The True Secret Behind Fitness Success, Goal Setting

Hello again to you. I was sitting around the other day as my mind was running full length sprints. For those that know me they know that my mind is always coming up with how to better a process or create a new one. The art of Goal setting is no stranger to the method behind my madness.

I always question why it takes some longer to achieve their fitness and health goals in comparison to others. They key is that they already saw in their mind that they had achieved their goal. Goal setting is an age old art to any of the most accomplished achievers in any field. Like a house, to build a strong and sturdy exterior you must have a strong foundation.

At Dream Body Boot Camps we get our members started off by going our exclusive forum and filling out what their short - term and long - term goals are. If you need a refresher course on what short - term and long - term goals are then here you go. Short - term goals are those in which you plan for the next 3 months. Long - term goals are a whole different beast in which you plan out for a year or longer. This is a prerequisite for any sound fitness program.


Though goal setting is an all fine and dandy starting point, there are some other key important factors behind achieving your true success. Since we are based out of Orlando, Florida I think this story about Walt Elias Disney would be most appropriate.

Walt was on his death bed dying of lung cancer in 1966 and concurrently plans for EPCOT (Experimental Prototype City of Tomorrow), had come close to finalization. Roy, his brother, came into the room and said, “Walt, the plans for EPCOT are done and boy are they beautiful”. Walt stopped Roy and said “I already know”. Roy asked Walt, “How do you know?” Walt responded with “because I have already seen it”.

I relayed this story over to you because dreams do come true once you restate them as goals. Walt believed in a process that is very powerful, the process of visualization. You can write out as many goals as you want but until you see them as truth and reality then your goals are just words on paper. Here is the process that now you should take for true success with goal setting and stick with it, it works!

Step 1: Sit down where you ‘regoing to be most relaxed. I have a lake behind my home so I wake up early in the morning and just sit out on the picnic table there. Bring a pad and pencil/pen with you.

Step 2: Write down at the top of the pad. This Is Me Now. Then give some space and put down the titles, Ultimate goal, Long-term goals, and Short-term goals. Leave some space between each title so you can put 3-5 goals.

Step 3: Write out goals for each title just to get something out on paper.

Step 4: Now take those same goals and re-write them in a positive, present tense. Here is an example:
I weigh less now which decreases my cholesterol.

Step 5: Take that same positive, present tense goal and add some numbers and a deadline to it. Being specific makes things realistic. Example: I am 15 lbs lighter with healthy cholesterol for my test on September 1, 2009. Do this for all your goals.

Step 6: After writing each goal repeat it back to yourself but close your eyes and visualize you already being there. Open up your eyes and take notice to how you feel. Make a side note of that feeling.

Step 7: Post these goals up on your wall next to your mirror. Since you must use the bathroom at home, look over your goals day and night. Visualize yourself having it already.

I can give you a double money back guarantee that this will help you reach your goals that much quicker and have true success. Try it in any area you feel you need help with. It’s all about getting your mind to work with your body.

Holistic Fitness and Boot Camps, what in Holy Chakra is this all about?

I was sitting in a meeting the other day with my business partners Samantha and Nelson and realized that we are not just your normal fitness boot camp. We discussed long and hard and had a few disagreements along the way but ultimately came down to this agreement, we operate holistically. Don’t let the word scare you.

Holistic, according to the Merriam- Webster dictionary states this, relating to or concerned with wholes or with complete systems rather than with the analysis of, treatment of, or dissection into parts.

Though we would like to say we are able to magically give every one of our clients their Dream Bodies within a few months that is not always the case. We are about progressively creating a complete lifestyle change that extends outside our group bootcamp workouts.


Throughout the several months of business in which we have conducted our boot camps we have literally redefined what health is truly about for our clients. Several have come back with smiles on their faces because they have gotten off of strong doses of medicines or after taken physical examinations the numbers have astounded their doctors. One of our clients after making serious lifestyle changes and sticking to her exercise program has lost almost 90lbs. instead of making the choice of gastric bypass to lose weight.

The true health begins with how the human body works on the inside and then undeniably manifests itself on the outside. Our new angle is to literally work from the inside - out. Dream Body Boot Camps designs its workouts around the premise of continually providing tightening of the muscles. We provide cardio vascular to keep your fat burning going for 48-72 hours after you have done the initial exercise. We even give you a new education in nutrition to stimulate your under-active thyroid into super-drive and foods plans that lead to indisputable success. Yet, without you saying I am willing to make a lifestyle change none of these processes even matter.


