Lean & Green for 2011

http://www.atlantaintownpaper.com/2011/01/lean-green-for-2011/

  Atlanta's Top Personal Trainers:  Body Solutions 

FOX 5 Special: Weight Loss Challenge 2

View Full Video:  http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/fox-5-special%3A-weight-loss-challenge-2

By BETH GALVIN | MyFOX ATLANTA

Published : Thursday, 20 May 2010, 7:07 PM EDT

View full video here:  http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/fox-5-special%3A-weight-loss-challenge-2

http://www.ajc.com/health/sara-robbins-and-linda-289485.html

JESSICA GARCIA sat in a corner of the Crunch gym on West 38th Street, scooping up cinnamon oatmeal as she checked a long list of text messages. “Make them remember u a long time,” her father, Michael Garcia, wrote. “Give them hell, baby.”

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And there was one from a client, Virginia Wong: “Make me proud, hot mamma.”

Ms. Garcia, a 25-year-old certified personal trainer from the Bronx with the body fat of lettuce, was about to audition for the NBC show “American Gladiators.”

She is one of 5,000 people who have attended open tryouts in seven cities, vying to become one of 16 contestants on the show’s next season, which is to begin in May.

Those who make it will have the chance to prove, before a TV audience of millions, that they can outfox the show’s hulking attack gladiators (stunt professionals from athletic backgrounds with stage names like Crush, Titan and Hellga) while working their way through obstacle courses for the $100,000 grand prize.

Ms. Garcia said that since she was little, she has wanted to be on the show, which originally ran from 1989 to 1997. “I’ve always been a competitive person,” she said, “and there’s no better stage on which to compete.”

When “American Gladiators” returned in January, Ms. Garcia, who is 4 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 107 pounds, put her dream in motion. “This is the biggest 20 minutes of my life,” she said before the tryout, tugging on a rubber band that seemed meant to keep both her ponytail and her composure intact. “But I’ve been training hard, preparing myself for this day.”

 She got serious starting the first week of January, hiring two trainers: Dan McGrath, to work on agility and speed, and Kelvin Lee, for overall strength and power. Working out with each trainer two days a week, she spends three hours a day in the gym, effectively doubling her usual weekly workout time. She has shed seven pounds, she said, “but gained a lot more muscle.”

“Before I got serious about ‘Gladiator,’ I just wanted a certain look, I wanted to appear more defined,” Ms. Garcia said. Now, “it’s about getting faster and stronger, and being in total control of my body.”

She has been focused on becoming the answer to the question: what kind of everyday athlete has the prowess to outlast a professional gladiator? The day before the tryouts, held on a Saturday earlier this month, was typical of her regimen. Mr. McGrath stretched a rope ladder across the floor of the Crunch gym on 31st Street and Second Avenue, where Ms. Garcia works. She ran full speed, taking one step through each rung and returning. Then she ran through again, taking two steps through each rung, then three, then four, repeating the process three times before running through sideways.

“The goal here is to get her used to a high heart rate,” Mr. McGrath said, “and to get her used to battling through mental fatigue.”

After a deep breath, Ms. Garcia sped through the rungs again, this time hopping on one foot. Next up were high-hops to enhance her jumping ability, followed by two-footed hops.

“The jumping exercises will help Jess develop a great deal of explosiveness at the start of any kind of race,” said Mr. Lee, who was looking on. The more power she has in her legs, he said, “the better chance she has of staying on her feet during any competition.”

On their other day together, Mr. McGrath and Ms. Garcia go on a two-mile run, then return to the gym, where Ms. Garcia runs ten 50-yard sprints, then uses an elliptical trainer.

“I’m working harder because I’m an underdog,” Ms. Garcia said. “When you’re small, people underestimate your abilities, but being on the show will give me a chance to demonstrate my skills, and to show the world how an underdog can make it to the top.”

Her trainers said they didn’t hesitate to work her so hard the day before the tryout, because they knew that each contestant would have only a short time to perform for the judges.

On her days with Mr. Lee, Ms. Garcia warms up for 20 minutes on a treadmill before squat-pressing 45 pounds. After three 30-second sets, she moves on to squat thrusts using a Bosu ball. Standing atop the ball, she hops off into a push-up position. Hands on the ball and feet on the ground, she pushes up, springing to her feet and then dropping down for another push-up, as many as she can for three 30-second sets.

Mr. Lee said exercises like push-ups and pull-ups are vital to her success on “American Gladiators,” especially for competitions like rock climbing, ring swinging and the one-on-one battles using padded battering sticks. “Most of those gladiators will probably be taller and stronger than Jess,” Mr. Lee said, “but her advantage will be the ability to attack and evade much quicker.” Mr. Lee’s workouts also include sets of 20-yard sprints and a variety of abdominal exercises. “You cannot underestimate the importance of core strength,” Mr. Lee said. “It helps allow all of your muscles to work better together.”

