That’s what we have determined all of our hard work, consistency and efforts on to tell us if we are succeeding or not.

Sounds a little ridiculous when you look at it that way doesn’t it.  Well that’s what many programs and even more individuals have based their whole workout and nutrition efforts based on what that machine says.  And its an obsession.

And I can understand that to a point, but only to a point.  The scale is the easiest form of measuring numeric progress, however it is the least accurate.

There are many ways to measure progress, and many less to measure numerically.  Numbers matter to many people, there is no getting around that, and so much emphasis has been placed on bodyweight, that it’s hard to ignore the stereotype that is all over our society.

Now there are a number of ways to measure progress without numbers such as, mood, energy level and how your clothes feel.  And those are the initial feelings you are going to have when making changes to your nutrition and exercise program.  Then you have the numerical results such as inches, body fat percentage, pounds, clothing size, as well as cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart rate.  Prioritizing these is difficult as everyone has different needs when starting an exercise program.  One person may be very lean and looking to tone up more, so scale pounds aren’t important as body fat.  On the other side someone who is very obese, the scale would have importance as would body fat percentage.

When training for fat loss, there are very specific things that need to be in the exercise program for it to be fully effective.  Strength training is one of those things, and strength training and the scale don’t mix well.  This is one of the big reasons I tell my clients who are looking to lose fat to not weigh themselves unless they are on a high level rapid fat loss program (and they weigh themselves only to monitor immediate progress to see if the meal plan is working for them- and will make quick changes if it is not).  The real results happen with the circumference measurements (hips, waist, thigh, arm) and the body fat percentage.  Out of those two the body fat percentage shows the best indicator of progress if you had to choose one measure to be the most important.  However having all measurements will tell the best story of how you are doing, and also realizing that measurements do monitor progress but the other factors or results of making lifestyle changes should not be forgotten.  Those unmeasurables often will keep you consistent and give you a positive outlook on your efforts.  The scale gets way too much credit for what it tells you, especially when there are so many factors that can affect it: water intake, sodium intake, time of day, before or after workout, and the list goes on and on.  The moral of the story:  don’t believe everything a machine tells you, take the whole story into account

This month the ‘cream of the crop’ were two very well deserving campers who have been at it for a long time.  Their consistency and work ethic has earned them every bit of results they have achieved.  Fellow campers recognize their effort and see them as leaders (and nominated them as winners for this month).

Also our Champion of the Month from our Youth Camp has made amazing strides in improving in class.  He too has made the extra effort and is paying off big time for him.

Here are your superstars from January!

Black Tshirt Award

Jenna Heinrich

Jenna is that smiling face you hope to see when you walk in our doors.  She is very friendly and always is willing to lend a helping hand or, better  yet, tell a funny story.  Jenna started bootcamp, then found out she was pregnant and stopped bootcamp for about a year.  When she came back she had baby weight to lose and set a goal to achieve that.  She has achieved that and thensome.  Now a member of our second Sparta Project, Jenna is taking her results to a new level, working on enhancing her results and building upon what she has reached so far.  She never backs down from a challenge and is always willing to give anything a try.  It’s that attitude that has gotten her to where she is today.

Congratulations Jenna for winning the Black Tshirt this month.  Your fellow campers thank you and continue to be motivated by you.

Camper of the Month

Gretchen Lewis

Gretchen, much like Jenna, is that smiling face you hope to see when you walk into our facility.  Bootcamp can sound intimidating and its always nice to see a smiling, friendly face when you walk in.  In fact, I have never seen Gretchen NOT smile.  Whether she is cranking out 20 Burpees or deadlifting 200 pounds, Gretchen always has that friendly smile on her face.

Gretchen’s always present effort is perhaps what draws people to be motivated by her.  Her endurance is second to none and often is difficult to challenge.  Becoming a participant in our Warrior Strength and Conditioning class has helped her become more well rounded with her efforts, adding more strength training to compliment the tremendous stamina she has.  Gretchen is on the fast track to becoming a black tshirt winner in the very near future.

Congratulations Gretchen for being named Camper of the Month for January!

Youth Camp Champion of the Month

Eli Moore

Eli started off youth camp with some challenges, and for a while I wasn’t sure if I would be able to remedy them.  Over time though Eli has grown tremendously, making huge strides with exercise form to compliment his always present effort from beginning to the end of class.  Eli has enthusiasm in class that is contagious to other youth campers.  He has had a great month working on his focus in instructions and coming out of his physical shell, by showing us what he is capable of.

