Cardio Twister Review – Will It Really Work?

This morning I viewed an infomercial for the “Cardio Twister” and felt compelled to publish my opinion on the potential effectiveness of such a product for a typical Australian seeking to lose weight and tone up. As a fitness professional, I feel that I am obligated to do so in order to assist in educating you as the consumer.

Unfortunately, yet not surprisingly, I do believe that this product strongly over-promises and will under-deliver. This opinion is based on how the product has been marketed and the science that just doesn’t seem to support these outrageous and “too-good-to-be-true” claims. In fact, the Cardio Twister in my opinion seems like the next generation of the Ab King Pro.

It claims to “target” the “problem areas” such as the inner thighs, outer thighs and butt. Sure, when you are performing a twisting action, you will be recruiting the abductors, adductors and the gluteals (or the outer thighs, inner thighs and butt muscles) – but this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be losing fat from this area and developing muscle.

I guess that this is one of the most exploited myths within the health and fitness industry. Just because you are using a particular muscle group to generate force does not necessarily mean that you will lose fat from that area and/or develop that specific muscle’s size.

What may assist you in understanding why is if I define two commonly used (and yet highly confusing) terms, “toning” and “spot reduction”:

Toning

This term is thrown around commonly and yet not many people are aware of what “toning” actually means. Toning is a two stage process:

1. Muscle Gain
2. Fat Loss

Depending upon your current body shape, the degree to which these two constituents are required will vary. For example, if you carry a fair amount of muscle but have a lot of fat tissue to lose, then you will require more fat loss than muscle gain. The converse can also be true.

Note that you cannot turn muscle into fat or turn fat into muscle. Muscle tissue and fat tissue are two completely separate tissues and must be treated independently.

Muscle gain, or muscle development, can be induced through a number of means. Often though, cardiovascular exercise is not an effective way to achieve this goal. The Cardio Twister is a cardiovascular workout (albeit, I don’t believe it to be an effective one).

Meanwhile, fat loss is encouraged by creating a calorie deficit (or consuming less calories than what your body expends). Two major contributors to creating a calorie deficit are through regulating your nutritional intake (or diet) and through physical exercise. Sure, the Cardio Twister is exercise and thus you will be expending calories (yet, far less than other forms of cardio). However, this machine will not “target” fat loss located on your inner and outer thighs, along with your butt area. This brings me onto spot reduction…

Spot Reduction

This is (unfortunately) very commonly exploited by many marketing companies promoting products of this nature that apparently “target” a specific area of the body. Spot reduction suggests that you can use a particular set of muscles and thus lose fat from a specific area of the body. If this were true, running would result in fat loss from the legs, push-ups would result in fat loss from the chest and arms and so on.

However, the science strongly disagrees. In fact, there is absolutely no evidence whatsoever to suggest that spot reduction is possible. After decades of studies, science has concluded that we cannot consciously select an area of the body that we wish to lose fat from through exercise. Spot reduction is a complete myth.

So, coming back to the Cardio Twister, if you do consider purchasing such an exercise machine, be aware that:

1. You will not develop muscle tissue as effectively as other forms of exercise
2. You will not expend an optimal number of calories relative to other forms of exercise
3. You cannot choose to lose fat from your inner thighs, outer thighs or buttocks
4. In my opinion, “a few minutes a day”, without any other lifestyle changes (additional exercise, dietary change), will have minimal results

Having said all this, if the Cardio Twister is the only way that you will perform some physical activity, then go for it. After all, some exercise is better than none! But I would strongly suggest enquiring about our personal training services…exercise can actually be exciting if it suits you and your lifestyle!

Before concluding this Cardio Twister review, I would like to say one more thing. Although I don’t know the models who demonstrate this machine on the infomercials personally, I am very confident that they followed a structured exercise and nutritional programme to get in the shape that they are in. Whilst this is probably commonsensical, I say this with a fair degree of certainty because I was once requested to model a particular brand abdominal machine for another commercial. There were no pre-requisites (such as ever having used the machine before) apart from being in shape. Of course, I was not interested.

