Irony: Charities And Fast Food Strange Bed Fellows

Why Getting Up Is So Important

Previously I wrote an extensive post about why Getting Up is the most important aspect of training. More recently I gave a Self Defense Clinic to our clients about why "getting up" is the most important aspect of self defense. In a recent UFC fight between Champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen, there was a moment in the fight where the everything changed, here's why:

This is why getting up is such an important aspect to real life skill sets. Not just in self defense, but the most common problem people have when they get injured, are tired, get old, is getting up and laying down. This should be the most natural of acts. We will cover more aspects of this at our next Free Self Defense Clinic.

Getting Taller Through Exercise

Had a client tell us that he measured an inch taller at the doctor's office after the postural work we did. That's what I call success!

Bacon Covered Dates Stuffed With Walnuts

Happy Friday

Girl Fights Lupus And Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Through diet and lifestyle!

She's 86. Just Saying...

We Grow Most When We Make Mistakes

All the times I have grown as a trainer, wasn't when I did something really well, or someone was telling me how grateful they were. It's quite the opposite. It's every time I have done something wrong that I have grown the most as a trainer. All the things we get applauded for are things we did because of things we have learned and grown from. Today was a day I learned that I am not perfect but I am growing from it. We are very organic and the concepts and programming are always evolving based on new information and client experience. We can't keep all clients but when a client tells us why they are leaving, its that one last lesson they teach to us before they leave. It's always better to know why someone left than not know at all, to improve future performance.

This time I was the one grateful, and learned so much more about what it's like to be a client and know what their perceptions are. 

I could be a fool and say they were wrong, and not change anything. Or I can take this and make immediate improvements which I plan to. And changes you make to make one client happy could upset another client. You have to find an efficient balance. 

At the end of the day though things can't be tracked by perfection. Things can only be tracked by progress. I hope to be tracked by my ability to improve, not how close to perfect I am.

I appreciate every one of my clients and have learned from them all. The ones who are happy, I love them but they are already happy. The ones that are not have been great teachers and an inspiration.

Be cool and stay positive,

Coach Sam

Communication, Awareness, And Health

After previously posting about how one of our clients got PCOS, 2 more clients opened up to me about it. They knew very little about it which surprised me, their doctors didn't really explain it to them. Incredible. Because of that, they didn't think it was worth mentioning during their initial interview, they had forgotten about it. But now that we are all more aware and more vigilant, both are going to read more about, and one is going to a new doctor to make sure her PCOS has not gotten worse. Possible future crisis averted.

We Are A Village

When people come to us, it's hard to explain who we are and what we do. Yes its personal training but its more than that. We are coaches so it's much more involved than personal training, but each client has a say in how All Out Effort is run. And in return whenever we make a decision, we run it by the clients first. Everyone trains separately but we all keep in contact and stay in touch through emails, our Facebook group, and most importantly our events and free workout days. We see each other all the time, which builds community and accountability. The clients constantly encourage each other or pick each other up when they feel like they have fallen.

I like to say, WE ARE A VILLAGE. We are as strong as our members and we have a lot of resources.

So when one of our own got diagnosed with an illness today, we all rallied. I had a hunch something was wrong with her based on some screens, and insisted she see a doctor. Smart cookie that she was, she was already planning on going to one. So I urged her and she did. After they brought her back 3 times, they diagnosed her. She had Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). I told her first of all, don't get emo.

One of my other clients came to me a while back DUE to the fact she had PCOS. So I had already done a lot of research and found a lot of good inspiring info which I forwarded to her immediately. Then I contacted my other client and she of course was willing to help out and guide her on what to expect. Coach Cindy who works in the ER and is a health advocate does well in situations like these, so she added her support. And we have a client who is a physician, who happens to know quite a bit about PCOS who was also willing to share her knowledge.

We have a lot of resources and when I told our client that we were all pulling together and fact finding for her, she was enthusiastic, in a non-emo sort of way of course.

We are a village. We are All Out Effort. We are as strong as our members and our members are strong.

Talk Of The Town 4 Years In A Row

The Other Half Of Failing

The Glass Is Full

Working Out With Your Puppy

We had a special guest coach at All Out Effort. Sammy. He proves its not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.

