Making Seattle healthier, one neighborhood at a time

Some of you know some of you don’t, that I have worked in Ballard as a fitness professional for over 7 ½ years now. Ballard has become my second home and I feel a part of this neighborhood just as much, if not more, than some of you living here. In the spirit of feeling neighborly I have come up with a challenge, a fitness challenge, for everyone in Ballard and the surrounding area. EDGE Personal Training is the creator, sponsor and administer of the first (of hopefully many) “Ballard Fitness Fest!”.  Generously, both “MyBallard” and “Ballard News Tribune” will be covering the event from start to finish. (Thanks Guys!)

The contest is simple;

• To enter, you must live or work in Ballard (or the surrounding area, i.e.: Queen Anne, Magnolia Crown Hill)
• Call EDGE Personal Training and set up an initial fitness assessment During the dates of February 22^nd and March 5^th. (The fitness assessment consists of a body composition test, circumference measurements and body weight)
• Kick your butt for 3 months and re-test between May 17^th and May 27^th

*The cost to enter is $10(+tax) however; once you are entered, you will receive 10% off of the regular price of all training sessions at EDGE!   

The judging is based on your own individual improvement on a percentage scale. For example, if someone weighing 200lbs. loses 20lbs of total body weight and someone weighing 130lbs. loses 13lbs. they each lost 10% of their beginning body weight. The same goes for body fat % and circumference measurements. Make sense?  This way everyone is comparable regardless of their begging fitness level.

Did I mention the prizes?!?

Grand Prize (Greatest overall improvement judged by EDGE Trainers):

• $250 gift card to A Ballard Business of their choice
• 3 Free training sessions ($225 value)
• Featured on My Ballard (Hopefully) in the Ballard News Tribune (speaking with them about running this as well) and on Our EDGE Site and blog
• EDGE T-Shirt

First Prize:

• $100 Gift Card to a Ballard Business of their choice
• Named on all websites mentioned
• EDGE T-Shirt

Second Prize:

• $50 Gift Card to a Ballard Business of their choice
• Named on all websites mentioned
• EDGE T-shirt

Third Prize:

• $25 Gift Card to a Ballard Business of their choice
• Named on all websites mentioned
• EDGE T-Shirt

There you have it folks. $10 for 10% off at EDGE, a chance to get in better shape for the summer and a chance to win some great prizes. What could be cooler than that? A giant “Thank you” to everyone who has supported myself, as well as EDGE over the years. Hopefully this is a great way to start giving back!

Have a great day and an even better week! 

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

Working out makes you smarter!

Finally! Validation for my self-proclaimed genius! According to newly printed research from December’s “proceedings in the national academy of sciences” (it’s a Swedish study…go with it) daily aerobic activity makes you smarter. OK, so the workouts themselves didn’t make people smarter but the benefits from the exercising did.  So what they did was study 15-18 year old males in high school and then continued the study on after the initial results were recorded. Here is what they found!

The males who worked out on a consistent basis (4+ times a week for a minimum of 20 minutes) were having higher test scores, in all subjects, than there non-exercising classmates of an average of 15%. That’s a whole letter grade or more! (scary to think what my GPA would have been if I wasn’t active as a teen…) After using their own intelligence to discover the reasoning behind exercise and brain function the Swedish researchers concluded that the increased blood flow throughout the body was allowing the brain to function at a higher level. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients throughout the body so having an increase of blood flow upstairs makes perfect sense for improving brain function. As the study evolved they started using military age (18-30) individuals for the research. This new studies had a wide range of “subjects” including over 3,000 sets of identical twins. Identical twins are essentially carbon-copies of the same person. The reason this is great for scientific studies since the twins are “exact” physical replicas of each other the results are more definitive if they are opposite in their activity. The new research furthered their original findings of the physically fit being “smarter” than their lazy counterparts. (this must have made for some very one-sided, yet entertaining, family debates over the holidays…) Not only did the increase of brain function make the active subjects smarter, it improved their overall cognitive ability up to 20% greater than those who didn’t work out. With the subject’s newfound super –brains researchers found that the subject’s ability to mentally focus increased, allowing their ability to handle stress and decision making to also increase. As an added bonus, mostly all of them had higher socio-economic lives than there non-fit adversaries. Healthy and “rich” lives…what better endorsement could I give?!

