But then I ran into this…

(The actual tanker)

And it made me like this…

You can watch the adventure here (and pick up a tip or 2…)

Two days ago I got my smack:  An epiphany if you will.

So here it is…

I have been lifting for over twenty years.  And for the most part they have been good to me, but it is time for a change.  And that is why this is a decision I do not take lightly.

As many of you know, this week marks the end of my 28 day “C-Diet” test drive.  And as I look in the mirror I am (relatively) happy with what I see.

And so the timing seems perfect:  As of today, April 1, 2010 will be my last traditional weights workout for at least the next 12 months.

This also means I will be handing off all my personal training and bootcamp classes to others for the same period.

I will take the next year or so to re-evaluate my entire physical state.  I plan on taking the next 3 months and doing nothing but standard living activities; playing with my kids etc., but I will not be lifting or doing any cardio.

After the initial “rest” phase I will be researching other aspects of fitness that I have previously not taken part in like Zoomba and Pilates.  Then I will see where that takes me.

Who can say what lies on the road ahead for me in the next year, but I am looking forward to the challenge.  I will take it one step at a time.

Life is funny, and you never know which way the road will turn.

I will stay in touch.

Joshua Carter, CPT The Body Transformation Expert Carter Fitness http://carterfitness.com 818-337-6175

PS:  If you believed any of the above you are a SUCKER and happy April Fools Day.  Zoomba?  Please-  and I’ll be joining Curves too…

As most of you know I am was not a huge fan of steady state cardio for fat loss. I had always preferred using shorter intense bouts of training.

Well in the April issue of the The Stanford Journal of Metabolism there was a massive study (almost 4000 participants) comparing the fat loss effects from both steady state cardio and resistance training.

Keep going….

The numbers absolutely blew me away.  I thought I knew exactly what I would see but the results showed that those who were able to keep a steady pace of 3.7 mph (or above) with an incline of 5 degrees (or above) for 45-60 minutes per session lost an impressive 67% more fat in the same time frame (12 weeks) than those who trained 3 times per week with weights.

Other significant findings included more lean mass retention in the cardio group as well as greatly improved blood markers over the resistance training group. On top of that researchers noted that (while not the focus of the study) those with higher carbohydrate intake also had better numbers as well.

Needless to say this has thrown me for quite a loop.  Had this been a smaller study I could have easily dismissed the findings. But 4000 people?

I have for the past few days been re-thinking how I will have to set up not only my own training but the training for the hundred or so personal training  and bootcamp clients we have at Carter Fitness.

I will keep you appraised, but I will say that no matter how things turn out Carter Fitness will always be ahead of the curve and using the latest findings and research to deliver top notch training.

Joshua Carter, CPT The Body Transformation Expert Carter Fitness http://carterfitness.com 818-337-6175

PS: April Fools

* What’s With The Hulk:  When I travel without my kids, I always take them with me the best way I can.  On my recent series of trips I brought a small action figure of  The Incredible Hulk along for the ride.  I take pictures of the green guy wherever I go, and then share them with the kids upon my return.

I have been traveling quite a lot recently. And in my travels I have seen that there are many parallels that can be drawn from the various journeys in life- the figurative and literal ones.  So I am going to tell you some tales from some of my recent journeys, and try to wrap it up with a neat little life lesson. Maybe it will even have something to do with fitness – you’ll just have to wait and see.

Think Forrest Gump with a slightly higher IQ. Now on to the Journey.

Wrong Journey

A few months back I was asked  by my good friend and trainer consultant extraordinaire Bedros Keuilian to be a guest speaker at a multi-city seminar tour; talking to other trainers about various aspects of personal training.  I love speaking, and it’s even better when I know what I am talking about.  So the second he asked I was on board.

Bedros and the Hulk in Seattle

My (our) first trip was to visit Seattle – which is gorgeous.  The first day I was there it was sunny and in the 60’s – the second day it snowed.  Still loved it.  I had no idea there was so much water in Seattle.  The Pike Street Market was very cool and I even saw the guys throwing fish. I plan on heading back there in August and taking the family, yeah it was that nice.

