And The Winner Is...

Never late than never they say right? 

Well I thought people would appreciate the fact that just as mentioned at the onset of the Winter Fitness Challenge that the winner would receive a nice prize. That winner is determined by the individual who lost the biggest percentage of body weight - meaning that person had weighed in on Week 1, Week 6, and Week 12.

Without further ado...

The winner of the 2015 LIC YMCA Winter Fit Challenge is...

George Nelson!

George lost 9 lbs during the challenge, 1% BF, and from Week 6 to Week 12 dropped down his BMI from 29.9 to 29.0.

I want to congratulate George for his achievement and commitment to a healthier lifestyle. 

He is the testament that constant work and focus can lead to obtainable results. 

The Final Submission: Week 12

First of all, I would like to thank each and every individual who took part of the challenge.

It does not take any effort to remain at the bottom - it takes sacrifice, effort, and a level of determination to reach something that you want to dream of. For many, that dream may not have come as fast as they have wanted. For others, they might be satisfied. Personally, I do not want to dream but only imagine because dreams cannot physically materialize from the unconscious mind to reality. 

Hopefully I have enriched your minds with both education for an active & physical lifestyle. As individuals, we always learn. I passionately want to continue learning so that I can help others as I have helped you as well as my personal training clients. 

Summer is upon us and so I figuratively will ride off into the sunset knowing the help I provided was impactful and that many of you have a basis of education when it comes to being self-sufficient. 

If anyone wishes to continue their journey to become the strongest version of themselves, please feel free to contact me at either

jshapiro@ymcanyc.org

or 

james@primalpower-fitness.com

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Winter Fitness Group - Week 12: Final Weigh-In & Victory Run

The time is here.

It's been quite a journey, battle, fight and anything in-between. For many it was harder to start, for others it was easy to begin but hard to adapt. No matter what experience you felt, what matters most is that I saw people start to look deep into themselves and desire change. To become the greatest version of yourself requires passion, dedication, and above all else constant effort. People like to believe that champions are born and they sit and mope. Champions are built from clay and rubble to their final product.

This week is the final weigh in week. The following is my schedule for you guys to come on in and record your final weight:

Tuesday, April 28th: 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm (at the free weights office)

Thursday, April 30th: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (ask front desk to contact me)
Saturday, May 2nd: 11:00 am - 11:30 am (at the free weights office)

That being said, I'll hold another run over the bridge and back for a victory run at 11:30 am on Saturday, May 2nd. Meet up will be same as last time, at the front desk.

Week 11: Submission Time

Share what you've done this week.

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Winter Fitness Group - Week 11: Pull-Up

Hope everyone is doing well - this week around we are going to hit some bodyweight exercises again with some old-fashion pull-ups!

The pull-up can be done almost anywhere and inside the Y we have a great pull-up/dip station that has an assist if you need to still build up the strength and power for the movement. 

The following is the schedule for this week to see me and learn about pull-ups:

Tuesday, April 13th: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm (at the free weights office)

Thursday, April 15th: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (ask front desk to contact me)

Remember you have to either submit a reply below with the date you want to come in or respond via email at jshapiro@ymcanyc.org. 

Winter Fitness Group - Week 10: Foam Rolling

Foam rolling or SMR (Static Myofascia Release) is the technique of targeting trigger points to release tension. Many people don't recognize that throughout even a single day tension is built up through our entire body through either improper posture, poor walking habits, overactive muscles, or tightness caused by faulty behavior.

SMR uses rollers to target trigger points (golgi tendons) and activate them to release tension In our muscle fibers. Now there can't be a one pony trick for everyone. That is why individual assessments are necessary to see which muscles are overactive.

The following is the schedule for this week to see me and learn about foam rolling:

Tuesday, April 13th: 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm (at the free weights office)

Thursday, April 15th: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (ask front desk to contact me)

Saturday, April 17th: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (at the free weights office)


Remember you have to either submit a reply below with the date you want to come in or respond via email at jshapiro@ymcanyc.org. 

Week 9: Submission Time

Three weeks left - finish strong!

Share what you've done this week.

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Winter Fitness Group - Week 9: Group Run (59th St Bridge)

IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!

It's time to get our run on for week 9 aka the 59th street bridge group run!

Now I've talked with a few of you and decided that the best opportunity to get everyone together for the group run would be a Saturday. Remember, if you have been holding up your end with cardio each week, this run should be a breeze in the park. The run is approximately four miles with a nice incline once we hit the bridge and a steep incline at the turnaround point.