All of our success stems from looking inside ourselves and making the decision to discover what kind of health we know we disserve. Dream Body Boot Camps strives to became the innovators on what healthy products we can bring to our clients. We back everything up with research we have gained from our teachers and thus become teachers to our members. A wise Chinese philosopher once said “ When the student is ready, the teacher will appear” . Become a student and let the teacher appear for you.

5 Jumping Exercises that would make even the Easter Bunny Jealous

We have all seen that commercial a million times with the Bunny that bucks like a chicken. If you are one of the few individuals that have been isolated in a dark room for a quite a few years then go to youtube and type in Cadbury Bunny Commercial. Tell me, how does one even get an egg out of a rabbit? Well, anyways, the Easter Bunny would be proud of this multi-joint 5 exercise jumping routine that has a few hidden benefits of its own.





1. Perform Burpees for 30 seconds for tremendous calorie burning

Start in a perfectly erect standing position. Bend at the knees as if you were going into a squat and place your hands on the ground. Thrust your feet back so that your body is in a plank position and then bring feet back to the squatting position. With your hands and feet push body up perfectly erect again and add a jump to the end.

2. Do a little broad jump to gain the true bunny experience

Start off in a deep kneed squat and jump out as far as physically capable without hurting yourself. Upon landing, absorb your body back into the deep kneed squat and repeat.



3. Over head jumping lunges to add in some core stability

This exercise does require a dumbbell or kettlebell to be placed in one hand. You will be starting in an upward fully erect position with Dumbbell or kettlebell raised fully above your head and jump up. As you land you will split legs into a lunge position. After you have completed 10 to 12 reps or 30 seconds, whichever comes first, on one side, switch to the other side and complete same exercise.



4. Speed skaters to really work those buns and thighs

For physical proof that this exercise leads to a sexy gluteus maximus and killer thighs just google pro speed skaters and all your answers are revealed. Use Apollo Anton Ono if you need a specific figure. This exercise requires one to start with knees together and semi-bent. You will push off to either left side or right side with you your anchor leg and then push the alternate side with the opposite anchor leg for 30 seconds to a minute.

5. Jumping rope with cardio intervals to get the blood flowing

This particular exercise requires the use of a speed rope which you can buy pretty much at any store. Begin by starting off at a one minute of a steady pace. After you have reached the one minute mark, speed rope as fast as physically capable for one minute. Once you have hit the two minute mark you will return down to the steadier state and thus repeat the cycle for 15- 20 minutes total.

SO GO GET JUMPING!!

Massages and Foam,Who Ever Thought They Would Ever Mix?

What if I told you that you could get a deep tissue massage without even the touch of a masseuse’s hand? Would you believe me? Well it’s true and with an economy not doing so good I know I am one looking to save on luxuries. Here is the answer to the above mentioned question, the foam roller. I know that some of you may crave the feeling of human touch, but let’s face it, there are a lot of you out there I know who aren’t as comfortable. How is this accomplished you might be asking? There is an organ inside a muscle spindle called the Golgi Tendon and is responsible for sensing the tension change in each muscle. By applying a foam roller against the muscle being worked on you are relaxing this tension which also relaxes the Golgi Tendon Organ.

I know you can get those chair massagers which range in cost anywhere from $30 up to $5,000 but really who has extra cash for that. A foam roller costs only $10 to $20 and gives you so many healthy benefits. You be the judge but I think I rather save the money and get just as much of the treatment. Once you go foam roller I truly believe you will never enlist a masseuse’s services again.

They come in multiple shapes, sizes, and even colors depending on what your goals are. There are also half rollers and full circular rollers. I have to be totally honest though; the foam roller isn’t just used for relieving muscle tension. It is also a major contributor in rehabilitation and core stability. The foam roller is used to provide an unstable atmosphere which in return requires core muscles, a.k.a. stomach and back muscles, creating the strong mid section you have always been wanting.

Sandbag Training, An Innovative Approach to Fitness

You may be wondering, why sandbags? How can they really be used for workouts? Here are some convenient answers to discuss around the dinner table.
Sand bags are a nice and cheap alternative to spending the massive amounts of money you will or already have paid on your local gym membership. With a jobless rate nationally topping 8%, many individuals don’t have the extra cash to fork out for those extra luxuries. Fitness is about being creative and getting a workout in with anything that provides a little extra weight.

