Fitcorp articles | Personal Trainers Bangkok

17 Aug 2011

Kettlebells for the win!

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Kettlebells, kettlebells, kettlebells. Say it 12 times with a stone in your mouth and you’ll burn 8 kcal per hour! Seriously.

While these big steely devices never quite made it to mainstream, kettlebells have achieved cult status among fitness connoisseurs.Rustic and manly, the handheld cannonballs were invented by the Russian and extensively used to toughen up red army soldiers back in the days.

Extending your center of gravity, kettlebells facilitate ballistic training where you lift and accelerate the weight before releasing it. Basic exercises such as the one pictured here will get your heart pumping fast, promote strength and endurance and involve your full body.

kettlebell aspire club

I’ll admit, kettlebells are not exactly sexy training devices and mentioning them in casual conversations won’t ring any bells (sorry…). Instead they are the secret weapons of real fitness enthusiasts and to my knowledge, only us at the Aspire Club offer kettlebells training sessions that don’t take place in a dingy basement. Our facilities are brand new, our trainers highly skilled and our motivation to get you in shape unrivaled.

Our trainers have extensive kettlebell training experience and as you can see, it is not conceived exclusively for men. Women and youngsters alike can reap the benefits of kettlebell training as well.

Swing it!

A couple of exercises can easily be incorporated in your current routine and you’ll quickly notice an improvement in your grip, core strength and cardiovascular health.

Instead of using the same routines and machines over and over again, why don’t you pay us a visit and try out innovative alternatives? As the saying goes, doing things the same way as usual will only yield the usual results.

Are you ready for the extraordinary?

Call today 02 229 4114 or email us for a free discovery session

22 Aug 2011

Nutrition : Become a 21st century hunter-gatherer

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The Aspire Club, always on the lookout for effective weight management methods is presenting you a diet that will turn your world and your refrigerator upside down.

Most people are very ill-informed about what their diet should look like or how they should shop to get healthier. Instead of using chemical-saturated MRP’s, shakes and so-called healthy pills, let’s turn the clock back a couple hundred of thousands of years and take a look at how our ancestors actually fed themselves.

Back then, mills and processing plants didn’t exist so the food that cavemen ate was ultra-fresh and 100% unprocessed. This guaranteed that important nutrients such as minerals and vitamins were still present at the time of ingestion and that in turn these men were healthy and strong as an ox.

They literally had to fight for their food. They jumped, ducked and ran for cover when sabre-tooth tigers tried to steal their shopping carts. Their diet revolved around nuts (such as almonds, walnuts, or cashews), fresh plants, and from time to time, when they were lucky, some meat and fish. Without knowing it, they pioneered parkour and bootcamps! Research shows that they walked and ran 5 to 10 miles daily to find their sustenance. Today, it’s more like 5 to 10 meters….

Refined is not fine

I really stress that they ate animal protein from time to time only, not because they didn’t like the taste of a barbecue sirloin, but simply because it was hard and dangerous to find. Most, if not all the calories came from vegetables, nuts and plants.

Processed carbs like bread, pasta or even rice weren’t available at the time an it did a lot of good on their waistlines.

Becoming a modern-day hunter-gatherer is quite easy and affordable, especially in Bangkok, where fresh fruits, vegetables and quality protein like fish or poultry are rampant. Instead of shopping in big supermarkets like Carrefour or Tesco, why don’t you try to go out and shop with a hunter-gatherer mindset. Shoot for one of the many fresh markets in BKK.

Your typical shopping list should look a bit like this :

- plenty of LOCAL fresh fruits (mango, pineapple, papaya, banana, etc…)

- ditto for the vegetables

- peanuts, cashews, walnuts

- chicken, turkey, crustaceans, sea fish

- go easy on the carbs, try to look around and get some gabba rice: it’s whole grain, unprocessed rice with its husk. Very good because of the slow and steady energy release.

There you have it, a simple, almost primitive approach to nutrition. Going back to the basics will not only prove salutary for your weight but in the long run, you’ll become a healthier and happier person (happier? yes, happier! bad food bog your spirits down, we’ll talk about it soon) as well.

What’s your take on this ? Please share your thoughts on twitter and reach us @fitcorpasia

Need more details ? Article source : http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/content/79/1/101.full.pdf+html

23 Aug 2011

Training on the go: your hotel room is your best friend

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If you’re like me, you must spend an awful lot of time waiting for the customs officer to wake up, waiting for the conveyor belt to belch out your luggage, waiting for the hotel receptionist to process your credit card…

You’re a frequent flyer but have very little time to dedicate to maintaining your shape ? Read on because I’d like to introduce you to your new best friend.

Instead of making up excuses or wasting precious business hours trying to find a decent gym when you’re stuck in Kuala Lumpur on a connect flight to Jakarta, why don’t you train in your own personal fitness facility ? Yes, your hotel room is perfectly suitable. Whether it’s small or comprised of four bathrooms, you can make the best of it by taking a few simple steps towards repurposing it.

Start by making some space and push aside any furniture that’s within two meters of where you stand. Now that you’re all set, let the 10-minute corporate fitness session begin!

SIDE PLANK HOLD–FEET, LEFT SIDE

Lay on your Left Side and Left Forearm. Lift your hips and knees from the floor, resting your weight onto the side of your foot and forearm. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

This is one tough core exercise that targets your Obliques. Your objective is to stay in a good neutral alignment, with your chest out. Breathe deeply and slowly! HOLD FOR 30-60 SECONDS BEFORE MOVING TO THE OTHER SIDE.

Lay on your Right Side and Right Forearm. Lift your hips and knees from the floor, resting your weight onto the side of your foot and forearm. Hold for 30-60 seconds.

This is one tough core exercise that targets your Obliques. Your objective is to stay in a good neutral alignment, with your chest out. Breathe deeply and slowly through your nose! HOLD FOR 30-60 SECONDS BEFORE MOVING TO THE OTHER SIDE.

JUMP SQUATS

Begin in a ready-squat position. Imagine your hips are sitting backward into a chair.

Using the power of your Glutes, jump up into the air.

Make sure you land directly into the squat-ready position, with your hips back “into the chair.”

This is a very challenging lower body exercise that requires power and endurance. Beginners focus on leaving the ground only an inch or so, like an accelerated squat. As you become more advanced and feel comfortable, you can begin to jump higher. PERFORM 5-10 REPETITIONS BEFORE MOVING TO THE NEXT EXERCISE.

Repeat these exercises three times in a row for a complete 10-minute workout that can be done anywhere (provided that you have a purple rug handy).

Please share your thoughts on twitter and reach us @fitcorpasia we’d be more than happy to get your feedback about our articles!

23 Aug 2011

Weight management : Wanna lose weight? Cheat!

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Fitness magazines and so-called fitness pundits love to flood their audience with the same old messages year after year.

Summer’s coming? Try our orange-only diet!

Winter’s coming? Then try our 14-day watery soup diet!

Summer’s gone? Why don’t you try our brand new ‘don’t eat until noon’ diet?

I’ve never been too fond of those standardized diets that are supposed to work wonders on everyone. Everybody has a different metabolism, different reactions to different foods, and thus using a run-of-the-mill magazine diet doesn’t make any sense at all. Instead of being hell-bent on losing that extra inch on the waist by turning into a diet maniac, let’s approach the problem from a different angle: by making small, gradual changes to your diet over a period of time you won’t feel like you’ve been imprisoned and banned from opening the fridge ever again.

We are creatures of habits, changing them is a long process, not a 2 week sprint. Give yourself just 3 months to completely rethink what foods define you and what acceptable substitutes you’d be ready to use in order to get healthier and therefore slimmer.

Usually people want to get slim first, without even thinking what impact it can have on their health when the trim-down is done wihtout any regards to proper nutrition.

Below is a substitute chart that you can use as a basis to redefine your diet on the long term.

Most frequently used carbs

White bread

White pasta

White rice

Acceptable substitutes

Whole grain bread, 50/50 bread (half white flour, half whole flour)

Whole grain pasta, spinach-based pasta, tomato-based pasta

Gabba rice/whole grain rice

Most frequently used vegetables

Carrots

Tomatoes

Green peas

Acceptable substitutes

Cauliflower

Avocado

Kidney beans

Most frequently used protein

Beef

Pork

Chicken

Acceptable substitutes

Turkey

Ostrich

Crustaceans

The short list of substitutes I’ve mentioned here are to be used as a starting point and they all are, without exception, far superior in terms of health benefits. Saying no to a fat, juicy hamburger is still too hard ? Cheat please! A simple rule of thumb will greatly help you in your quest for a better figure (outside AND most importantly inside) : 90/10.

Nutritionally, if you stay on track with your substitutes 90% of time you’re allowed to cheat hard 10% of the time. Suicidal? Not at all, consider this as a just reward for your efforts. Eat clean, go easy on the salad dressing and exercise each and every day except on Sunday. Sunday is truly your pig out day. have a burger with fries and wash it down with an ice-cold coke. This reward will help you cope with the change and the beauty of it all is that you don’t even have to feel guilty about it! Used to clean, wholesome foods, your body won’t have the chance to even notice that you cheated it of a healthy meal.

At the Aspire Club, we don’t talk non-sense, we don’t sell miracle pills. Instead, we listen to our clients and come up with training and diet plans that are unique and individual, no fast food fitness here!

Call today 02 229 4114 or email us for a free discovery nutrition session

www.theaspireclub.com

25 Aug 2011

Workout of the week : 30 minute dynamite session

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Here’s a 30 minute workout built for explosiveness, cardio and strength. This type of functional training is what we love here at the Aspire Club. Now it’s for you to practice what we preach!

After a thorough 10-15 minute warm up (treadmill @ 4-5 mph)you can start. Note that these exercises are supposed to be performed by clusters of 3 (divided in phases as you’ll see).

It’s a kind of circuit training that you’ll have to perform as follows :

Phase 1 , first group – perform exercise number 1 to 3 with the prescribed repetitions 3 times in a row. Then rest for 2-3 minutes and proceed to the second phase. Repeat as phase 1, then rest and proceed to the last phase. This way you’ll have performed 3 sets of each of the 9 exercises for a total of 27 sets in 30 minutes.

You’ve been warned: this routine is extremely taxing but also extremely effective!

PHASE 1

EXERCISE 1 : HALF-SQUAT WITH JUMPS (IF YOUR JOINTS PERMIT)

8 TO 10 REPETITIONS (load the barbell so you can reach the 10th rep with difficulty but still with good form)

EXERCISE 2 : AB-BALL

12 to 15 REPETITIONS

EXERCISE 3 : WEIGHTED PUSH-UPS (BEGINNERS : PUSH-UPS ON YOUR KNEES)

8 to 10 REPETITIONS (if you feel like the exercice is too easy add some weight on your back)

AFTER COMPLETING THESE 3 EXERCISES 3 TIMES IN A ROW, REST FOR 2-3 MINUTES THEN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PHASE.

PHASE 2

EXERCISE 1 : BALL ROLLS

10 to 12 REPETITIONS

EXERCISE 2 : ONE LEGGED JUMPS (DAMPEN YOUR LANDING!)