Anyway, I do hope that this sheds some light on the Cardio Twister and can assist you in making an informed decision if you do decide to proceed in purchasing it.

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Slim N Lift Television Product Thoughts

Not long ago, I saw an infomercial for the “Slim n Lift” product that from my understanding is an undergarment that brings in your waistline gives a female a better overall figure. Fair enough I say, although I have absolutely no idea about the effectiveness of this particular product. Actually, they have also brought out a male version too.

But what I wanted to post about was not how effective or ineffective this product is. I don’t want to review the product because quite frankly I have no idea about fashion and undergarments. What I did want to share my thoughts on was some of the insinuations put fourth within their marketing campaign.

Being such a health and fitness advocate personally, it sometimes rubs me the wrong way when an advertisement implies that it is a viable alternative to looking after your body. When I observed this particular advertisement, there was a reference to the fact that no exercise is required. Also on their website, it is written that “no dieting” is required. It’s this apparent insinuation that this product could replace exercise and healthy eating that I really do not agree with at all.

A note: I am quite opposed to fad dieting and am an avid supporter of changing one’s lifestyle to consume a healthier diet that is sustainable in the long-term.

Both exercise and healthy eating is vital for so many reasons including:

• Physical Health
• Mental Health
• Happiness
• Zest for Life and General Wellbeing
• Disease Prevention
• Self-Esteem
• Body-Image
• Injury Prevention

Considering this, if you ever do consider to purchase a product of this sort, do so knowing that it should not be a replacement for a healthy lifestyle. Sure, the marketing company may play on this psychology because it’s natural human behaviour to find the easy way out, but there is absolutely no substitute for a healthy lifestyle.

In saying this, I don’t think that there is anything wrong with purchasing a product of this nature. After all, we all buy clothes to make ourselves look better – and this would just be another addition to the wardrobe! But just always remember that if you are unhappy with your figure, you will feel so much better about yourself if you make some significant changes in your lifestyle to change yourself both inside and out.

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How to Make Your Weight Training Exercise More Effective

When you are in the gym and lifting weights, you want to get the most bang for your buck right? After all, you don’t want to be spending a few hours a week wasting your time away whilst obtaining minimal results!

Prior to initiating a weight training regime, it is extremely important that you seek the doctor’s okay and the guidance of a personal trainer. This is to ensure that your weight training is both safe, suitable and effective for you and your goals.

So, let’s get down to it! Here are three of the most common area’s that are very important for an effective weight training workout.

Weight Training Exercise Tip 1: Obtain a Full Range of Motion (ROM)

The basic premise behind standardised weight training is to exercise a particular muscle (or a particular group of muscles) from a stretch to a full contraction. This is only possible to accomplish by following a full range of motion, or ROM.

A full ROM is straight forward – you are simply performing the movement from one extreme to the other. Here are a few examples:

• Bicep Curls – Lower the weight all the way down so your arm is straight and bring the weight up to minimise the angle at the elbow.
• Bench Press – Bring the bar right down to the chest and then press right up for a full extension.
• Pullups – Extend your arms all the way down so you are practically hanging and then pull up so your chin is higher than your hands.

Of course, this is a very general rule and there are many exceptions. For example, it is wise not to perform a full range of motion on squats as going too deep can increase the likelihood of injury to your knee (although highly effective for quadriceps development). Speak to a fitness professional for specific advice.

Weight Training Exercise Tip 2: Keep the Tempo Controlled

As a general rule, you do not want to race through the set by completing each rep as quickly as possible. Sure, there are specific uses for this style of training, however, for the beginner, this is certainly not appropriate.

By performing repetitions too quickly, you are generating far too much momentum and thus taking the load off the targeted muscles. If you are looking to develop your strength and muscle size, you need to exhibit a degree of control throughout each rep.