I anticipate seeing much more from Eli in the future as he continues to progress and develop into a very well rounded, confident young man.

Camper of the Year Candidate #6

Holly Hartwell

There are so many words to describe Holly’s efforts and contribution to our program.  Tenacity, determination, sheer will, and yes you guessed it, consistency.  Starting off only being able to do a few of our exercises, Holly has blossomed into an inspiration day in and day out in every class she attends.  People are drawn to her effort, the way she goes about her business and she never lets up.

Holly continues to push her limits with heavier weights, and most recently, standard push ups.  She NEVER gives up and anyone and everyone can appreciate that…and they have.  Winning the black tshirt this year culminated an amazing journey which she continues to this day.  She is healthier, has a much more active lifestyle than she ever has, and has become a cornerstone in Ben’s Bootcamps.

Congratulations Holly, you are a candidate for Camper of the Year.

Camper of the Year Candidate #7

Tyler Gosley

Tyler has arguably had the best year of anyone in bootcamp.  Starting in December of 2010, Tyler had some very specific goals in mind and that became very evident when he completed the Metabolism Makeover Program.  It is those very specific, very detailed goals that have driven him all year to lose 70 pounds, drive his body fat under 12% and transformed himself into the very goals he has kept with him.

A former athlete, one would think that it would be easy to gain back what Tyler had lost along the path of life.  However, ‘getting it back’ is just as difficult as ‘getting it’ in the first place because of one very specific reason: regardless of whether ‘you had it or not’ you still have to do the work to get there.  Tyler has done the work and then some.  Back to back bootcamps, Warrior Strength and Conditioning, extra workouts on the weekends, Warp Speed numerous times.  His attitude and positivity within our program was so addicting, that he is now an instructor and is able to unleash his motivating attitude and drive for his own goals onto others so that they can achieve their goals.

An asset is an understatement.  Tyler is a pillar in our program and the poster child for what hard work and desire do to  help change your life. Congratulations Tyler, you are a candidate for Camper of the Year.

Camper of the Year Candidate #8

Carole Ricard

Carole has had an ‘under the radar’ transformation this year.  Working hard on her nutrition and upping her workout intensity has propelled her to become a candidate for Camper of the Year and achieve results faster than she thought she could.  Carole has had some very specific goals in mind and set a deadline to meet them.  Well, she met her goal way ahead of schedule, dropping her bodyfat below 24%.

Carole has repeatedly caught the eye of her fellow 530am high achievers, which is not an easy thing to do.  On several occasions she was nominated for a black tshirt award or Camper of the Month by her fellow campers.  By training in bootcamp 3 times a week, attending ABS class traveling from Derby to Lyndonville, and adding semi-private training after bootcamp on Fridays, Carole is driven to succeed, has succeeded, and will continue to succeed in the future.

Congratulations Carole, you are a Candidate for Camper of the Year

Camper of the Year Candidate #9

Judy Buxton

Judy has the perfect blend of effort and humility.  She doesn’t boast, she doesn’t brag, she lets her actions speak for her.  Judy transformed herself her first year in bootcamp, and is transforming herself yet again.  Through Warrior Strength and Conditioning Class, she has gained tremendous strength on top of the supreme metabolic fitness she already has.  Two years in a row, Judy has amazed other participants and myself with her showing at our Bootcancer Mini Fundraisers being right at the top of the list of finishers both years.

Judy hardly ever looks out of breath and her stamina amazes me every class.  Beyond her physical efforts, Judy is a kind face that new campers look to for reassurance, guidance, and advice, and Judy never disappoints.  Her daughter has had amazing success and wouldn’t have realized what she could do if it hadn’t been for her mom’s encouragement.

After two years, perhaps being motivated by her daughter, Judy is also at her lowest body fat  percentage.  A testament to her hard work, dedication, and willingness to help others.

Congratulations Judy, you are a candidate for Camper of the Year.