So, there you have it. My self-proclaimed genius is now a fact and not a running joke, working out is great for both body and mind and the better shape you are in the more money you can make…pretty sweet if you ask me! Have a great week and an even better weekend folks!

Oh, so I solicited reviews and had many people ask on how to do it…so here are the links!

For citysearch (I prefer this one!) go to the following http://seattle.citysearch.com then in the “search” part type in EDGE personal training and I should pop right up. You have to sign-up with a username and password but I assure you they don’t send you crap!

For google just type in EDGE personal training and I’m the one in Seattle, (duh) there are also ones in Australia and SoCal  so don’t review them please! You have to have a gmail account to do the reviews on here too so keep that in mind.

Regardless of what you choose, be honest! Thank you in advance!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

New Year resolutions…keep ‘em!

Tomorrow will be exactly 3 weeks from the start of the New Year. Some of you made a deal with yourself to work your ass off in 2010 and have been in the gym almost every day since the first. I bet your butt is still there, right? Well these things take time, not three weeks! Here are some tips for you to keep kicking ass and taking names without feeling like you’re running and running without getting anywhere. (unless you prefer the treadmill)

• Practice patience!- As I mentioned above, changes don’t happen overnight. Your body goes through adaptation phases when something new is introduced regardless of what it is (climate, altitude, your significant other’s friends, etc.) In the first 4-6 weeks a lot of the changes that you will have going on are internal. I’ll spare you the major science explanation but your energy goes up, motor control and dexterity increase, endurance and strength increase, etc. After your body becomes acclimated to the new life you are leading you will start to see the actual external changes. (losing weight, clothes fitting) so you won’t be able to really notice a significant difference in yourself until March or so. I know it sucks but now at least you know!
• Buddy system- Going to the gym with a friend can put a whole new perspective on things as well as hold you accountable. If you are “above” your friend in the fitness category than don’t do the whole workout with them. Pace them out but don’t hold yourself back. Neither of you benefits as much as you should when this happens. You might also become more consistent with your workouts if you have someone there with you too.
• Hire a trainer- Duh
• Fun time!- Do something you like to get in shape, not something you hate. Simple enough. If you hate running, don’t do it. Try something like a class, a different machine (elliptical, bike) hike. If you hate weights, do bands, (exercise, not rock. You burn calories but carry a negative stigma…) weight based classes, Pilates, etc. There are many forms of exercise than just sets, reps and timed cardio. Find what works best for you and go for it!
• Set a goal- I’m not a huge fan of goal setting because falling short discourages and we can’t predict the future. I set a goal of having a butt kicking chest and back workout today and to take my time doing it. Well, I procrastinated on doing my year end paperwork, had a drop in and I am now finishing the blog before I get to work out at a pace that would hospitalize most before my next client. I digress, set something semi-general and attainable. Buy an article of clothing that is just a bit too tight but not bad. Work your tail off until you fit into it. Buy a mini-vacation or plan a trip somewhere sunny and get in shape for that. Got a wedding coming up? Use it. Reunion? Use that.
• Hire and EDGE trainer- once again, duh
• Make your routine, “routine”- Set aside a little time each day for you to o something, anything that constitutes of exercise. Even if you walk 20 blocks in a half an hour it gets you up and out doing something healthy and becomes habitual. The little things add up, just ask your belly. You didn’t wake up one morning with body fat you just happened to notice it that day!

Short and sweet folks, I have a workout to do! Have a great week and an even better weekend!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

You might need a personal trainer if…

This is my own fitness version of Jeff Foxworthy’s  “You might be a redneck if…”. There are plenty of one liners I had to throw out but I think you’ll still be impressed with this collection. Here we go!