Therefore the group run will be held on April 11th at 11:30 AM

We will assemble at the lobby area near the front desk ten minutes before and will give a grace period of five minutes before we go off.

RSVP for the run either by responding or by sending me an email. Bring friends and family along if you wish. If we get a large group, we can support a fast-pace group and a slower-pace group. As of right now Sunday, April 5th... the forecast says it's going to be 66 degrees and slightly cloudy. 

Week 8: Submission Time!

Get ready for our group run next Saturday! 

Share what you've done this week.

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Winter Fitness Group - Week 8: Bench Press/Chest Press

I've got some eager news to some of those people who were excited when I mentioned some new programming this time around with our challenge. 

It's time to get down to business! This week is dedicated to again another compound movement: the bench press or it's relative the chest press. The movement utilizes the shoulders, deltoids, pectorals, and triceps. If you want to not just get stronger with your push movements, but also get a bit more muscle on those arms and an overall better body workout...you can't afford to miss this.

This Weeks Goal: 

Utilize Chest Press/Bench Press Twice A Week

So this week, I am setting aside the following dates as open one-on-one practice

to get to know a few pull exercises that can benefit you, no matter the goal.

Here are the four days I will make available: 

Tuesday, March 31st: 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm (at the free weights office)

Thursday, April 2nd: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (ask front desk to contact me)

Friday, April 3rd: 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (at the free weights office)

Saturday, April 4th: 10:30 am - 11:30 am (at the free weights office)

Remember you have to either submit a reply below with the date you want to come in or respond via email at jshapiro@ymcanyc.org. 

Week 7: MyPlate Submission

Here, here!

Who said leftovers are just useless? Clearly Marissa has got good ideas worth sharing. She sent in her MyPlate submission from something she made for a party.

"I made chicken tinga this weekend for a party and had leftovers today! It is easy, just boil chicken breasts, shred and cook with onion, tomatos and chipotle peppers. I had it on a tostada with a small drizzle of sour cream and a sprinkle of cotija cheese. I had some red pepper to sneak more veggies in!"

Looks too good to be true, I got to get that recipe out from my screen and into my kitchen pronto. Keep those submissions coming in!

Workout Submission Saturday - Week 7

Submission Saturday!

Hopefully you've been inspired to share your MyPlate with everyone. Remember half the fight is in the kitchen. Here's a little tid-bit of information just to prove my point:

According to the November issue of the public Health Nutrition, people consume 200 more calories when they eat out as opposed to having home-cooked meals. Researchers also found that diners in both fast-food and sit-down restaurants upped their intake of saturated fat and sodium.

As for myself this week, while I couldn't make a cooking video of this creation: here it is - Chicken Pilaf. Now the way I did it was using a Tajikan recipe somewhat similar to what I found here. 

http://foodperestroika.com/2013/10/18/traditional-uzbek-plov/

The only difference was that I used chicken thighs, had onion, and added in turmeric.

This took lots of time to prepare and cook, but all that work paid off to nearly five meals I could spread out throughout the week.

Now even though this week was dedicated to getting active in the kitchen, that's no excuse to stop getting work in and burning those calories. Share what you've done this week.

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Heads Up! Our Week 9 run over the 59th st Bridge is coming up. Ramp up the cardio and start getting prepared!

Week 7: MyPlate Submission Time!

Checking in, hoping everyone is getting super creative in the kitchen. I've got to share George's creation he had in the kitchen.

Now in our talks, George has talked to me in saying how his creation wasn't "super excited", but I told him that it was perfect. Remember people - you don't have to be Chef Ramsay, just be efficient.

Now that's what I call efficient and healthy

George has put me on the spot. Now I'm pressure to get my "MyPlate" out in the open. Stay tuned in for that; I want to get some mouths salivating!

Winter Fitness Group Challenge - Week 7: MyPlate

We're making the turn to the second half of the program and I think it is about time that we revisited nutrition. However, this time around I want to see something from all of you.

MyPlate is by design a week where you have to submit a creation you made in the kitchen.Just one meal, one time. Create and share all the ingredients and steps you went through to put in your meal. This is not something that I want you to feel pressured by, but instead empowered. You've got the tools of change in your hand - don't forget that.