A general guideline is 3 seconds on the eccentric phase and 2 seconds on the concentric phase. The concentric phase is the tougher portion of the repetition. For example:

Push-ups: Pushing up
Lat-Pulldown: Pulling the bar down
Leg Press: Pushing forward
Crunches: Crunching up

Weight Training Exercise Tip 3: Breathe Properly

It is very common to hold your breath, or breath incorrectly when exercising. By not breathing correctly, you will deplete your body of oxygen (and thus inhibit your results) and also raise your blood pressure up unnecessarily high (which can have severe implications). So it is vital that you learn to breathe properly when performing weight training exercises.

As a general rule, you should be breathing out on the concentric phase and in on the eccentric phase. In other words, breath out as you are exerting the most effort. This may be hard to get your head around initially, but it is by far the most effective way to breathe.

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You’ll notice in this post I have made “general” recommendations. There are always exceptions to these rules, so it is important that you do seek the specific advice from your personal trainer if you are unsure as to how to apply these tips to your weight training exercise regime.

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Getting Someone Else to Exercise

When I initially obtained my personal training qualifications, I was convinced that through my enthusiasm, I could inspire anyone to exercise. No matter how de-motivated, tired, pessimistic or down that person was, there was no challenge too great. With so many benefits to exercising, there is no argument not to exercise. I was going to conquer the world!

I bet there are people twice my age reading this thinking “Ah, a case of the young man’s mentality”. You know what, I couldn’t agree more. Whilst this was certainly an ambitious approach to the fitness profession, this was also a very naive view of the world. I have since learned that this is not possible.

Well, I guess that one primary reason why I formed this view is because I was so inactive in my high school years. I truly hated running and gymnastics. Whilst I didn’t mind team sport and loved playing tennis and squash, I was certainly not known for my sporting ability. So, having been relatively sedentary, to now becoming a very regular exerciser and fitness professional, I was under the impression that anyone else could undergo the same transformation.

And sure, anyone else could undergo the same transformation. I’m not specially gifted physically…that’s for sure! But here’s the key:

Not everyone wants to change their lifestyle.

I think back to my high school years. I was out of shape, suffered from poor asthma, had low self-esteem and poor body-image. Sure, I wanted to look great, but I didn’t want to change my lifestyle. I couldn’t be bothered exercising. I knew it was good for me…but I would have preferred to play computer games!

So, having been in the fitness industry for many years now, I am very aware that some people just do not want to change their life. And I respect that – after all, it’s their life!

Ultimately, someone may be so out of shape that they need to exercise for health reasons. I personally know a select number of people who fit in this category and I’m sure you do too. Of course, you may need to sit down and have a discussion with that person, outlining the profound benefits of exercising for health and well-being. You can ask them to obtain a professionals opinion (whether that be fitness or medical). But at the end of the day, if they don’t want to exercise, they won’t. No matter how hard you try, until they truly want to make a change in their life, they will be unable to do so.

You can support, help motivate, inspire and educate someone, but the reality is that motivation comes from the inside.

I often am often asked by my personal training clients if I can assist a loved one to lose weight. The truth is that a fitness professional is a coach. A coach cannot do the work for that person. Whilst we can make exercise more enjoyable, safer, structured and more effective, the underlying truth remains that if that person does not want to invest the time and effort into themselves, they will not.

After reviewing this post, it seems quite dull actually, especially considering that I am often an optimist. It is however important to understand that whilst the world would be a much better place if everyone was fit and healthy, the reality is that this is not the case.

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Did You Know? Health & Fitness Interesting Facts & Trivia

What a way to finish the week off with some interesting facts about health and fitness. Whether your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, increase your fitness or just improve your general health, I’m sure that you will be able to put these interesting facts to use at some point!

Health & Fitness Fact 1: Strength and Muscle Size are NOT Directly Related

It makes sense that the larger a muscle, the stronger it is, right? Well, not exactly. Consider Olympic weight lifters for example – some of those guys are tiny compared to professional bodybuilders (who are often much weaker too!)