• You might need a trainer if your idea of going for a walk involves either the fridge or the bathroom
• You might need a trainer if someone says “hey, wait” and you answer with a number
• You might need a trainer if you immediately justify eating a candy bar “because of the protein”
• You might need a trainer if you realize that small objects in the room are orbiting you
• You might need a trainer if getting dressed in the morning makes you winded
• You might need a trainer if all of the pants you wear have elastic waists…and you’re not pregnant
• You might need a trainer if your idea of flexibility is being able to adjust your schedule freely
• You might need a trainer if when someone asks how good your “cardio” is and you respond “well it has a cd player and an ipod input”
• You might need a trainer if you become tired watching other people perform physical activity
• You might need a trainer if stairs scare you and you’re under the age of 80
• You might need a trainer if you have thrown out your back more frequently in the last month than you have thrown out the garbage
• You might need a trainer if you think an “incline curl” is drinking in a recliner
• You might need a trainer if when you fall forward  you bounce
• You might need a trainer if “lifting weight” is standing up
• You might need a trainer if you think you hear your shoes scream when they see you
• You might need a trainer if you think “yoga” was the little green guy  in “Star Wars”
• You might need a trainer if you need 2 towels to dry off after the shower and you don’t have long hair
• You might need a trainer if your idea of “stretching” is an unattainable goal
• You might need a trainer if you watch “The Biggest Loser” and think you might be able to be a contestant
• You might need a trainer if you have purchased more than two pieces of fitness equipment over the phone…after 1am
• You might need a trainer if your idea of a crunch is a loud bite
• You might need a trainer if you have identified with more than 5 of these bullet points! Come see me!

There you have it folks! A little light humor to get you through the week. Tell your friends and pass it along. Also, I am soliciting for reviews on-line right now. (Shameless, I know). If you haven’t done so already, please to go to either Google or Citysearch and look me up and submit an HONEST review. It really helps me out both in recruiting new clients as well as hearing from you, the client. I appreciate anything you could write and it only takes a few seconds out of your day. Have a great week, an even better weekend and thank you all so much!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

Chick flicks and their workout parallels

People use movies to escape reality and go to a dream land where everything magically works out.  In my opinion there are two main types of movies where things always work out, “chick flicks” and “feel good” movies.  “Chick flicks” are ridiculous plots with unbelievable endings where everything somehow works out and typically have a lot of emotional heart-string tugging moments. “Feel good” movies sometimes have ridiculous plots where someone starts with nothing and, through hard work and dedication to their dream; they are able to achieve their pinnacle. In regards to workouts, apparently more people are watching “chick flicks” than “feel good” movies…

I love movies but I am too literal. I know I’m watching fiction and I can’t really get swept into the unrealistic aspect of it. Things don’t always magically come together, fate doesn’t rule the world and it’s not always puppies and world peace. If it was, we probably wouldn’t have movies to watch that have those qualities because it would be boring, ridiculously happy everyday life. (which reality has become a staple on TV recently which I also don’t understand. That’s another topic however) I am going to use three “chick flicks” to accentuate my point here and give a rebuttal with some “feel good” films on the way expectations should be. The following movie plots mirror a few absolutely ridiculous expectations of what some people believe their workouts should work for them.

• The “Dirty Dancing” method-  This one is more of an “aspect” of the movie that parallels a workout style. Jennifer Grey (Baby) totally “rebels” against her parents by hooking up with a “tough guy” on a family summer vacation. By the way, the black-clothed villain of a classically trained ballet dancer (God rest his soul) is the tough guy. He’s a ballet dancer in black clothes people, not scary. (I would have been more upset  at my daughter strictly because the guy is about 15 years older than my daughter) People put this façade on their workouts. Just because they seem tough does not mean they really are. Now “Die Hard” is a tough movie! Walking on broken glass (not the song but it’s now totally stuck in your head) popping his own shoulder back into place…that’s tough. To know if your workouts are “Die Hard” tough you should be wiped out when you are finished. Not happy and in love, dead bad-guy tired.

 

• The “Serendipity” method- This movie is completely and totally for the non-sensical. It’s about a guy and girl (who are both in involved relationships) that meet while attempting to buy a pair of gloves at a store. While attempting to buy the same pair they meet, become awestruck, go to ice cream (in winter? weird…) at Serendipity3 (stupid name for an ice cream shop too) and then part. Upon parting they both leave something at the shop only to return minutes later to see each other again. Somehow, taking this as fate and not forgetfulness, they decide to go out on the town together. (What!?) As their magical night ends they go to say goodbye, guy hits on girl, girl refuses and says if their supposed to be together fate will take over. I’ll sign a book and you sign a $5 dollar bill and if we find these items in the future, we’re meant to be. ARE YOU F*ING KIDDING ME?! There is 90 minutes of this crap and the ending is even more unbelievable. (John Cusak is the most confusing actor. Some great roles and some BS ones like this) How does this compare to workouts? Some people actually think if they do some activity here and there and time passes that the pounds will just come off somehow.  If it worked that way I would have been out of a job years ago and we’d all be skinny. As I’ve said many, many times, workouts only  work if you do. It takes time, a comfortable level of discomfort and dedication. Not magical gloves and ice cream in winter.