Get pumped in the kitchen

For this week, I would appreciate everyone to send in via email their creations (including ingredients, sizes, cooking steps etc) and a picture of their end result so I can go ahead and post it up on the blog for everyone to see and try out. I'll even get into the mix once this week as well.

Remember - this is not a week off, get back in the gym more motivated from week 6 and hit it hard!

Workout Submission Saturday - Week 6

Submission Saturday!

Amp up the submissions if you want to see that summer beach body now!

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Winter Fitness Group Challenge - Week 6: Weigh-In & Body Composition Check!

It's that time through this program!

Nearly there, don't stop!

During our first run through this 12-Week Weight Loss Challenge back in late October, I came along this one member at our branch Rich. This guy had been on a journey ever since February of 2014 to lose all the extra weight he had gained over countless amount of years. The moment we met, I knew this guy was going places. He was busting his butt on the track, in the pool, and in the weight room. We had this one talk where he told me about the "dream body" he wanted to get; he took out his phone to show me this motivational YouTube clip. I took a look at it when I got home in the evening and I want all of you to view it at least once.

It took years upon years for Frank to achieve his performance level he is right now

Now I don't know about you, but I got this chill in my body just listening to the video. As tired as I was at 9 p.m. that night, I wanted to get up and go barbell squat with the fire I had in my belly. 

This week as you come in for your weigh-in and body composition read again, I want everyone to search for something that motivates you. It doesn't have to be a YouTube clip. It could be a family member, a friend, a loved one, your future, your past, a novel, tale, or quotation.

The following are the appointment time slots I am making available for our Weigh-ins:

Tuesday, March 17th: 7:00 - 8:00 PM

Thursday, March 19th: 4:00 - 6:00 PM

Friday, March 20th: 12:00 - 1:00 PM

Saturday, March 21st: 11:30 - 12:30 PM

The weather is warming up and the tides should be turning in your favor - double up the effort!

Workout Submission Saturday - Week 5

Submission Saturday!

We're five weeks into the challenge and does time fly by. By this point your workout submissions should be looking more rounded-out than before. I appreciate  the turnout this week.

Let's keep it up!

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Winter Fitness Group Challenge - Week 5: Core Training

I think by now, many of you have established that this program and blog isn't your usual run of the mill fitness blog. I go into deep detail in every decision I make due to the obvious fact that not every person is the same; there is no "cookie-cutter" program out there that will deliver results.

Staying along that same premise, this week is dedicated to core training. I want you to take that idea of what you thought was core training (just doing crunches) and throw it out the window.

My reaction most of the time when people say they know about how to train their core.

I personally wanted everyone to just see and count the amount of musculature that your core actually accounts for. I found this great picture that illustrates just that in a simple point of view.

When you see people doing crunches, they really just target one muscle of the core: the rectus abdominal. Clearly, just by that illustration: that's just not enough.

My philosophy around training the core is revolved around the NASM OPT model and the phases of training: stabilization, endurance, and strength. If you revolve around those three paradigms of training, you can create a core with such dynamic strength that both your upper body and lower body strength and stability will increase by a threefold. Add in that you'll never have a lower back injury in your life again and I think the offer sounds too good to be true.

This Weeks Goal: 

Utilize Your Core Three Times a Week

So this week, I am setting aside the following dates as open one-on-one practice

to get to know a few pull exercises that can benefit you, no matter the goal.

Here are the four days I will make available: 

Tuesday, March 10th: 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm (at the free weights office)

Thursday, March 11th: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm (ask front desk to contact me)

Friday, March 12th: 1:00 pm - 1:30 pm (at the free weights office)

Sunday, March 15th: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm (at the free weights office)

Remember you have to either submit a reply below with the date you want to come in or respond via email at jshapiro@ymcanyc.org. 

Workout Submission Saturday - Week 4

Submission Saturday!

An example of a workout submission should look something like this:

Monday: Ellipical 25 minutes, Upright Bicycle 15 minutes

Tuesday: Spinning Group Ex Class

Wednesday: Took two stops off the train earlier than usual - walked

Thursday: Recumbent Bicycle 15 minutes, Step Express Group Ex Class

Friday: Swimming Laps 25 minutes

Share your submission today!

*Respond to this blog post down below*

Week 4: Pull-exercises - Single Arm Row

I've noticed a few of you haven't come in within this week for the pull-exercises, but not to worry. I've developed a small video with one of our fantastic floor staff personell: Josh. Enjoy!