I know that food is 80% of your results, but the concept of eating fruits, vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats won’t fill a blog post.  See, I just covered the nutrition in that sentence.  Now, moving on…

Let’s talk building muscle and losing fat.  A concept that just a few years ago, was thought to be impossible.  It is now known that is not the case.  It is possible, but there are a few rules you should know before jumping into any workout program to achieve these results.  You will see me refer to metabolic training a lot.  Metabolic training is performing weight training at a moderate weight with higher intensity, such as circuits, complexes, ladders, etc.  Those of you in bootcamp, think of it as a bootcamp class. Oh and by the way, when I’m referring to building muscle, I’m talking about the muscle tone of an olympic middle distance sprinter, not one of Conan the Barbarian

Your first requirement is to have a blend of heavy strength training with metabolic training.  If you train twice in the same day, make every effort to do your heavy training first then your metabolic training after.  Heavy strength training takes experience to lift heavy so make sure you have proper instruction and is always best to train with a partner when lifting heavy for safety purposes.  Movements like Deadlift, Squats, Floor Presses, Rows, and Olympic/Powerlifting Movements work best in this department.  Two to three movements of true heavy lifting will be all your body can handle for one day, so you can add in some secondary movements with high weight and low reps to round out the workout.

Your second requirement is to have a metabolic training in your program.  Metabolic training can take the place for the bulk of your cardiovascular exercise due to its very high calorie burn capability.  Tabatas, complexes, circuits, ladders, and many more methods are great ways to test your body and burn major fat at the same time.  Plus, often times they are fun.  One thing to be sure of is that the metabolic training has balance to it especially if you are training heavy and metabolic in the same day.  If you have been performing deadlifts and metabolic in the same day, for example, and the metabolic workout is leg intensive, maybe back off the weight for the hips in the metabolic portion a little, and turn it up on the other body parts.  However, the metabolic is so variable and whole body, that often doesn’t need to happen, but for balance purposes I needed to mention it

Your third requirement is frequency; how often should you work out.  That can vary and where you are in your training, how much experience you have with exercise, and where you are in your goals.  My clients have had the best results with training 5-6 times a week, with at least one full day off from exercise.  Getting 2-3 days of heavy lifting and 3-4 days of metabolic training (to equal 6 max), is a good rule of thumb.  So, if you are currently training 3 times a week, you don’t need to necessarily jump up to 6 right away.  Add a day now, and in a few weeks add another.  If you are already training 6 days a week, perhaps change the ratio at which you are training heavy versus metabolic.  If you are training 6 days a week and not reaching your goals one of two, or both can be going on: you are not truly training heavy and/or metabolically, or your nutrition needs work.

Three requirements that are quick and dirty to get you to losing fat fast and building muscle at the same time.  Great rules to know now as you plan for your New Year’s Resolutions

Camper of the Year Candidate #4

Cheryl Perry

Cheryl has had an amazing year.  It started off with her high intensity she brings to every bootcamp class.  However once Warrior Strength and Conditioning started, she blossomed into something more.  She has a real talent for lifting heavy and is extremely coachable.  When you have desire, willingness to learn and the work ethic Cheryl brings, much like other Camper of the Year Candidates, you have a winning combination.

Her petite body type is very deceiving to the strength she has.  Her results are not measured by the scale, rather are measured by her muscles.  475 pound tire flip for 6 reps without blinking, knocking on the door of 200 pound deadlift, 44 pound kettlebell snatch for 4 reps per arm are just as amazing as someone losing 40 pounds or 15 inches off their body.

Cheryl has redefined herself and pound for pound is one of the strongest bootcamp members on our roster.  Her intensity has translated into bootcamp and she is boosting her intensity, her weight selection, and her inspiring effort.

Congratulations Cheryl, you are a candidate for Camper of the Year

Camper of the Year Candidate #5

Troy Randall

Troy has an addictive attitude that makes him a very likable person.  He fit into the 530am bootcamp class quickly as his hard work and effort earned the respect of that sometimes intimidating group.  Troy, didn’t shy away from any workout, and although in the beginning, some of the workouts got the better of him, he didn’t give up and it is paying off big time.

Starting bootcamp, Troy had some back issues where he needed to be cautious of his movements.  Those days are long in the past as now he has no daily back issues and is stronger than ever.  He ‘keeps up’ with the 530am class, which, getting through a workout is one thing, but being able to keep up is a whole other animal.  He has built strength in his upper and lower body, most notably being able to box jump the tallest box.  Not an easy feat when you have had issues in the past with your back (and knees).

You hear the word consistency thrown around a lot and its importance.  Well Troy embodies consistency because in a year, you can count on one hand easily how many classes he has missed.  Amazing attendance, probably the best of all our bootcamp members.

Congratulations Troy, you are a Candidate for Camper of the Year.