5-6 REPETITIONS PER LEG

EXERCISE 3 : LUMBAR PULL

8-10 REPETITIONS

AFTER COMPLETING THESE 3 EXERCISES 3 TIMES IN A ROW, REST FOR 2-3 MINUTES THEN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT PHASE.

PHASE 3

EXERCICE 1 : DUMBBELL WITH BALL (TWO PHASES EXERCISE: BACK LIFT + BICEPS CURLS SIMULTANEOUSLY)

8-10 REPETITIONS (DON’T ALTERNATE BICEPS CURLS)

EXERCISE 2 : BUTTOCK LIFTS (ADD RESISTANCE IN CASE THIS EXERCISE FEELS TOO EASY)

8-12 REPETITIONS PER LEG

EXERCISE 3 : MEDICINE BALL JUMP

6-8 REPETITIONS

You’re done! Let us know if this grueling workout left you unfazed or completely swept you off your feet! Don’t forget to stretch and cool down after you’ve completed it! We wouldn’t want you to complain that your whole body has turned into one giant sore muscle!

We have much more workout ideas in store for you. Why don’t you pay us a visit at our brand new studio on Sukhumvit ? The Aspire Club Bangkok is your go-to fitness destination. Whether you enjoy working out under full supervision or like to break a sweat with friends, we’ve got you covered.

www.theaspireclub.com

26 Aug 2011

Golf Fitness: it’s all about the core, mate!

Posted in Golf Fitness, Personal Training | Comments Off

Most weekend warriors and froghair primadonnas outthere have something in common: they don’t exercise (clubhouse parties excluded).

The much-maligned Tiger Woods once said that his level was mostly the result of sweating it out in the gym. To many though, it seems that golf is all about technique or worse, all about equipment. While this is partly true, we should never forget that golf is a real sport after all. Football players don’t only train on their penalty shots and their corners, do they?

Why most golfers consider physical conditioning irrelevant to their sport is something that I’ve trouble grasping. In order to play and perform better, the practice of golf fitness is helping an increasingly high number of golf enthusiasts.

Mixing sport-specific exercises with general fitness training, golf fitness should be an essential part of every golfer, no matter their level. Improvements in your swing and in your general game most likely won’t come from watching dvd’s explaining the intricacies of proper golf movements. Increases in power, flexibility, endurance and speed will come from scientifically-backed exercises. Here at the Aspire Club we’re passionate about golf and we’re always looking into the latest developments in technology to bring you cutting-edge workout sessions that guarantee you long lasting results and a fast track to bettering your game.

Core stability

One of the most central aspect of golf fitness training resides in the strengthening of the core. Your abdominal wall, your pelvis and your back all contribute to maintain your body stable and your posture upright. The joint action of these muscles provide the necessary support during movement. A weak core can lead to imbalances and thus can seriously hamper your game. In order to get your swing to the next level, it is vital to focus on exercises that involve the abs, the obliques and the spinal erector as well.

Here are a few simple exercises that will help you a great deal in your quest for swing swagger:

Plank

Contract your core, keep your back as straight as possible and hold this position for 30 to 45 seconds. Once you’re used to the movement and have gotten stronger, you can add some weight on your back to add intensity.

Spider-man

Position yourself as though you were preparing to do a push-up. Instead of lowering you body, keep it straight and push your leg forward as pictured. Keep your chin up for perfect form. Alternate and do 10 to 12 reps per leg. This will strenghten your glutes, hamstrings and lower back. These muscles are responsible for swing velocity and explosiveness.

Bent knee hip extensions

Starting point : keep your whole back on the ground, then lift your hips as pictured in a controlled fashion. At full extension, contract your glutes. Repeat 10 to 15 times.

There you have it at a glance. There’s a myriad of other exercises that are extremely beneficial for your game. We won’t spoil the fun here so please pay us a visit at our studio in downtown Bangkok and we’ll be thrilled to show you what we have in store! The possibilities are endless but our coaches will guide you to make sure your improve quickly and safely.

Reach us here @fitcorpasia. Our pro tips are just a tweet away!

29 Aug 2011

Fitness Is A Marathon Not A Sprint

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The biggest mistake most people make when they are trying to get into shape, is they want to do it all at once.

They may have let themselves go for years, or even decades, and they wish to get their body back to the way it used to be, as quickly as humanly possible. They would be much better served, taking the attitude that fitness is a marathon, rather than a sprint.

In a sprint, you need to start quickly, right off the blocks. You should keep your pace up the entire time. In a marathon, you can make up for a slow start later on, well before the finish line. You need to pace yourself if you are going to make it to the finish line.

TOO MUCH TOO FAST

The problem is, most people start their fitness program with too much, too soon. It took them a long to get in their current condition. Getting out of it is also going to take quite a bit of time. As cliche as it sounds, it really is true, that it’s not about the destination. It’s all about the journey.

The fact is, fitness is not a destination. It’s like the Steven Wright joke, where he said he took his dog for a 500 mile walk and when they got home he told the dog, “That’s it. You’re done.” Fitness isn’t like that. You are never done. It’s a process of feeling better each day. Enjoy it. Don’t rush it.

If you are more than fifty pounds overweight, you are better off walking briskly instead of jogging. You’d be surprised how effective walking is, when you do it every day, or every other day. You’re bones and joints will not been injured like they might if you were jogging.

Your muscles will not feel as beat up. Your body will look forward to your daily exercise when you are taking the appropriate steps. As you lose weight and gain muscle, you can progressively increase the level of workouts. This way, you will stick with your fitness program as a lifestyle, instead of simply give it up after a few weeks.

Self-motivation and self-discipline are sometimes not enough to overcome some hurdles and break through training plateaus and that’s exaclty when the Aspire Club Bangkok comes into the picture. We provide support, we keep you accountable and we promise our training plans and nutrition programs won’t let you down.

30 Aug 2011

Nutrition : a look at the Bangkok expat diet

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Whether it’s 4am or 4pm, the thousands of food stalls, restaurants and eateries of Bangkok are always ready to delight your palate with their never-ending list of exotic dishes.

The choice is vast but almost all of the local culinary propositions involve an ingredient that many of us shouldn’t include in their diet: white rice.

Italians eat pasta two to three times per day and they are among the leanest people in Europe. Asians have rice with every single dish and they are among the leanest people in the World. Then what about the rest of us? Are we doomed to eat whole grain rice and brown bread for the rest of our lives if we are to remain slim?

Be a GI Joe

Research suggests that although genetics play a more, eating habits do their part as well. People that are introduced to high GI (glycemic index) foods early in their life tend to develop some kind of resistance and are better prepared to withstand the insulin spikes that white rice or white bread produce.

However, if you’re like me (caucasian that is) your childhood diet had probably – if your parents tried to keep you slender – an even mix of carbs, veg, and proteins, without too much emphasis on high GI foods, which is nutritionally speaking, very sound.

So in case you’re a Bangkok dweller and have a hard time finding rice-free dishes, don’t worry, you’re not an exception. Foods can be categorized as follows: low GI, medium GI, high GI. You don’t need to be a nutrition expert or carry a GI table in your pocket to make the right food choices, though. The glycemic index of foods can be intuitively figured out based on their category or color:

- vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts, generally have a low GI (less than 55)

- whole wheat, basmati rice, sweet potatoes, etc.. have a medium GI (56-69)

- white bread, white rice, corn flakes, etc… have a high GI (70 up)

As a rule of thumb, the darker a food item is (save Oreos…) the lower its glycemic index.

We all know how tough it is to stick to rules, plans, commandments and orders when it comes to dictate what we put in our mouths. Fully aware of that fact, the Aspire Club has the systems you need to stay focused, committed and accountable. Fighting your way through the Bangkok nutritional jungle will feel that much easier when you have a seasoned guide on your side.

Reach out and discuss the challenges you face right here @fitcorpasia. Our pro tips are just a tweet away!

31 Aug 2011

Workout of the week : put your chest to the test

Posted in Personal Training | 2 Comments

The chest is often a problem area for aspiring bodybuilders and beach showboaters alike. A symbol of masculinity and authority, the chest needs special attention if you really are to develop it fully. Here’s how…

Today we’re going to look at some exercises that might seem counter-intuitive for beginners but actually provide very good results. Before continuing, please leave your misconceptions at the door, because the chest workout that is detailed here bears little resemblance with what you’ve been taught by your PE teacher.

Ditch the benchpress

Benchpress exercises are overrated. period. Due to their very form, they foster rear deltoid and triceps development instead of targeting the pectorals effectively. During the negative phase of a typical benchpress movement, the pectorals are fully stretched, I’ll give you that. Problems arise during the positive phase of the movement: since there’s no proper contraction of the pectorals one against each other it is very difficult, even for an advanced athlete, to mobilize all the desired muscle fibers.

Instead, supporting muscles like the delts and the triceps will carry the bulk of the resistance, thus nullifying the very purpose of a bench press exercise.

Here are movements that put less stress on peripherals areas, mobilize the pecs more effectively and are generally way better at developing upper and lower chest, rather than the almost exclusively side pectoral development seen in bodybuilders that make bench press their basis for chest training.

Bent over cables crossovers

If you have trouble feeling a pump when doing chest, this exercise is for you. By crossing your arms as pictured above, you’ll have more control over the movement but will also mechanically contract both pectorals against each other, something that a typical bench press movement can’t do simply because your arms always stay parallel.

This is not a power exercise however, so don’t overload the cables, keep your back straight and your abs tight. Control the movement from start to finish without giving any momentum to the movement.

Over time, you’ll notice a way better contraction and you’ll be able to incorporate power movements like the seated flies :

Dumbbell flies

The dumbbell flies provides the same pectoral stretch as the bench press, without the associated load. Slowly depress the weight until you feel you’ve reached maximum amplitude, then go back to position A, closing your arms as if you were hugging a big tree. This way more inner pectoral contraction can be achieved.

In order to turn this exercises into a power movement (a movement that will give you more strength and mass), instead of spreading your arms as widely as possible, turn your wrists as though your were handling a bike and keep your elbows close to your body.

Again, this movement is superior to the bench press, because you’ll be able to lower your elbows much deeper than with a barbell, which is limited due to its straight shape. Curved barbells exist to alleviate this issue though.

Decline press

Last but the least, the decline press is your weapon of the choice in the war of perfect chest development. In order to get a rounder, fuller chest, it is very important that you spend some time working on the lower section of your pectorals.

The exercise shown above is a great tool, but if you need more control over your pec contraction, you’ll want to have your palms face each other. This way you’ll be able to contract your chest even more. Form is obviously very important in this slightly acrobatic exercise.

There you have it: 3 simple yet powerful exercise that’ll make you want to stay away from the ‘mythical’ bench press. Many fitness professionals and gyms in Bangkok swear by the bench, but here at the Aspire Club, we like to think that the least treaded path if often the most rewarding.

Test these exercises asap and let us know what you think! Reach out and discuss the challenges you face right here @fitcorpasia. Our pro tips are just a tweet away!

01 Sep 2011

Success Mindset : Exercise as a Catalyst

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Gandhi once said that ‘there’s no way to peace, peace is the way’. The same can also be said about success and what it takes to ‘make it’.

