Do Group Exercise Classes Work?

So you want to know if the classes at the gym are helping your ass reach your fitness goal, lose weight, whatever. Well, the short answer to that question is maybe.

I fucking love classes, and I’m a big advocate for them. I’ve taught Spinning, Zumba, and abs and it’s always a good time. They provide that extra bit of motivation, and are a fun way to workout (or show off if you’re a competitive bitch like me) but a more solid answer would be that classes alone cannot get you to your goal.

Some classes at the gym do progress throughout time, but in my experience they generally don’t. Classes can help you at first and if you’ve never worked out before you will see changes in your body. But in order to continually see results and avoid hitting a plateau you have to switch it up and keep progressing your exercise routine or else your body becomes too used it and gets lazy  - kinda like people who get too comfortable in relationships and let themselves go - but that’s a different topic for a different day.  

(That's me teaching Zumba)

When I first started teaching Spinning in college I lost mad weight, but then after a while of doing the same things over and over again I noticed I was gaining weight. I was teaching Spinning then teaching Zumba right afterwards; 2 hours of intense cardio and I was gaining weight. The same thing happened to me when I ran cross country in high school, my body got used to running 6,7,8 miles so that’s what it needed in order just to maintain! That’s what happens when you only do cardio and don’t incorporate strength training. 

Best believe you’re not gonna catch my ass running 8 miles everyday just to maintain.

Which brings me to my second point- most classes are cardio based - classes are good on the days when you’re not lifting weights or doing strength training, but even those total body conditioning classes cannot help you get to the next level, they will only help you stay at your current fitness level. Same goes for yoga, Pilates and abs - you can’t do the same things over and over again and expect different results -that’s just fucking stupid. 

Class instructors cannot monitor your form to see if you’re doing it right either. Jumping around and giving instructions with a big smile on your in front of a huge room full of people while sweating your ass off isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do - there’s no way the instructor is looking to see if your form is right the entire time. Bad form= bad results and injury, so you if you don’t know what you’re doing ask the instructor before or after class and start with the beginner programs.

So overall, classes are fun, they are a good way to get good exercise. They help you stay in shape, but if you want to get to the next level in terms of the way you look or what your body can do you gotta go a little harder, be a little more concise and workout with a purpose. Being sexy ain’t easy people. Believe me, I know. 

That’s all. Later Bitches. 

XoXo,

 AminaZena

http://www.youtube.com/aminazena

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How To Look 10 Pounds Thinner in 1 Week

So you have a week to get ready for that big event - birthday, wedding, vacation, whatever.

You've been working out like a monster and eating like a rabbit, but you need that extra touch, you need that extra confidence boost. 

Well here's the trick. Cut out all sodium for a week.

Wanna learn more about salt? Check out this blog

Sodium, salt, whatever you want to call it - causes you to retain water and makes you look like a fat, bloated pig.

Especially if you're eating that toxic table salt shit.

Your body definitely needs a certain amount of sodium, but processed foods contain wayyyyy too much of it to keep their stuff on the shelves longer and to get you addicted and coming back for more.
When you eat high fat and salty foods it triggers the 'happy' response in your brain, your brain loves to be happy so you end up creating this vicious cycle of eating shitty food.

Too much sodium can cause high blood pressure as well - So if you must eat salt be sure it's organic sea salt. You can get a huge container at Whole Foods or any other health food store for 2 or 3 bucks.

So anyways, back to looking good. This past June I had a photo shoot and I wanted to be on point so the week before the shoot I literally had no sodium - all I ate was vegetables and unsalted nuts and oatmeal- obviously there are more exciting options and a little sodium won't kill you but I was determined to do it - and I looked and felt fucking awesome.

So here's a picture I took about 1 month before the salt free shoot, when I wasn't so hard core about being sodium free. You can see and feel the results everywhere in your body but I noticed it the most in the my face

Before - Not giving a fuck about the amount of sodium I was eating

After- Being an insane no sodium eating bitch

Obviously I couldn't go the rest of my life not eating sodium, but after doing my research and taking those pictures I'm more conscious about the sodium I'm taking in and the less sodium I eat the better I look and I love it! (You know you love it too!)

