s weight and you have to lift it.  Besides just lifting it, you can swing it, pull it, row it, press it, throw it, and clean it, to name a few.  Many of the kettlebell exercises challenge the whole body.  This is where the beauty lies and where you gain strength from when doing kettlebell exercises.

One of my top priorities for my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp is to help my campers build strength.  Strength is so important and plays such a huge role in everyday life.  Kettlebells are great for building that real world strength people need on a daily basis.

3)      Kettlebells Target Your Core

With the last point on kettlebells building strength, they also build an awesome core, not to mention, burn belly fat as well.  When you do kettlebell exercises, you’re whole body is involved with the movements.  This in turn really forces you to utilize your core muscles.  Especially with exercises like the swing, high pull, and even 1 arm overhead presses and rows, you’re core will be fully engaged!  A good point to keep in mind is that your core is your whole midsection and not just your abs.  You’re lower back, hips, abs, and everything else connected makes up you core.  Bottom-line, if you want to build a strong core, reduce lower back pain, and shed away belly fat, kettlebells are the key!

In my boot camp, I really want to hit those core muscles hard so we target that midsection!  That’s what most everyone wants is a flat belly.  Kettlebells are great at getting you closer to that point!

4)      Kettlebells Are Functional

Kettlebells, like dumbbells and bodyweight are a very functional means to training.  When I say functional I mean being able to train the body with movements you use everyday.  So for instance, you bend over to pick up your kid or the newspaper.  We can train that same movement with kettlebells with single leg front reaches, regular reaches, or lunges.  The overall point is that we’re not stuck in a machine with a fixed range of motion.  Kettlebells force you to use your body as a whole unit, which is how your body works in real life.

In my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camps, this works really well because that’s one of my main goals is to get my campers more functional and balanced.  Too many people move around with pain and imbalance issues.  Training functionally, especially with kettlebells, helps cure those problems in the long run!

5)      Kettlebells Burn Fat!

Russian kettlebells have become one of the world’s best tools at burning body fat.  Taking in all the points from above, kettlebells deliver results.  One of the reasons kettlebells burn so much fat is because it forces your body to work so much harder by making the body use lots of muscles.  This in turn uses lots of energy which in the end burns a ton of calories.  When kettlebells are combined with bodyweight and other training tools in a circuit interval style workout, like they are in my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp, they become one of the most effective fat burning tools available!

So there you have it!  The 5 Reasons Why Kettlebells Kick Butt for Boot Camp!  Now, go out and get yourself a kettlebell and start playing around with it!  Learn some of the exercises and really focus in on your technique!  Kettlebells are super effective but at the same time are kind of a challenge to learn since they are so new to many people!

I hope this little article entices you to get more into kettlebell training!  In my bootcamp, we have started to use kettlebells more and more because of their effectiveness and fun!  If you’re not already in my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp and want to join to burn away your extra fat or lose some pounds, contact Travis at omahafitbody@gmail.com

Check out this sample video I got off of youtube of some cool kettlebells exercises   !  Enjoy!

Chicks W/ Kettlebells

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As a fitness professional who’s trained many different people that have had problems losing lbs of fat, I know a thing or two about exercise selection. Because of this I am constantly asked what the best exercises are to lose fat AND gain lean muscle fast.

***Note – Keep in mind – ladies no need to worry! Doing these exercises WON”T make you big and bulky but WILL make you lean and SEXY!  Just forget about that “myth”!

Now, back to the point

I’ll keep this as simple as possible for you. The best exercises for fat loss are also the best exercises for muscle gain and visa versa. These exercises all have one thing in common: they provide a UNIQUE challenge to your body AND are the “biggest bang for your buck” in terms of efficiency.

Both the scientific research and the real world case studies have shown that total body workouts are superior for maximal fat loss and muscle gain. But let’s take this one step further…

Let’s dramatically accelerate results by preferentially selecting TOTAL BODY EXERCISES within each TOTAL BODY WORKOUT! For example, squats are well known for being one of the best muscle-builders with a serious a fat-shredding effect. However, the squat goes from great to UNSTOPPABLE for changing your body for the better when you make it a combination movement by adding a row or press to each squat rep. It’s obvious that you can reap more benefits this way since you have now involved your upper body into the king of lower body exercises.