Success fosters success, it’s a virtuous circle that once triggered, is surprinsigly hard to break. Being on a roll is no accident though, I believe that everything happens for a good reason and that perserverance (some call it doggedness…) always pays eventually.

The parallel with fitness is quite easy to draw as fitness exercises very much mimic what challenges people face in their everyday life. Not only a man’s character is revealed when odds are stacked against him, it is also revealed when weights are stacked on the barbell.

pump up your chest, your new 'you' is just a click away!

Exercising regularly will help your career in unexpected ways : men and women that are slimmer are statistically happier and more confident about themselves and usually report that these benefits also impact on their work. Don’t confuse confidence with arrogance though, the former is great but the latter is despicable. Achieving your fitness goals, whether they can be measured in inches, pounds or repetitions will boost you and the ones surrounding you because you will ooze with positive vibrations and your can-do attitude won’t go unnoticed.

No, I’m not reading your horoscope here, I’m merely stating that if you feel that your job or your colleagues have been bogging you down lately, that your career has reached its plateau (deservedly or not) it is the right time to stick out your chest, roll up your sleeves and take a good look at yourself.

Chances are that you’re not too happy about your weight, your bankroll, your love life, your diet, etc… Everyone has a reason to feel miserable about something! Instead of reveling in your misery and let your chest deflate like a tired basketball, take these flaws and turn them into life-changing challenges.

Goals are vital in any endeavour: you wouldn’t board a train without having a destination set in your mind (if yes, there’s not much I can do for you…), just the same as you wouldn’t start to exercise without a goal.

Our job at the Aspire Club Bangkok is to take this goal and turn into a beacon of light for you so you don’t get lost in the storm. Sorry for the flamboyant style here, but we love nothing more to see people leaving our studio with their eyes full of sparks and enough energy to fire up a power plant!

We’re inspired by excellence and driven by results. Your new ‘you’ is a click away. Don’t miss out!

Call today 02 229 4114 or email us for a free discovery training session

www.theaspireclub.com

01 Sep 2011

Why run?

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It’s simple…running is good for you, here are just a few of many reasons why:
* Good for your heart- strengthens your most important muscle in your body, the heart.

* Lose weight- like any exercises, running is a great way to lose those kilos. ACSM Journal’s article from 2006 by Dr. David Swain, concluded that running burn twice as many calories than walking.

* Muscular improvement- the muscles react positive from the very first run (Journal of Applied Physiology).

* Stronger bones- higher bone density.

* Improved balance- your improved balance will also help you in your daily life.

* Better posture- stronger, “prouder” posture and released stiffness in shoulders/neck.

* Psychological benefits- cardio exercise has proven to have positive effects on the brain, the released endorphins make you feel more alert and energetic. A study in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry states that staying active will decrease the probability of develop dementia.

* More fertile- research shows that running results in less impotence and higher sex drive (Queens University, Canada)

* Lasting Eyesight- slows down the inevitable process of weaker eyesight when you get older (Berkeley National Laboratory).
The benefits of running exceed the risks by far. Building up your running base progressively will drastically reduce the risk of getting injured. Prepare yourself with a structured running program including strength-, balance- and mobility exercises. Variety is a good way to stay motivated. Thus, combine your runs with other types of exercise.
The Aspire Running Club will help you reach your goals and enjoy all the benefits that come with running. Sign Up Today!

Call: 08-7672 7452 Email: henrik.olofsson@fitcorpasia.com

03 Sep 2011

Detox foods: My Top Ten List

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Despite all your efforts to avoid them, are processed food poisoning your shopping basket?

Here’s a small list of big names in the war against oxidants and industrial foods. Add them to your menu right now, because they might literally save you an arm and a leg in future medical expenses.

Beetroot

You can’t beat beets! Beets are full of vitamins B3, B6, C and beta-carotene. They’re also a valuable source of iron, magnesium, zinc and calcium — all necessary to promote optimal detoxification and elimination. Beets also support good gallbladder and liver health — organs that are paramount for breaking down and removing toxins. The high amount of fibre in beetroot improves digestion and helps eliminate bodily waste.

Sea Vegetables

Often known as seaweeds, these amazing foods house powerful antioxidants that help to alkalize the blood and strengthen the digestive tract. The algin in seaweeds absorb toxins from the digestive tract in much the same way a water softener removes the hardness from tap water. Sea vegetables offer the broadest range of minerals of any food, containing virtually all the minerals found in the ocean — the same minerals that are found in human blood. Dulse is my personal fave.

Dandelions
Dandelions are considered a powerhouse food full of nutrients that are essential for anyone regularly eating the “Standard American Diet” (SAD). They’re a rich source of minerals and provide a variety of phytonutrients. They’re super antioxidants that support cleansing of the digestive tract and offer great liver support. Try adding dandelion leaves to your salad.

Broccoli Sprouts
Broccoli is part of the powerhouse brassica family of vegetables. Broccoli contains important phytochemicals that are released when they’re chopped, chewed, fermented, cooked or digested. The substances are released then break down into sulphorophanes, indole-3-carbinol and D-glucarate, which all have a specific effect on detoxification. Broccoli sprouts can actually provide more benefit than regular broccoli as they contain 20 times more sulfurophane. Add these to your salads and get creative with them in your meals.

Flaxseed
One of my favourite “superfoods,” flaxseeds serve many purposes. When detoxifying your body, it’s essential to ensure toxins are eliminated properly. Ground flaxseeds provide a wonderful source of fibre that helps to bind and flush toxins from the intestinal tract. They’re also a great source of health promoting omega 3 oils. Try consuming two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds in lemon water every morning.

Lemons
Who doesn’t love lemon? This wonderful fruit stimulates the release of enzymes and helps convert toxins into a water-soluble form that can be easily excreted from the body. Drinking lemon water, which is alkaline-forming, first thing in the morning will help to balance out the acidity of foods we’ve consumed. Don’t forget to add your ground flaxseeds to enhance toxin removal.

Garlic
No detox plan should be without some garlic: It’s a powerful antiviral, antiseptic and antibiotic. Ridding your body of these pathogenic microbes can reduce endogenous (made by your body) toxins. The vital sulphuric compounds garlic contains makes it an essential detoxifier.

Artichoke
Artichokes are not only a very tasty food, they’re also incredibly healthy. Artichokes have been shown to increase bile production and purify/protect the liver. They also have a mild diuretic effect on the kidneys, ensuring proper removal of toxins once the liver breaks them down.

Tumeric
Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, which gives it its yellow color. The rate at which your detox pathways function depends on your genes, your age, lifestyle and a good supply of nutrients involved in the detox process. Curcumin is used a lot in Ayurvedic Medicine to treat liver and digestive disorders.

Apples
Apples are full of wonderful nutrients. You get fibre, vitamins, minerals and many beneficial phytochemicals such as D-Glucarate, flavonoids and terpenoids. All of these substances are used in the detox process. One flavonoid, Phlorizidin (phlorizin), is thought to help stimulate bile production which helps with detox as the liver gets rid of some toxins through the bile. Apples are also a good source of the soluble fibre pectin, which can help detox metals and food additives from your body. It’s best to eat only organic apples as the non-organic varieties are among the top 12 foods that’ve been found to contain the most pesticide residues.

Do you want to know more about eating healthy in Bangkok? Call today 02 229 4114 or email us for a complimentary consultation.

06 Sep 2011

Workout of the week: Beautiful Buttocks

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This one is for the ladies who envy Kim Kardashian’s gluteus maximus and who just don’t know how the heck she managed to get such a ‘well-rounded’ derrière.

Here are three exercises that will tone the problem area, lift it up and give it some curves. The glutes are quite larges muscles and unfortunately, unless you dedicate some time targeting these muscles, you won’t get the results you’re looking for.

These exercises are quite easy to implement on their own or to add to your existing training routine. Without further ado, let’s start with the king (queen in this case) of buttocks toning and development. Read the rest of this entry »

07 Sep 2011

Nutrition: Protein Shakes – good for everyone?

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Protein supplementation has been around for more than fifty years now. Back in the days, protein powder were tasting very bad, were hard on the stomach and had the texture of sand. Not the best post workout meal…

Time and technology have done us a great favor: modern protein supplementation is now tasty, rich and packed with nutrients. But is it really suitable for everyone?

There are various type of protein powders available on the market so for a non-connoisseur, being confronted to so many options, tastes (sometimes even after tastes…), packaging and usage directions can be a little daunting.

I’ve compiled for you the main types of proteins powders that you can find in Bangkok. I won’t go over which brand tastes best or which brand has Oreo cookie flavor, because it’s a matter of personal preference.

Instead, I’d like to give you some advice as to which proteins suit your goals, how to take them and why you should care.

WHEY

The most common protein powders are prepared using whey. Whey is a by product of milk. You obtain this liquid after regular milk has been curdled. It is made up of high quality protein and devoid of fats. This substance is found in most protein based products. Musashi for instance, carries two types of whey protein powders: WPI and WPC, which stand for Whey Protein Isolate and Whey Protein Concentrate, respectively.

WPI is a finer, better filtered version of the WPC, it is thus a little bit more expensive and core fitness enthusiasts swear by protein powders that are isolate, because they are supposed to be easier than digest and assimilate than their counterpart.

WHEY & SUGAR (aka post workout protein powders)

Although it never labeled as ‘whey & sugar’, typical post workout powders contain more simple carbohydrates than actual protei. They’re obviously indicated post workout, because they provide a much-needed source of fast acting sugar that will help replenish glycogen in your muscles and act as a shuttle for the protein to be transported and absorbed.

GAINERS

Not everyone needs to lose fat, some people actually have a lot of trouble putting on some weight. Gainer powders are extremely high calorie (as much as 1,400 kcal per serving…) and are definitely not suitable for the fitness goer. Even if you notice you hardly gain any weight despite a good diet and an appropriate weight program, it is generally a good idea to get yourself assessed by a professional before even considering taking ‘gainer’. Based on a few physical and morphological findings, he’ll quickly be able to define your body type (ectomorph – skinny, endormorph – propensity to carry some extra pounds here and there, mesomorph – lean and muscular).

Usually people are a good mix of two or more body types, though so be sure to know where you stand before taking these calorie-laden shakes.

There are of course other types of protein powders (soy based, mixed-source, 92, long-acting, etc…) but I omitted them on purpose because they are used in specific situations and are designed for more advanced athletes.

You’ll get plenty of very good results with the protein powder I mentioned above, believe me.

Do you need advice on your fitness diet? reach us on Twitter here : @fitcorpasia.

08 Sep 2011

You are what you eat – really?

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Everybody has heard of the old saying ‘you are what you eat’. A study suggests that the more accurate version would be ‘you are what you ate as a baby.’

Childhood conditions us to an extent that we previously hadn’t fathomed. Aside from moulding your personality, childhood experiences also impact on what you like to see in your plate and what foods make you sick just by the mere thought of seeing them in front of you.

Said study gathered feedback collected from 10 people with very polarized backgrounds: one was a Portuguese restaurateur fond of oily meals, another one was an english track & field athlete swearing by meal replacements and protein bars, yet another respondent was a french university student who’d married her microwave…

They then were ‘pitted’ against each other and had to eat each other’s favorite dish.