What Is Your BMI

BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It's a way to calculate your weight in comparison to your height. It's not a perfect measure but it is one way to know if you are at a healthy body weight or at an inefficient body weight. Even if you were quite large but all muscle, your heart still has to pump that much harder for all that mass.

Use this calculator and chart below to gauge where you are and hopefully use it as of your health or a wake up call for action.

18.5 or less Underweight
18.5 to 24.99 Normal Weight
25 to 29.99 Overweight
30 to 34.99 Obesity (Class 1)
35 to 39.99 Obesity (Class 2)
40 or greater Morbid Obesity

Several Doctors Agree

All of our doctor clients agree, we know what we are talking about!

With the jokes aside, it is always a good affirmation when doctors pick us to train with due to our level of expertise.

Our Mascot Posing For The Camera

Healthy Snack Pack Ideas

They sell these online but you can make it yourself, just go to any Trader Joe's for the ingredients.

Get some form of tupperware.

Add walnuts, pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, dried berries, dried mangoes, and jerky of some kind. I like or get organic everything but that's just my preference. And voila you have your healthy fats, fiber, carbs, and protein. And it tastes good. You don't have to put all of this in here, just any combination of these things really.

Science Stuff

Our clients are doing less cardio but losing more weight. Crazy! And they discovered a new particle. This science stuff is complicated!

June Results

We had a great month at AOE

Laraine lost 4lbs, got into a healthy BMI, and is a LEAN body fat.
Sandra is only in her third week, and has lost 5lbs total and 3% body fat.
Simon has lost another 4.6lbs, which brings her to 18lbs total and a healthy BMI.
Anita has lost 6lbs, that's 17lbs total and 4 inches off her waist in 2 months.
Melissa with 3.2lbs, 4% body fat, 2 inches off her waist and thigh, and a new healthy BMI.
Kirsten with 10lbs in her first month and is now at a new BMI.
Glenn lost 5lbs, hit a new BMI, and has lost 25lbs total.
Jason with 1.8lbs and is now at a new BMI.
Ivana with 1.8lbs, healthy BMI, and ATHLETIC body fat.
Dana with 3.6% body fat, now at healthy BMI and LEAN body fat.
Michelle Y: 13lbs, healthy BMI, ATHLETIC body fat.
Shaya: 5lbs, healthy BMI, LEAN body fat.
Arthur: 2.4lbs, healthy BMI, LEAN body fat.
Michelle S: 13lbs, a new BMI, and 30lbs TOTAL! In just 4 months!
Gavril: 6.8lbs
Kevin: 1lb, that's 43lbs TOTAL!

For all my other clients who have hit their goals and are on the much harder journey of maintaining their place at the top:

Miko who has lost 14% total body fat, 34lbs total, and is now a healthy BMI, and LEAN body fat.
Ben who is healthy BMI, ATHLETIC body fat.
Amy maintaining her healthy BMI.
Rebecca maintaining healthy BMI.
Tiffany maintaining healthy BMI.
Ashley maintaining healthy BMI.
Ji healthy BMI.
Whitney healthy BMI.
Bjorn healthy BMI, ATHLETIC body fat.
Caity healthy BMI.
Vince healthy BMI, ATHLETIC body fat.

They are now chasing a new goal, STRENGTH records.

And for all the new clients who will enjoy this experience next month, good luck. :)

Cider Sky

I should have done this earlier. One of my favorite clients Simon is in this band called Cider Sky. They are pretty epic.

Take a moment to check them out on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cidersky

And check out their song from the movie Twilight.

Non-Bread Bread

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/4 cup flax seed meal
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup almond flour
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large ripe banana, mashed (dried blue berries optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 small loaf pans (5 3/4 x 3 1/2).
Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl.
Combine wet ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.
Pour wet into dry ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.
Divide evenly (dough will be thick) into loaf pans and smooth the tops.
Bake for about 35 minutes.

Women's Self Defense Tip

Source: http://www.innerbjj.com/2012/07/womens-self-defense-tip.html

When at the gym, having headphones on, or being on your phone, or acting busy may keep some creepy guys away. But this is the WORST thing you can do to keep yourself safe on the street.