That's it. Later Bitches!

XoXo

AminaZena

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/aminazena
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Business inquires including personal training - aminazena@gmail.com

The Best Piece of Advice, STFU

Don’t complain about shit if you’re not gonna do shit to fix it!!!

 If you have time to complain you have time to come up with a solution to your problem.

We all have that friend who you don’t even want to answer the phone for because you know it’s gonna be the same old shit that they’re complaining about. And if you are that friend please, for the love of God, stop complaining about the things you don’t even attempt or try to fix.  Or if you’re on the receiving end tell your friend to shut the fuck up until they actually do something about it. Whatever “it” is.

 If you know what you need to do in order to get what you want why do you continue to beat the dead horse? Stop feeling sorry for yourself and expecting that one day if you keep doing the exact same shit you’ve been doing that you’re going to get different results. That’s just plain stupid.

There are plenty of people out there who do not complain, who work for what they want and are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want.  We don’t expect to wake up one day and magically have this perfect life.  We don’t complain about having to create our own opportunities in world where they are rarely just given.  

You are responsible for your own happiness and well being. Duh.

If you want to live a life that’s less than remarkable simply because you don’t have the will power to make positive changes then that’s on you, but don’t ask for help if you aren’t willing to help yourself.

The longer you go down the road of unwarranted self pity the longer you hold yourself back from living the life of your dreams - Or losing that extra 15 pounds, or saving the money to move out, or finishing school, or finally dumping that jerk. 

I don’t know about you but I’d rather be that bitch you hate, who’s living and loving life than the negative Nancy with a list full of broken dreams and regrets.

Well that’s all I have for right now

Have a great day bitches. Love you. Bye.

XoXo

AminaZena

http://www.youtube.com/aminazena

http://www.twitter.com/aminazena

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aminazena@gmail.com

The 5 Worst Exercises

Not all forms of exercise are created equal. Some are better than others. Doing 'something' is not always better than doing nothing, and most of the time the 'something' that people do is bullshit.

1. First and foremost. GET THE FUCK OFF THE ELLIPTICAL.

Every single elliptical is the devil. You know that feeling you get whenever you see someone on a Segway? Well that's how I feel every time I see someone on the elliptical. Every person in the world has one leg that's longer. It is what it is. And when you walk your body finds a way to balance itself out naturally because that's what mother nature designed you to do. The elliptical is a machine with a fixed movement pattern, and not everybody's body moves in that pattern. Your body + unnatural movement pattern = injury and precious time wasted.  I've even had clients complain about joint pain after using the elliptical consistently. Contrary to popular the elliptical is not good for your joints and there's no way in hell that you're actually burning all the calories it claims you are. Fucking liar.

2. Bicep Curls

Or vanity curls as I call them. While there's really nothing wrong with doing them, they're pretty much a waste of time. The bicep is one of the smallest muscles in the body and they end up getting a good workout from all the other lifts you do. Lat pull downs, shoulder presses, push ups; whenever you're working your upper body they are being worked too. So if you don't have much time at the gym and really want to burn calories work on the major muscle groups - the bigger the muscle worked the more calories burned. You're not doing yourself any justice with the bicep curls, but if you must do them for fun save them until the end of the workout when you're done doing the things that are actually effective- vain bitch.

3. Crunches.

OMG, I can't. When I see people performing spinal flexion, aka crunches I want to punch them in the fucking face, mainly because most people don't even know how to do a proper crunch. "Oh but I want a flat stomach" you don't get a flat stomach by laying on the floor and pushing on the back of your head.  You don't get a 6- pack from doing crunches, if you want to see your abs you need to lose body fat. That's it, point blank period. Now if you want core strength, that's a different story. There are tons of different ways to get a strong tummy, but please get it out of your head that crunches are the way to a flat stomach.  I could go on and on, but I won't just stop doing them. Please.