KETCHUP IS KING

Needless to say, the fatty portuguese menu didn’t fare well with the UK athlete. His own steamed chicken breast with broccoli didn’t do much better and the student who tasted it spat it out in disgust!

They obviously couldn’t agree on what dishes were universally good except for one thing: sweet, sugary foods. They were then presented with the task of judging two different ketchups: a regular ketchup and the same ketchup but ‘spiked’ with a bit of vanilla powder. The same powder that’s been used for decades in the milk industry to sweeten dairy products.

Big surprise here: almost 70% percent of the respondents liked the ‘enriched’ ketchup over the regular one. This clearly shows that taste is acquired at a very early age and that despite our valiant efforts to banish sugar from our fitness-oriented diets, old habits die hard, especially in Bangkok where almost every dish contains a dash of palm, brown or white sugar!

For those of you who speak french (where are you??), here’s the source of the study : http://www.tsr.ch/emissions/specimen/3344613-je-mange-donc-je-suis.html

09 Sep 2011

Personal Trainers: More Than Rep Counters

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Personal trainers are often given a bad rap because some of them consider the job a mere pastime and they don’t really understand that training people successfully requires more than a clipboard and a pair of sneakers.

Some trainers undermine the credibility of the whole profession, especially in places where freelancers with questionable business methods are a dime a dozen. At the Aspire Club, we pride ourselves in having probably the best team of knowledgeable fitness professionals around. Why? because we care. We have passion, this is our career, and we are not cookie cutter, we come to you PT wanna be’s.

Dedicated and dynamic, our trainers will go the extra mile to make absolutely sure your needs and your goals are fully understood and addressed. That means we have do whatever approach it takes to helping you, be the best you can be! Whether you need support in your quest for a slimmer figure or you really want to add some solid muscle mass on your frame, their scientific approach will deliver. Fully licensed and experienced, they’ll offer your the most advanced solutions in order to get your where you want to be: they’ll keep you accountable, focused and motivated so you can break through training plateaus and constantly push yourself.

Everybody can copy a generic fitness program from the internet and just stand there counting repetitions, sheepishly reproducing someone else’s work. We believe that every individual is unique – physically and psychologically – that’s why we develop custom programs for each of our clients and never rely on others to bring you the level of service you deserve.

What you should be looking for

An outstanding service with results is always of massive value, and when it comes to your health and wellness you should never settle for less than the very best. Remember, pay peanuts, and get monkeys! A good personal trainer should always have:

A qualification recognized internationally
A broad knowledge of everything related to fitness
Great interpersonal skills
A professional appearance and attitude
A visible passion for sports in general
Verifiable references and background
Proper legal work documentation

At The Aspire Club, all our trainers are fully certified and working legally. Every foreign international professional working at Fitcorp Asia and the Aspire is 100% legal, with work permits. More often than not, the majority of freelancers are simply passing through, here one day, gone tomorrow, with zero systems in place, taking your money and leaving a sour taste in your mouth! Unfortunately this is quite common in Bangkok.

We’ve been in the business for over 12 years in Thailand and are the only international fitness center that provides an impeccable level of service, where 80% of our members are working with coaches and trainers. This you cannot compare with anywhere else. We fully comply with local laws and can guarantee your peace of mind: you’re in good hands at Aspire.

We look forward to welcoming you in our brand-new building dedicated to your health and fitness.

11 Sep 2011

TRX training: learning the ropes

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Watching someone train with TRX ropes might remind you of your childhood, when you went to the circus to admire the performances of acrobats and high flying daredevils. TRX ropes are fun to watch, but are they purely for the show too?

Training with ropes isn’t really new and rumor has it that it was introduced to US soldiers serving during the Iraq war in an effort to keep them fit and fight the boredom inherent to being stationed in a brown tent, wearing brown fatigues and staring at a brown desert all day long.

The range of exercises that can be performed with these ropes is only limited to your imagination and this form of resistance has a few unique features that set TRX apart. First of all, since most of the basic exercises involve leaning and fighting off gravity, a great deal of the stability needed to perform the movements correctly will come from your core. This area is highly solicited and you’ll notice a visible improvement in that particular problem area within a few weeks of training only.

Secondly, not only you’ll look better, but your posture will be greatly improved as well : no more shoulder slouching or lower back over extending as TRX training, and functional training in general, truly promote a healthy postures due to the very nature of the range of exercises they have.

OLD GYMS ARE OLD

Traditional bodybuilding, or machine-touring as I like to call it, won’t yield the same results because your body doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain proper form during movement. To picture this, first think of the typical Bankok fitness center: cramped with highly specialized machines designed to make you work your muscles separately, sometimes going as far as dividing small muscle groups into even smaller segments to make extra sure you DON’T train any other muscle!

This approach is evidently not very savvy because it makes the practice of working very dull and mechanical and to make things worse, it will exacerbate existing body imbalances and posture issues.

TRX turns your whole body comprised of hundreds of muscles into one, unique muscle that is to be trained holistically. The experience is truly an eye-opener and unless you’re a hardcore bodybuilder (in that case, this blog won’t suit your needs), you eventually will embrace functional training and get rid of your existing gym memberships.

Trying it is loving it! Test is for free today : call us now here 02 229 4114 or email us for a complimentary session.

13 Sep 2011

Workout of the Week: Wheels of Steel

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Ah, the (in)famous legs! Either you’re born with them either you’re not… Although genetics tend to play a major role in the shape and available muscle mass your legs can boast, hard work and dedication will indeed alleviate the consequences of Mother Nature’s stingy gift.

As usual, I’ll focus on the big picture by proposing you three basic exercises that are the foundation of any sound leg workout program. As a note to the readers, once in a while we like to address the needs of people looking to dramatically increase their fitness levels and their muscle mass as well, so be aware that this type of workout is primarily intended for bodybuilders.

However, by adjusting the repetitions and intensity accordingly, these exercises will also be beneficial to those in quest for that ‘toned’ and ‘sharp’ look, so read on.

FULL SQUATS

The full squat is the most basic and probably the most effective tool to build strength and mass. Please forget the machines for once – I know there are many squat machines available but none of them can truly mimic this movement – because this ‘free weight’ movement has the added quality of making you work supporting muscles in order to keep your balance and stability. Not only you’ll add some serious meat on your frame, but functionally speaking, you’ll improve as well.

Execution :

Keep your feet apart. As a rule of thumb, the distance between your two feet shouldn’t exceed that of your shoulders. If you are not familiar with the movement, I suggest you use the tip of a bench as your ‘seat’. This is very useful because you’ll instantly know that your buttocks don’t go too deep so you don’t risk injuring your knees. Imagine that you want to sit down, but as soon as your glutes touch the bench, instantly go back up in a controlled motion.

Intensity :

It’s no secret that when trying to build mass the range of repetitions is key. In this case, you’ll want to perform (with good form) between 8 an 10 repetitions, the last one being so difficult that performing one more correctly would be impossible. Legs workout are very taxing on the body, so please eat light prior to engaging in this. I’d say that 3 sets with 2-3 min. rest between each set is plenty.

QUADS ON BENCH

The picture is self-explanatory as it shows that keeping your back straight and avoiding going too deep make for great form. Although this exercise is somewhat similar to the regular squat movement, this is not a mass-building exercis by any means so avoid adding too much weight on this one.

Execution:

Slowly go down, but not too deep as you don’t want your knee to touch the ground. This would mean that your other knee is leaning way too far as well and this would put unnecessary stress on your joints and lead to an injury.

Intensity:

Contrarily to the first exercise, with this one you’ll want to exert the muscles to exhaustion by recruiting muscle fibers that weren’t much involved before. I recommend performing 12-15 repetitions, always with good form, for each leag with rest periods of 45 to 60” per set. Three sets are good as well.

HAMSTRINGS

As much as I despise machine-based movements, it is quite difficult to train the hamstrings effectively without resorting to at least one machine exercise. Alternatively, you could use a barbell, standing up and slowly depressing the weight to your feet. However, I dont’ really recommend it, because it’s very tricky to perform correctly and most of the time, my clients complain about lower back uncomfort, a clear signal that the movement isn’t performed properly.

So for now just stick with this. Since the movement is mostly guided by the machine contraptions, it is not necessary for me to go in details about how it should be done. Just keep in mind that although this movement is very effective, hamstrings usually take a very long time to respond, unless -here we go again- you’ve been blessed with great genetics.

Most of the time though, people do have weak hamstrings so training them thoroughly is necessary. It will tighten you lower chain, help you posture and give a much bigger ‘oomph’ to the overall appearance of you legs.

Intensity:

Add enough weight to perform 8-10 reps correctly without using your hands and the very convenient handles to give momentum. I know it’s tempting because you can move more weight and thus feel more empowered or feel like you exercise with more intensity, but you actually don’t. You just swing the weight like a pendulum, increasing the likelihood of injury and the likelihood of looking weird.

That’s it for today, I hope you’ve enjoyed the read. Please give us some feedback on twitter here @fitcorpasia, we’d love to know what you think of this routine and how it’s working for you.

14 Sep 2011

Interval Training for Runners

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Interval training is an extremely effective training form to increase running tempo, increase cardiovascular output, despite this it’s most certainly one of the most neglected forms of training.

Most people just chose to stay in their comfort zone, run the same old casual run and is missing out on a lot by doing so. Provided interval training is well planned and structured, it can give great results fast, add a new dimension to your running performance in preparation for your next scheduled race or endurance event.

Benefits

The major advantage of interval training is that you can maintain a high running speed over a longer period than you are capable of during a long slow distance (LSD) run. Put simply, interval training allows you to bump up the lactic acid threshold and teach your body to cope with running at a faster pace by breaking the total running distance in to shorter intervals with period of recovery in between.
Potential problems
The difficulty with any type of interval training is finding the right pace and distance. Experience shows that it is easier for an inexperienced runner to initially stick to the relatively short intervals repeated numerous times. The hardest part when determining intervals is finding the right running pace. There are basically three ways to measure and control the intensity:

- Measuring time at a known distance
- Appreciate the effort (using Borg’s scale for example)

or to measure heart rate using a heart rate monitor.

At the Aspire Running Club will use measuring time at a known distance as the strategy to keep every aspiring runner on a structured program and to keep track of progress. Speed, recovery and duration will adjust gradually as performance is improved.

Interval training is an integral part for runners, endurance athletes, desk jockey’s and people across the demographics. The benefits of short bursts of high intensity work followed by recovery and then to be repeated has shown to be superior in not only cardiovascular performance (http://tinyurl.com/j5kbq)

but also to burn fat (http://tinyurl.com/6f49jly) and all other benefits that comes along with physical activity – not to mention how it can also save time!

Interval training is perceived by many as something daunting and too much hard work but can be extremely satisfying and engaging as it requires you to stay focused and tap in to energy systems your body might not have experienced in a while, kicking your endocrine response to another dimension!

The 8-week Aspire Running Club will guide, prepare, introduce and structure interval training (among other things) to assure you are in great running shape at the end of 2011 (weather it’s to prepare for a race or just to run and have fun in a group of like minded, inspiring people)!

The Aspire Running Club start on September 29^th – taking place on Thursday’s at 6.30 pm at Queen Sirikit Park for 8-weeks.

Spots are limited – sign up today!

