New Year’s Survival Guide

 

Whether this January marks your first time at Gold's or your 400th, learn to gracefully handle the New Year's gym crunch with this handy guide.

You chowed down on turkey, tossed back the eggnog and gained yourself a sizable holiday cushion to inspire an ambitious New Year's resolution. Yeah, you and the rest of the country! The vow to eat right and exercise is one of the most popular—if not the most popular—of all New Year's resolutions, and it's the reason for the sudden crush in the line for the elliptical two days after the ball drops in Times Square.

But everyone needs to remember that gyms, after all, are meant to be shared. To ensure that you—and your fellow gym members—have the best possible workout experience, we rounded up these postholiday gym-going pointers from the experts.

5 TIPS FOR THE NEWBIES

1 "Do your best to familiarize yourself with the gym's rules and regulations," advises Michael Ryan, a personal trainer and Gold's Gym Fitness Institute member. Each gym has its own set of do's and don'ts about time spent on equipment during peak hours, how to return towels and more. The more familiar you are with these rules, the more comfortable you will be—and the less likely to break one.

2 You'll also need to brush up on the unwritten rules of the gym, i.e., learn basic gym etiquette. "Learn to work in [i.e., share] with people who are using the same machines or benches, re-rack your weights after using them, wipe off any sweat from a bench or machine, and don't talk on your cellphone while people are working out around you," Mike Epstein, owner of Gold's Gym Paramus, advises. For more gym etiquette tips, click here.

3 Once you've gotten a sense of what not to do, it's time to get the lay of the land. "Most gyms offer a free fitness consultation with a personal trainer for new members," says Nikki Kimbrough, Gold's Gym Institute member and fitness contributor to Essence magazine. A trainer can give you a tour of the facilities and answer any questions about unfamiliar machines and equipment, proper form and the best order in which to do specific exercises. Kimbrough also suggests checking out different types of group workouts. "Take a cardio class, a strength and conditioning class and take something new that you've never done before or always wanted to try."

Her suggestions for each:

• Cardio: Spin, Kickboxing, Step
• Strength and Conditioning: Power Flex, Boot Camp, Abs Class
• Something New: Zumba, Yoga, Pilates

4 With your game plan firmly in mind, you're just one step away from having a great workout. The last step? Prepping your body for the burn.

"Never hit the gym without proper nutrition," Ryan says. "Not only will you not get the workout you want, but you may cause serious risk to your health." You should reach for a healthy meal packed with protein, carbs and good fats at least one hour before training.

Then make sure you have the right gear. "You should wear supportive running shoes or a cross-trainer shoe. If you're not sure which is better for you, go to your nearest athletic store and a professional can help you," Kimbrough advises. "Next, you need breathable and comfortable clothing such as shorts and short-sleeve shirts; women also need a supportive sports bra. Padded socks are also great for avoiding blisters."

5 After you've fueled your furnace, take ample time to warm up your muscles. Ryan suggests taking an easy ride on a stationary bike or a leisurely walk on a treadmill for 10 minutes to get your body stretched, loose and ready to work. "Also, make sure that you have plenty of water on hand to stay properly hydrated."

3 SUGGESTIONS FOR THE VETERANS

It's easy to become frustrated when, with a simple turn of the calendar, your workout space is suddenly overrun with seemingly clueless strangers. How are you supposed to stay focused on your reps when that amateur in the corner is about to run himself off the treadmill?

Before you literally throw in the towel, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you were new at the gym once too. "If someone shattered your confidence, you would've never gone back to the gym, so be understanding," says Ryan. Here are ways you can minimize your frustration with resolutioners.

1 Switch up your workout. "Coming in just a half hour earlier or later might make a huge difference in terms of crowds," Epstein says. "That and changing which machines and equipment you use on certain days might help as well." When peak hours on peak days are unavoidable, come with a plan—and a plan B. "Remember, you are a gym veteran!" Ryan says. "You know where everything is and what will be crowded and what won't be." You can also try a circuit with limited equipment or no equipment. "Find a small space in the gym and do a challenging 30- to 45-minute circuit workout," Kimbrough says. It can burn just as many calories as a longer session with machines and free weights. (Check out this kettle bell workout to get started.)