I know a lot of women who use this tactic or boyfriends who tell their girlfriends to stay on their phone with them as they walk home but awareness is your best ally not acting busy. It would be so easy to snatch a purse, mug, or attack someone who can't hear anything, or is looking at something else. You have to be able to hear what's coming, be aware of surroundings, have your hands free to defend, and be able to look at anyone and make them realize, "hey I see you, I can describe you, I can pick you out of a line up." Prevention is the key and why attack you when there are so many other potential victims who voluntarily make themselves unaware and can't pick them out of a line up?

A cop told me how so many muggings happen when people are on their phones or have their headphones on and can't even remember what their attacker looked like because they never saw them, let alone saw them coming. I once had an incident where I was texting and walking, and someone grabbed my cellphone right out of my hand and ran off with it. This is how I ended up with a cheap analog phone and is my constant daily reminder of awareness.

There is actually a street in San Francisco that has made it illegal to be on your phone because of so many muggings.

Are You An Optimist?

There is no reality. It's all based on perception. Positive outlooks are just as "realistic" as negative ones. So which will you choose?

Salmon And Spaghetti Squash

Clean Eating

When Training At Home

Remember clients, no cardio for more than 20 minutes!

The Villagers Have Gone Wild

The clients at AOE have lost their minds!!! So it started with Glenn betting Michelle Y. $100 that she couldn't lose 12lbs in a month. Then Glenn bet Michelle S. 50 bucks she also couldn't lose 12lbs by July 20. Then Whitney bet Sam $50 that she can lose 10lbs in a month. Then Shaya and Arthur got in on it with their own 50 dollar bets. Then Jc bet Cindy that he could lose 15lbs by July 21! Madness!

But that's kind of how it works at All Out Effort. Its all organic. We are like a village and the villagers dictate how the village gets run. Right now they are all motivated by cash! But all the proceeds will go to an AOE garden party for the clients. I guess when we tried to make the clients accountable to each other, they took it to heart.

Grapefruits And Tangerines

Can You Be Obese AND A Martial Artist?

Someone recently asked me this question since I am not only a fitness coach but also a life long martial artist. To me the question is the same as asking, can you be obese AND a personal trainer?

With all roles, there are two sides: the idea, and the logistics.

For instance let's say a father. He is someone who nurtures and raises his kid(s). If he doesn't, is he still a father? Logistically yes, conceptually he is not living up to any of the ideals of fatherhood, so conceptually he may not be a father. Then the step dad who does do those roles, he may not logistically be the actual father, but conceptually he is the REAL father.

So let's get back to martial arts. This may offend a lot of people but this is just a philosophical train of thought and just my own opinion.

Fighting has been around since there has been human beings but martial arts as we know it now originated in China. The story goes, Bodhidharma, a monk from India came to China to visit a Shaolin temple. He noticed how fat the monks there had gotten, and he created a series of exercises and routines which became the basis of the first martial art. His reasoning? To make them get healthy and lose weight. His reasoning? The basis of their belief system is around enlightenment and a balance between mind, body, spirit, nature. Meaning the mind, the body, the spirit all had to be strong, in alignment, and able to move effortlessly like the rest of nature. This was not happening at the Shaolin temple.

Kung fu itself isn't a name of an art. It means "he who possesses skill or ability."

The martial artist was supposed to be a symbol and a living application of those ideals. Effortless movement, strong mind, body, spirit. Simple in eating and thought.

If this was its original intent, then the idea of being obese and a martial artist seems counter intuitive.

The fitness trainer is also a symbol. Are there overweight and obese trainers out there? Yes. There are obese people who are the heads of huge fitness companies and cultures. Logistically are they a fitness trainer? Yes. Are they a fitness trainer conceptually?

Why is this? A trainer is just a guide. Ultimately the client decides what they want to do. They are the master of their own ship, their ship being their body. If something they are doing hurts, it's their job to voice that. If they go home and think about eating a whole cake by themselves? It's their ultimate choice to do it or not to do it.

If the client is like a ship, then the trainer is ultimately like a lighthouse. They can guide and keep reminding but they can't force anyone to do anything, though some will try. Ultimately everyone has free will to do what they want. How does the trainer shine? By setting the best example they can and constantly coach and encourage.