Call: 08-7672 7452 Email: henrik.olofsson@fitcorpasia.com

25 Sep 2011

Running – Quantity vs Quality

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There is an ongoing debate whether endurance training should stress quantity or quality in order to get better results. Should the bulk of a runner’s training regime consist of easy-medium intensity long runs or should the focus be high intensity intervals? Not many respected running experts suggest it is either or, the argument is rather what type of training to emphasize on.

Advocates for a high mileage training claim it is vital to build up a large aerobic base, which is the body’s ability to take oxygen into the blood and deliver it to the working muscles. The lungs become more efficient, more capillaries are developed that will bring oxygen into the muscles to produce energy, and lactate will be removed easier. These factors will able you to keep a higher intensity for a longer period of time. Since the idea is to build up the distance over time, the ligaments, tendons and muscles will be allowed time to adopt. The great runner and coach Arthur Lydiard (1917-2004) once said, “Miles make champions”.

The other side of the debate is backed up by researches that favor the practice of high intensity interval training (HIIT). “Forget talking-pace. Talk during the breaks and in the rest of your life instead”, as the Norwegian professor Jan Helgerud puts it. His research has shown that training with an intensity of 85-95 percent of maximum heart rate is the most effective way to improve heart capacity. According to Helgerud, 4×4 minutes’ intervals (4 minutes of high intensity runs, 4 times) are recommended to optimize the heart’s strength. Another benefit with high intensity interval training, which several other studies point out, is the increased ability to boost metabolism (and burn calories).

Whatever the researches indicate or what the experts say, it essential to find out what works best for you. After all, to be consistent and get results, you have to find joy in your training. Also, your training program has to fit well together with your daily life. Not many of us are full-time professionals runners who can dedicate our time solely to training.

Perhaps Tom and Martin from the excellent weekly podcast Marathon Talk concluded it best, “Have quantity of quality”.
Give your self the chance to become a better runner, sign up for the Aspire Running Club!

We provide quantity of quality to you!
Call: 08-7672 7452

or email: henrik.olofsson@fitcorpasia.com

ASPIRE RUNNING CLUB – starts this coming Thursday, September 29th, at 6.30 pm – Benjakitti Park (Queen Sirikit Park)

19 Nov 2011

6 Week XMAS Fitness Frenzy!

Tags: fitness, holiday fat loss, personal training bangkok
Posted in Fitness, News and events, Personal Training, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Xmas Fitness at Aspire

Every year we have launched a super promo to get people out of thinking that New Years resolutons work. Why? They just dont. What we want is for you to be active and engaged throughout December so you can still enjoy the festive season AND train more than you normally would AND come back in January looking hot, fit, lean and super confident!!

Now, this is an incredible offer, not 4 weeks but a total of 6 Weeks of group training classes for just 4,777 baht.

If you are a current Copper Member, you can upgrade for just 1,997 baht!

We know you are going to be busy! We know you are going to have lots of parties to attend, we know you might be travelling for Xmas too AND and we also know you will be training as much as you can to keep the Kristmas Kilos off! That’s why we are give you an extra 2 weeks of training till January 15, 2012. Then we can plan ahead for the rest of the year.

Here’s what you get:

Unlimited Small Group Training Classes (Choose from 50+ sessions per month)
Unlimited Outdoor Fitness Bootcamp Sessions (Choose from 24+ sessions per month)
Nutrition Journal to keep track of your Kristmas Kalories
Pre and post Weigh in and Bodystat Analysis

Confirm your place today as spaces are strictly limited! Conditions apply.

Email us to book in your place for the 6 Week XMAS Fitness Frenzy!.

03 Dec 2011

Fitcorp Asia Opens the First Commercial Simulated Altitude Training Center in South East Asia at The Aspire Club.

Tags: altitude chamber bangkok, altitude training bangkok, asia, hypoxic training, triathlon training
Posted in Fitness, News and events, Personal Training, Sports Performance, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Thailand Fitness Company, Fitcorp Asia Opens the First Commercial Simulated Altitude Training Center in South East Asia at The Aspire Club.

(Bangkok, December 1, 2011) Fitcorp Asia, Thailand’s leading personal training, fitness and sports performance company launches Asia’s first simulated Altitude training center at the Aspire Club in Bangkok. SAT, also known as Hypoxic training, where individuals train at simulated altitude environment at heights of 5000m above sea level forces the body to develop greater number of red blood cells to adapt to the lower levels of oxygen, improving the amount and delivery of oxygen to working muscles, improving the removal of waste products from energy production such as lactate, increasing fat loss, improving recovery and allowing individuals to work at higher intensities for longer with less fatigue.

Altitude Training @ Aspire Club

Since the Mexico City Olympics, where speed and power athletes demolished world records and endurance athletes struggled, the sports performance world has spent millions in researching the benefit of training at Altitude.

In line with Fitcorp Asia’s commitment to improve results and sports performance of their clients, the opening of the SAT chamber is cutting edge to support the evolution of the industry. The chamber, at a cost of 5 million baht, was invented by the world’s leader in altitude training systems, ATS based in Brisbane Australia. ATS Thailand has introduced the systems to Thailand and plans to have 10 systems installed with leading sports industries and the Sports Authority of Thailand. IN addition to installations in Australia, ATS has systems installed

Majority of research conducted has primarily involved endurance athletes and the benefit include facilitation of fat loss, increased anaerobic threshold, faster recovery times, weight loss, and cardiac rehabilitation. Fitcorp Asia has created result driven programs to include small group training, weight management programs for the amateur athlete and fitness enthusiast as well as those looking to lose weight more effectively and prepare for trek to altitude.

“Simulated Altitude Training (SAT) has an undocumented track records of close to 100% of those heading to altitude to trek without any altitude sickness,” said Daniel Remon, founder and CEO of Fitcorp Asia and the Aspire Club.

“Aspire by Fitcorp Asia continue to revolutionize the Asian and Thai fitness industry, delivering high end result driven programs that enhance performance and introduce cutting edge concepts into the region. This is what Aspire is all about, achieve aspirations, redefining the industry and leading through innovation. This is what sets us apart and allows us the create the path for others to follow”.

We have already experienced outstanding success with altitude training, with athletes, weight management clients and trekkers in Thailand. This is an exciting arena to be a part of, where Fitcorp Asia is leading the industry in South East Asia for sports performance and cutting edge athletic development.

You can find more research from the following sources and international studies:

Training in hypoxia: modulation of metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in men. Bailey et al. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000 Jun;32(6):1058-66

Training-induced increases in sea-level performance are enhanced by acute intermittent hypobaric hypoxia. Meeuwsen et al. Eur J Appl Physiol (2001) 84: 283-290

For more information:

Fitcorp Asia Co., Ltd.

Aspire Building | 348/2 Sukhumvit Rd, Klongtoey, Asoke, Bangkok

Tel: +662-229-4114, Fax: +662-229-4115

Call Center: +668-188-4114

Email: info(at)fitcorpasia.com

Web: www.fitcorpasia.com, www.theaspireclub.com

# # #

11 Dec 2011

5 Reasons Why Athletes Should Do Yoga

Tags: bangkok, fitness yoga, yoga, yoga for athletes
Posted in Fitness, Personal Training, Sports Performance, Youth Fitness | Comments Off

Yoga offers tremendous health and wellness benefits for everyone. As a means of therapy, Yoga is becoming increasingly popular among athletes and sports enthusiasts. Here are 5 key reasons why Yoga can be beneficial for those involved in sports and athletic training programs.

1) Yoga enhances recovery - most vigorous sport activities generate lactic acid in muscle tissue. If lactic acid is not removed

Yoga Bangkok at Fitcorp Asia

properly, it can adversely affect performance in future training sessions or events. Yoga exercises can help in the removal of lactic acid by gently circulating lactic acid out of muscle tissue and into the blood stream where it will make its’ way to the liver for processing. Yoga also has shown to improve sleep patterns. Proper rest and ample sleep are critical periods for an athlete’s recovery process.

2) Yoga restores balance and can help reduce injury. Many sport activities are dominant on one side of the body due to specific movements and joint loading. This mechanical dominance can create musculoskeletal imbalances that can generate chronic injuries. Yoga can be beneficial in reducing these tissue and joint imbalances.

3) Yoga improves biomechanics and energy conservation. Moving a joint requires energy. The more tension one has around that joint, the more energy is required to facilitate that movement. The goal of athletes is to have maximum performance with the most energy conservation. Yoga exercises that improve flexibility and joint range of motion reduce muscle tension and enhance sport biomechanics. This enhancement reduces the amount of energy needed for those movements, thus allowing an athlete to perform at higher levels and/or longer intervals.

4) Yoga improves body awareness and focus. Yoga employs physical and mental exercises that deepen one’s sense of body positioning and movement (proprioception). Enhanced proprioceptive skills are crucial in the development and progression of athletic training. Yoga’s use of breathing and centering techniques can be valuable tools for event preparation, routine and skill visualization, as well as stress/anxiety reduction.

5) Yoga improves breathing function. Yoga exercises, particularly pranayam exercises, have been shown to improve breathing mechanics and lung capacity. Focused breathing exercises develop one’s ability to maximize function of all breathing mechanisms (diaphragm and intercostal breathing). Maximal lung health is vital for athlete’s, especially for those who partake in aerobic-based sports and require efficient lungs to deliver sufficient oxygen uptake.

Caution for athletes doing Yoga. Although Yoga offers great benefits, athletes should be mindful of the type of Yoga they do and how it is integrated into their training program. For example, some styles of Yoga can be very vigorous (vinyasa yoga) or have dehydrating effects (Hot Yoga). An athlete adding Yoga to their program needs to insure that the style of Yoga does not introduce over-training or other adverse effects. It is ideal to discuss with a qualified coach/trainer how best to integrate Yoga into a training routine keeping in mind the cycling of events and peak training periods.

Athletes can be too flexible! As much as one can see the benefit of being flexible, keep in mind that joints need stability. Over-training flexibility can reduce the ability of muscles, tendons, and ligaments to stabilize joint structures. Understand the nature of joint loading that is involved in particular sports and be mindful to not overuse Yoga flexibility exercises on those joints.

Finally, it may be easy for some athletes to try Yoga for the first time and feel they can jump into intermediate to advanced postures. Just like the sport they are coming from, they took years to build a foundation of where they are in that sport. This same approach should be applied with Yoga. Athletes, regardless of fitness level, should start with beginner classes so they build a foundation of all aspects of the practice: basic posture alignments, breathing techniques, and meditation applications. Many intermediate and advanced Yoga classes are taught in a manner that assume students have these foundations in place. Therefore, by skipping beginner programs, an athlete will miss out on crucial foundation elements.

Thanks to Kreg Weiss, BHKin

27 Mar 2012

Bangkok Personal Trainers

Tags: bangkok, bangkok personal trainers, fitness, personal, personal trainer bangkok, personal training thailand, thailand, trainer
Posted in Bootcamp, Personal Training | Comments Off

Personal Trainers in Bangkok

Your best options for personal training in Bangkok for getting in great shape with a dedicated team of professionals at Fitcorp Asia.

