Weight Routine Up and Running!

Video killed the personal trainer! Its video time. This is a program designed by me for those pressed for time who want to lose fat FAST. Included are two circuits. Perform the first five movements (Benchpress, Front squat, Bent-over row, Romanian Deadlift, Leg raise) for twenty repetitions as fast as possible. Perform first circuit three to four times with no rest. Rest three to five minutes and then perform second circuit (Military Press, Back Squat, Upright row, Deadlift, and V-Crunch) three to four times, no rest, as fast as possible. Measure your time and try to beat it each subsequent workout. Add weight progressively. For men a 45 pound Olympic bar is a great starting point and for women a 20 pound bar is adequate. Note: This workout is NOT for beginners, make sure you can safely perform the movements in the video.

Have you tried the workout? Share your thoughts below!

To Cheat or Not to Cheat

To cheat, or not to cheat? That is the question.

To cheat, or not to cheat? That is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the gut to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous hunger or to take up three Whopper Supremes and by consuming, end them. If you are debating whether or not to cheat, save yourself the mental hassle and ask yourself this- have you:

1. Eaten clean solid meals for 90% of the week (by clean meals I mean those comprising of lean protein and vegetables)?

2. Exercised at least five to seven hours that week (comprising of at least three weight training sessions)?

Wait, you mean this might be bad for me?

If you answered yes to both questions, go ahead and save yourself the internal debate and have the cheat meal. It is healthier from a psychological perspective to have occasional breaks from dieting than to accumulate pent up hunger pangs. What can develop are insatiable cravings for bad foods. What once could have been solved by a pizza slice will now only be fulfilled by a whole pizza! It has to do with your body’s leptin levels, which regulate how hungry you feel. The longer you’ve been in a calorically deprived state, the hungrier your body becomes. Appetite for diabetes

I remember one particular long cut where I fell off the wagon and consumed in the span of an hour: seven shitty chicken/mayo sandwiches, six plain bagels, half a plate of lamb lasagne, two beef burgers, three bowls of mascarpone cheese, twelve mini cheesecakes (in my defence they were minis), and some mints (hey with all that food I couldn’t leave my breath stinky!). Prevent this disaster on yourself by keeping a healthy balance. Think about it this way: with all the time you spend debating whether to cheat or not, you could have cheated and worked out to burn off the extra calories. Lose the mental baggage; it weighs more than any pounds of fat gained from a cheat. So go forth and gut bust-within reason of course!

Clearly has been listening to my advice

Copyright April 19th 2009 Omar Isuf

What is the worst cheat you’ve ever had?

Pimp My Easter Food!

Say no to the chocolate Easter bunny and yes to the plate of broccoli.

The cutest little diabetic you’ve ever seen

Healthy food does not have to taste like crap (and it doesn’t have to take all day to cook). Below are some of the meals I ate today. And P.S. I suck at cooking.

In Picture: Steamed Broccoli with Olive Oil, shredded Green Cabbage with Apple Cider vinegar, Top Sirloin Steak (8 ounces) with grilled zucchini and green peppers (cooked with coconut oil)


In Picture: Two plump chickens, stuffed with garlic, lemon, and some herbs
In picture: Spinach salad, cauliflower mash (with dill and coconut oil), chicken breast (I love me my chicken breasts), oven roasted rutabaga

Not featured in pictures: One hungry animal!

Copyright April 12th, 2009 by Omar Isuf

Was your Easter healthy? Post your comments below!

ABC: Always Be Counting

Put that Twinkie Down, Twinkies are for Closers Only

Its that time of year again: bikini season. Bust out the bikini and slap on the suntan! Problem is, most of us don’t have a body worthy of the beach! Sure, we’ll make oaths to ourselves (sometimes in blood) promising we’ll transform our bodies, but does it actually happen? Do we achieve those chiselled abs, or that firm booty? Most likely not. What happens? We put off our goals, delay and in defeat, give up. By the time summer rolls around we are stuck with the same body. Embarrassed, we go to the beach with oversized t-shirts and awkward excuses about why we are wearing them. Another year’s gone by and Ben and Jerry are still your best buds.
Your two best friends/ Saturday night wingmen

Break this cycle by holding yourself accountable. Take a before photo of yourself. Take honest photos of your front, side, and back. Let the gut hang out, don’t use Myspace angles or shitty cellphone pictures. The photos will tell the truth, they won’t hide blemishes you conveniently choose to ignore. It’ll help serve as a motivation to get started.
You know what it takes to get that beach body? It takes brass balls to get that beach body. Ok maybe not.

Now hears a confession: I’m no different. Thats right, summer is rolling around and I want that beach body too! Posted for my embarrassment and your amusement are my before photos: taken Sunday March 29th. Remember, the best time to start is right now, don’t delay, do it now!

Embarrassing things I’ll point out: My mint Disney VHS collection, my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles VHS on top of the TV (just watched), my drawers getting caught up in my butt, my retro 1978 BIG MUSCLE BENCH

Copyright April 12th, 2009 by Omar Isuf

Have you taken your before photo? Post your confession below!