I have known trainers referred to as "a great salesman" or "a good teacher" or "they make it fun." I have also seen trainers act like something they are not, like an actor who plays different roles, a cop or most often a drill sergeant. But they aren't playing their role, they are pretending to be something else. A trainer's job is to coach and to guide and to show their clients the way, to "shine."

Logistically you can still be a great teacher or make things fun or have tons of clients and be overweight. But that's not what a trainer does, a trainer is supposed to shine in the darkness and guide their clients home.

The martial artist is also supposed to shine.

What is martial arts? A practice in which you try to attain a level of mental, physical, and spiritual peak in your arts skill sets.

Why do most people start martial arts? Was it an attempt to become a healthier person in some way?

Why did a trainer start training people? Was it for the money? If so, you don't have to set an example. If it was to help people get healthy, because if you can get them healthy it will positively affect every aspect of their life, then you will also try to live healthy, because you believe being healthy will positively affect every aspect of your life for the better. And that is what you are ultimately trying to convince others. That is what you are selling, not just personal training sessions to gain money.

So it goes back to intent. If you started training people or started your fitness empire to make money, you can be called whatever you want. Your intent isn't to become a trainer though, it was to make money. Logistically you may be a trainer but are you one in concept?

Are you in martial arts just to be able to beat people up and learn moves? Or are you in it to improve yourself in every way and challenge yourself?

Both are about teaching mastery and self control. Are you the teacher or the student?

Now if you never find your physical peak, enlightenment, if you struggle, that's fine. You are human. It's the attempt and intent, you trying to live up to the concept that makes you the martial artist, that makes you the trainer. If you are in it for other reasons, then yes you might be called a martial artist or a trainer but you are not living as one.

Finally Get Those Abs The Easy Way

Bjorn's Lunch

This is an actual client meal that a client sent to me.

For The Men

Statistically men don't consider weight as much of an issue for themselves as women do even though there are more obese men than women. They more often consider lack of muscle mass as their problem, as opposed to a majority of women who only track appearance with weight.

This picture illustrates how 2 people can be the same weight and height but look completely different.

Fitness Is More Than A Number

Just as a pound of feathers will look different from a pound of granite, so will a pound of muscle to a pound of fat. Fitness is more than a number on a scale. Two people may weigh the same, be the same height, but be in completely different shapes.

You Need To Constantly Remind Yourself

Posting things like this around anywhere you may look is a good way to stay focused. This is something my wife posted all over the house. I guess this is what's important to her.

The Better Science Of Sleep

There is a thing out there that is harder to deal with than any weight issue. It's worse than any food addiction. It's poor sleep, insomnia, and a host of other sleep problems. Having had several clients with this issue, more than anything else, this common thing has hampered more training, created more cancellations than anything else.

Basically before work is a hard time to train because they were up all night, they can't get out of bed to come and train. Forget about after work, because they are so tired from their day because they never got to recover the night before, they are a useless zombie.

It makes you irritable in the morning, you can't be alert, you're not pleasant to be around, and most of all, you lack any amount of energy to do anything. This is also a common issue of why people burn out at their jobs and turn to other stimulants.

So how can we get anyone to their goals before they resolve this common but major issue?

The most important thing anyone needs to succeed at anything isn't time. Its energy. And its miserable and depressing to have no energy. Instead of masking the problem, its better to resolve the underlying issue.

So here are my tips:

Make sleep a routine. Meaning you actually have a body clock. Its called your circadian rhythm. You set it every night you go to sleep. If you sleep at the same time every night but change it up one night or on weekends, it disrupts the whole pattern. So if you sleep at 11PM every night then all of a sudden go to bed at 3AM, you will disrupt all your subsequent sleep cycles, you may fall asleep at 3 but your body will wake up over and over throughout the night. Also your body knows when the sun rises and sets, we have been evolved to sleep according to that and so if you don't, even if you get 8 hours you will still be tired.

Avoid excess alcohol or chemical use. Meaning drinks, caffeine, cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, or recreational drugs. They may make you fall asleep but it will be a restless sleep cycle where your body may wake up, up to 20 times.

Avoid naps unless they are part of a routine. Remember it's not about falling asleep only. Its also about your body staying asleep.