There are a few factors that influence strength. Muscle tissue in itself is comprised of a number of different fibre types – some which are responsible for explosive strength and some which are responsible for endurance (and everything in between). So even though some may have an above average muscle mass, their muscles are not necessarily conditioned to handle a large force in a short period of time.

In addition to this, strength is often very dependent upon neurological development. When you begin exercising, your brain is extremely ineffective at communicating with the muscles in how to perform an exercise effectively. As your brain adapts, it “learns” new motions. This improved efficiency of brain-muscle communication means better strength.

Health & Fitness Fact 2: Carbohydrates are Imperative for Muscle Growth

You may have heard the old adage “muscle is protein”. In fact, muscle is the body’s most abundant and ready source of protein. But in order to build muscle, you need much more than protein in your diet.

Take the analogy of building a house. To build a house, you cannot just pile up a number of bricks and call it a house. You need tools, other materials and the skills to build that house. The same goes for muscle. Whilst protein is a primary building block of muscle, you need many other nutrients, an effective training programme, effective recovery etc. to build muscle.

So why are carbohydrates so important for muscle growth? Well, carbohydrates assist in insulin production. Proteins from your diet cannot be utilised for the muscle building process without insulin present! Without insulin, the ingested proteins for muscle gain (broken down into amino acids) will primarily be excreted via the urine.

In a practical sense, add carbohydrates to your pre and/or post workout shakes! Pure protein is not very effective in isolation. The best way to go for serious muscle gain is to buy some protein powder and then add in some dextrose (which can be purchased for $2.50 a kilo!).

Health & Fitness Fact 3: More Exercise is Not Necessarily Better

This really comes down to recovery, something that I blog about often. Exercise is where you place stress on your body. The changes that take place within your body (significant fat loss, fitness, muscle development etc.) happens when you’re recovering from this exercise. Your body is effectively repairing itself so it will be able to handle the extreme stress of exercise more efficiently next time.

So – avoid the temptation to:

• Perform crunches after every workout to obtain a flat stomach
• Exercise intensely seven days a week to lose weight
• Perform numerous sets of bicep curls to focus on bicep development
• Train a muscle group multiple times daily

Always remember – you obtain the results outside of the gym – NOT while you are putting in the effort!

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How to Begin Achieving a Health and Fitness Goal

So, you’ve made the decision to achieve a particular health and fitness goal. You may wish to bulk up, tone or lose weight – some of the more common objectives. Alternatively, you may wish to improve your general health, increase your fitness, or train for a specific event.

But, what is the optimal way to achieve this goal? Great question, I’m glad you asked!

The first thing that needs to be well understood is that you are an individual. Even though you may have a similar goal (albeit probably not identical) to another person, you are completely different. Consequently, your approach to achieve this goal will vary, probably quite substantially. There are so many reasons for this, including varying:

• Genetics
• Health
• Family History
• Body Composition
• Exercise Experience
• Nutritional Habits and Preferences
• Exercise Habits and Preferences
• Injuries
• Fitness Level
• Flexibility
• Age
• Gender
• Mental Strengths
• Enthusiasm and Determination
• Personalities

Of course I could go on, but the point I’m making is that a one-size-fits-all approach to achieving a particular goal is often not the most effective way to become successful. You need to consider your specific circumstances in order to develop an approach to accomplishing your health and fitness goal.

What I consider to be a one-size-fits-all approach could be anything of similar nature to:

• A calculator to calculate how many calories you require
• A diet that provides you with specific parameters
• An exercise programme that has been published somewhere
• A publication with specific dietary and exercise guidelines to accomplish a particular health and fitness goal

The whole reason why I got into the personal training industry was because of the need for people to be given a specific approach for them and only them. Whether you hire a dietician, online personal trainer or other health and fitness professional, you can be assured that you will obtain optimal results relative to following a programme produced for the masses.