The first step people take when wanting to kick start their fitness routine and new lifestyle, the majority hit the internet. Google searches for Bangkok personal trainers, or Bootcamps in Bangkok, personal training Bangkok is where they start.

They key here is personal. The research that supports the success of those working with personal trainers as opposed to working out themselves is evident. Aspire is the personal training center of choice in Bangkok. Establish for 10 years, Fitcorp Asia has revolutionized the health, fitness and personal training industry here in Bangkok, Thailand and raised the bar for the fitness industry throughout Asia.

Why is personal training with Fitcorp Asia so effective? We are all unique. Losing weight, shedding fat, improving health, optimizing energy and changing your behaviours is a science. It’s well documented. The human body and the brain is extremely complicated and intricate. We, as human beings having developed through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution adapts to certain stimulus. We are all unique, and finding the right stimulus for your body to respond most effectively is based on a collection of strategies. Science based, experience based, proven by the tremendous success of our clients over the years.

The personal trainers at our Bangkok personal training center have developed a unique system for success. Developed over 15 years in the industry, training, mind set, nutrition, adaptation to get you the best results possible in the least amount of time.

Our experience, systems, service and exclusive private personal training facility is what makes the difference. It’s what differentiates us from the rest. Support, education, passion and outstanding results. We have successfully created a solid community of health and fitness enthusiasts in Bangkok. All focused on one thing. Achieving results, and being the best they can possibly be.

One essential tool we use which is exclusive to Aspire and the team at Fitcorp Asia is the Aspiration map. The Aspiration Finder tool help us determine and understand what motivates you.

Try It here www.aspirationmap.com – it’s totally free even for non members and personal training clients.

The biggest common denominator among our personal training and Bootcamp clients in Bangkok? All are driven towards outstanding success. Being surrounded by like minded individuals with similar goals aspiring to be the best they can be. Aspire by Fitcorp Asia, Bangkok’s leading personal training center is where we all come together.

Altitude Training Bangkok for sports performance and weight loss

The Personal Trainers at Aspire by Fitcorp Asia Bangkok are passionate, committed and completely dedicated to helping you achieve outstanding results. In addition to passion, our expertise rests with our systems to motivate, support and motivate you towards successful lifestyle change. Education in nutrition, how to eat strategically, how to order health Thai food, make simple easy to prepare meals, salads, snacks – everything you need to fuel your body, manage your energy levels and eat intelligently towards your health, fitness and fat loss goals. 100% commitment, 100% of the time.

Our personal training and lifestyle change systems are designed to support you even when you are not here in Bangkok. When you are travelling, on days in between your personal training appointment with us, in doors, outdoors, in gyms, on holiday, at the beach in the mountains. We also run strategic and education health and fitness holidays and retreats in Thailand, Vietnam, Maldives and throughout Asia.

Safe, effective, progressive and corrective programs to not only get leaner and maximize your energy , also to help you move better, performance and stay injury free.

You get what you pay for. Results, support, education, an exclusive and private training environment in addition to quality service and expertise.

For your complimentary health and lifestyle consultation and goal setting session, drop us an email or use the form below to book in and find out why Fitcorp Asia and the Aspire Club is leads the fitness and personal training industry in Bangkok See for yourself how we can help you be the best you can possibly be.

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30 Dec 2011

The Biggest Problem in the Sports Training Industry

Posted in Youth Fitness | Leave a comment

Here’s what IYCA Member Paul Clarke had to say in response to my question about the biggest problem in youth fitness and sport training:

“The major problem as I see it is coaches that advocate and live the mantra of working harder instead of smarter. Invariably this leads to a quantity over quality approach.”

I couldn’t agree more with Paul.

It’s being popularized in a different circle right now, but for roughly ten years, I’ve been saying…

Any fool can make a young athlete tired, but it takes a real COACH to make them better.

My first job out of college was as a Performance Coach at a training center for professional, Olympic and National Team athletes in Canada.

We also did a lot of work with young athletes.

One of my first meetings as a staff member at this facility is a moment in time that I will truly never forget.

The Head Performance Coach was suggesting that we needed to work a touch harder as a group in order to “beef up our v-factor points” for this coming month.

Being new and open to learning as much as I could, I naturally inquired about what that meant (figuring it had to do with some sort of super secret training system!)

“Shocked” and “confused” are the only two words I can think of when I was given the definition.

A “V-Point” was something that each of us Coaches were awarded when we trained a young athlete hard enough so they puked.

Vomited.

Tossed Cookies.

You get my point.

But the truly disturbing thing is that here in 2009, a full decade and change later, there are many facilities and Coaches that still live by that mantra.

Disgusting isn’t the word…

But Stupid comes to mind.

Blunt, I know, but if we aren’t prepared to advocate for kids and teenagers than what exactly are we doing this for?

30 Dec 2011

Do you Coach or Train?

Posted in Youth Fitness | Comments Off

Do you Teach or Train your young athletes?

If you are like most coaches and trainers I am familiar with, you likely ‘train’ your athletes as a means to elicit biomotor improvement.

You work on various forms of sprints and jumping in order to develop ‘blazing speed’.

You lift weights or perform bodyweight exercises to increase ‘mammoth strength’.

You set out cones and have your young athletes practice elaborate movement drills as a way of improving their ‘stealth-like agility’.

These types of exercises in themselves are not problematic or bad per say…

But they are only quasi-beneficial and extremely narrow-scoped if you aren’t looking to teach your young athletes the skills they need to perform these drills and set them up to improve on the next level.

Early Years – Wrong Focus

We tend to overemphasize the whole notion of winning or succeeding in youth sports.

Translated into what that means from a training perspective – coaches and trainers often look only to this year when considering the growth and evolution of their young athletes. Instead of developing either specific or general skill in a teaching format that will lay the foundation for continued success and future improvement, many coaches and trainers take a narrow-scoped approach and look to make changes now… so that the benefit and gain is immediate.

Incorrect Assessment Styles

This is in large part due to the considerable attention we place on testing and assessing performance markers with young athletes. Many training facilities for instance, conduct both pre and post testing battery’s that will show the degree to which their training regime improved the basic elements of speed, strength and flexibility.

Young athletes, as are their parents, become mentally conditioned to ‘buy into’ a given trainer or facilities training program when they see improvements being made… Even in the pre-adolescent years!

What should become the goal of every trainer, coach, parent and young athlete is to learn and systematically improve on his or her skill levels.

I have long maintained my belief that we, as an industry, must move to a more pragmatic and reasonable method of both programming for and testing our youngsters. In that, I hold firm to the notion that markers for improvement should be monitored by using a system that allows the trainer to observe and record the technical ability of a young athlete during specific exercises.

Rate of Technical Ability

A simple way of doing this is to create and utilize a tracking plan that illustrates an athletes ‘Rate of Technical Ability’ (RTA). Develop a 1 – 5 scale that has technical performance markers evident at each ascending score. In a squat for instance, an RTA scale may look like this –

1 = Knees are valgus (inward)/lumbar spine is either rounded or arched/head is down/weight is on toes or ball of foot
2 = knees are valgus/lumbar spine is either rounded or arched/head is down
3 = lumbar spine is either rounded or arched/head is down
4 = lumbar spine is either rounded or arched
5 = Perfect form

Start with bodyweight squats and teach proper form and execution. Grade your young athletes on a piece of paper as to where they are on your ’5′-point scale. Progress in volume or load only when they have reached a ’5′.

This lays the foundation for future developed skill and allows for a safe progression.

Technical/Fun Development In Sport…

There are two relative types of coordination training; General and Specific.

General – This is the basic level of coordination and is based on versatility. In early pre-adolescents, spend a great deal of time creating fun exercises and games that establish a base level of coordination through exposure to all of its elements. Future sporting success and functionality in life will be dependant on developing a global foundation of general coordination.

Specific – Specific coordination is a means by which to improve or increase the ability within a given task or sport. By improving the basic elements of coordination that apply to a particular skill, you can increase the proficiency of that skill. Here are some examples:

* Unusual Positions – Throwing a baseball or shooting a basketball for example. In the early years of training, always teach unilateral skills using both sides of the body. Breakdown throwing and shooting motions into finite skill progressions and spend time teaching them with the non-dominant hand, foot or side of the body. This practice of non-dominance will serve to increase the kinesthetic understanding of the skill and improve the athletes’ ability to perform it with the dominant side and lead to an increased ambidextrous ability, which is very advantageous in sport. Another example of this would be to teach how to swing a bat from both sides of the plate in baseball.

* Altered Speeds – Change the speed of movements to increase an athletes understanding and control. Teach somersaults and jumping rotations to a competent level. After that, start developing exercises that ask for the young athlete to increase or decrease the speed of the turns. This control of speed variance will increase the ability of the young athlete to understand the complexity of the skill and be able to reproduce it with more precise detail and aptitude.

Added Movements – Add movements in the form of rotations, jumps and level changes (i.e. starting from one knee and then progressing into the skill) leading up to or following a standard sporting skill. Again, as with the other two examples, this increased sense of body control and awareness will improve the young athletes ability to perform the specific skill in question. For example, have a young baseball player perform a 360-degree turn with bat in hand before hitting a baseball off a tee. Have a young basketball players dribble a ball towards a basket and perform a jumping 360-degree turn before making a lay-up. Have a young soccer player perform a somersault and then a tuck jump in proper and seamless sequence before performing a corner kick. These elements can also be included in youth training programs. Have young athletes perform a forward roll or 180-degree jump before demonstrating a sprint start sequence.

Brian Grasso

30 Dec 2011

Why Fitness for Golf?

Posted in Golf Fitness | Leave a comment

Daniel Remon B. HMSc, TPI-GFCI.

Golf fitness is a catch phrase these days, just like functional training. But how can exercise benefit the average golfer? And what ‘is’ a good golf fitness program and how can it help?

Like any sport specific training programs, we must break down the components of the sport and develop specific integrated movements and exercises that replicate the transition of each movement. We take into account joint movement, speed of contraction, repetitions, weight loading, range of movement and overall objective of the exercise.

A well designed golf fitness and conditioning program will help you play better golf in a number of ways. These include improved core stability and posture, better rotation, shoulder turn and range of movement to create a longer smoother swing arc, enhanced power to drive the ball further, and perhaps most importantly, to prevent injuries, especially later on in life.

It is essential to correctly assess a golfers needs. Being a certified TPI golf fitness professional we use the same testing procedures as the PGA and LPGA, and have learnt from those who actually train the PGA and LPGA professionals and access the same research from the last 11 years studying the human body and how it relates to golfing performance.

Conditioning the body will not only improve the above mentioned areas of the golf swing, it will create more efficient movement and biomechanics. This leads to much lower pressure on the lower back. Those with a less efficient swing biomechanics will try to generate more torque and power from the lower back, causing the muscles in the lower back to work much harder, fatigue faster and be more susceptible to injury.

Research shows that professionals generate 34 percent more club head speed than amateurs, yet amateurs produce spinal forces 50 to 80 percent higher, and 50 percent more trunk muscle activity than the professional. This comes down to positioning, conditioning and sequencing.

Ever wondered why professionals seem so effortless off the tee yet drive the ball 300 yards? Swing mechanics. After years of training, practise and conditioning, professionals are more efficient, can achieve more power with less integration and better integration and co-ordination, therefore minimising the strain and pressure on the lower back. And making millions of dollars along the way!