It’s as simple as the “Fit Body Equation” below:

Performing Total Body Exercises Within Each Total Body Workout:

More Muscles Involved =

More Calories Burnt + Greater Muscle-Building Stimulus =

Greater Fat Lost + Greater Muscle Gain

I must be honest in that I have a true love-hate relationship with the following movements I am about to share with you. Love because of the unstoppable fat-melting, muscle-building powers they provide to help maximize your sexiness. Hate because they break me down every single workout by leaving me in tears while in a pool of my own sweat.  I actually love it but that’s just me

In other words, these are not for the weak of mind, body, or soul!  Some of these movements I have made my bootcampers go through while others exercises are down the road.  So if you see any that you haven’t done, don’t worry, they’ll be in the program soon

Without further adieu, here is the official top 10 list of my favorite “fit body” exercises in the world for fat loss and lean muscle gain:

Exercise#1- Any Squatting Combination Exercise- Squat Thrust/Burpee Variations, Squat to Overhead Press, Squat to Row, Squat to Chest Press, Braced Core Squat, Single-Leg Squat plus Curl to Press, etc.

Exercise#2- The Swing- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, or Sandbags

Exercise#3- Any Lunge Combination Exercise- Alternating Lunge plus Curl to Press, Alternating Lunge plus Twist, Alternating Lunge plus Chest Press, Alternating Reverse Lunge plus Row, Split Jump plus Jerk, Split Jump plus Curl etc.

Exercise#4- Any Push-Up Combination Exercise- Push-ups plus Knee-Ins, Push-up Rows, T-Push-Ups, Spiderman Push-ups, Squat Thrust Push-Ups, Four-Way Push-up Crawl, etc.

Exercise#5- The Chop- Dumbbells, Kettlebells, Med Balls, Bands, or Sandbags

Exercise#6- Olympic Lifting Variations: Dumbbell or Kettlebell Cleans, Snatches, High Pulls

Exercise#7- Turkish Get Ups – ALL variations

Exercise#8- Rear Foot Elevated Deadlift plus Curl to Press

Exercise#9- Med Ball Snatch-Slam Combo

Exercise#10- Dumbbell or Kettlebell Single-Leg RDL plus Row

Well I hope you take my expert advice and jack up your training with these 10 deadly total body combination exercises. I guarantee you better results in less time by regularly employing these movements into your workouts. Of course it’s now up to you to take your workouts, and your body, to the next level.

Be sure to stay tuned for more muscle building and fat blasting tips and info!

Get Fit, Live Fit, BE FIT!

Travis

www.omahafitbodybootcamp.com

PS – November Boot Camp has official started!  Make sure if your reading this now and aren’t apart of Omaha’s best boot camp, you contact me @ omahafitbody@gmail.com today for your free trial!

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Hey!  Lets talk some training…

Most people are use to the same old set up of performing 1 single exercise for straight sets.  What this means is you perform a certain number of reps for a given exercise or you perform as many reps as possible for a given exercise and then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes based on your training goals before repeating the next set. Shorter rest periods are ideal for fat loss and lean muscle gain.  When we’re talking about maximal strength and/or power, longer rest periods are wanted.

So, what’s the only drawback from this type of format?  Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. Most of the time you’ll typically see someone perform three sets of 10 reps for let’s say the bench press. They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then gingerly walk back to the bench area to hit up their second set. I hope this isn’t you!?!  If it is READ this all very carefully!

In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). That means you’d need at least an hour to perform four different exercises!

A much better way to effectively be time-efficient would be to do super sets. Here you you perform an exercise, rest a bit, then perform a different exercise, rest for a bit, and so on. Supersets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). The result is a more effective workout with improved conditioning and work capacity: which basically meansmore work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any sound fat loss program. There are several ways to perform different types of supersets outlined below:

1.)   Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)

2.)   Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)

3.)   Resistance Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe high intensity resistance interval training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:

The 50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- Squats

Exercise#2- Push-Ups

Exercise#3- Single-Leg Hip Extensions

Exercise#4- Pull-ups/ Bent Rows

Exercise#5- Plank

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercises for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus your intensity level will be much higher for each because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).

To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Resistance Interval Training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template as an example .  This is one of many templates I use with my boot camp clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:

Exercise#1- Double-Leg

Exercise#2- Push

Exercise#3- Single-Leg

Exercise#4- Pull

Exercise#5- Core

Check out an example of this circuit in action!!!!

***SEE THE VIDEO HERE***

High Intensity Resistance Interval Circuit Training

Here’s what we did (with PUMPKINS for Halloween!!!)

1A) Pumpkin Sprints

1B) Pumpkin 1/4 Squat Wheel Of Death

1C) Pumpkin Pull Overs w/ Hip Extension

1D) Pumpkin Wood Chops

1E) Pumpkin Back Pillar w/ Feet Elevated

Then we finished it off with a KILLER fat blasting tabata set:

2A) Pumpkin Vertical Jumps

2B) Pumpkin Planks

This will blast fat and build muscle for sure.  ==>  ***SEE THE VIDEO HERE***

Until Next time…

Get Fit, Live Fit, BE FIT!!!