2 Tune out the crowds. "Just having headphones on basically tells others that you are concentrating and most likely do not want to be disturbed—but does it in a nice way," insists Epstein. "Also, you can play the music you want to hear, play a podcast, listen to an audiobook, whatever makes you happy." Ryan agrees that music is a good way to stay focused on the workout at hand. "Mentally prepare yourself for distractions, wear your iPod, and be aware of your surroundings!" he advises.

3 "Everyone remembers their first time in the gym so try to have empathy for someone who is just starting on their journey," Epstein says. If you see a new member struggling on a machine or doing something incorrectly, think about lending a hand or alerting a staff member. "You might find helping someone is a very rewarding thing. Many of our members who have encouraged a new member have found themselves a great workout buddy."

A Pain or a Strain

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Drink This for a Better Run

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Sure, water's a great hydrator, but sometimes you long for something more interesting.

Here are four sips that give runners what they really need—without adding gobs of calories. Fill in the blanks, and see which drink is ideal for you.

When I run I …
feel sluggish and tired

If this is you: Sip a cup of green tea 20 to 30 minutes before you run. The caffeine will pep you up and power you through to the last step, and its antioxidants may help with endurance, too.

When I run I …
always get a side stitch

If this is you: Try coconut water; it's chock-full of cramp-preventing potassium (15 times that of most sports drinks) and has fewer than 50 calories per cup. Try eight ounces before or during your run to stay pain-free.

When I run I …
get really sore the next day

If this is you: With its perfect ratio of carbs to protein—plus the calcium—chocolate milk is an excellent way to help your muscles recover post workout. Drink a cup within 30 minutes of finishing a long run, when muscles are most receptive.

When I run I …
sweat a lot

If this is you: A sports drink, with body-replenishing sugars and electrolytes, is the best way to stay hydrated. Choose one that's free of artificial colors, flavors and preservatives, and sip four to six ounces every 15 to 20 minutes during your workout.

Steady as You Go

Get better balance—and a killer leg workout—with these four exercises from Gold's Gym Fitness Institute trainer Ramona Braganza.

It's hard to believe, but starting as early as your twenties, your sense of balance begins to decrease. That's not to say you can't slow down the process. "How rapidly the sense of balance diminishes depends on our genes, on the natural process of aging and, to a large extent, on how physically active we are and the types of activities we do," explains health and science writer Scott McCredie in his book Balance: In Search of the Lost Sense.

The best exercises challenge your sense of balance by incorporating BOSU balls, wobble boards and Xerdiscs into your leg workout. Incorporating this equipment not only makes for a more challenging routine but also builds up your agility.

"Balance exercises speed up your reaction time and improve the brain-to-muscle connection," explains celebrity trainer and Gold's Gym Fitness Institute trainer Ramona Braganza. "They prepare you for walking on slippery ice in the winter or stepping out of a shower onto a wet floor."

As we age, Braganza says, being able to stay balanced and on your feet becomes ever more important. The majority of injuries to seniors stem from losing your balance (a.k.a. falling). More than a third of adults age 65 and older in the U.S. fall each year, according to research cited by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In fact, falls are the predominant cause of traumatic brain injury among members of this age group.

Here are four moves that Braganza recommends to help you stay grounded.

legs-hamstrings

HAMSTRING CURL WITH A STABILITY BALL
10 reps

Begin lying on your back with ankles and heels placed on top of a stability ball, toes pointing up. Raise your hips, contract your glutes, and keep your hands by your side to stabilize yourself. Roll the ball in toward your hips by rolling from your heels onto the balls of your feet. Pause momentarily and then roll the ball back out, keeping your hips elevated.

To increase the level of difficulty, try rolling one leg at a time, or raising your arms in the air while rolling.