So make sure your ‘golf fitness’ program is specific to the game and work with a golf pro to work on your swing mechanics.

Bring this article to receive your Free Report: The 5 Most Important Pre-Round Stretches to Help You Drive Further Off the First Tee AND get 50% off your TPI Golf Fitness Assessment.

Daniel is the Managing Director of Fitcorp Asia. Thailand’s leading health, fitness & performance company. Daniel is Thailand’s first and only TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Certified Golf Fitness Specialist, featured author and contributor.

www.fitcorpasia.com , www.golffitnessasia.com , www.bangkokbootcamp.com

30 Dec 2011

Physical Limitations of Your Backswing

Posted in Golf Fitness | Leave a comment

Part 1 – Flexibility
By Daniel Remon – B. HMSc
TPI Certified Golf Fitness & Conditioning Specialist

Physical limitations of some kind or another are responsible for the majority of swing faults for most golfers. Many swing faults are generated through poor technique throughout the back swing and are the result of poor flexibility, strength, posture and stability throughout the hips, lower back, abdominals, shoulders and legs. Regardless of level or experience, most golfers are affected by these areas of potential weakness and limitation. Possible swing faults caused by poor flexibility through the backswing include loss of posture, flat shoulder plane, reverse pivot, reverse spine angle and sway.

During the backswing, the physical limitations are very easy to define. All components of fitness are required during this technically challenging phase of the swing however in this article we will cover flexibility only.

At least 80% of golfers lack sufficient flexibility through the hips and shoulders to get into a desirable position at the top of the back swing. The bad news is that’s probably you. The good news is that both these areas of can be improved considerably from a properly designed flexibility program. There is no one size fits all approach, and once the precise physical limitations have been identified, we can then proceed with an accurate and specific flexibility routine to improve your back swing position and swing mechanics.

Let’s go through the swing phase to determine some more common physical limitations and exercises to correct them.

From address the shoulders start to turn. Here you need a strong lower base of strength to maintain good hip stability and prevent any early hip rotation. As the club continues to rise, and the hands reach hip level, the hips start to turn and your body weight starts to shift from front the back. This would mean the weight is shifting from the left foot to the right foot for a right handed player.

A lack of flexibility through the left shoulder will prevent you from maintaining a strong postural position. Therefore to get the club into a higher position the body will do one of two things, if not both. One, you will start to lose your posture, your hips will move forward to leverage the shoulder joint and your club into a higher position. This takes you out of alignment and makes it very difficult to correct your position for the down or forward swing. Two, with the extra extension in your spine it will be virtually impossible to attain good shoulder position. To compensate, your left shoulder will be forced to externally rotate resulting in a flat shoulder plane. Lets wok on these flexibility limitations.

The two primary muscles responsible for restricting your back swing are your Deltoids and Latissimus Dorsi. Both muscles cross the shoulder joint and are prime movers. Both of these muscles are in a static phase of contraction, meaning they are lengthening throughout the entire phase in preparation for the transition and downswing. It is our objective to then lengthen and improve the flexibility of these two major muscle groups to help you get into a more desirable position with less effort, and without losing your posture.

The following flexibility exercises will help you achieve a better shoulder turn.

1) Standing Deltoid Stretch
- Standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart, extend your left arm and keep parallel to the floor.
- Bring the arm in and across the front of your body and place your right forearm vertically and against the forearm, just in front of the elbow.
- It is essential to completely extend the elbow of the right arm to create a sufficient lever for an effective stretch.
- Repeat on the other side
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

2) Bent Over Deltoid Stretch
- Now take a 5 iron posture, and perform exactly the same stretch.
- Maintain complete hip control and stability.
- Do not rotate the shoulder, no shoulder turn and keep the shoulders square and parallel to the ground.
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

3) Latissimus Dorsi Stretch
- Kneel on the ground, and extend both arms out in front of you.
- Keep your bottom in contacts with your heels and slowly walk your fingers out in front of you till you feel the stretch.
- Now take your left hand and place 11 o’clock. Move your right hand and place next to your left hand.
- Extend your right arm further and walk your fingers out until you feel the strong stretch.
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

4) Standing Reverse Latissimus and Lower Back Stretch
- Stand with your feet outside shoulder width.
- Extend your arms above your head, careful not to compress your lower back.
- Take your right hand and grab your left wrist.
- Tilt to the right hand side, and pull/extend your left arm up towards the ceiling!
- The objective is not to bend as far as you can, rather to extend high and long.
- Now slowly rotate to your right and reach as far behind you as possible.
- Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

Here you have 4 very effective stretches to improve upper back and shoulder flexibility to improve your range of motion on your back swing and help you play better golf. I recommend you perform these stretches every day for maximum benefit and make them a part of your pre-round warm up also.

30 Dec 2011

Assessment and recommendations for female junior golfers

Posted in Golf Fitness | Leave a comment

Assessment and recommendations for female junior golfers
Daniel Remon
B. HMSc, TPI-GFI

Having the privilege of working numerous national junior teams throughout Asia as well develop the regions’ leading youth fitness and conditioning programs, we have been able to pin point common areas and needs for junior girl golfers. The combination of being predominantly Asian, also show that hyper flexibility although genetic, can also increase the incidence of potential injury as well as prevent efficient loading and power development.

During the developmental phases of growth, junior girls tend to have the following common limitations:

Over mobile joint structures
Lack of strength and stability through the entire posterior chain
Inability to control anterior and posterior pelvic tilt movements
Lack active external hip rotation
Poor hip strength, ankle stability
Weak and inhibited gluteus muscles
Poor special awareness and self assessment.

These physical limitations directly lead to the following common swing faults:

Early extension and loss of posture
Reverse Spine angle
Sway and slide.

Generally, young athletes have never been taught how to move correctly, how to load forces, how to generate forces and power and are therefore prone to common injuries.

The most balanced athletes are also those who have played multiple sports, such as volleyball, basketball and soccer. A well rounded athlete will almost always have been exposed to numerous sports and not limited to single sport activities.

Lacking these fundamental physical requirements for sport, especially a dynamic, explosive multi plane sport such as golf (where strength and stability is crucial to a positive outcome, longer drives, consistency and power) will certainly lead to overcompensation injuries and poor performance in the future.

Strength conditioning programs are therefore essential to develop the foundational physical components of junior lady golfers. By strength training, we are not talking about machine based, weight loaded strength training. More like the development of multi joint compound exercises which stimulate the nervous system for prolonged and long term effect.

The following is a general foundation program that all junior golfers, especially girls will benefit from to maximize performance, enhance swing mechanics and injury prevention.

Single leg bridge
Lateral (side) plank
Adductor planks
Stork turns
Anterior/Posterior tilt
Lateral Lunges
Basic squats
Lateral Squats

Young athletes, including young golfers must be developed as unique young individuals and not simply the same as the adult population. In addition to specific golf fitness exercises, young athletes need to be taught how to move, with integrated teachings, coordination drills and games to not only make exercise fun, but an integral for of movement that will continue throughout their life. These concepts move way beyond normal golf specific skill acquisition and must be included in the overall development of junior players.

Nurturing our young population, and ensuring progressive skill development and movement modalities are crucial to creating future champions.

The teachings of the IYCA and Brian Grasso have many positive applications towards positive movement and activity habits. Applied to the junior golfer, the benefits and outcomes are immense.

More is not better. Better is Better!

Daniel Remon
www.BetterGolfFitness.com
www.FitcorpAsia.com

30 Dec 2011

How to Choose a Personal Trainer

Posted in Fitness | Leave a comment

Having your very own personal trainer has several great advantages:

Trainers provide motivation, professional expertise, and personalized attention – all key components of reaching your personal health and fitness goals. All Fitcorp Asia personal trainers are certified by an accredited professional organization (ACSM, ACE, etc.) and tertiary educated with a degree in Exercise Science. However, personal trainers vary greatly, not only in educational background and costs, but also in personal philosophy, training and consulting practices.

Before simply hiring the first personal trainer you come across, shop around and meet with them to learn about their personal philosophy, education/credentials, experience, and rates. This way you’ll know if the personal trainer is qualified and likely to meet your personal needs before you spend your hard earned money. Once you’ve narrowed down the list, you should talk with the trainer, make sure your goals and objectives are very clear, and see if the trainer is best-suited to help you. Call or meet with the trainer and ask the following questions:

Why did you become a personal trainer? Personal trainers should not only have a passion for good health and fitness, they should also love to share their expertise and help others reach their personal goals.
Do you keep current with research? The answer must be yes! Personal trainers need to continually update their knowledge through seminars, workshops, books, etc., in order to provide you with safe and effective information.
Can you supply client references? Good trainers have satisfied customers and won’t hesitate to put you in touch. Give two or three of the clients a call, asking about the trainer’s strengths and weaknesses, and if they were professional, informative, and dependable. Also ask them if the trainer explained the reasoning behind their recommendations and program decisions.
Do you have liability insurance? Personal trainers should protect their clients by insuring themselves and their services against personal injury and property loss.
Are you certified in CPR and first aid? The trainer must know the proper procedures to follow in emergency situations.
Are you available on the days and times I’ve selected? The whole point of having a personal trainer is to get the personal instruction and motivation you need, at times that are convenient for you.
What are your fees? The answer to this question varies greatly. Personal training can cost as little as 500 Baht, or as much as 4000 Baht per hour. The personal trainer should not only be qualified, he/she should also fit comfortably within your budget. Be sure to ask if there are any additional fees and if the rate includes the use of a local health club.
What are your training/business policies? It’s a good idea to find out up-front their policy on extra fees, contracts, cancellations, and billing procedures.

After speaking with the personal trainer, ask yourself the following questions:

Did the trainer ask me questions about myself and my lifestyle?
Does the trainer promote an integrated program that includes all five components of optimal health (strength training, weight management, cardiovascular exercise, nutrition, and flexibility training)?
Did the trainer have good listening skills and communicate well?
Am I comfortable with the trainer’s gender and will I get along with this trainer and look forward to working with him/her??

Fitcorp Asia is the premium provider of personal training services in Thailand. Please contact us for further information. info@fitcorpasia.com

30 Dec 2011

Exercise Tips for Busy Professionals

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Exercise can be a time-consuming affair for people who lead busy lives. Successful business executives and managers exercise regularly.

Time equals money! However, time also equals health! It is no use having all the riches in the world if poor health won’t allow us to enjoy it.

Health is a priceless commodity. No matter how much money we spend on state-of-the-art fitness equipment, expensive nutritional supplements or trendy health club memberships, our personal fitness will always be a long-term investment that requires a minimum amount of time and effort.

Get Serious
Make a commitment
Take responsibility
Make it your Lifestyle

Set Goals
Your road map to success
New investment project or product range without a business plan
Set short, intermediate and long-term goals
Set goals that are attainable.

Get Organised
Schedule a daily appointment with yourself
Make notes in your diary a week in advance
Ask your assistant to remind you take a ‘fitness break’
Home exercise equipment in a corner of your office or at home
Avoid going home before you go to the gym
Get in the habit of packing your workout gear the night before

Surprise Yourself
Forget the rigid workout schedules
Do whatever you can whenever you can
Short bits of exercise are as effective as long workouts

Don’t Give Up
Make up for it tomorrow
Fitness is not an all-or-nothing affair!

