The Adler Blog

Yesterday was a great day in the gym, the owner got us a new toy: 150 lbs (70 kg) dumbbells! How is that for motivation? I can not wait to throw them around for a set of incline bench!
It also makes for a great blog topic, about the importance of setting a goal. Here at Adlertraining, we approach lifting and getting in shape like a business, meaning we have monthly and quarterly goals. These can range from squatting an extra 15 lbs or losing 2 lbs of fat, just to give you an idea.
Most people join the gym with idea “to get in shape” or “lose a few pounds”. This approach will not get you anywhere (if you need proof, just look around you in your local gym). You will need to draw up a plan with your 6 month goal and then break it down into smaller portions, I would recommend 2 week phases.
Every 2 weeks, you take inventory, which could mean you weigh yourself, test your strength or have a friend take pictures of you in the same light all the time. This will enable you to determine if you are really making progress or if you are”just going to the gym.” If you are not getting were you wnat to be , you will need to change something, such as eat more protein (tracking it with shapeupclub, of course), try to sleep an extra hour or go for a different range of repetitions.
Don’t be afraid to start now, as Ivan Turgenev said: ” If we wait for everything, everything to be absolutely ready, we will never begin.”
Until next time,
Scott and Maik

Congratulations, you made a decision towards a better body, got yourself enrolled into ShapeUp Club, as well as your local gym. You are highly motivated, counting calories, hitting the stepper 3 times per week, so the magic should happen, right?

Well, sort of. In the beginning, anyone will have success because you are adding exercise and a healthier diet to your life style. But after a few weeks, most people will also hit a plateau from where not much progress is made.

So, in other words: what is the most efficient way to get in shape? The answer might surprise you…total-body weight-workouts.

“Training with weights for fat loss?!!! That’s absurd, since cardio burns fat and weight training builds muscle!!!”

Not so fast – any form of training causes energy to be lost while performing the activity. Weight training and cardio burn approximately the same amount of calories per hour but weight training has one enormous advantage: it elevates your metabolism to the tune of approximately 200-500 calories (depending on your size) for another 24 to 48 hours after the session end. On the other hand, studies suggest that the calorie-burning effect of cardio stops the moment you step off the bike. In conclusion, if you perform 3 weight sessions a week, this will give you an extra 600-1,500 calories you drop. Not too shabby, right?
In addition, only weight training can truly reshape your body since cardio doesn’t build any muscle.
Here is my advice: as a beginner, you should pick one exercise for the legs (squats or leg press), one for the back (rows or pull ups) and one for the chest (bench or dips) and perform 4 sets of each. This would be a typical lay out for a beginner at Adler Training.
Make sure you increase the weights by 5% per week to continue challenging your body. As Arnold said:” If you lift weights like grandma, you will have muscle like grandma.”
Now, this statement probably should be revisited, since there are are some extremely fit and strong grand mothers out there, but you get the point: progression is key!
Yours in sport,
Scott and MaikLunges

So while Apple is taking its time with approval of the 2.0 version and everyone is getting antsy, we figured it might be a good idea to post a little distraction in the meantime.

Amongst dieters, abs are a huge concern. Abs are everywhere, billboards, TV spots, you name it. They are very visible, since they connect your upper with your lower body. Having good abs indicates your leanness and makes you sexier (or so the media says).

So how do you get those priced abs? Crunches? Creams? Sit-ups? Cardio? All of the above?

I am sorry but it is none of the above. Having great abs is 80% diet and training your big muscle groups such as legs, back and the chest.

” But why?: you ask. The fat is on my belly, not on my legs!” You need to think of fat as stored fuel that you have to burn. You are giving two tools, a lawn mower and a F-16 fighter plane. Both have combustible engines but which one will burn more fuel? The plane, of course. The plane are your squats, rows, bench press etc. In short, all multi-joint exercises, which burn the most energy. At Adler Training, we do very little direct ab-work – maybe twice a month – but we perform plenty of heavy movements and monitor our diets very closely.

If you still want an ab routine try the following:
3×20 knee raises
3×15 knee ups super slow supersetted with crunches on the floor.

And for the rest, use your ShapeUp Club wisely!
Scott and Maik
P.S.: With the new blog lay out, we can now post videos so if you have any suggestions as what you would like to see be it exercises techniques or food choices, we will be happy to help!

Hey,
How is everyone? We are sweating out in the sweltering NYC August heat, but it’s ok; it will be cold soon enough.

Today’s blog topic will cover how to combine a disciplined diet with a hectic lifestyle. Obviously, the average Shapeupclub user has made a commitment to improve his eating, and has a pretty good grasp on macro nutrients and caloric intake. Yet, most people don’t fail in their diets not because of lack of knowledge, but lack of planning.

Anyone, who has every picked up a Tom Clancy novel, knows the 5 P’s of the FBI. Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance.The same goes for your physique. You need to plan for shopping, cooking and packing. Make sure your fridge and cupboards are full with chicken, beef, fish, greens, rice, oats, and nuts. Once you get hungry, whatever you have at home is your first line of defense. You can only eat what is there, unless you order pizza. Plan for two cooking days a week, where you grill your chicken, bake the potatoes and maybe make some Gazpacho now that it is summer. Lastly, store your meals in ready-to-eat portions in the fridge.

Scott and I start our days around 5:30-6AM and the last thing we want to do then is think and cook. This may sound tedious and boring but it is worth the trouble. Once you make your diet your priority, the results will be so motivating that it becomes easier by the week.

Stay focused and you will achieve your goals quicker than you imagine!
Maik and Scott

Hello everyone,

We would like to introduce ourselves and our blog to all ShapeUp Club users. The team consists of Scott and myself, Maik. We are both competitive natural bodybuilders in NYC. In real life, Scott is a radiologist, whereas I work as a full time personal trainer, representing my own company, Adler Training.

Scott has been successfully using ShapeUpClub.com services for the past year, while preparing to compete into his first natural bodybuilding show. As Scott’s coach, I designed his workout and nutritional plans, but he had to execute them on his own.

Living the busy NYC life style, even with the best intentions it is extremely easy to lose track of the calorie intake. Studies have shown that most people underestimate their daily caloric intake by as much as 50 %! This is exactly where ShapeUp Club comes in as an easy-to -use mobile application, and the new online integration brings much added benefits.
Last year, it allowed Scott to stay focused and achieve his targets. His weight went from 170 lbs (77kg) to a very, very lean 148 lbs (67kg) at a height of 168 cm.  With a rigorous training schedule and a ShapeUp Club-controlled diet, he ended up winning his class.

Over the next weeks and months, Scott and I will blog about our training, our experience with ShapeUp and how it integrates into our nutrition and training programs, as well as our overall goals.

With each entry, we will try to explain what we are doing, why we do it, and how we change our diets in order to achieve our goals. We will also be adding photos from our workouts, so you can follow our development.
We hope you will enjoy it, and are looking forward to your feedback!

Scott and Maik