 

• Lastly, The “Pretty Woman” method- Now after every woman just said “oh, I love that movie!” get prepared for me to rip this method, and movie, to pieces. Second to “Emma” (long story, ask if you want to know) this is my number 1 most disliked movie of all time. Not just chick flick, movie. In guy terms, this is the plot; Lonely rich guy on a business trip trolls for a HOOKER. Finds hooker, uses hooker for what hookers are used for. Falls for hooker. Brings hooker around to dinner and social events. Hooker makes him realize he is a sleaze-ball lawyer only out for money and cheap thrills (hence the hooker)  and he sees the error of his ways. Argument between hooker and lawyer and hooker leaves. Lawyer feels bad, climbs hooker’s fire escape with a flower. Hooker takes him back,  they live happily ever after. Oh, this all happened in ONE WEEK.  This method is called “The most unrealistic and unfathomable workout routine ever”. These are the people who want to lose 20lbs. in a few weeks, prepare for and run a triathlon in a month or bench press 300+ pounds when they have never done over 135. Stupid…stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

For a “Feel good” rebuttal I give you the following;  We all have the ability to achieve greatness. Whether you were born with an exceptional ability and need to be pushed  to tap into it like “Good Will Hunting” or need to be given an chance like “The Blind Side” you’ll need to be consistently repetitive like “Groundhog Day” and have the patience of Tim Robbins in “The Shawshank Redemption”.  Then, you will reach your goal.

I know, I’m weird. Have a great week folks and an even better weekend! Happy New Year!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

New Year resolutions for the EDGE blog

Well it’s that time of year again. Tomorrow will be filled with yearly review lists, Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will rule the television, and cheap champagne will fly off of the shelves and into your stomachs. As for the first, everyone that had the cheap champagne will have a massive hangover and reflect on the last 2 weeks of the holidays. Once they realize they have done nothing but eat crap and drank booze they want to change their life and start the new year off with a clean slate. Ah, the never finished, frequently attempted New Year resolution. If there is one thing I really don’t miss from working in gyms it’s the new year’s rush. Everyone is a workout warrior for 2 1/2 months and there isn’t a piece of equipment in the place without a pained, sweaty new year resolutioner on it. (you’d have to wait until all of them would call each other and quit on the same day sometime in the middle of March) Along with improving one’s health, there are many resolutions that are attempted each year (some over and over again) to little or no avail. This year, I would like to try to join these futile fighters of bad habits and set some of my own resolutions. (for the blog, not myself, of course…) Here they are in no particular order!

• Better grammar- This has been a point of contention from many of you. Not many of you know this but I was an English major prior to becoming a quasi-fitness guru. In class one day, I realized that english involved reading books and that I can’ sit still. This probably wasn’t a good pick for my future. Since it has been over 10 years since my literal genius training, I have lost a step or two and I realize this. I will try to do better. Truth is, I just don’t care that much and I don’t get graded on it anymore. As I always told my professors…”as long as the content is rich nad the story engaging, why do you care about a few spelling errors?” Unfortunately, that was a huge part of being an English Major…
• Taking more requests- This one involves you guys too. I would like to answer your questions once a month in an informational (yet entertaining) fashion. Belive it or not, sometimes I have a hard time thinking of blog topics and my creativity will only go so far. So, if you have a question that is killing you…ask. If it is or isn’t fitness related I will do my best to answer. This could be leaving myself open for some pretty odd stories but I am willing to try it.
• Continue with the Wednesdays- I have posted a blog every Wednesday since last May come rain or shine. Even if you miss the e-mail you still know that it will be out on Wednesday and it will be a fun read. I plan on keeping this going as long as I can and as long as you keep reading! consistency is key,  just like your workouts…

 Short and sweet folks, just a little fyi for the coming year. Thank you all who have read, forwarded, laughed with or laughed at the blog this year. This is actually a giant highlight of my week and I really appreciate the fact that most of you like it! When I was an English major my main goal was to be an opinion writer for a paper so I could have a platform when I think people are nuts, lazy, annoying, etc. and get paid to bitch about it. The blog allows me to fulfil this dream and educate people on my life’s passion. For reading and giving positive feedback, I thank you.