Reading this blog post, I know this sounds like a sales pitch – “get personal training or you’ll be wasting your time”. But apart from the fact that I’m a lousy salesperson (really, I am), I am so passionate about this topic because I have seen so many people waste their time and money following unrealistic goals. Achieving specific health and fitness goals is not as easy as going for a walk and eating in a healthy manner – it requires planning, knowledge and direction.

So please, make the initial investment into a professional so you get started on the right foot. When I first started out, I did, and I strongly recommend that you do as well.

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The Best Protein Powders in Australia

Having trained for many years and tried a plethora of protein powder supplements (many from the annual fitness expo!), I feel that I now have a sound idea about which are the best protein powders in Australia.

Honestly, I have tasted protein powders that I have struggled to finish drinking (and I’m quite adventurous when it comes to taste). Two products in particular stand out, but I’m not going to mention the brands because they have since updated their formula’s (thankfully!).

On the flip side, I have also tasted some AMAZING protein powder supplements – particularly in the past few years as much more development has gone into the taste of the products.

But it’s not all about taste. The quality, price and constituents of protein powders are all very important when it comes to deciding which supplement to use.

With so many products out there, it can be confusing where to begin. So, below, I have listed the four best protein powders in Australia, for different reasons:

The Best Tasting Protein Powder in Australia

I really cannot go past Optimum 100% Gold Standard Whey. They have a number of flavours, all of which taste amazing! In saying this, there are other protein powders that are just as good tasting in my opinion. Yet why this product gets my vote is because of the quality of the constituents as well as the taste. It’s primarily whey protein isolate, with whey protein concentrates as a secondary ingredient.

The Best Value Protein Powder in Australia

My definition of value considers two primary factors – product quality and price. Dymatize Elite Whey comes in a 4.5kg box, is a blend of whey protein concentrate and isolate (in that order) and is significantly more cost effective that the Optimum protein powders.

The Best Quality Protein Powder in Australia

This must go to AST Sports Science VP2. VP2 is a partially hydrolysed whey protein isolate protein powder. Whilst the label says that it is “100% hydrolysed”, this refers to the fact that 100% of the protein has undergone the hydrolysation process. Hydrolysation enhances the rate of protein absorption to boost muscle synthesis and recovery following a workout. Ultimately, the quicker you can absorb amino acids, the more effective that workout will be. VP2 has been a world leader for many years and continues to remain right at the top of the list. But of course with the added quality comes the additional cost (albeit not excessive).

The Best Natural Protein Powder in Australia

I blogged about Dymatize All Natural Elite Whey not long ago, mentioning that it contained no artificial sweeteners, flavours or preservatives are added into this product. Better yet, there is no sugar either!

Having consumed this protein powder regularly for a little while, I must say, the taste is really growing on me. It’s not quite as sweet as the other powders on the market, but I really think that it’s a good thing. Plus, it’s primarily whey protein isolates!

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So there you have it. There are another bunch of protein powder supplements that I could add to this list, but these four products tend to really stand out.

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Boosting Efficiency and Maximising Your Time at Work

If you’re like most people, you probably wish that you had more hours in the day to get through all the daily tasks of your work. Wouldn’t it be great to boost your efficiency and maximise your time whilst you are working to boost the productivity of your day?

Well believe it or not, nutrition and exercise both play a vital role in accomplishing an increased level of efficiency. Time management and goal setting aside, by looking after your body, you will be more effective at completing daily tasks, not only more efficiently, but with far greater quality.

Nutrition can play a vital role in your brain function. Essential omega-3 fatty acids and imperative for daily processes and are often referred to as “brain food”. Carbohydrates are the sole energy source of the brain and without adequate carbs, your efficiency and concentration will suffer markedly. B group vitamins can have a profound impact upon processing thoughts and assist in reducing stress.

Recently, a lot of research has been conducted on the benefits of exercise and the benefits in the workplace. Not only are endorphins secreted that lift your mood and decrease stress, but exercise can actually assist in enhancing the daily processes conducted within the brain. In fact, exercise can help stimulate brain cell development – something not thought possible until only recently!

