Author Archives: BrandonPerson

About BrandonPerson

Graduated with bachelors in Health and Phys. Ed.. Minor in personal training. Currently a personal trainer at a local gym. Driven individual always striving to be a better person, and help others along the journey to success.

Fluid Replacement-Before Exercise

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Training During Pregnancy

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Stretching

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Muscle Soreness

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Target Heart Rate (THR)

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Hypertrophy Training

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Strength Training

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Good Eating

good eating plate

Introduction

Just like a vehicle, the body needs fuel to function properly. Also like a vehicle, the body will function better or worse based on what kind of fuel consumed. There are different ethanol types to better or worsen your mileage and engine life in your vehicle. Similarly, there are different types of food that can better or worsen your internal bodily functions and life expectancy. Good Eating can help your body get better “Mileage”. I will list a days worth of food that can be beneficial to the body and that is reasonable within training regimens. Don’t forget to checkout our weight tracker where you can log your daily weight, activity, and measurements! The meals/snacks listed below are just examples of what could/should be consumed during the day:

Breakfast

– (3) Large, Grade A, Free Range, Organic Eggs cooked in olive oil (2 tbsp)
– (1/4 cup) Sliced Almonds
– (1/2 cup) Frozen Berries
– (1/2 cup) 100% Whole Grain Old Fashioned Oats, Cooked

Lunch

– Chicken Caesar Salad
Use spinach or Kale for the base, slice and chop some red/yellow peppers (1/4 cup each), slice and chop some red onion (1/4 cup), slice the chicken (~4oz). After that, throw it on top and drizzle some oil and vinegar on the salad. (Typically you want to use 3-4 tbsp of olive oil for every tbsp of balsamic vinegar, at a ratio of – 3-4:1) If you are interested in a homemade vinaigrette this one is delicious:
– 1 tablespoon Dijon
– 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
– 1/4 cup lemon juice
– 1 teaspoon grainy mustard (optional)
– 1 tablespoon honey
– 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 1 clove garlic, grated (optional)
– 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Dinner

– 6-8oz. Top Sirloin Steak
– (1/2 cup) of Broccoli
– (2) Small Red Potatoes
– (1/2 cup) of Quinoa

Snacking

It is best to choose healthy small snacks, IF needed, to maintain a healthy diet and eating regimen. Along with tasting good it’d be great to get something that is also beneficial referring to nutrients. I don’t snack often but when I do, I choose Beach Bars because they have about 10g of protein, only 6g of sugar, they are gluten free and 150 calories. Perfect for a little snack and satisfies my sweet-tooth. Another good example would be an orange, which contains vital amount’s of Vitamins and Minerals with very few calories (kcal). Your snack’s should be consumed midway between meals. So for example if I ate breakfast at 7am and needed a snack. I would eat it between 10-10:30am, eat lunch at 1pm. After that, another snack around 3:30pm, and dinner around 6:30-7pm. 

beach bar nutrition information good eating vitamins and minerals

Additional Good Eating Tips

General rule of thumb for good eating is that if you have several different colors on your plate, then chances are you’re getting enough or close to enough nutrients with that meal. Not saying that that one particular meal is enough nutrients suggested for the whole day, but can be a good amount leading to the optimal amount needed daily. In addition, remember that the more you cook a product the less nutrient based it will be. Typically the healthiest way to cook products is to cook them on the grill. Gilled veggies, chicken, steak etc. But yes, the longer you cook a product the less nutrient based it will be. So keep your plates filled with colorful foods, proper portion sizes based on your regimen regarding to your training/body goals, and don’t overcook your products. If you are curious about diets go check out Jeff Armbruster’s posts on his experience with the Ultimate Reset.

Social Media

Introduction

These days almost everyone is on a social media platform. If you are a coach and do not have an Instagram or Facebook, you are far behind. Therefore, are likely to not reach many folks, assuming that you don’t have a huge reputation in the community already.

Types of Social Media Accounts

A lot of coaches have both Facebook and Instagram. In addition, have made multiple accounts. They have personal accounts and a business account. Their personal account is showing followers: family, hobbies and everyday life. The business account is showing: anything related to products being sold or Activities related to the business. Above all, Anything that could attract people to the page and product(s) of the business. Don’t be a business man or woman. Be authentic, and genuine. People pay attention to those who are realistic and authentic, not those who speak from written scripts and use difficult terminology.

Hashtags

Now with Instagram (IG) a lot of the posting should be consistent as well with Facebook (FB) but a tool that you can use on IG that isn’t on FBHashtag is the hashtag (#). During my internship at a local gym here in Erie PA. I’ve learned that to pop up more on feeds you not only need good content, but also need a specific amount of hashtags per post in order to be put on the Explore page of IG. This page will show what IG thinks to be posts that are in your interest including posts that have used the same hashtags or location(s). So the more you post and the more hashtags used, the better chance you have of popping up on someones timeline. This article explains very well the use of hashtags and the effectiveness of hashtags.

Groups

FB has the Group button where you can not only explore what groups are practicing or sharing, but you can make your own group as well. The image below shows you what groups I follow on the left hand side, groups that are suggested for me, and groups that my friends belong to or created. Then of course to start your own group you can click the + Create Group button on the left side.

Real Life Social Media Example

For example I am going to be cutting (dieting) soon and going to be monitoring my progress. I will be choosing a diet and then posting progress pictures on both platforms including the weight tracker tool here at FitUnion! I can make a group page for this reason, and try to invite people who wish to do the same, a goal related to mine, or if they just want to follow for interest. This could be a great gateway to start and promote your business as a coach. Not only will people see the product but also see you are a result of the product. You are the proof that’s in the pudding.