 
Monster Fish

Side Rant: The only pain in the ass came with the change of Daylight Savings.  Pick a damn time and stick with it.

If you have kids Daylight Savings is a no win proposition.  They are  blissfully unaware of the one real benefit you are supposed to get (the extra hour to sleep in)  so you are screwed in the Fall.  Then in the Spring you are hosed because they have to go to bed an hour early which is never fun either.

Again, pick a time – I don’t even care which one anymore – just pick.

The time change also screwed me up a bit worrying if my alarm clock would adjust itself, would I miss my flight, is Daylight Savings the same in Washington as it is in California, blah blah blah. It’s that type of silly paranoia that buzzes around my head and makes for a fitful sleep.

The Hulk and the Space Needle

Still, Seattle was cool.

In stark contrast to  the Seattle trip was the trip the following weekend to New York.  The flight there was uneventful.  The trouble started when I arrived late Friday afternoon.

Now I know there are nice parts of New York,  I’ve even been to a few in the past.  I was just not in any of those parts this time. 

(There are also really crappy parts of LA, but at least I know where those are and know enough to avoid them. )

I was in a small town right next to JFK, which should have been my first clue that the days ahead would be “interesting”. 

Dirty Snow, luckily our hotel was slightly better

Me and my partner at the seminar, the aforementioned Bedros, after being extorted for $20 (each way) to take us to the local Applebee’s (the nearest restaurant, which still sucked) asked the cab driver to take us to a 7-11 or other convenience store so we could pick up some bottled water etc.

Mistake.

The store he took us to was in the sketchiest part of Queens possible. I swear I’d seen this place as part of some crime scene photos.  There might have even been chalk body outlines – or I could have just imagined that. 

Now I am near 6’2”, 235 lbs and pretty well built and it took all I had to not pee my pants.  A sentiment echoed by my equally manly yet equally petrified cohort.

Right outside this death mini-mart was a metal box mounted on a pole. On this metal box was a one touch call button for the police or fire department button.  It would appear that someone thought that dialing all 3 digits to reach 911 would take too long- they better make it just one button.  Yeah, one button- that ought to do it.

You thought I was kidding?  Even The Hulk was scared.

I’d had enough – Time to leave.

We made it back to the hotel in one piece and decided it was best to not leave again until the flight on Sunday.

The seminar on Saturday was awesome and the attendees were amazing.  We really had a great time working with all of them. That alone made the trip worth it.

Something to note if you plan on visiting New York:  Turns out New York is in a completely different time zone.  It also turns out that a day and a half is not enough time to adjust to it.  I had to wake up at 6am New York time, which was still 3am to me.  Then I was stuck on a plane for 5 and a half hours seated next to a “large” man who had not brushed his teeth or showered for some time.  That made any attempt at sleep impossible.

I do not do well on no sleep.

Regardless of where you might end up, that does not mean you should avoid the trip. Forrest is right (actually it was Forrest’s Mama):  “Life is  like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get.”

On both trips there were rewards and lessons to be learned.   And the one thing that is perfectly clear to me, the better planned, the better the chances of success.

See where I am going with this?

I think you do. 

The planning on any journey can make all the difference.  You can take your chances and fly by the seat of your pants.  It could work out just fine.  Or you could end up taking a picture of a plastic action figure outside The Manson Family Market in an attempt to hide your terror. 

Joshua Carter, CPT The Body Transformation Expert Carter Fitness http://carterfitness.com 818-337-6175

This was taken at our West Hills Personal Training facility. *Conveniently* located next to the cities of Calabasas , Woodland Hills, Northridge, Canoga Park& Chatsworth. 

Is it your turn to be a CF All-Star?

Joshua Carter, CPT The Body Transformation Expert Carter Fitness http://carterfitness.com 818-337-6175

But let’s face it bribery is part if what made America great.  Most politicians would be jobless without bribery, and we certainly do not want to add anything to America’s current unemployment rate. Without bribery many otherwise law abiding "businessmen" would have to deal with time consuming and annoying legal entanglements which could take time from their olive oil business.

