fitness

ETT Exercise of the Week Ep.4

Your core is home to your center of gravity, which is the starting point for all your movement. It is extremely important to have a strong core and it’s not because 6-pack abs look cool. A strong core can increase your ability to perform dynamic movements without injury. Have you always wanted to go surfing? Strengthen your core. Have you always wanted to go rock climbing? Strengthen your core. Have you always wanted to break dance? I think you get my point: include core exercises in any type of physical activity you perform.

ETT workouts always include core exercises. An example of an ETT core exercise is demonstrated in the video below. Add this exercise to your next workout and let me know how many you were able to complete. Better yet, post a video on the ETT Facebook page of yourself performing the most proper punches you can perform in one half sit-up. Good luck and I look forward to seeing your videos.

A Week to Remember for ETT

The past 7 days have been somewhat of a whirlwind. The craziness started last week when a buddy of mine asked me if I had any workout plans that would burn a 1000 calories. I told him that I did not, but assured him that I could construct a workout that would allow him to achieve his calorie goal. He came over Tuesday, spent about an hour and 20 minutes in the ETT dojo, burned over 1100 calories, and is now my first official personal training client.

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The next day, I had a coworker who I provide striking training tweet at a local radio personality about ETT’s training system. The radio personality, Carmin from the Mike Calta Show, is participating in a local celebrity boxing match next Saturday. My coworker suggested that Carmin use ETT to help her prepare for her match. She jumped at the idea immediately. I followed up by calling into the show Thursday and spoke on air with Carmin and the host Mike Calta about what type of striking training ETT could provide her. Before I knew it, I had scheduled a training session with Carmin and was able to talk about ETT on a popular local radio station. If that wasn’t crazy enough, I had training sessions with Carmin and the coworker that tweeted her that very day!

IMG_0563The awesomeness didn’t stop there. Today we had one of our best ETT Group Training sessions. The weather was perfect once again and we had the largest group of individuals take part in the workout since it’s inception. I am still reeling a little bit about all the good fortunate that has been heaped upon ETT this week. It has made me realize that ETT is growing into the productive community that I hoped it would. I understand that the positive events that took place this week will most likely not be the norm. I will continue to stay humble and driven to provide everyone with a fitness community that supports them in their quest to live a healthier, happier life. Thanks to all the current members of the ETT community for their continued support and stay tuned for bigger and better things coming from ETT in the near future.

ETT Exercise of the Week Ep. 3

IT’S BACK! The ETT exercise of the week is back and better than ever. We just purchased a brand new Mac desktop here at the ETT compound to assist in all our video production so expect more ETT videos coming your way on a regular basis. This video is a great ETT exercise, which for all you newcomers combines a striking technique with a body weight exercise. ETT exercises are total body exercises that allow you to perfect your striking techniques while you build strength and burn calories. I love incorporating these exercises into my HIIT workouts and they are an essential part of all ETT group training sessions. If you live or are visiting the Tampa Bay Area, you can attend a FREE ETT group training session next Sunday, April 26th. Check out the ETT group training event page on Facebook for more details.

There’s Always Enough Time

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your holiday. Shannon and I are hosting her parents for Easter brunch, which means we had to do a lot of prep work yesterday in order to get ready. Shannon took on the cooking responsibilities while I tackled the cleaning. By the time we finished all the grocery shopping Saturday afternoon, it was 5pm before we could get to our respective duties. In addition to our late start, I realized I had yet to complete my daily workout. I decided to employ my multitasking abilities and incorporate my workout into cleaning the house. Here’s how I accomplished both tasks simultaneously:

The Clean Sweep Workout (2mins of cleaning followed by an exercise for specified # of reps; repeat till house is clean)

  • Sweep floors/Knee Strikes (50)
  • Vacuum carpets & rugs/Push-ups (25)
  • Swifter floors/Prisoner Squats (25)
  • Clean bathrooms/Jab+Cross (50)

Even though I stopped every 2 minutes to perform an exercise, I was able to complete my cleaning in less than an hour and a half. I also burned 416 calories in the process! That means a few extra cadbury eggs today for yours truly. Hopefully this post helps you realize that you always have opportunities to burn a few extra calories, you just have to look a little harder to find them. Speaking of looking a little harder, I’ve got some eggs to find. Enjoy your holiday!

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Coffee Concoction

The paleo movement has given us many things. It has given us a reason to cook & eat bacon on a regular basis. It has revitalized the career of the sweet potato and has popularized the idea of making your coffee bulletproof.

Coffee that is impervious to bullets? Tell me more!

Bulletproof coffee is a coffee cocktail that claims to burn fat while providing more of an energetic boost with less of the crash associated with regular coffee. What is in this magical drink you ask? The three main ingredients are: high-quality coffee, grass-fed butter and MCT (medium-chain triglycerides) oil. That’s right. It’s coffee with butter and oil in it. I’m sure all the old school coffee drinkers have just stopped reading this post. The Lean Muscle Project analyzed the claims made by bulletproof coffee promoters and found some truly interesting results. They discovered that bulletproof coffee may provide more of a sustained energy boost than regular coffee. Also, it can help people lose weight by acting as a substitute for a calorie dense breakfast, but it will not miraculously burn fat. I personally have no problem with bulletproof coffee. Heck, I’m drinking a version of it right now! However, I do not use it to help me lose weight, I do not drink it every morning and I use a much smaller amount of butter and oil recommended by the bulletproof believers. The recommended recipe for bulletproof coffee can contain up to 52 grams of saturated fat in one cup which is more saturated fat than a 16 oz T-bone steak (cooked) and 5 whole avocados combined.

Hopefully I haven’t discouraged you from drinking bulletproof coffee. If you haven’t drank it yet, give it a try and let me know what you think. Also, if you drink it on a regular bases, I’d love to hear what benefits it provides you. Oh, almost forgot to mention that this product WILL NOT actually stop bullets, in case you were wondering.

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A Change Will Do You Good

I love interval training because it allows you to complete multiple exercises from different disciplines in the same workout. You could do an upper & lower body workout, a push & pull workout, or a sport specific workout. I combined treadmill sprints with striking combinations in the workout below in order to train toward my fitness goals. Periodic variations in your workout plan will keep you engaged and dedicated to reaching your fitness goals.

Beating Back the Couch Monster

Get out and be active today! Remember, it takes less than 25 minutes of moderate intensity exercise (i.e. brisk walking) a day to improve your aerobic health. Don’t let the couch monster prevent you from being healthy. The Real Housewives of Orange County marathon will still be on after your workout, trust me. Make time for your fitness today, it’s worth it (Photo & quote courtesy of fitbie.com).

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ETT Exercise of the Week Ep. 2

We are back with another great ETT exercise that will get your butt in gear, literally. This week’s exercise combines sumo squats with alternating knee strikes. The wide stance and outwardly angled foot position of the sumo squat puts a ton of focus on the muscles of the inner thighs (adductors) and the butt (glutes). Combine these squats with knee strikes that would make a Thai kickboxer proud, and you have a lower body & core exercise that would be perfect for your next workout. This exercise will also build your cardio but as with all ETT exercises, we want you to focus on form over volume. Don’t forget to warm-up before you begin your workout and modify the exercise to match your fitness level. If you use this exercise (or any ETT exercise) in one of your workouts, let me know what you think about them in the comment section below. Now go burn some calories!