Have a great week, a wonderful weekend and a fantastic New Year! Stay safe out there and I look forward to a great 2010!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

Apparently, Santa makes us fat

So, some knuckleheads in Australia have come up with a theory that Santa is a bad role model for children. His “jolly” build, affinity for cookies and late night snacking apparently makes kids think that is ok to do the same because he is seen as a role model. It has nothing to do with all of the cookies, candy, drinking (not the kiddies, hopefully) and sitting that makes people fat…it’s Santa’s fault! This is just another prime example of people not wanting to accept responsibility for themselves. I loved leaving Santa cookies and milk as a kid. It was just as fun to see the note he left behind thanking us as it was to see all of the presents under the tree. How the hell do you blame one of the happiest people to ever exist? Better yet, why he he now on the “naughty” list of people we want to pass blame to? I’m not fat and I loved Santa. Even if I was overweight it sure as hell wouldn’t be Santa’s fault, especially since he only shows up once a year! Does this make elves a superior race immune to Santa’s charm? I’ve never seen a fat elf and they are with him all year round.

Why do we always pass the buck when it comes to problems instead of accepting personal responsibility? I know this has been a topic in this blog before but throwing Santa, SANTA, under the bus?! That’s saying that movies and video games make kids violent. What did we say in the 70’s? Video games consisted of Atari and 8-bit graphics and I never heard of an “asteroids” related beating. Kids have been overweight since the beginning of time just not this many t once. Kids have gotten into fights, stabbed people, been in gangs for many, many years. Why do we choose to blame things other than the kids and families they grow up in? I don’t want this to turn into a nature/nurture debate but c’mon, Santa Claus? Did we blame Chubby Checker in the 50’s? What about Babe Ruth in the 20’s? Og back in paleolithic times? I assure you that none of them have ever made anyone fat in their lives and never will. (however, if I could play ball like Ruth I’d put on the lbs starting today!)

With all of this said, go and enjoy the hell out of your holidays this year. Eat, drink and be merry…all while blaming it on Santa. Guilt free courtesy of the North Pole! Have a great week, a better weekend and a fantastic holiday season!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

Reduce your holiday stress before you kill someone

As I have stated and written many, many times before I love this time of year. The only thing that drives me absolutely insane around this time of year is the unbelievably horrible holiday help at stores. They don’t know where anything is, they have no idea what items you’re actually asking about because they don’t care. I actually had one person tell me this morning “Sir,  I’m only here for another week, I don’t know where the item you’re looking for is and I don’t really want to go look for it.” If it wasn’t a woman I probably would have beat the shi*t out of them right then and there. I have no patience for lazy people as is, couple that with people who have no personal integrity or care to accept responsibility…man! The reason I’m telling you is that I take almost every stress-reducing measure, I love this time of year and I still almost beat up a girl today. Here are some helpful hints for you to avoid a mini-meltdown of your own (and jail) this holiday season!

• Get some sleep- One of the worst things with the lack of sleep (or just being exhausted) is how cranky you can become. Sleep will also help with keeping cortisol levels down (fat building hormones) as well as energy up. Can’t go wrong with that!
• Food, food, food!- I’m talking good food here, not all of the cookies and candy that’s out there right now. Now I’m not saying to avoid cookies (God forbid) just don’t rely on them for your only food source. By keeping yourself consistently fueled with good food and not going on sugar binges, your mood will be even as well. Sugar crashes not only drain you of energy (see above) the sugar also negatively affects your waistline.
• Exercise- Duh, it’s a fitness blog people, of course I’m going to advocate working out. In my opinion, the stress reduction powers of daily exercise is astounding. Not only do you get all of the overall benefits of greater sleep, higher energy and all of the other hissy-fit reducers, you get to throw around some weight or burn off some calories instead of actually throttling a stupid sales girl at Fred Meyer.