The detrimental part of using a sand bag as your resistance bearing instrument is that it can easily be lightened or loaded with the fluctuation of the sand. Now tell me, who can’t afford to go to the nearest beach and pick up a bucket of sand. You will get your cardio just by walking there if a car is not at your disposal or you want to save the gas.

Josh Henkin, the guru of Sandbag training, has developed multiple workouts with the key weight bearing instrument being, you guessed it, the sandbag. Research from individuals such as himself and others among the fitness industry conclude that sand bags are a mode of training that have been around for hundreds of years. They are a great tool to use when providing an unstable environment requiring core muscle groups as the main stabilizers of any movement pattern. Along with working the core muscular structure, you are also helping to strengthen grip strength just by continually holding the bag. They also hit multiple muscle groups at one time shortening up the length of your workout yet increasing overall maximal performance.

Here is a sample workout you can do to hit all major muscle in a minimal amount of time courtesy of Dream Body Boot Camps. Reminder: These are compound movement patterns. You can do more dynamic patterns to provide variance in your workout if you wish to.

Squats to Press: Legs start shoulder distance apart with sandbag resting on shoulders in front of body. Go down into squat, as you return to starting position you will go straight into a shoulder press.

Lunge and Curl: Step one foot first a fair distance in front and bend both legs at 90degree angle. Follow that by doing a bicep curl in your lunge position. The Sandbag will presumably be in front of body with arms in a fully extended position. Push back up to starting position and repeat with alternating leg.

Romanian Dead Lift to a Bent Over Row: Starting position- legs shoulder distance, bend over with slight bend of knee and back straight. Feeling is in back of leg and glutes. Come up to starting position. Go back down again and bend at elbow bringing sandbag into your belly button.

Lying Press to Tricep extension: Lie on your back with sandbag held a shoulder distance and arms bent at chest height. Press bag up and at top phase bend at the elbow into the tricep extension.

You can do each exercise for 10 reps in total or per side when alternating for 3- 4 sets. The whole workout should last no longer than 30 minutes. Keep your breaks short, usually around a minute between sets. If you are looking for new and innovative workouts check out http://www.dreambodybootcamps.com.

Have fun with your inexpensive way to workout.

Rapid Fat Loss Circuit Training to Build The Ultimate Dream Body

Traditionally most resistance training workouts have been performed in a straight set format. Meaning you perform a certain amount of reps per exercise or complete as many reps as possible resting anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes based on your training goals. Repeat the set for a certain number of times based on your goals. To increase fat loss and lean muscle gain emphasize shorter rest periods. For a strength or power emphasis, longer rest periods are the proper prescription.

So, why is this not the ideal format anymore? Even though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for new fitness enthusiasts, they are also an exceedingly inefficient way to arrange your exercises. In most commercial gyms you’ll typically see individuals who perform three sets of 10 reps for let’s say the leg extension. They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, converse with like-minded buddies, catch the newest highlights on ESPN, and then gingerly walk back to the nautilus machine to start their second set. In general, 3-5 minutes between sets in not uncommon for most people, guys in particular. At a pace of three sets of 10 on the leg extension means it would take up to approximately 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). All together it would take at least an hour to perform four different exercises and almost 2 hours for a sound workout!

A more successful and time-efficient approach to ordering your exercises is utilizing an alternating set format. You will perform one exercise, rest for a short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise (one not involving the same muscle group), rest for a short period of time, and so forth. When alternating sets you work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). This increases your work to rest ratio or workout density. The result is improved training economy and more work accomplished in less time, the cornerstone of any fat loss program. There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:

1.) Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as dumbbell press and squats)

2.) Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as barbell press, lat pulldowns, and deadlifts)

3.) Circuits: Alternate between four or more different exercises

Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:

The 50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- Squats

Exercise#2- Dips

Exercise#3- Single-Leg Hip Extensions

Exercise#4- Pull-ups

Exercise#5- Leg Raises

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the leg extension you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercises for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus, the intensity on each exercise will be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).

To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for concurrently maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain. Use the following template I use with my many boot camp clients for some killer, yet simple fat loss circuits:

Exercise#1- Double-Leg

Exercise#2- Push

Exercise#3- Single-Leg

Exercise#4- Pull

Exercise#5- Core


Keep checking for some more great circuit training workouts from my Dream Body Boot Camps in the weeks to come ;)

"Where Dream Bodies Come True"

Doug Parra, C.S.C.S.

http://www.dreambodybootcamps.com