Fail to Pan=Plan to Fail

Clients will confess to me (usually very sheepishly during an unsuccessful weigh-in) that their eating was not optimal during that week. That junk food on Monday? They had to eat it- they had no food on them. I`ve heard the standard “I was starving, I had to eat the Big Mac, and besides it was only 49 cents more to supersize it!” (this is usually followed by sobbing and embarrassing self-deprecation).

I just can’t quit those golden halos

This is simply an excuse. We can always find time to prepare our food. How many hours do we spend watching something mindless on TV or surfing the internet aimlessly?

A simple Sunday ritual of setting aside two hours to prepare food in batch quantities: baking the chicken breasts for the week, boiling eggs, mixing the tuna, making the chilli will do. You don’t have to be Chef Boy-R-Dee to cook either; the first time I tried cooking for myself I had an extra special visit from the fire department. Find some simple meals you can make that you can eat day in and day out. For me boiled eggs are a good staple (just make sure to brush your teeth-no one likes stank breath). Spending this time will save you time in the future; you won’t have to go hunting for food like a scavenger and you will build a valuable skill. Besides, last time I checked, being a good cook was a major turn on.

In Picture: Green Tea, Boiled Eggs, Salmon Fillet with Kefir Dill Sauce, Mediterranean Chicken Breast Spinach Salad, Protein Shake, Almonds
Not Featured in Picture: Burnt pans and a pissed off girlfriend

Copyright April 12th, 2009 by Omar Isuf

Got any simple meal ideas? Share them below!

Who I am

“Omar left me unable to think or write. That is how great he is. Thanks Omar.” –Robbie Perkins (client)Motivation. Education. Excellence. These three words form the core of my training philosophy. Principally focused on results, my methods strive to help clients identify and achieve their goals, all the while enjoying their journey. My enthusiasm for fitness stems from my own personal quest of self betterment. Whether it’s the high-powered CEO, or your regular weekend warrior, I have the real-world experience to guide any client to success. My diverse roster of clients include post-pregnancy, rehabilitation (including patella femoral pain, plantar fasciaitis, lordosis, anterior pelvic tilts, etc), special needs, high level athletes (Boston Marathon Runner, Canadian National Rower). Fat loss, muscle gain, performance or wellness, I will help you succeed -and you’ll enjoy doing it. Just ask for the client feedback !

I don’t know what I’m doing in this photo

10 Quick Tips For Faster Results

This is a straight forward article, so lets trim the fat and get to the good stuff.

Rules of Lifting
1. If a body part hurts when performing a movement, stop doing it. Either it is a technique error or a muscular balance. Either way you are just putting yourself at risk for injury. Seriously we all like to bench, but we also like to keep our shoulders in their sockets!

2. Do not neglect weak areas. We all like to focus on our strong points but unless we correct the weak links they will just become more pronounced over time. On average from my experience, most individual`s arms have a half an inch difference in size. For correcting a left-right imbalance focus on unilateral movements (i.e. dumbbells as opposed to barbell movements).


3. Change up your routine, often. Doing the same routine over and over is the fastest way to no progress or even worse, regression. Ditch the retro 80`s step-up routine where it belongs, next to the fanny pack and pink leotards. Your body adapts rapidly to training stimulus and so you must present new, more difficult challenges to sustain progress. It also helps avoid training boredom and keeps the workouts fresh which will keep you motivated.

General Tips

1. Avoid training ADD. If you saw it in a magazine and you think it looks “cool” don’t just perform it, understand what the exercise is actually doing. If the exercise seems unsafe, that’s because it is. You don’t want the coroner’s report to read death by swiss ball squat on it.

2. Don`t waste time in the gym. You go to train, so train. Its great to socialize but its even better to lose the gut. Chatting with the receptionist does not burn more calories, and it won’t get you a date, romeo.

3. Minimize rest periods: The less you rest, the more weight you can lift in the same amount of time. This is known as increasing training density, the amount of work you do per unit time. Do as many things in as little time as possible. So stop sitting between sets, this is a workout not an episode of Friends!

For Women



1. For a thinner waist, avoid too much direct core work as this will increase the size of the abdominal area by increasing the muscle (a muscle responds to being stimulated). Thus you will not burn fat but simply add muscle. Last time I checked “blocky waist” was not a major turn on (apologies to those that it is in fact a major turn on).



2. For fat loss avoid excessive low intensity cardio. Too much cardio, without proper weight training, is the fastest way to thunder thighs. Not only are endless cardio sessions a limited method for burning calories, it will put yourself in a catabolic state where your body will consume precious muscle. It will not “melt the fat off” or “burn the belly”; you have a better chance of seeing Bigfoot at your local Denny’s!


For Men
1. Focus on form over weight, seriously! Nearly every single guy I know lifts more weight than he can handle. Check your ego at the door and focus on actually trying to stimulate the muscle and control the weight. Your body will thank you for preventing injuries and the girl across the gym floor will stop thinking you’re a dumbass, so its win win.

2. Target the big muscles groups first, then you can isolate. For gaining size, compound is king. Endless barbell curls will only equal a bruised ego. The more muscle you target in the same session, the more muscle you will grow; its that simple.

Got any tips? Share them below!
Copyright April 5th, 2009 by Omar Isuf