Good eating and regular exercise can take some time. You have to prepare your food rather than ordering take-away. You may also need to take half an hour to perform a workout. Yet, this time is an investment into your productivity. With an optimally functioning brain, you could enhance your efficiency and maximise your time at work! You will get more done in less time. Whilst it’s hard to quantify the benefits with a great degree of accuracy, there is no doubt that exercise and nutrition can play a vital role in getting the most out of each day.

Be sure to check out the following articles we have available for further reading:

Exercise Boosts Mood & Reduces Stress for 12 Hours

The Effects of Exercise on the Brain

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The Benefits of Core Strength

Over the past 5-10 years, there has been plenty of talk about your “core strength”. Balls, BOSU’s and other stability equipment has become an intrinsic part to many training regime’s. So I thought I’d shed some light on exactly what your “core” is and why it’s important to work on your core strength.

Contrary to popular belief, your core isn’t your six-pack muscle, or even just your abdominals. It’s actually not one single muscle, but more a combination of muscles that support your spine and add stability to your torso. Some very important core muscles include your transverse abdominus, multifidus, erector spinae and your gluteals.

When you are performing core work, the focus of this style of exercise is not going to change your physique by enlarging your muscles by any noticeable degree. Standard resistance training will accomplish this. Specific core work will strengthen the muscles surrounding your spine. Note that these are “supportive” muscles and not muscles that really affect your physique.

The benefits of having a stronger core are very important, no matter what your goal. Having a stronger core significantly reduces the risk of injury, particularly spinal, because your spine will be more effectively supported. You will also be stronger as a result of less energy wastage from a weak core.

This decreased risk of injury doesn’t only hold true when performing weight training or sport. In fact, a stronger core minimises this injury risk in everyday life. Whether your are bending over and picking something up, or lifting something heavy above your head, a strong core helps in supporting your back, which is one of the most common sites of injury.

There are many core exercises – some relatively easy and some extremely difficult. Due to the difficulty of some advanced core exercises, they can be quite dangerous if you haven’t established a good foundation of core strength. I’ll save the “types” of core strength exercises for another blog post.

Also interestingly, core strength exercises don’t necessarily have to include a ball, BOSU or another piece of stability apparatus. Something as common as lunges can have a very positive impact upon core strength and stability!

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Creatine Supplements – Information & Buying Information

Creatine is a naturally occurring amino acid sound within skeletal muscle tissue. It plays a vital role in the phosphate system, whereby ADP is regenerated into ATP.

If you are unaware of the phosphate system, let’s go over it briefly so you have an idea of a primary role that creatine plays in the human body when exercising. When you exercise, you expend energy. Force is generated by your muscles by breaking down ATP molecules (adenosine-triphosphate) into ADP (adenosine-diphosphate). During this reaction, energy is given off and thus muscles are provided with the required energy to produce force.

Note here that one phosphate atom is lost (going from triphosphate to diphosphate) from the ATP molecule. Creatine’s role is to assist in collecting a phosphate ion and re-attaching it to an ADP, in order to create a new ATP for more muscular force to be generated.

By using creatine supplements, you are able to saturate the muscle fibres with creatine. A greater abundance of creatine allows for an increased potential force to be generated in a relatively short period of time. Particularly if you are focused on power, strength, hypertrophy (gaining muscle) or sprinting ability, creatine supplements can be of great benefit. Not only will your force output increase, but the amount of overload will also increase, resulting in a greater degree of adaptation experienced by your body when recovering.

There is a bit of confusion about creatine supplements when it comes to gaining muscle. The true benefit of using creatine supplements is to increase your potential maximal force, thus increasing the overload which will instill additional muscular gains whilst recovering from training. Creatine supplements will not directly increase the amount of muscle that you are carrying. However it is worth noting that upon loading with creatine, you will most likely experience a weight increase due to a greater degree of fluid retention within muscle fibres.

We have a range of creatine supplements available in our store at the best prices in Australia!

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