Travis

www.OmahaFitBodyBootCamp.com

PS – If you’re wanting to tone up, lose weight, and start feeling 10x’s stronger and healthier – you need to join Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp!  There’s ONLY a limited number of spots left!

Call Me (Travis) 402-984-0791 or email omahafitbody@gmail.com to get registered!

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Hey all!

Wow!  What a workout!

All I can say is that each and every one of my boot campers busted their tails this morning!

I’ve made it a staple in my program that Friday’s will be very taxing and hard, but very, very FUN!

Again, if you haven’t read about my boot camp before, I want to make the workouts you have with me at my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp the very BEST fitness experience of your life.

Yeah, I want you here to work hard and get results, but I want you to have a ton-o-fun too!

We did just that on this day!

I’ve got a highlight video of the team challenge we did on this particular Team Challenge Friday!

All I have to say is that is got NUTZ!!!

Check it out HERE ==> Team Challenge Friday\’s

From now on, I now pronounce Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp Friday workouts as “Team Challenge Friday’s”!

Stay tuned for some more awesome challenges coming up soon!

Get Fit, Be Fit, Live Fit!

Travis

PS – Don’t forget – Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp Halloween Charity Boot Camp for the American Heart Association on October 23^rd at Grace University at 7:30PM.  I’ve got my costume picked out and you won’t want to miss it!  Make sure you register HERE to reserve your spot and make your generous donation to the folks over at the American Heart Association.

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Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp – Takes Over The Big O Show

Hey everyone!

I would like to say to everyone I had an opportunity to meet at the Big O Show that it was a great pleasure!

There were a lot of very nice people and I look forward to working with you all!

Some of you with whom I met were with business, and others I met, I hope to see you in my boot camp!  Either way, I know I can help change your life!

So, The Big O Show – what a great way to get out and let the town of Omaha know about your biz.  I was thinking of different ways I could really send a message out to people to let them know a little bit more about my boot camp.

If your in my boot camp, you already know that my bootcamp is unlike any other out there!  I guarantee it.  From the exercise selection, programming, session format, the experiences you have, and obviously the results – my camp stacks up to the best out there.

I make it the best it can be  because I’m going to go that extra mile to make sure you have the best boot camp experience ever!

Below I have a highlight video of a sample workout my partner Joe and I performed at the Big O Show.  It shows us doing a lot of highly advanced exercises.   We had such a great time, we had one of our good friends from the Royals join us

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE ==> Omaha Fit Body @ The Big O Show

This is not to scare you!   This is to make a point!

My point is that Joe and I are fitness professionals!  Our specialty is in the progression and regression of exercises.  This means that whether you’re an absolute beginner or an advanced trainee in my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp, we know the exact modifications of exercise you need to do to get the best results possible, no matter what your skill level is!

I’ve taken complete beginners and built them up to these levels you’ll see in the video.   Whether you trying to lose weight, tone up, or start feeling 10x’s healthier and stronger – Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp is for you!

Get Fit, Be Fit, Live Fit!

Travis

PS – Make sure if you’re interested in joining boot camp – you contact me at omahafitbody@gmail.com to get registered for Boot Camp orientation this Sunday the 18^th at 11am at Premier Gymnastics!!!!  It’s a “pre” boot camp class were I go over all the details about my boot camp.

PSS – Don’t forget to get your costumes ready!  The Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp Halloween Charity Boot Camp is October 23^rd at Grace University’s gym.  The camp kicks off at 730pm!  All proceeds go to the American Heart Association.  That’s going to be a BLAST!  Don’t miss it.  Find out more info HERE.

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Hey!

What an awesome time in boot camp this last week’s been!  It’s been an exciting week to say the least at Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp!

We ended the week off right with some good ol’ partner band work and a team race challenge at the end.

Many of the boot campers got to get a little closer to one another in these partner band exercises.  These partner band exercises are tough but super FUN!  You can see from the video people were having a blast!

i really like to change it up a bit and have some fun all while getting my bootcamper’s an extremely good workout in at the same time

I hand it out to my boot campers for giving such good efforts to work their butts off in my camp.

Nothing but good things and awesome results rmain ahead for my boot campers!

Check out the highlights HERE==>   BOOT CAMP FUN

If you’re not currently in my Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp and want to start losing some weight, toning up your body, and getting 10x’s stronger, healthier all while enjoying the best workouts in Omaha – you need to contact me ASAP!!

You can contact me here and get your 1 week FREE trial  ==>  omahafitbody@gmail.com

Hurry!  There’s limited space and only a few spots are open!

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Hey everyone!

It’s been a while I know!

I’ve been super busy transforming my boot camp into my new Omaha Indoor Boot Camp – Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp!!