Strengthens: Glutes and hamstrings

legs-deadlift

ROMANIAN DEAD LIFT ON AN XERDISC
20 reps

Place your left foot on one Xerdisc and your right foot on another. Hold a five-pound weight in each hand. Slowly lower from the waist down until your hands are almost to the floor. Then slowly rise back up.

Strengthens: Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps and inner thigh

legs-bosu

SQUATS ON A BOSU DOME
10 to 15 reps

Begin standing on the BOSU ball, dome side up, with your feet spread as wide as possible and your arms extended forward for balance. Descend slowly into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the ground. Pause, then raise back up to stand. To increase the level of difficulty, attempt the same squat with the dome side down.

Strengthens: Glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps

legs-wobble

SINGLE LEG LUNGE ON A WOBBLE BOARD
10 reps on each side

Stand facing the smaller side of a wobble board. Place one foot on the board, shifting your weight to the heel. You will now be in somewhat of a lunge position. Lower and raise your body on the ball of the back foot and the heel of the front foot. Keep the wobble board parallel to the floor. Do 10 reps on one leg, then switch to the other. With your foot on the board, make sure your knee isn't tracking over the ankle.

Strengthens: Glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps

Golds Gym
15 Industrial Drive
Middletown NY 10941
845-344-4653
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Train Like a Celebrity

Train Like a Celebrity

Workout

Get an A-list workout with these tips from our trainers to the stars!

How do Hollywood's hottest celebs keep their envy-inducing figures?

"The key is consistency and intensity," says celebrity trainer and Gold's Gym Fitness Institute member Ramona Braganza, who helped Anne Hathaway tone up for the 2008 Oscars and Jessica Alba drop her post-baby weight.

The Ultimate Hollywood Workout – Download (PDF)

"When celebs have to get in shape, they are really on top of it," agrees Adam Friedman, a certified personal trainer at the Gold's Gym Fitness Institute whose clients include model and Olympic volleyball star Gabrielle Reece and NBA forward Austin Croshere. "They view working out as not just for health, but as a responsibility to their profession."

But that doesn't mean you can't create your own Hollywood-inspired workout at home. Braganza thinks taking fitness cues from your favorite celebs is a great way to put a fresh spin on your gym routine. For example, to help today's leading ladies perfect their figures for upcoming roles, Braganza alternates 10-minute intervals of cardio with three sets of circuit strength-training and core exercises. She notes: "You have to keep the heart rate up throughout the routine for maximum calorie burn."

Ramona Braganza

Hot Celebrity Workout Trends

Today's starlets don't want to bulk up, so cardio is king, Friedman says. Cycling, running on the beach (and from paparazzi!) and climbing the trendy Santa Monica Stairs, a taxing set of 154 steep wood stairs, are popular ways to burn calories. The Los Angeles-based trainer also relies on functional body-weight exercises — moves like push-ups and squats, which challenge your muscle groups to work together at once — to get his famous clients in their best shape ever. "The idea is to recruit the highest amount of muscle fibers at a time, because the more you're getting your nervous system involved, the more calories you're going to burn, the more fat you're going to burn, the more challenging the exercise is going to be," he says.

Adam Friedman

His tried-and-true favorite? The dreaded lunge.

"Lunges are the No. 1 most hated exercise among all my clients," Friedman says with a smile. "They're hard and they hurt! But there are so many benefits and so many variations that hit all the areas you want to target." Case in point: Braganza's client Jessica Alba reportedly owes her refined behind to a strict diet of lunges.

For an extra challenge, pair the moves with a weight known as a kettlebell, as Friedman makes his pro athletes do, to really work your core and develop explosiveness. "But you should already have a strong foundation in your core, so it's not something to go to right away," he warns.

According to Braganza, making those basic changes to your routine will help to keep exercise fresh and exciting.

"Variety is very important," she says. "For my clients, I try to find what they enjoy and then include it somehow every few workouts, whether it's boxing drills, hiking or dance classes."

Celebrity Workout Favorite

One activity in particular is especially popular with today's leading ladies: yoga.

