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Staying Motivated to Reach Your Exercise Goals

Results aren’t guaranteed when working with Celebrity Personal Trainer Lucas James, they’re earned. He can be your motivation no matter if you live in Scottsdale, AZ or Miami, FL. Life isn’t characterized what you say you’ll do, but by your actions and follow through.

Anyone who’s tried to workout after long breaks from the gym or being outdoors knows just how hard it is to stay motivated and get back into shape.

Lucas James: Celebrity Personal Trainer

Celebrity Personal Trainer | Fitness Model

Height: 6’4″   Weight: 222    Body Fat: 8%

“I created a luxury healthy lifestyle company to cater to people and businesses who are used to receiving superb attention and service. I’m the only fitness and health company in the entire state of Arizona to provide high-end treatment of luxury personal training services. I work with business owners, doctors, dentists, politicians, actors, and CEO’s and President’s of major companies to provide a personal training experience that’s unparalleled to any other.

Lucas James is a nationally known celebrity personal trainer and fitness model headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ. He specializes in helping men and women achieve weight loss, muscle building, toning and other fitness programs to create a “Heathly Lifestyle.” James has been recognized as a “5-Star” rated personal trainer throughout Arizona and nationwide.

Lucas James believes that nutrition and meal planning are huge factors for achieving results. In all of his fitness programs he includes nutritional analysis of current eating habits, recommendations for improvement, teaching how to eat healthy, methods on how to analyze and read foods, and suggested daily meals and supplements. Lucas James always take on a one-on-one approach and wants you to succeed to increase your self-esteem, health and look.

Although Lucas James is located in Scottsdale, AZ he travels across the entire state Arizona to help individuals meet their personal fitness and health goals. James provides mobile personal training and home gym personal training services for those individuals who want a different fitness experience.

Lucas James is a Certified Personal Trainer, CPR Certified, and insured. He has earned two Bachelor’s of Science Degrees from Bemidji State University.

James has been active in weighting training, sports conditioning and physical fitness for the last 19 years. He was a three-sport athlete growing up playing football, basketball, and golf. Lucas was born in Edina, MN and attended high school in Wadena, MN. Lucas James is the oldest of five kids in his family and his mother is also a certified personal trainer who manages a Snap Fitness.

Lucas has been an actor, TV Host, hip-hop dancer and fitness model for the past eight years. Some of Lucas’s notable work in the entertainment industry started when he worked for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and then became the TV Host for “Arizona Entertainment Weekly” which aired on CBS. Lucas was also selected as the body-double to Phoenix Suns MVP, Steve Nash. James has appeared in various Nike print campaigns and NBA commercials. Lucas has also be seen as a national fitness model for 24 Hour Fitness where he was featured in ads as a personal trainer. Lucas James was nationally recognized on television for his participation and winning on the hit Bravo TV reality series “Date My Ex: Jo & Slade.”

Visit his personal website: www.Lucas-James.com

How to Choose The Best Personal Trainer

Choosing the BEST personal trainer or fitness trainer can be hard for individuals who don’t have a lot knowledge and experience in health and fitness. Here’s a guide to help you choose your next personal trainer.

ULTIMATE GUIDE: How to Choose the Best Personal Trainer

By Lucas James – Celebrity Personal Trainer

When your’re interviewing and searching for the best personal trainer you want to make sure he or she posses these important characteristics, traits and habits:

Pricing & Rates:

Often times when someone is looking for a personal trainer the first thing they ask is “What are your prices and rates?” Well, you would think that you might want to find out if the personal trainer you’re talking to is even qualified to do the job! I get phone calls and e-mails on a daily basis and 9 times out of 10 the first question I’m asked is about my hourly rate. Everyone has a price point they have, but don’t let the price be ultimate factor for choosing your personal trainer. Generally, the higher priced personal trainers have more experience and knowledge. Although, some personal trainers are overpriced for what you’ll receive in training, motivation, education and most importantly results. So be careful when searching.

Pricing for a personal trainer can range from $25 to $200 an hour. Generally, pricing various on the location of where you’re training and the experience the trainer has.

I highly recommend pre-paying for your personal training sessions. Why? Because once you’ve paid for your sessions you’re more likely to show up to them and stick with the fitness program. It will only benefit you in the long run.

Be careful for trainers who try to cut you a deal or bargain with you on price to get you to commit to personal training package. When you go to the doctors office do you try to  negotiate a price before you get your check-up? I hope not. A quality personal trainer will not bargain his or her way to get your business. Top rated personal trainers will never compromise their value in knowledge, skills and abilities for price.