Have a worry book and light by your bed. People's minds can't stop thinking. Keep the notebook by your bed, every time you think about something, write it down and forget about it. Your body won't let go of thoughts because it is afraid you will forget. So have a light and notebook ready.

Exercise. It helps you sleep. It does. Just don't do it too close to bed time.



Use this alarm. It has helped me with overall mood and energy. I used to hate my alarm because no matter what setting I used, it startled me every morning and I would start the day with an adrenaline dump. Also it didn't really wake me up, it just surprised me. After I turn it off I am sleepy, groggy, and tired. With this it slowly gets brighter over a 30 minute period acting like the sun, not only waking you up but resetting your sleep cycle and making your body think its rising to the sun. It also makes bird sounds that get pretty loud as well. Once you turn it off the light stays on. Key is after this point to not allow yourself to be in darkness again. This will improve your energy.



This you can keep by your computer or on your kitchen table as you eat. 30 minutes or so on and it will recharge you as if you were outside on a bright day. There are things we have been evolved to respond to, water, fire, light, and darkness. This will also help reset your circadian rhythm so you can create that sleep routine I mentioned earlier.

We are big on self optimization with our clients and sleep is a key area to improve overall health. In studies where they took twin sisters, and worked them out the same and fed them the same, but deprived one of sleep, the one deprived of sleep gained weight.

I recently wrote about Michelle who lost 13lbs in 2 weeks. One of her key strategies was eating dinner early and going to bed early.

About the Author:

Coach Sam Y. is a Master Personal Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Coach, Certified Nutritionist, Performance Enhancement Specialist, Corrective Enhancement Specialist, Pilates and Yoga instructor, and holds multiple certifications. He is also an avid Martial Artist, training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Kickboxing, Boxing, and MMA. He is also the author of the popular fitness blog All Out Effort as well as the popular martial arts blog Inner BJJ. You can find him in the Los Angeles area personal training his clients, or at home annoying his wife, or on Facebook and Pinterests.

Caity Dinner

Spaghetti squash, salmon, onions, cucumbers.

Client Athlete

Congrats to our very own Charles S. for taking first at the NABJJF Los Angeles Open.

He proves that it's not about age but dedication.

The Final Match

Shout Outs

This Does Not Work

Common myths I see people post as their status, "I exercise so I can eat more!"

What Is Too Manly

This is poignant. For people who think girls shouldn't be strong. For people who think girls should just starve themselves, or just do yoga, pilates, spinning, or running and never do any resistance training. To those who think being feminine means having to ask someone to always help with their luggage.

Also poignant to all the guys who look at a girl who is toned and says she is manly. First of all than what does a real man look like? Secondly if you don't like what you see why do you keep staring?

Father of AOE

My father turned 87 years young today!

Honey On Rice

I saw someone pour honey all over their rice. Whenever something like that happens it triggers the health advocate in me and I need to see whats going on.

This was an older gentleman. Had a cane. Obese. And he pour so much honey, that it was basically soup. He told the server that he missed the food. She asked where he's been? He said he was hospitalized and put in a nursing facility for a bit until he got better. Now he's out and can eat normal food again, according to his words. She asked how the food at the nursing facility was? He said it was terrible and was glad to be eating normal food. He then poured honey onto his other items.

On my way out, I saw him outside. He asked me if I had a cigarette.

1 Girl 13 Pounds 2 Weeks

Read Michelle's journal and see exactly how she did it ===> http://www.allouteffort.com/2012/11/how-my-wife-lost-13lbs-in-2-weeks.html

They say you gain weight after you get married. I think it's true. Ask my wife Michelle. She gained about 10lbs. She still looked great but she wasn't comfortable with herself.

Now being a trainer and a husband, I can't do both. I can only do one. So I was her husband, being her trainer and husband with be a terrible idea and I WOULD NOT recommend it. 

Then at her work, they started a contest. A fitness contest. Who could get the most fit in 6 weeks. Actually her boss is one of my clients so he is always running contests like these to motivate his employees to stay in shape. How this one ran was that, everyone had to set their own personal goal. Not who could lose the most compared to others, but you set your own goal and people bet against you. If your goal was really hard people bet more money, if it was easy they bet less or none at all. And if you didn't hit your goal, you would be the person paying everyone out. If you made it, they would pay you what they bet. And you can bet on others as well. Michelle picked a really hard one. 12lbs in 6 weeks and lowering her body fat down to 20%.