"Celebrities love yoga!" Friedman says. "It works for them on a mental level, and they love stretching and the feeling they get." Not to mention long, lean muscles and improved balance and posture. And good posture can mean the difference between a great red-carpet photo and a nod on the worst-dressed list.

"Carrying your head and shoulders forward with bad posture doesn't look good in pictures or in the mirror," Friedman explains. "But if you improve your posture and strengthen your back, you'll look dramatically different and your energy will be different."

Golds Gym
15 Industrial Drive
Middletown NY 10941
845-344-4653

Burn 350 Calories in 10 Easy Steps

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Don't let a busy schedule stop you from getting a good workout. We've created an office-friendly fitness routine that burns 350 calories in under an hour.

clip_image002Gold's Gym Fitness Institute members and New York City–based personal trainers, Sue Fleming and Nikki Kimbrough, are pros at making exercise plans for busy clientele. They designed a 10-step sweat-free workout that fits into any schedule and burns up to 350 calories, i.e. one serving of macaroni and cheese.

And they explain how to increase that number to 500 calories when you do make it to your local Gold's Gym. That extra effort could help you lose up to one pound per week according to the National Institute of Health.

So stop making excuses and use that office downtime to up your fitness level. All you need is a resistance band and a few extra minutes throughout the day.

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1. Mountain Climber

3 sets of 15-20 reps on each leg
Anywhere: Stand facing a desk or counter an arm's length away. Rest your hands on the edge, palms down, and fingers forward and slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Lean in, then walk your feet out in back. Lower your hips slightly so that your body forms a diagonal line. Balancing on your toes, bring your right knee toward your chest. Alternate legs continuously. Calories burned: 30

At the gym: Start in a plank position, with hands just wider than shoulder width apart, body straight out, core tight. While balancing on toes, bring your right knee toward your chest, then alternate legs as if you were running continuously.

Calories burned: 50

"Really focus on keeping your core tight," Kimbrough says. "When you lift your leg, focus on the lower abdominal region and use those muscles to bring that knee up." The more you use your abdominals, the less strain you feel in your back.

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2. Stand-up Hands-Up

3 sets of 10 reps

Anywhere: Stand with feet hip width apart. Place a resistance band under your feet while gripping one end in each hand. Lower your hips to a squat position and slowly stand up. Next, curl your hands up to your shoulders like you're doing a bicep curl, then raise your hands above your head. Lower your arms. Repeat.

Calories burned: 30

At the gym: Replace the resistance band with barbells or a weighted fitness bar.

Calories burned: 45

Make sure to keep your elbows close to your sides as you curl your arms to your shoulders. Keep your back straight and your core tight when you raise your hands above your head. "This is great for a midday energy burst because you are working more than three muscle groups with one exercise," Fleming says.

3. Stair Climb


2 sets of 5 minutes
Anywhere: Almost every office building has a set of stairs, take them instead of the elevator to a meeting or take an afternoon break and do a full 10 minutes. Take two steps at once if you're feeling extra energetic.
Calories: 90
At the Gym: Use the stair climber and increase resistance when you can. Add back leg kicks and side steps for an even better leg workout.
Calories: 130
It's a well-known, but highly effective fitness step: Take the stairs whenever you can.

4. Lower-Back Extensions


3 sets of 20 reps
Anywhere: Sitting in a chair, lift your arms above your head. Lean over and curl your back over your knees until your fingers almost touch the ground. Pause. Raise your arms again above your head. Repeat.
Calories burned: 15
At the gym: Grab a stability ball and balance on it with your stomach on top and your toes on the ground. Let your torso fall over the ball, and relax your arms by your sides. Starting with the head and upper back, slowly lift your spine until it's straight.
Calories burned: 30
Cubicle-bound office workers should put this move on their to-do list. "People who work at a desk tend to hunch over," Fleming points out. "A strong lower back helps you maintain good posture and avoid back injuries."