Personal Training Session Time:

I recommend that a personal training session should last 60 minutes long. Don’t bother signing up for 30 or 45 minute personal training sessions. If you really want want to get a quality workout that targets specific  muscle group(s) that includes warming  up, stretching, or core training you’ll need need a full hour. It may be cheaper to do the shorter sessions, but you have to remember you’re investing money into the future of your health. You don’t want to take the easy way out and come up short.

Frequency of Personal Training Sessions:

When you’re working with a personal trainer it’s a good idea to workout with the trainer for at least two to three times a week in the beginning of your fitness program. One session a week is not adequate enough to learn and develop a consistent workout routine.

Certification:

All personal trainers working for a gym, health club, fitness center, or independently are required to hold a personal training certification and CPR certification. Some facilities may also require the personal trainer to carry liability insurance. Be sure to ask your prospective trainer about his or her certification. Some good personal training certification organizations are ISSA, NASM, NFPT, and ACSM to name a few.

Education:

It’s very important that your personal trainer has some type of bachelors degree in exercise science, kinesiology, nutrition, sports conditioning or related field. Although some personal trainers hold degrees in other concentrations which is accepted by the fitness industry.

Remember, just because a personal trainer might hold multiple certifications or degrees that doesn’t mean or she is the best fitness trainer for you. Knowledge is power, but if a trainer can’t communicate effectively to a client then the trainer’s knowledge is worthless. You have to look at your future personal trainer as your next teacher. Imagine your favorite teacher while you were in school. Chances are you liked the teacher because he or she made learning fun and you were able to understand the subject through his or her teaching methods. The same methods apply with personal training.

Look the Part:

A fit and toned trainer who has experience and knowledge is the total package deal.  What you see is what you get. The personal trainer you choose should be in GREAT shape, no matter what. After all, how can you be motivated by a trainer who’s not in excellent shape or doesn’t look amazing in workout clothing? Interview your future personal trainer about what they do for workouts, their eating habits and what they do to stay in shape. If he or she don’t have a clear concise answer then I would suggest moving on to another trainer. The trainer you select should be someone that has a body you want obtain. I recommend for male personal trainers to have body fat less than 12 percent and for female personal trainers to have 20 percent body fat or less. I’ve noticed several trainers at gyms who are out of shape and they have a tendency to wear long sleeve and baggy shirts, wind pants, and large sweat shirts to hide their body while training clients. Watch out for these types of trainers.

Health & Medical Assessment:

When you meet the personal trainer for your first consultation you should be prepared to answer the following health and medical questions:

- What’s your height, weight and age?

- Do you have injuries? If so, did you have surgery? Do these injury(s) prevent you from doing any specific activities?

- Are currently on any medications? Which ones?

- Have you been diagnosed with any type of medical condition?

- What are your allergies? Do you have any food allergies?

- When’s the last time you had a physical with a doctor? What’s your blood pressure?

- Have you have any recent illnesses, hospital visits, or surgeries you haven’t told me about already?

If the trainer doesn’t ask you these questions or doesn’t have you fill out a medical history questionnaire then I would avoid hiring the trainer. It’s very important that your future personal trainer knows everything about your medical and health history.  It’s in your best interest to be completely honest and accurate when answering these questions.

Nutrition & Meal Planning:

The number one factor for achieving any type of fitness goal is nutrition and meal planning. The saying “You are what you eat” is dead on right. Your eating habits account for 80 percent of your results. Remember, six-pack abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym.

During your first consultation with a trainer a topic that should be covered and discussed thourghly is creating a custom meal plan. If your trainer hands you a sheet of menu of foods and says “here, eat this and go off this list” then you’re in big trouble! It doesn’t matter if you’re trying to lose weight or gain lean muscle. The trainer should have you write down what you eat and drink for at least seven days to get a good idea of what your eating habits are. From there the trainer should develop a custom meal plan that tells you what you should be eating and taking for meals, snacks, vitamins, and supplements. There are so many one-sided personal trainers out there who only concentrate on weight training, so make sure your trainer talks to you about creating a meal plan in the beginning. If he or she doesn’t have a focus or knowledge in meal planning and nutrition then I would highly recommend a different personal trainer.

Personal Training Test Session:

If you can get a tryout or practice session with your potential trainer I would highly recommend it. After all, you don’t buy a new car without test driving, right? If your trainer allows a preliminary session make sure it’s a full one hour session and it focuses on your fitness goals.