6 weeks was a long time so I thought she would be fine. Then she got sick! Not just sick, she had a staph infection! She wasn't supposed to sweat at all. She was on really strong anti-biotics for weeks. When she was finally rid of her staph infection and cleared to work out, she had 2 weeks left. And if she lost she would be forking out 300 dollars!

So we created a plan. It was pretty basic. We changed her diet to mostly raw vegetables and grilled meats. We timed some of her meals and as we got closer to the weigh in day, we kept changing her meal times. We eliminated certain foods as we progressed. Lots of water then even with the water intake we started to time it. At the beginning we zero cardio but then increased it to really intense cardio in the middle and then very light cardio at the end. She did 12 day strength progression series. Very similar to what we did for Shaya.

I didn't actually train her, I just told her what I would do if I was her. She knew all the exercises already so she didn't need coaching for that. She was already good on how to eat, she just needed it to be stricter. I just wrote up a plan and she did it.

But she took photos of herself every day, she wrote down everything she ate, she wrote down all her workouts including her numbers and rests between sets, and she tracked her measurements daily. That was all her. I asked her why she was doing it, and she said it helps her stay focused. So it might be something other people might use as well. At AOE we track all the client progress but it might be good for people training at home.

These were her stats on Day 1 of the last 14 days:

Age: 25

Height: 5'6

Weight: 130

Body Fat: 27%

BMI: 21

Muscle Mass: 31.3%

These were her stats on Day 14 of 14:

Age: 25

Height: 5'6

Weight: 117

Body Fat: 19.7%

BMI: 18.9

Muscle Mass: 34.3%

She actually ended up losing 13lbs not 12 and lowered her body fat below the 20% goal. She also in the meanwhile increased her muscle mass and found some abs while she was at it!

I know people will read this trying to figure out what the magic secret was. And people will sell DVDs and books and pills and supplements saying that was the magic. The real magic in all those situations was the diligence of the person. It's what we work on at All Out Effort and keep hammering into everyone's head. Its not something we can create a DVD or supplement or even sell. It's not glamorous but that's always the difference between the person wanting to make change and the person who does make change.

They aren't doing those workouts or on some diet because it has some magic power to it. Them doing it is just a testament to their diligence and unless you can't replicate that diligence, you will never replicate those results. Writing down everything you eat and do? That's diligence. Working out on vacations? Diligence. Saying no thank you on special occasions? Those are the differences. Every success story is a story about someone doing something everyone else was unwilling to do. Start with your mindset before trying to fix your body.

Why Work Is Fun

The nice thing about what we do is we get to train people like professional athletes without dealing with the egos of professional athletes.

Prax's Journey: A Client Experience

Source: http://www.yelp.com/biz/all-out-effort-sam-y-personal-training-los-angeles#hrid:20PYXevC9q7OGr4Muun8uQ


I have been in the US for 6 years now and had a sedentary lifestyle for the first 5-1/2 years. Before that, I was never FIT at any point of time but, at the very least, I used to play cricket for several hours every week. Being a south-indian, veggies and fruits were part of my diet. Excessive cheese, oil or salt were NOT, it was all good stuff (lentils, veggies, diverse spices, etc ). On the downside, I used to eat a lot of rice, yoghurt, savories and drank coffee quite a bit (coffee diluted heavily with milk).

When I came to LA, there were a few subtle but important changes. I started eating out more (indian fast food and otherwise). So, more cheese, salt and oil than I was ever used to. Due to anxiety of grad studies or work or what not, I started drinking even more coffee. Plus, absolutely NO exercise. Fast forward 5-1/2 years later, I couldn't do easy hikes without taking breaks to catch my breath when everyone around seemed fine (they are not super-fit, just not as bad as I was). Advice from friends, family, doctor and lot of internet research led to prioritizing health as an important goal in my life.

Sam's experience and his blog was an important factor. It has a lot of information on how to improve the diet, what are the kind of exercises to incorporate in training to achieve fitness goals. Another factor is his emphasis that safety comes first. I know people who had severe injuries trying to work out or lift weights without proper training. So, having read client reviews and being convinced in a FREE session, I decided to give AOE a shot.

