Suzie Trains Maui BLOG

Lisa deep in it!

Motivation.  It is the most important aspect of any fitness regime and yet sometimes it is so difficult to find!  There are lots of tricks to stay motivated.  For me it’s all about doing something I like to do.  Then it’s easy to stay active.  I also change up my activity… a lot.  Winter for me means snow.  Lots of snow.  I love to snowboard, ski, snowmobile and cross country ski.  In summer I enjoy being on the water, at least when the wind is blowing.  For the last few years I’ve been learning how to kite surf.  Continuing to challenge myself with something new helps me stay motivated.  Having a friend to play with is also a great way to stay motivated.  Sometimes when the couch seems more appealing than your bike… it’s great to have a cheerleader to help you get moving.  And when you have an abundance of energy you get to do the same for your friend.

 I’ve always considered myself pretty fit but certainly recognize that there are some big gaps.  And at 45 those gaps are getting deeper.   3 weeks ago I was fortunate enough to get invited to tagalong to a Suzie Cooney workout.  I hadn’t previously worked with a personal trainer and the session I did was tailored for someone else… but I loved it and immediately booked myself and my husband in for our own sessions with her.

My idea that a personal trainer was akin to an army sergeant couldn’t be farther from the truth.  Yet Suzie provides a perfect motivational force!  And she is a force.  Moving weights back and forth a few hundred times is not on her program which is good because it has never been on my program.  I didn’t know you could do some much with an rubber band and a ball.  Every training session is different and each session is filled with an incredible variety of exercises.  It is never boring.  Suzie works hard at tailoring your work out to address each individuals needs.  After our sessions my husband and I always compare what we did… and of course.. who is better at what!

 I wish that I could take Suzie with me when I am not on Maui because with her help my current fitness goals are getting closer and closer.

 Thanks Suzie!

Lisa is an inspiring, charging woman. I enjoy training and working with Lisa for she goes to task and beyond with a fierce focus like I’ve never seen. She has broke records in the studio and takes pride in perfecting and executing all the exercises I put forth and eagerly accepts ANY challenge that I place before her.

For example, standing on a stability ball is no easy exercise. Then why don’t you add some dumb bells to the mix and some shoulder presses. Follow this by a grueling “weighted” session on the Vew Do Board, INDO Board and then finish off with a leg burning round of high performance land surfing on the Brett Lickle special SURF BALL trainer pictured here:

 Besides her outer beauty, she is a walking, living example of health and fitness and I hope everyone who reads her story will step it up a notch. When you see her photos you know, this is an athlete!  Lisa and I have much in common like fast motors, and fast action packed adventure.  You can be sure Lisa will be charging on her snowmobile faster than ever with more body confidence and her training will help her in any condition that is demanding of her catlike, quick reactions.  Also be sure to look up if you’re kiting or windsurfing on Maui, she could just be soaring over your head catching some big air.  She’s also taken a quick learn to SUP and is already stepping into some tight step turns on her second day!  She is real and she is mighty and I’m glad to know her.

Suzie Cooney, CPT

Suzie Trains Maui  http//:www.suzietrainsmaui.com

http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/10/08/a-total-body-workout-for-everyone/A Total Body Workout For Everyone  by Suzie Cooney of Suzie Trains Maui for ATHLETA

Whether you’re an advanced athlete or re-entering fitness, enjoying your workout is important. We can all agree that working out has to be fun. Let’s face it, if it’s not fun, it’s not going to happen!

I’ve designed a simple workout for you to add to your current routine, or start fresh with this one. In my workouts, I always try to touch every muscle group, including the core, and also incorporate a little balance training. Everyone is so different and has different workout goals. But remember — we don’t want our bodies to plateau. I’ll often grab a workout that I’ve designed for one my clients and do theirs. Granted, I’ll adjust it to suit my training needs, but it’s fun, it’s different and I love it.

This workout will be about 45 minutes and offers a little something for everyone. I recommend you try it first in the order I’m presenting, especially the warm up and the core work. You can mix and match the strength training portion in any way that suits you. I like to save abs for last since they support us all throughout the workout.

Equipment: Medicine ball (4-8 pounds), resistance tubing with handles, tube circle or Thera-Band®, stability ball, dumbbells (5-15 pounds).

Training Tip: When you change “variables” in your training routine, your body will likely respond more quickly vs. doing the same old thing. A variable may be increasing or decreasing the number of reps, changing the order in which you select the exercise, changing the platform you are training on; such as an inflatable disc, or increasing the amount of weight used for the exercise.

Let’s begin…

Active Warm Up

I prefer and recommend my clients to do active warm up exercises vs. static stretching (stretches where you hold the stretch for a period of time). It can be a quick spin on the stationary bike, walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes, or try the exercise below.