Just a quick one today folks, so little time and so much to do! Have a great week and an even better weekend!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

Compare yourself only to yourself

So I watched the “Biggest Loser” finale last night. We all know how much I loathe the biggest loser and the trainers on there, however I enjoy watching the transformations those people make and the new lease on life it gives them. Seeing those transformations is amazing, even for someone who does this professionally. The only problem is that too many people, clients or otherwise, compare themselves to these people and wonder why their results aren’t even half as dramatic. 2 main reasons, you’re not in a controlled environment with 6+ hours of exercise a day with a perfect diet made for you, nor are you a contestant.

What I mean about not being a contestant is that you aren’t someone with 55%, or more, of body fat. You aren’t going to  lose 10+lbs a week because you don’t have that much to lose and still be healthy. One of the biggest mistakes I see clients make is the comparison of themself to others. Why do we do this? It varies for each and every person but we want to achieve someone else’s look, financial security, family life, spouse, car, etc. and then scrutinize ourselves when we don’t have it as opposed to trying to achieve our own pinnacle. I have a lot of people who come in and say they want other people’s body parts as their own. “I would like Angela Bassett’s arms, Jennifer Aniston’s waistline, J-Lo’s butt, Heidi Klum’s legs”, etc. First off, you’d look funny with all of their attributes on one person. The reason those people have envied features is because it’s their feature and it works with what they have. J-Lo has an amazing butt, but I would look absolutely ridiculous with it. If  I had her butt and she had mine, neither would be in high demand. Rarely does someone come in and say that they want the best arms their body can have, the best butt that they can have, the best legs possible for themselves, they just want someone elses. Plus, all of the actors and actresses that have these assets didn’t pop out of the womb with in-demand features. They had to work at them too. Maybe not as hard as you and I have but they don’t just look like that from day 1.

Commercials prey on this human nature. I was sent a video about these shoes that shape and tone your legs and butt while you wear them 15% more than conventional walking shoes. The woman in the commercial explaining all of this has a fantastic lower half but I’m going to guess it didn’t happen from wearing those shoes (since they just came out). I’m also willing to bet that the shoes don’t do a damn thing for your legs on their own. THEY ARE SHOES. INANIMATE OBJECTS THAT ONLY WORK WHEN USED. Put the shoes on and walk and magically you have firmer legs. Wait a minute, put on athletic shoes…walk more distance than normal…and you get in better shape?! Why has nobody came up with this brilliant idea before!? Why do you think they have fitness models? If I saw a video and some regular Joe was using home gym equipment (since that’s who’s going to buy it) huffing and puffing, sweating like crazy and using the lowest weight it would look like your own personal hell…not an easy sell. But you trade regular Joe for Joe six-pack and have him effortlessly move the heavy weights around with ease, all with his shirt off, and watch the equipment fly out the door. “He looks like that, so can I…”

Main theme here is worry about yourself and not others. “Rule number one, I’m number one”.  Don’t watch someone and want what they have, want the best that you can have. The quicker you are able to understand yourself, the easier your process will become! Now get out there and good luck!

**FINAL REMINDER!!!**

EDGE’S Holiday Bash is happening this Friday the 11th from 6-9. The raffle will have EDGE T-shirts, Kiss Cafe,  Best Buy and Nordstrom’s gift cards as well as a personal training prize package! There will be plenty of appetizers, wine and beer for adults (or those with good fake id’s) and non-alcoholic options as well. Tell your family and friends, bring grandma and anyone else you can think of! I hope to see you all here!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net

The Greatest Holiday Workout Ever…period.

It’s Christmas time! (or Channukah, Kwanza, whatever you celebrate) I absolutely love this time of year and always will. I especially enjoy Christmas music but only the ones sung by the classics. For example; Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, the chipmunks, etc. (Ask my wife, I whistle Christmas tunes all year long!) My absolute, all time favorite however, is Mr. Nat King Cole. This is why I have devised a workout routine to coencide with his holiday album, “The Christmas Song” The exercises fit within the songs themselves and the entire album has just 30 minutes and 39 seconds. These 30 minutes can , and will, make your holiday workouts that much easier. Here we go!