IMPROVEMENTS
1. Safety comes first and Sam is critical about perfecting the posture before moving on to more reps or heavier weights. When I started, I was asked to run on the treadmill. Soon, he noted that I had an incorrect running form. After a while of running, I had shin splints due to the way I was striking my feet and my shoes. He promptly asked me to try running barefoot, corrected my form and suggested particular type of barefoot shoes. Hours of practice later, I can run faster (7-8 mph), longer (9-10 minutes) and no shin splints yet.

2. Strength training: I didn't know most of the exercises, had poor form for the rest and the weights I used were small. So, Sam suggested that I start with small weights and lower reps. But he made sure that I was pushing myself to the next level and over time, improvements were apparent. Earlier, I could probably squat with 15 lbs kettle bell for few reps. Now, I can squat with 35 lbs for more reps or even do a complex with two 25 lbs (50 lbs effectively). Still have a long way to go compared to other clients.

3. IMO, one of the best advices that Sam gave (see: What Are The Best Exercises For Beginners) is the notion of proper form in body-weight exercises. Some exercises (squats, dead lifts, getting up, etc.) are basic movements that we do everyday. It is crucial to maintain proper form while doing them as well. I felt that was insightful and made it a point to apply it everyday. Whenever I reach down to pick up stuff or lift heavy packages in mail, I make sure that I apply the same techniques as if I were in a gym working with free weights. His method is to teach techniques that go beyond the confines of a gym and intended to be incorporated into daily activities.

4. Sam asked to make significant changes to my diet. Basically, cut down on grains, eat raw and cooked veggies and fruits, healthy fats, nuts and egg whites. The changes have had a profound impact. It is difficult to explain here, but I wrote an article about it, posted on his blog, A Letter From A Vegetarian to Vegetarians.

5. The results speak for themselves. After 5 months of training, I can hike for several hours on moderate to steep inclines; last month, I hiked with a 30-40 lbs backpack on a steep incline for 10 hours in one day and I did fine. And for the readers interested solely in numbers, I've lost 16 lbs (10% body weight) since I started and am at less than 10% body fat (I started at 20%).

6. So far, I've talked about improvements on my end. But that's just part of the story. I had recommended his blog to friends and relatives and it seems, that's had a positive impact as well. For instance, two of my younger cousins, aunt and uncle have already made changes to their diet and fitness methods. Also, it has brought about changes in what my room mates eat everyday. One of them has cut down on rice significantly and has started eating more raw veggies. Now, only if I can convince her and the other room mate to start exercising.

There are several positive things that I could go on and on about Sam but this review has reached its limit. So, I'm gonna end by saying that I completely recommend Sam to anyone looking to prioritize their health, learn the fundamentals of fitness and the effective methods to make it work to attain your goals.

Shaya's Story

"I CLIMB MOUNTAINS!"

All our clients write a declaration on their first day. This defines why they are training. Everyone wants to look good in a bathing suit, that's what they want. Why they want it is what will drive them to the end. For Shaya it's to climb mountains.

She wanted to be physically strong enough to climb mountains as if it were no big deal. She also wanted to be mentally strong enough to deal with life's mountains. Meaning she didn't want to see any issue as a mountain, she wanted to see everything as a hurdle. She wants to become a big time theatre/stage director, and being the only person in her family involved with entertainment and the arts, she wanted to create her own destiny and be strong enough to pursue it.

This was Shaya on Day 1

Stats:

Age: 19
Height: 5'8
Weight: 144
Body Fat: 23%
BMI: 21.9
Waist: 29

On day 1, she was nervous and shy. Not what you would expect from someone who wanted to direct a whole stage full of people. We did our standard assessment that we put all clients through. Nothing strenuous and designed to spot weaknesses and something almost everyone can do without issue. So the clients who know Shaya who think she is in much better shape than them will be surprised that Shaya on her first day after the assessments nearly fainted!

She had to lie down for over 10 minutes. Cindy who also happens to be an EMT was especially worried and wanted her to get some blood work done. She lost all the color to her face. The test basically consists of walking on a treadmill, grading ranges of movement and flexibility, assessing posture, etc.