So with such a negative image, you would wonder why I, pure of heart Joshua Carter Personal Trainer Extraordinaire, would even consider bribing you.  First off let me admit I am not above bribery.  But in this instance I am taking part in what I refer to as  "Ethical Bribery". 

You would think the words "ethical" and "bribery" wouldn’t go together.  Sure they do.

For an ethical bribe, I will simply ask you to tell the truth.   And as a "thanks" I’ll give you something cool.

As I have said my business is largely based on referrals and testimonials.  Add to that that January is the biggest month in fitness.  That means people will be searching the web for a great personal trainer.  Obviously I would prefer it if they found me.

Here is what I would like you to do:

Carter Fitness personal training in West Hills is listed in Google as a local business, and all I would love for you to do is write a testimonial about our services. The more positive reviews I have the better my business is.

 CLICK HERE

Simply tell the truth – when you  do shoot me an email and I will either hand you or even mail you one of our highly coveted Carter Fitness T-shirts.  (Don’t forget to tell me your size.)

All the cool kids know Carter Fitness T-Shirts Rock

That’s an ethical bribe- I get a good review and you get a kick ass shirt.

Thanks,

Don’t Forget —>> CLICK HERE

Joshua Carter, CPT The Body Transformation Expert Carter Fitness http://carterfitness.com 818-337-6175

PS: The first 5 to post will get and extra special bonus!

I’m looking for human billboard…  25 17 more of them to be exact.  So,  what is a human billboard and why would I need one?

I’ll get to that, but let me back up for a second.

I am excited to say I have put the finishing touches on my brand new “Twice the Results” or 2XR program and it is now ready for prime time. That’s right, I can now release it to the public and that means you.

Here’s why I call it the 2XR program: Unlike standard boring “ gimme 3 sets of 10” workouts employed by lesser trainers, we couple an old school mentality with the latest in training technologies to give you “Twice the Results” in half the time.

I have been personally testing the Twice the Results program over the past few months and the results have absolutely blown me away.  I have come up with some fitness and fat loss solutions that were impressive, but this one takes the cake (mmmm…cake).

But I need to get the word out. So…

Here is what I have  decided to do:  I am going to give away personal training for only $19 per session. Yes, our *WORLD FAMOUS* full blown personal training for only $19 a session.  Top notch personal training that is literally guaranteed (yes, I put it in writing) to get you results or your money back.

Personal Training for $19 per session?

Can anyone beat that?  Hell no.

Am I nuts?  Possibly, but there is in fact a method behind my madness.

There’s a catch and that’s where the human billboard part comes in.  I fully expect this program to be the biggest thing we at Carter Fitness have ever done, and I want *YOU* to be the walking proof of how well it works.

You will be a walking and talking promotion for the Twice the Results program.

You see January is the biggest month in fitness, and so by January I want to have an army of  “Afters” to show the full power of the 2XR program.  I am no marketing genius,  so I need you to help me out.

Imagine this : You – looking and feeling better than you ever have – will be my advertising. Here’s all you have to do. When someone approaches you and asks what you do to look this good just tell them about me. That’s it. It is a win / win.  You win with the body and health of your dreams, and I win by expanding my business.

How soon do you have to act?  Well as of this email I only have 25 17 slots left, and the available time slots are filling up fast.

So that’s it only the first 25 17 get in on the “Human Billboard” 2XR special.

*** Only The First 25 17 People  ***
to email me at 2XR@CarterFitness.com will get my PERSONAL cell number.

Let me say that again: My personal cell number.  Email me with your contact info including the best number to contact you. During that first conversation we will discuss your goals, set up a free consult and secure your slot in the 2XR program.

First come first serve.

–> Email now: 2XR@CarterFitness.com

Joshua Carter, CPT The Body Transformation Expert Carter Fitness http://carterfitness.com 818-337-6175