It’s been a fun transition!  Lots of new faces in boot camp and more importantly, more lives I get a chance to change.

The reason for this post is to talk about why strength really matters in life.

Strength in general goes so much further than just being able to do a certain amount of push ups, or lift a certain amount of weight. Having physical strength crosses over into all aspects of our lives more than some people realize.

Imagine not having very much physical strength to the point that you couldn’t do 5 single push ups, or a proper bodyweight squat, or even pull yourself off of the ground.  These are the types of things we over look.

How much of a role do you think being able to do these simple things goes into building mental strength?  A ton!

Having physical strength means your mental strength is going to be that much better.  Being able to take care of yourself and push your body through tough, grueling tasks helps build mental strength.

If your physically weak and physically incapable of doing simple daily tasks, will suck your mental strength right out from underneth you quicker than anything.

The types of workouts that everyone goes through here at Omaha Fit Body Boot Camp are worth so much more that just building physical strength, losing fat, and getting yourself 10x’s healthier.  I want everyone of my boot campers to build mental steength as well.

These workout are TOUGH!  I know, I put myself through similar workouts.  It takes guts to push through these workouts.  It doesn’t take guts to quit. I want my boot campers to gain as much physical strength as possible while also building a strong mental game as well.

After going through my boot camp workouts, I want people to be able to handle just about anything life throws your way.

It’s unpredictable what life has in store for you.  What isn’t unpredictable is your ability to build strength and be prepared in a strength sense.  You have a choice – get strong and be mentally stronger – or be like most of the American population and be weak and scared.

Only The Strong Survive…  Survival Of The Fittest….  Right???

I know what I choose – thats to continue to get strong as heck and be able to take on anything!  Not just these workouts

Now, I want to share a little something that really touched my heart the other day after my late boot camp session.  One of my boot campers, Grace (who kicks major butt) let us know that two years ago she survived and beat cancer!!!  That’s awesome!  I give her so much credit for what she went through and overcame.  That right there shows us great mental toughness and physical strength.

Now she’s in my boot camp working her butt off, getting stronger everday!

It really struck home with me because I currently have an aunt who has been battling cancer for years now.  She’s one of the strongest women I know.  She’s never given up and continues to fight everyday and I truly admire that to the fullest extent!

I have a video clip from the other day of a very nice gesture another boot camper, Rhonda did for Grace.  I’ll let you watch for yourself==>   Strength To Overcome

Keep getting stronger EVERYDAY!!!

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Don’t you just hate cardio?

I know I do. 

Endless hours of running on a treadmill to no where. Stair stepping to nowhere. Even biking to nowhere.

Where does it all stop?

Well, after you read this you should have the answer to eliminate all of that time stealing, boring, ineffective cardio you’ve been doing for so long. 

Before I get into this, if still you’re not convinced that long , slow, boring cardio doesn’t work – they recently did a study on people who dieted, did long distance running, high intensity interval training and lifted weights.  One group did all but high intensity intervals, while the other group simply lifted weights and dieted, while the third group did high intensity intervals.  Guess which group satyed the fattest.  The group with long slow cardio did by far!  Guess how many mins they were running per day – 60mins!  Take that times 4 days.  Thats a crap load of wasted time!   Just a side note – the group that did high intensity interval training lost the most fat.  This was done at 20 mins per session and only 3 days per week!

So, I hope you get my point.  High intensity intervals is where its at ladies and gents. 

I will be totally honest with you, I don’t mean to brag but my bodyfat is at 7% and I do NO cardio at all.  I do high intensity interval training 3 days per week.  Thats all the cardio I need and plus it only takes me 60 mins total!

Today, my high intensity interval session was at the park right down my street.  I took my doggie Kain with me and you know what we did?  We would walk to the bottom of the hill, turn around and sprint to the top.   After we got to the top, we would walk back down.  I did this eight times and called it a day.  It was a great time, I got some sun, my dog got his exercise in, and we both enjoyed it.

Took me maybe 20 mins -  I think Kain was a little more beat then I was!  LOL!

That’s all there is to it.  You have endless possibilities of the different types of cardio you can do.  Sprinting, jumping rope, biking, bodyweight movements, the list goes on and on.

The trick to getting the biggest effect out of your “high intense” cardio training is to push yourself to your limit for at least 20 sec then let your self recover for 30sec – 1:00.  Repeat this up to 10-12 times max and you’re done!

Its half the time of boring cardio with twice the results!

In my bootcamp, we do lots of different variations of high intensity intervals.  It’s what is getting alot of my bootcampers great results!

Try high intensity intervals yourself next time your wanting a cardio fix.  It’ll make twice the difference believe me!

until next time,

Get It Done!

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