Have Some Fun
Bring some fun into your workouts
Train with a friend
Try Boot Camp
Create Corporate activities related to Health and Fitness – Everyone will benefit!
Train with Fitcorp Asia!!!

Fitcorp Asia specializes in Executive Fitness Programming to ensure you achieve more in less time, make your training habitual, part of your lifestyle and guarantees results.

Yours in Health,

Daniel Remon
Managing Director/Founder – Fitcorp Asia Co., Ltd.
www.fitcorpasia.com www.personaltrainingbangkok.com

30 Dec 2011

Top 10 Tips – Fitness for Kids!

Posted in Youth Fitness | Leave a comment

Regular physical activity is essential for kids to develop strong bones, improve their
coordination and movement patterns and help establish good physical activity habits that
will last throughout their entire lifetime.

Research shows that exercise also helps children performance better academically,
increased levels of concentration, creativity and memory and general brain function are all
benefits of regular exercise and activity! So what are you kids going to be doing to stay
active during the school holiday period?

Rather than staying at home glued to the television or playing their play station, get them
moving with these top 10 tips to keep your kids active and happy during the holidays!

Learn a New Sport
With the grown in status and awareness of sports such as golf and tennis, get your kids
involved in a new sport. In addition to increasing activity and creating a spark of interest,
sports will always increase a child’s coordination, movement patterns and build confidence
with their peers. Sports such as golf, tennis, basketball, badminton, martial arts are great at
keeping them interested and you will find aspiring champions in every child! Kids are great
dreamers!
Set a Good Example
If you want your kids to be active, you MUST be active yourself! Lead by example, park the
car away from the entrance of the supermarket, use the stairs instead of the escalator, get
the kids up early and go for a walk before you go to work, do some exercise drills before
dinner like push ups, lunges, squats, or jumping jacks.
Head to the Park
Bangkok has plenty of parks around for your children to run around and enjoy themselves
with their friends. Load bearing exercise like running and jumping keeps their bones and
muscles strong.
Kids Fitness Boot Camp
A totally new fitness experience for kids, Kids Boot Camp allows children to exercise in a fun
and effective gym environment run by fitness professionals. Kids learn how to move safely
and challenge themselves using only their body weight, exercise tubes, bands, and medicine
balls. Created and run by the professionals at Fitcorp Asia.
Home Duties
Give some responsibilities around the home while are on school break, such as walking the
dog, vacuuming and dusting. Not only will this help to develop a sense of responsibility, it
will help build strong bonds with your children.
Family Fitness!
Get the entire family involved for weekend activities. Play catch, or tag around the back
yard or in the park. Make exercise fun, and something you enjoy as well. If you show that
you enjoy the exercise, they will to.
Fun Parks
In addition to having a fantastic time on all the rides, a day at the fun park such as Dream
World will require hours of continuous walking from ride to ride. Fond memories and great
for the whole family.
Ask and You Will Receive
Ask your kids what ‘they’ would like to do! More often than not there are influences from
school or from friends which has sparked some interest. Ask and you will be surprised.
Fun Activities at Home
Crab Soccer, tag, jump rope, Hide and Seek or set up a fun circuit for your kids and their
friends to do. Stair running, hoola hoops, hopscotch, skating, jumping jacks, balance drills,
frog jumps, arm circles and skipping ropes make for a fun and very effective workout!
Set up a Rewards System
Create a points system for exercise that encourages your kids to exercise regularly. Use
rewards such as trips to the movies, tickets to sporting events, new sporting equipment like
jump ropes, roller blades, exercise tubing. Never use food as a reward.

Daniel Remon is the founder and Managing Director of Fitcorp Asia, an innovative health,
fitness and performance company specializing in fitness for kids and healthy education
programs as well as personal training, fat loss, golf fitness and corporate health programs.
www.fitcorpasia.com Tel: 02 661 7900.

30 Dec 2011

RESISTANCE BAND TRAINING

Posted in Fitness | Leave a comment

		X Band Walks Targets: Glutes and postural muscles in upper body Instructions: Step on the resistance band, spread feet wide, bring the leading leg outward, walk sideways with small steps maintaining distance between the feet.
		High Pulls Targets: Shoulders and traps Instructions: Step on the resistance band, spread feet wide, pull the resistance band up towards the chin holding the band at the top position before lowering to straight arms in a controlled motion.
		Targets: Shoulders, triceps and core Instructions: Step on the resistance band (or sit down for a modified version), start with band held to shoulder level and press over head until arms are fully extended.
		Squats Targets: Quads, glutes, lower back Instructions: Step on the resistance band, spread feet wide, bend your knees to place the band behind the neck for added resistance to the squat. Initiate the movement by pushing hips back before bending knees and distribute your body weight towards the back portion of your foot. Stand straight up again by extending your knees and straightening your hips to a fully upright, standing position.
		Rows Targets: Back and biceps Instructions: Step on the resistance band (or sit down for a modified version), take a firm grip and create tension on the bands, bend your knees slightly and lean forward from the hip. Pull the band towards the navel (belly button) bringing the shoulder blades together and keeping the elbows close to your body when pulling.
		Lunge Press Targets: Shoulder, glutes, quads and core Instructions: Step out into a stationary lunge position and stand on the resistance band with the front foot. Hold the band with one hand and press the band vertically above your head.
		Triceps Kick-backs Targets: Triceps Instructions: Step on the resistance band, spread feet wide, taking a firm grip and creating tension on the bands, bend your knees slightly and lean forward from the hip. Pull the bands backwards by extending your elbows; avoid any motion in the arm besides the bending, “kick-back”-motion, of the elbow.
		Biceps Curls Targets: Biceps Instructions: Step on the resistance band, spread feet wide, taking a firm grip and creating tension on the bands, bend your elbows and curl the band up, avoiding any excessive motion in the arms besides bending of the elbow. Bring the band down again with control.
		Low to High Core Rotations Targets: Core (primarily oblique’s), shoulders Instructions: Stand on the resistance band with one foot, spreading feet wide. Grasp the band with straight arms with the arm that’s diagonally opposite to the band. Maintain arms as straight as possible, turning hip and shoulder girdle in a diagonal line up and away from the anchored foot. Bring hands back to the starting position while resisting the pull from the tension in the band.
		Standing Core Rotations Targets: Core (primarily oblique’s), shoulders Instructions: Anchor the band to a vertical pole or tree and position your feet in a wide stance. Grasp the band with straight arms; maintain arms as straight as possible, turning hip and shoulder girdle away from the anchor point, creating tension in the band from your core. Bring hands back to the starting position while resisting the pull from the tension in the band.
		Push Ups Targets: Chest, triceps, abdominals Instructions: To progress the pushups, wrap the band behind the upper back in a locked grip using the thumbs. Come into a pushup position and lower the chest towards the ground. At the bottom, push hands down towards the floor to raise chest up into a straight arm starting position.
		Standing Single Arm Boxing Press Targets: Chest, quads, glutes and core Instructions: Step out into a stationary lunge position and hold the band with one hand (opposite side from the leg) pressing the band away from the anchor point, reaching out with the extended hand as far as possible while creating rotation (torque) in the core. Resist the tension in the band on the way back to the starting position.
		Standing Single Arm Squat to Row Targets: Back, quads, glutes and biceps Instructions: Anchor the band to a vertical pole or tree and position your feet in a wide stance. Grasp the band with one arm, create tension in the band, bend your legs into a squat and simultaneously pull the band towards the chest, bringing elbow back and shoulder blades together.
		Hip PNF’s Targets: Hips, hamstrings Instructions: Lying down on your back, wrap the band around one ankle, raise the leg straight up to stretch hamstring. Let it fall to the outside to stretch the adductors, inner thighs, and let your leg come all the way back and across your body to target the outside of your hip, abductors. Be sure to perform this exercise under control.
		Seated Rows Targets: Back and biceps Instructions: From a seated position take a firm grip and create tension on the bands, bend your knees slightly and sit upright from the hip. Pull the band towards the navel (belly button), bring the shoulder blades together and keep the elbows close to your body when pulling.

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Kettlebells, kettlebells, kettlebells. Say it 12 times with a stone in your mouth and you’ll burn 8 kcal per hour! Seriously.

Swing it!

The Aspire Club, always on the lookout for effective weight management methods is presenting you a diet that will turn your world and your refrigerator upside down.

Refined is not fine

If you’re like me, you must spend an awful lot of time waiting for the customs officer to wake up, waiting for the conveyor belt to belch out your luggage, waiting for the hotel receptionist to process your credit card…

SIDE PLANK HOLD–FEET, LEFT SIDE

JUMP SQUATS

Fitness magazines and so-called fitness pundits love to flood their audience with the same old messages year after year.

Here’s a 30 minute workout built for explosiveness, cardio and strength. This type of functional training is what we love here at the Aspire Club. Now it’s for you to practice what we preach!

Most weekend warriors and froghair primadonnas outthere have something in common: they don’t exercise (clubhouse parties excluded).

Core stability

The biggest mistake most people make when they are trying to get into shape, is they want to do it all at once.

TOO MUCH TOO FAST

Whether it’s 4am or 4pm, the thousands of food stalls, restaurants and eateries of Bangkok are always ready to delight your palate with their never-ending list of exotic dishes.

Be a GI Joe

The chest is often a problem area for aspiring bodybuilders and beach showboaters alike. A symbol of masculinity and authority, the chest needs special attention if you really are to develop it fully. Here’s how…

Ditch the benchpress

Dumbbell flies

Decline press

Gandhi once said that ‘there’s no way to peace, peace is the way’. The same can also be said about success and what it takes to ‘make it’.

Despite all your efforts to avoid them, are processed food poisoning your shopping basket?

This one is for the ladies who envy Kim Kardashian’s gluteus maximus and who just don’t know how the heck she managed to get such a ‘well-rounded’ derrière.

Protein supplementation has been around for more than fifty years now. Back in the days, protein powder were tasting very bad, were hard on the stomach and had the texture of sand. Not the best post workout meal…

WHEY

Everybody has heard of the old saying ‘you are what you eat’. A study suggests that the more accurate version would be ‘you are what you ate as a baby.’

KETCHUP IS KING

Personal trainers are often given a bad rap because some of them consider the job a mere pastime and they don’t really understand that training people successfully requires more than a clipboard and a pair of sneakers.

What you should be looking for

Watching someone train with TRX ropes might remind you of your childhood, when you went to the circus to admire the performances of acrobats and high flying daredevils. TRX ropes are fun to watch, but are they purely for the show too?

OLD GYMS ARE OLD

Ah, the (in)famous legs! Either you’re born with them either you’re not… Although genetics tend to play a major role in the shape and available muscle mass your legs can boast, hard work and dedication will indeed alleviate the consequences of Mother Nature’s stingy gift.

Execution :

Intensity :

Execution:

Intensity:

HAMSTRINGS

Intensity:

Interval training is an extremely effective training form to increase running tempo, increase cardiovascular output, despite this it’s most certainly one of the most neglected forms of training.

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