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5. In-and-Outs


3 sets of 10 reps
Anywhere: Sit on the front edge of a chair (without wheels). Place your hands along the sides of your body, holding the sides of the chair. Kick your legs straight out in front of you, toes flexed, and lean back in the chair as far as you can while keeping your back straight. Then simultaneously bring your knees and chest toward each other as close as you can. Return to starting point, and repeat.
Calories burned: 30
At the gym: Sitting on a bench, repeat exercise above. Stabilize your body by holding the sides of the bench. For an even better burn, remove your hands from the bench and cross your arms over your chest.
Calories burned: 40
This move may seem tough at first, so Kimbrough advises beginners to start by keeping one leg on the floor and lifting the other knee up, then alternating. And last but not least, take your time when you do these. "Too many people try to rush it," she says.

6. 3 o'clock to 9 o'clock


3 sets of 15 reps on each side
Anywhere: Tie a resistance band around a doorknob and close the door. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your body at a 90-degree angle from the door (start on your right or left side). Grab the band with both hands and hold it at shoulder height. Pivot on your feet to turn your body away from the door while pulling the band across your body. Switch sides.
Calories burned: 20
At the gym: Repeat the exercise while holding dumbbells.
Calories burned: 30
"This works your obliques (the muscles on the side of your stomach) and shoulders, which are often overlooked," Fleming says. You can increase the intensity of the move by walking farther from the door to pull the resistance band tighter.

7. Chest Press


3 sets of 10 reps
Anywhere: Lie on the ground with the resistance band behind your back. With elbows straight out from the shoulders, lift your hands straight into the air, then bring them together above your chest. Pause. Then lower hands back down.
Calories burned: 10
At the gym: Replace resistance band with dumbbells or a barbell and lie down on your back on a bench.
Calories burned: 15
"If you want to increase the difficulty, just loop the band around your hand a few times to shorten it," Fleming explains. A daily dose of this exercise will help you perform better pushups or, for the yoga devotee, chaturanga dandasana.

8. 10-Minute Walk


2 sets
Anywhere: Take a lunch stroll and a brisk evening walk to get an easy dose of burned calories.
Calories burned: 75
At the gym: Add a boost by walking on an inclined treadmill or walking with ankle weights.
Calories burned: 90
"Buy a pedometer," Fleming suggests. Studies have shown that walking 10,000 steps per day can increase your metabolism, and Fleming has found that being able to check her daily count pushes her to walk more. "If I'm at 8,000 at the end of the day," she says, "sometimes I'll just walk around the block or stay on the treadmill until I hit that goal."

9. Bent-Leg Step-Ups


3 sets of 12 reps on each leg
Anywhere: Stand in front of a step or chair. Put your left leg on the step in a bent position at all times. (Do not straighten leg.) Keep your right leg on the floor. While your left leg is still and bent, quickly raise your right leg and tap the ball of your foot on the step, then lower your foot to the floor. Switch legs and repeat.
Calories burned: 30
At the gym: Hold a dumbbell in each hand and repeat the exercise above.
Calories burned: 40
"This move might seem familiar to people who use the stair machine, but the difference here is you have to keep the nonmoving leg at a bent position, and that really gets your quads working," Kimbrough explains. The burn in your quads will get your heart rate up and can push you through a late-afternoon energy slump.

10. Wall Sits


3 sets of 3 reps
Anywhere: Place your back against the wall with your feet hip width apart. Slide down until your legs form a 90-degree angle. Make sure your knees are directly above your ankles and the back of your head is against the wall. Begin holding for 10 seconds, then increase your hold time when you can.
Calories burned: 20
At the gym: Place a stability ball between your back and the wall and repeat the exercise above. For an even better burn, add 10 dumbbell curls per wall sit.
Calories burned: 30
"The great thing about this move is that all you need is a wall and a little time," Fleming says. "Do it while you wait for an appointment, or for the commuter train to pull in." People might look at you funny, but you will look better in the end.

Disclaimer: The calories burned in each of these fitness moves was calculated for a 150 pound person exercising at a moderate to vigorous level.

 

Golds Gym
15 Industrial Drive
Middletown NY 10941
845-344-4653

The Ultimate Leg Workout from Golds Gym

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