4. Leg Press Machine

Unless you get trapped under a boulder there will never, ever be a time in your life where you need to leg press hundreds of pounds while lying on your back. It's an unnatural movement and won't benefit you much in your daily life. It will most likely just cause you joint pain and nerve damage. The best exercises are the ones that a performed in nature - squats, pull up, push up, oblique twist. The leg press machine is scary, weird, and unnecessary.

5. What other people are doing

One of the most unfortunate things I've learned about people at the gym is that they like to watch other people at the gym and copy what they're doing. Don't fucking do that. Most people don't know what they're doing and are one bad lift away from a trip to the ER. Unless they are a trainer or honest to God know their shit never take advice or copy people at the gym. I sometimes want to cry about some of the random, dangerous, made up lifts I see at the gym. I don't want to talk about it anymore, just stop being a copycat and learn how to do things right.

So that's it people. Eliminate these exercises from your routine and you'll be saving yourself a lot of physical therapy. I'll cover things you can do instead of these lame-ass exercises in a later post, but until then check out my other stuff about fitness! Later bitches.

XoXo, 

 AminaZena

For workout videos and tips visit my YouTube Channel 

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Or for any business inquiries (including personal training) e-mail me aminazena@gmail.com

Why You Need a Personal Trainer

You don't need to be rich to have a personal trainer. Sure, training can be expensive but it's a lot cheaper than paying the medical bill for gastric bypass surgery.

I'm an AFAA certified personal trainer. Yes, I am. It's something I've wanted to do for while because I like telling people what to do and I believe that people need to take their fitness seriously. 

My first personal training job was at Equinox in New York City  - America's most high end gym. The membership is $150 a month for the cheapest option, and the facility is totally luxurious. The average member makes about 100K a year or more.  You would think that people who have achieved such high social status would take better care of themselves, but as a matter of fact the majority of the people I encountered LOOKED LIKE SHIT.

No really, more often than not my prospective clients could barely use their body.  I put them through a sort of fitness test where there had to complete basic movements like push ups and squats. Most of them struggled to do a few reps (there was a lot of laughing/crying on the inside on my behalf.)

Most people who go to Equinox are a little bit older- 40's and 50's crowd- and the recurring theme seemed to be people who didn't workout in their teens and 20's trying to catch up for a lifetime of being out of shape and people who didn't know what they were doing at the gym, never seeing results, and getting injured.

It's a million times easier to maintain your current fitness level than it is to get back in shape after neglecting and abusing your body for years.  Contrary to popular belief, humans are designed to get stronger as we age. There's no need to use a wheel chair or cane when you get older if you take of yourself now by eating right and exercising.


I don't know about you, but I don't want to be that old woman in the nursing home with multiple diseases and chronic injuries getting my ass wiped by a stranger. 

                                                     

(he's 58 and she's 62 and they're both on point!)     







  I encountered so many middle aged people telling me about their glory days in high school playing sports and dancing and how in shape and cute they were and how they wished they never lost it.  

Most of the clients I work with to this day are people trying to get in shape for the first time, who tried on their own and haven't seen results because they weren't doing things right - and it's not easy for any of them, but the ones under 25 are doing a hell of a lot better and seeing their results more quickly than my 30 and older group.


So to tie everything together, if you haven't worked out before, or you have been working out and haven't seen results, or if you need motivation, or guidance, or just need to switch up your routine you should absofuckinglutely hire a trainer. Just suck it up, pay for a few sessions, make an investment in your body and learn how to do things the right way  so you don't get injured and end up spending 3 nights a week in physical therapy for the next 8 months.

Treat yourself, treat your body right, don't wind up being that rich bitch in Equinox who looks like shit and gets winded from walking up a single flight of stairs.

 XoXo, 

 AminaZena

For workout videos and tips visit my YouTube Channel 

Follow me on Twitter 

Like me on Facebook 

Or for any business inquiries (including personal training) e-mail me aminazena@gmail.com