On weekends, Ms. Garcia works out her clients and does light cardio herself. (Sundays include two hours of meditation at a Buddhist seminar.) Her idea of a rest day is Wednesday, when she coaches the cheerleading squad in handstands, cartwheels and handsprings at Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx.

Both of Ms. Garcia’s trainers said that while she may not look like a “Gladiators” contestant, her appearance is deceiving. In fact, her size probably helped her during the 20-minute tryout for the show. Looking as skinny as 6 o’clock in a black tank top and matching spandex pants, she was escorted to the pull-up bars and told to do as many as she could in 30 seconds. Having watched a muscle-bound woman more than twice her size virtually collapse after two-and-a-half pull-ups, Ms. Garcia stepped up to the bar.

Surrounded by six-pack abs and bulging biceps, she did 10 pull-ups, the last three urged on by Mr. Lee, who kept yelling, “Dig, Jess! Dig!”

Ms. Garcia proceeded to the speed ladder, leaping in and out of the rungs as if performing a choreographed routine. She wowed her judge with an explosive series of “burpees” — springing into the air after a push-up, then dropping down to repeat the process. She saved a final burst for the sprints.

In a post-tryout interview, Ms. Garcia, who is single, said her nickname is Mighty Mouse, and that “American Gladiators” is her favorite show. She said she used to watch it for entertainment, but now watches “to study the technique and timing of various athletes.”

The next day, a casting producer called and asked her to return for an on-camera interview on Feb. 13. There, she was told to put together a 10-minute video detailing her life, athletic abilities and training methods. If it is well received by the producers, she’ll be invited to a two-week boot camp in Los Angeles for final selections. “I’m one step closer to my dream,” she said. “But it’s a big step, and between now and then, there’s a lot of hard work to do.”

Personal Trainer

Spring Into Action

Dust off your gym clothes and get in shape for a seasonal cleaning binge

By Elaine Paoloni, amNewYork Features Editor | epaoloni@am-ny.com

March 21, 2007

Each March, spring pops up like a breath of fresh air. But when we rush to open the windows, a thick layer of grime on the sill often dampens our mood. So we sweep, dust, lift, push and pull our homes into shape in an annual ritual called spring cleaning.

But after a long winter of inactivity due to cold weather and harsh conditions, the sudden rush of motion can create a body full of aches and pains. The forgotten movements can be a shock to the body.

Dan McGrath, a personal trainer at Crunch Fitness' Kips Bay location, says a few simple exercises can help prepare your body for the twists and turns that you might not be accustomed to and strengthen the muscles that you will use to clean.

"All the lifting, pulling and twisting done during spring cleaning that causes most people to be sore for days can be lessened by using these four simple movements," McGrath says. "If you use the proper movements and muscles that you have been strengthening in the gym, your body will thank you."

1. Squats with weight on back
Place a weighted bar on your back, with your hands a comfortable width apart on the bar. Position the bar so that it rests on your upper back muscles and not on your neck. Place your feet shoulder width apart with your toes pointed forward.

Squat down, pushing your butt back and keeping your weight in your heels. Do not extend your knees past your toes or cave them in toward the center of your body. Do not allow your back to round -- keep your shoulders pulled back and your eyes up. Lower your body until the middle of your knees are aligned with the middle of your hips -- your thighs should be parallel to the ground.

Push up through your heel and instep until your legs are straight again.

Complete three sets of 12 reps.

2. Lateral squats with cross-body pulls
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands at your sides.

Step to the side with your left foot, pushing your butt back, bending your knee and keeping your stomach tight. As you lower yourself, reach across your body with your right hand to the outside of your left foot. Keep your eyes and shoulders up; do not round your back.

Push through your left heel and the outside of your left foot, and come back up into starting position. As you push up, pull your right arm up and across your body so that your hand ends about 2 inches higher than your shoulder and your arm is straight.

For a greater challenge, hold a free weight in your right hand.

Complete three sets of 15 reps on each side.

3. Front raises
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Hold a medicine ball in your hands in front of you.

Keeping your stomach, back and core tight, raise the ball up to eye level, without arching backward. Pause for one second.

Lower the ball back to starting position, still holding your core tight.

Complete four sets of 20 reps.

4. Bent-over rows
Place your left hand and your left knee on a bench or flat surface. Hold a free weight in your right hand. Keep your back and neck flat.

Let your right arm hang down, but don't allow your body to rotate toward the weight. Pull the weight up to your side, level in between your hip and bellybutton.

Lower the weight back into starting position.

Complete four sets of 15 reps on each side.

Real-world applications
Here's how simple exercises can lessen the burden of spring cleaning:
-When lifting objects from the ground, squat, making sure to keep your back straight.
-When grabbing things from the side, use a side lunge.
-When moving objects to or from a shelf, do cross-body pulls and front raises.
-When pulling furniture or garbage, use your rowing motion.