Getting the Maximum Results:

The trainer you choose should push you to the peak of your physical limits without causing injury.You want to make sure that when your working out you’re getting the most out of your 60-minute session. At the end of every personal training session you should feel like “Wow, I just got my butt kicked and it felt great!”.When you’re finished with a training sessions and if don’t feel tired, sore, or sweaty then you’re not getting the full benefits and need to be trained harder. It doesn’t matter what your fitness goals are, a personal trainer’s job is to push you past your normal workout comfort zone.

“Friends Zone” Personal Trainer:

You don’t want a trainer who’s going to chat and gossip during the workout.  There are some trainers out there who rather establish a “Friends Zone” then having a professional relationship. Remember, you’re paying the trainer to educate in fitness and nutrition, and to help you produce results. You didn’t hire the trainer to become your new best friend. I recommend that you don’t hire a personal trainer that’s a close friend, co-worker, or family member. You might get a special discount with the trainer, but those situations tend to fall in the “Friends Zone” and you’re generally not pushed as hard.

Motivation, Accountablilty and Tracking Progress:

Positive motivation leads to consistency and develops long-term results.What is it going to take for you to stay motivated so you maintain working out and healthy eating habits? Your personal trainer better have the answers and skills to keep you on point to avoid failure. There are several trainers who start to develop a comfort zone with their clients and lose track in motivating and holding them accountable. Make sure the trainer you choose it not a push over and is someone who can keep you on track no matter what your excuses are. Be sure the personal trainer tracks your progress from start to beginning. A good trainer will document your progress in weight, body fat, pictures,  body measurements, heart rate, reps and weight for your specific fitness program.

Buy My Supplements:

A personal trainer who sells their own supplements such as whey protein, vitamins, and drinks are pushing their product for profit. They profit margin on private label supplements is huge for personal trainers. If a personal trainer only recommends his or her products for you to buy then you know they’re just trying to make some money off you. Personally, I refuse to sell supplements to my clients.

Common Signs of Bad Personal Trainer:

- Your trainer shows up to your first consultation late.

- During your first consultation the trainer doesn’t take notes when asking you questions.

- Your trainer does’t count reps out loud.

- Your trainer is watching other people workout instead of you.

- Your trainer asks you what you want to do today.

- Your trainer asks you for money.

- Your trainer is on steriods.

- Your trainer wears jean shorts and sandals to a training session.

- Your trainer talks about his or her personal life the majority of your training session.

- “Personal training is my part-time job” – Trainer

- “I don’t own any equipment” – Trainer

- Your trainer has bad communication skills – “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Do you ever smile?” – Client

- “I’ve had rough couple months that’s why I’m out of shape and have gained weight” – Trainer

- “Can we end this session a little early. I have to be somewhere” – Trainer

Building a Bigger Butt

Building a Bigger Butt

Choosing the Right Supplements and Vitamins for You!

Choosing the Right Supplements and Vitamins for You!

Meal Planning 101: Key to Success

The meals you plan on daily basis is the number one factor for reaching your health and fitness goals.

You might not use the terms “pizza box” and “serving dish” interchangeably, but if you’re like most guys, you probably could. That’s because 64 percent of men spend little or no time on meal planning. Their excuse? Time and money constraints. Unfortunately — and perhaps not coincidentally — that number parallels the 64 percent who are overweight. It’s no wonder: The inexpensive, time-saving foods that guys choose most often are also the ones that are the highest in sugar, fat, and calories, according to a recent study from the University of Washington.

Thankfully, we have a culinary solution that’ll perfectly fit your budget, schedule, and diet. The plan: Set aside 20 minutes on Sunday to fulfill our 16-item shopping list, then forget about your wallet — and collection of takeout menus — for the rest of the workweek. By following our 5-day meal plan, you’ll have the precise number of ingredients to create 10 fast, flavorful meals, all of which are designed to help you build muscle and melt fat while saving you money. (The average price of 10 meals eaten out: $85; the total price of our meals: $47.96.) Each night, you’ll simply prepare a quick and easy dinner, and then creatively use the leftovers to assemble the next day’s lunch. Call it the mixologist’s guide to eating. The best part? While the other guys are stuck on hold in drive-thrus, you’ll be rolling through the express line with your next 10 meals in tow.

THE GROCERY LIST

A balance of protein-packed meats, fresh produce, and a few versatile extras is all you need to feed yourself well week after week.