To the rest of this informative article on total body training, go to: http://www.athleta.net/chi/2010/10/08/a-total-body-workout-for-everyone/

To inquire about training with Suzie Cooney, CPT of Suzie Trains Maui, future SUP clinics, Private SUP/ Fitness Adventure Bookings click here

http:www.suzietrainsmaui.com

Aloha Friends!If you’ve always wanted to have a private personal trainer, this may be for you!

I’ve been experimenting with a few clients and I’ve decided to offer something new and fun for those on a tight time schedule and budget.Express Workout  – Suzie Trains Maui. Train with me, get fit and have fun in half the time!  Join me in a supervised, custom workout that targets all muscle groups including cardio.  Enjoy surround sound while you pump it up and make the most of your time.  I’ll be safely pushing you during your workout depending upon your ability. We are constantly on the move. Heart rate is up and we’re having fun!

To maximize the benefits, your 30-minute workout consists of both resistance training and cardiovascular training.

I can make a wonderful a workout for you with two-thirds resistance training and one-third cardiovascular training. In a 30-minute workout, that’s 20 minutes of resistance and 10 minutes of cardio. Yes, just 10 minutes. But 10 strong minutes!

Each workout is different!  It’s a great way to jump start your week or get motivated again.  Call me for details. 

**All new clients are required to have a pre-fitness assessment.  Towels and water provided. Assessment includes photos, movement observations, flexibility review, blood pressure screening and lifestyle review.

For more information, Call Suzie at 808-283-2121    www.suzietriansmaui.com/blog

When this happens, they can’t do as much physically, so their performance declines when surfing, playing golf, hitting a tennis ball or even carrying a bag of groceries.

Muscle holds a lot of your body water and is essential for regulating body temperature. Muscles are big spenders and burn lots of calories 24/7. When people are on restrictive diets ( bad ) the body is tricked into believing it’s on a deserted island with minimal or no food – therefore as a natural defense mechanism, the body attacks it’s most active tissue, muscle in order to SLOW down the body’s metabolic rate.

There are wonderful health benefits of building muscle:

     Increases endurance and flexibility
     Protects your joints (reducing risk for injury)
     Increases your energy level and boosts metabolism

The math: If you gain 1 pound of additional muscle tissue which can burn 35-50 calories per day…over the course of a year you can burn 91,250 calories a year! Fat burns 2 calories per day.  On average, the amount of muscle gain when performing a resistance program, a person can gain 3-5 pounds ever 3-4 months. Keep in mind that this will vary greatly depending upon age, genetics, and type of training program you are performing.
Continue reading Keep The Weight Off and Join the Muscle Mass Today

Free Weights vs. Machines and the Benefits of Both!

Suzie Cooney, CPT Maui, Hawaii

I am often asked, should one train with free weights or machines?  There is great discussion among specialists in my field, but I like to focus on the benefits of both!

They both have certain advantages in strength training and performance. They both also have limitations.  It depends on what you have access to and where you are starting in your fitness program, if you are a professional athlete or coming off an injury, and what suits your needs.

Machines:

Whether a high performance spin bike like the cool Keiser M3 or the home gym system, Bowflex® Home Gyms or a cable systems such as Precor Exercise Equipment, offer a more controlled movement and allow for complete muscle isolation.

Machines, if used correctly, don’t have to be so intimidating.  They may be good for the novice person, or senior who has yet to establish the knowledge or the strength, to isolate the rest of their body as the base, and move the selected limb or target muscle group safely through a repetition. The motions are usually smooth and controlled.

For the experienced, machines offer a nice way to mix up the routine, avoid training plateaus, and don’t require a spotter.  They also can be used for rehabilitation if you are injured, to protect a certain joint, such as the knee or shoulder. 

Free Weights:I prefer free weight training, for it requires balance, coordination, and total body stability. More muscles throughout the entire body must be recruited to stabilize your base.  Think of your body, basically as the base or “machine”.  The feeling you get from free-weight training is much more natural.

Free-weight training offers a much larger variety of exercises that give you complete control, of speed, range of motion and the opportunity to progress the intensity of that exercise. For example, performing a simple bicep curl can be more challenging by standing on one leg, or placing a stability ball behind you with one foot, while the other foot in a deep lunge position!  This takes huge balance, strength and serious muscle stabilization. 

The equipment variety has changed greatly over the years.  You may have noticed that these days, free-weights come is many different shapes. I love to use medicine balls, kettle balls, The Body Bar and even paper plates!  I have noticed that one can achieve greater strength gains with this method of training.

Training with free-weights does require proper training and knowledge of how to perform each exercise safely! This is critical. I make sure all of my clients execute each repetition to perfection. We don’t progress up to a heavier weight or to the next level until we are both comfortable that the joints, back and extended limbs are strong. If you are attempting advance strength training, I highly recommend a spotter!

There have been numerous studies that conclude free-weights are not better than machines. They each have their role in fitness training, and I recommend getting comfortable with both. It’s also great to mix it up so you enjoy working out!