• The first part is 16 seconds of Nat telling you how special this time of year is. This is where you just mentally psyche yourself up for a helluva holiday workout
• The first song is an original NKC classic, “The Christmas song” 3:11- For this first song I want you to do push-ups for the first 1:20 of the song, then transition to squats for the rest of the song. During each rep time out your rep by rythmically chanting (quietly, don’t disrespect Nat) “tiny…tots…all…aglow…”
• Track 3 (second song) is ”Deck the Halls” 1:09- Here you get to take a break. It’s only a minute song and this way you can sing “fa-la-la-la-laaaaaa, la-la-la-laaaa” along with Nat and feel like a backup singer (if you have ever thought of being one for Nat…don’t make fun of my dreams)
• Song 3 is “O Come All ye Faithful” 2:20- A little slower song, but still great for dumbbell rows. Do each arm evenly during this one (1:10 ea.) and get ready for some more squats!
• Next up is “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” 1:28- Squats! 1 minute of butt-burning squats is up for this holiday classic followed by 28 seconds of well deserved rest.
• 5 is Nat’s german stylings of  ”O Tannenbaum” (which translated from german means “fir tree” typically used to describe a Christmas tree. Go impress your friends with that one, free of charge) 3:02- In honor of the East German women’s swimming team that smoked everyone in the ‘76 Olympics bygoing so fast…so will you for this song. I want to see push-ups for the first minute and then quickly transition back in to the 1 arm dumbbell rows for the last 2 minutes without stopping. Do each arm equally, of course, then ladies go shave…wait, what?
• “O Little Town of Bethlehem” is song number 6, lasting 2:21- Take a break for the first minute of this one and then jump right into your last 1:21 of squats. It’s a little slower once again so take your time since we’re about to get into the “jock jams” of this Christmas album!
• “I Saw Three Ships” 1:28- How do you not get pumped listening to this song?! Alternating lunges for the whole song! “I saw three ships come sailing in on Christmas day, on Christmas day” Man!
• The next track is for leg stretching only…”O Holy Night” 2:58- Catch your breath, give a little stretching to your now tired legs. This is just the calm before the storm…
• Bam! Right back to the up-tempo! “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” 1:51- If “I Saw Three Ships” didn’t get your corn-cob pipe blowing this song will do the trick! Shoulder press is perfect for a song that makes you move, do it fo rthe entire song switching to lateral raise if need be. You’ll get a break next so no wussing out!
• Track 13 is “A Cradle in Bethlehem” 3:27- Relax for the 1:27 of this mystical melody. We’re in the home stretch here and this is the last slow song so you need to get prepared. Curls are on tap for the last 2 minutes of this one so move those arms so the don’t move like a bowlful of jelly. (strictly using holiday euphamisms folks, not name calling. That’s for reindeer)
• “Away in the Manger” is up next at 2:01- Ok so I lied, this is pretty slow too but it works well with the tricep extensions you’re about to do. Go slow and controlled and finish up tough since you’ll have nothing but abs left!
• Perfect timing! “Joy to the World” is the “Momma said Knock You Out” of the holiday music scene- This 1:25 of adrenaline pumping audio pleasure is custom made for a plank. Pop down and get to work for as long as you can. If you stop, keep getting back up there until it’s over!
• Second to last on the disc is “The First Noel” 1:58. I actually have a pretty funny story about N-O-E-L if anyone wouldl ike to hear it. This  isn’t the forum…- Rest, lay there and think about how great Nat’s voice is while gearing up for the last exercise you have to do.
• “Caroling, Caroling” is the grand finale!- Coming in at 2:03…I want crunches, all types, all angles, all the time. The whole 2 minutes is abs killikg caroling folks!

AFter all the weights are done, find a copy of “The 12 days of Christmas” and listen to it 3 time during your cardio. (I think that makes it 45 minutes…)

There was a post last week, however I was having trouble with my e-mail while on vacation (yes, I even write these on vacation!) A little Turkey day enetertainment for ya…check it out! Also, don’t forget about the EDGE Holiday part the 11th from 6-9pm! There will be prizes, a raffle, gift cards, free food and drink, what more could you want?! Friends and family encouraged! (Also, there is the possiblity of seeing me in real person clothes. It will be like a one animal zoo…)

Have a great week folks and an even better weekend!

Erik Hroncich, NSCA-CPT

www.edgepersonaltraining.net