Taking Measurements

Taking Measurements are SUPER important to do as soon as possible! For instance, there are times where you will lose 2-3 lbs in the first few days of a new routine. Especially with 3-Day Refresh, the jumpstart to any Challenge Pack!

Many of the best fitness coaches always recommend starting every new fitness program with the 3-Day Refresh/Kickstart option. Above all, you can do this program in only 3 days AND be down as much as 4-5lbs. Documenting this short 3 day program and its results can be a great promotional tool if you eventually decide to do this as business too!

Equipment Required

For your measurement’s you will need:

Bands: https://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/d/b-lines-resistance-band-kit-BLINESBandKits?referringRepID=Sorry. No data found!

Pull Up Barhttps://www.teambeachbody.com/shop/d/chin-up-bar-ChinUpBar?referringRepID=Sorry. No data found!

Optional Equipment:

  • A Heart Rate Monitor – with chest strap: HR Monitor. This one is compatible with the iPhone and Apple Watch.
  • Power Stands: TFE Power Stands

Video Walkthrough – Taking Measurements

Step-By-Step Walkthrough

There are five key areas of your body you should measure: arms, chest, waist, hips, and legs. And don’t forget to weigh yourself each time you take your measurements!

Consistency is key, so make sure you’re taking your measurements the same way each time.

Measure Your Arms

  • Put your thumb on the opposite shoulder and stretch out your pinkie to find the center of your upper arm. Wrap the tape measure where your pinky touches your bicep. Record that number.

How to Take Your Measurements

 

Measure Your Chest

  • Wrap the measuring tape around your back and under your arms. Tighten the tape on the imaginary line that connects your nipples all the way around your body. Record that number.

How to Take Your Chest Measurements

 

Measure Your Waist

  • Wrap the measuring tape behind you and around the waist. Using your belly button as a guide, try to get the tape measure level all the way around. Record that number.

Note: Utilizing a mirror or another person works well for this step.

How to Take Your Waist Measurements

Measure Your Hips

  • Stand and place your feet together then find the widest part of your hips. Wrap the measuring tape around your hips and try to keep the tape level. Record that number.

Note: Utilizing a mirror or another person works well for this step.

How to Take Hip Measurements

 

Measure Your Legs

  • Using the same method from measuring your arms, stretch your pinky and thumb out on the opposite knee and go up to find the center of your upper leg. Wrap the tape measure around that point and record that number.

How to Take Leg Measurements

Once you’ve completed at least one Beachbody program and you’ve taken your “before” and “after” photos, enter and submit your results to the Beachbody Challenge Contest!

Remember that a tape measure does not find your actual body fat percentage. However, it is useful to find the aesthetic change during the process of weight loss and training. Therefore, You should be taking before/after picture’s along with taking measurement’s.

Body Fat Percentage

We recommend that you use the skin fold calipers to measure body fat, due to it being the most accurate. There are various testing methods for the Body Fat Gauge. However, we will only go over two, simple and in-depth. 

Video Walkthrough – Calculating Body Fat Percentage

Simple Method

This method is the less accurate than the in-depth method, it gives an approximation of Body fat. However, it is included because some individuals may be tempted to skip measuring body fat in the beginning or aren’t familiar with the process. We recommend using the In-Depth method below. When you achieve amazing results, you will wish you had!

If you wish to Download the instructions for Offline Viewing:

https://fitunion.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/body-fat-simple.pdf

Step 1 – Find the Spot

  • In order to find the measurement spot, place your finger on the top of your hip bone and move up about an inch towards your collarbone.

Step 2 – Pinch

  • At the spot we found in Step 1, Pinch (about an inch) your skin. While holding your skin, use the Body Fat Calipers and pinch your skin along with your fingers until the arrows line up.

Step 3 – Repeat

  • Repeat step 2 a few times (3-5) and average the results to get your approximation.

Step 4 – Chart

  • Refer to the chart below, utilizing age and skin fold measurement, to find your body fat percentage. 

In-Depth Method

In order for you to complete this method, you will need to know how to use the Body fat calipers. Review the Simple method for instructions. 

The In-Depth method starts with the chart below:

The chart labels all of the spots that you are able to measure.

Step 1 – Download Spreadsheet

Download the Calculation Spreadsheet designed by one of our Contributors, Jason Diebold: Body Fat Calculations.

Step 2 – Fill Out Spreadsheet

Open The Spreadsheet and get Familiar.

  • Blue – Values carried form other Cells
  • Black – Values you should input
  • Red –   Calculations from within spreadsheet

Input the Basic Information:

  • Age goes in Cell B8
  • Height goes in Cell B9 (Inches)
  • Enter Starting Weight in Cell B10

After that, Input your measurements In Cells B14-B20. Some measurements may be difficult without another person to assist. 

Next, Head to the site: http://www.linear-software.com/online.html  and copy over the measurements.

Click on Calculate will breakdown the body composition that goes in Cells B21-B23

Step 3 – Track On Fitunion

The Final step is to record your measurement’s on our website, noting the body fat %:  Add an Entry

As soon as you get 2 entries into our website you can track your change’s here: https://fitunion.com/weight-tracker/

Over 40?  Muscle’s depleting as you age? Or younger & want to add as much MUSCLE as possible?  Checkout my post on Preserve you Muscle Mass to learn about how to end or slow the progression!!