Shaya said to us, "this is bull!" And was determined to be in the kind of shape and be the type of person she envisioned herself to be. She said she wants to be strong. She didn't want to feel weak. In talking with her, one could sense she had been through a lot and when she said strong, she didn't necessarily mean a physical thing, she meant a feeling. She played sports, did yoga, surfed, hiked, ran, but none of those things necessarily ever made her feel "strong."

I think what she meant and what a lot of people mean by strong is, being able to go outside and live your life without feeling vulnerable. She wanted to create a habit and lifestyle of being strong. Part of her mantra.

This was Shaya on Day 30



She was in much better shape after 30 days. She was even sporting a new hairdo. Her confidence better, and her belief in herself stronger. You ask her to do something and she will either say she can do it now, or she will be able to accomplish it very soon.

But watching that video, though she had improved, she still could be stronger. At first she could barely hold a 15lb kettlebell with two hands. And she had to start the kettlebell swings with a 15. By day 30 she could do multipe triple crushers with a 15lb kettlebell and swings with a 25 without issue...

At Day 50



She was cleaning 50lbs, pressing 50, and front squatting 50 in a very tough kettlebell complex. Complex meaning you never put the weight down, which is much more difficult than a regular circuit. You are constantly dealing with load. That video was just her demonstrating after a tough workout but she in her normal workouts can do multiples of (3x3x3)x3. Which means 3 sets of 3 cleans 3 presses and 3 squats in a row.

She can also do multiple Turkish Get Ups with a 25lb kettlebell. One of our signature moves.

The Get Up represents a culmination of a mind and body in balance with, strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. It's everything yoga and weight training strives to be all in one. It's also symbolic of the mindset we try to cultivate. A mind that can get up over and over under duress, that is always stable, and can take any form of impact.



To go from barely being able to lift 15lbs over her head to pressing 50lbs multiple times? Especially in a world where girls aren't expecting to be strong, she is creating a different path from girls who just do pilates, yoga, spinning, running, or a ballet fitness bar class. Why can't girls be strong too? Sometimes there is a lot of  sexism in fitness. Like girls should be skinny or at best look fit, but shouldn't BE fit.

We incorporate lots of yoga, pilates, and different training modalities, even those borrowed from ballet. But its just to lengthen, and lengthening is just the precursor to strengthening, not the replacement of it. Flexible muscles without the ability to apply power are useless muscles.

We had put Shaya on a pretty specific diet plan but she wanted to take it up a notch to prove her own self discipline and possibly finally get the 6-pack she never got. She was toying with going vegan (which wasn't a big leap for a former vegetarian) or doing some form of detox.

I challenged her to try something else, and instead of doing it 30 days like she planned, I told her to try it for a week and see what happens. Run it like an experiment. 7 days of only raw vegetables, meaning if the vegetable was inedible or too hard to chew raw, don't eat it (like sweet potatoes, or legumes.) Only thing she could drink was water. No juices or dairy. And grilled meats. Not even supplements or a multivitamin. There were other things we did, we timed certain things, eliminated things at different times, and structured a training plan around the diet.

And at Day 60 she found her abs!

Stats:

Age: 19 - 20
Height: 5'8
Weight: 144 - 137
Body Fat: 23% - 19%
BMI: 21.9 - 20.8
Waist: 29 - 27

Normally people only want to see before and after photos of people who lost a lot of weight, not someone normal looking who got fitter. Well these photos are for inspiration not a form of exploitation. That anyone should be able to want to strive for better for their own personal reasons and get some recognition for it.

Her goal wasn't weight loss, it was about being and feeling strong. And you could sense through her new picture, her new found confidence in herself. Or maybe its more self belief than confidence. She impresses herself every time she shows up to train. On a superficial note, she was also really happy at her stomach.

As being one of our youngest athletes, I look forward to posting more updates on what this mountain climber has achieved in her life.

Melissa's Dinner

Jacky's Declaration

Breaking Stereotypes About Health

I don't juice, I don't detox, I don't take supplements, I don't think yoga will cure your addictions, I don't think going vegan will cure cancer, and I don't work out 5 hours a day to be healthy. I eat and train like a human being.

Father's Day Yoga And Kettlebell Workshop