Frozen Shrimp 1 lb uncooked, medium size

Rotisserie Chicken 1 cooked

Pork Tenderloin 1 herb-flavored or lemon-garlic marinated (about 3/4 lb)

Bell Peppers 1 tray tricolor (or pick out 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 orange)

Yellow Onions 2 lb

Baby Mixed Greens 4 oz bag, washed

Portobello Mushrooms 2 large caps

Asparagus 1 bunch

Garlic 1 head

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto 8 oz jar

Avocado 1 ripe

Mozzarella 8 oz bag, shredded

Instant Brown Rice 1 lb box

Black Beans 12 oz can

100% Whole-Wheat Fettuccine 16 oz box

10″ 100% Whole-Wheat Tortillas 1 package

THE PANTRY LIST Buy these crucial building blocks every couple of months and you’ll always have them on hand to construct meals around the clock.

Reduced-fat mayonnaise

Dijon mustard

Low-sodium soy sauce

Peanut butter

Extra-virgin olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Parmesan cheese

Salsa

Tabasco or other hot sauce

SUNDAY NIGHT’S DINNER

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

3/4       bunch asparagus (about 8 medium spears)

2             portobello mushroom caps, sliced 1/4″ thick

1          medium onion, cut in 1/4″-thick rings

1/2       Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

1            rotisserie chicken breast or leg

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Remove the woody ends of the asparagus by gently bending each stalk until it breaks — it’ll naturally snap off at the right spot. In a baking dish, toss the vegetables with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables have developed a light brown crust. Serve half the vegetables with the chicken and a simple mixed-greens salad tossed with olive oil and vinegar. Reserve the other half of the vegetables for other meals this week.

430 calories, 36 grams (g) protein, 18 g carbohydrates, 25 g fat (7 g saturated), 5 g fiber

The next day’s lunch

CHICKEN PORTOBELLO WRAP WITH BALSAMIC AIOLI

1          c chopped rotisserie chicken (left over from Sunday’s dinner)

3          bell peppers

1          clove garlic, minced

1          Tbsp reduced-fat mayonnaise

1          tsp balsamic vinegar

1          whole-wheat tortilla

2          Tbsp shredded mozzarella cheese

1          small handful mixed greens

1          c leftover asparagus, mushrooms, and onions

To chop the chicken, remove the skin and use a fork to pull the meat from the bones. Then place the meat on your cutting board and cut it into bite-size pieces — it should yield about 3 cups’ worth. Use 1 cup for the wrap and save the other 2 cups for later in the week. Chop the peppers into 1/2″ pieces. They should yield about 4 cups; use 1/2 cup today and save the rest in a plastic bag for dinner.

Mix the garlic, mayonnaise, and vinegar together to make the aioli. Brush the tortilla with the aioli, then put the cheese down the middle, followed by the greens, chicken, and vegetables. To make a tight wrap, fold the bottom of the tortilla up first, then roll it from the side.

400 calories, 43 g protein, 29 g carbohydrates, 15 g fat (4.5 g saturated), 5 g fiber

How to Gain Lean Muscle Mass:

How to Gain Lean Muscle Mass:

Throughout the years I’ve been modeling and personal training the number one goal I’ve tried to personally achieve is bulding lean muscle mass and maintaining low body fat. One thing that’s very important in the fitness and modeling industry is to have good porportion throughout the entire body.  I’ve seen hundreds of guys who have a great upper body and lack mass in their lower body or vice-versa.   To have good solid mass throughout the entire body without looking unproportional can be hard to achieve, but pays out when done the right way! It takes time and consistency, but if you stick with it the results will show.

Building muscle mass the “Clean” way can be time constraining and maybe a little more expensive, but it shows better results from what I’ve done and taught. My clean way to building lean muscle mass is done by adding clean and healthy calories to your current daily meals. The average male needs to increase his daily calorie intake 500 to 2,000 calories a day depending on his goal. Some men get the mix up that they can eat whatever food to add for those additional calories, but really those calories should be clean and healthy foods eaten.

In order to keep your existing body weight you really should consume one gram of protein per pound of body weight. For example, if you weigh 175 pounds then you need to consume 175 grams of protein a day to maintain that weight. Ideally, if you’re trying to gain lean muscle mass you should increase your protein intake to your goal weight. So a 175 pound man who wants to gain 20 pounds of lean muscle to get to 195 pounds will need to intake 195 grams of protein. From my experience in gaining lean muscle mass it’s important to try to keep your daily protein and calorie consumption to 75-85% real non-processed or enhanced food. By that I mean don’t rely on protein powders, mass builders, supplements, or or other enhanced foods for the majority of your meals. Your body reacts and process real natural food better then going on the supplement bandwagon. In my experiences I’ve seen better gains in my mass and physical size by eating natural foods, but the downfall is that it will cost you more money. More food means more trips to the grocery store and more meat to buy. I know that it’s convenient to have an afternoon protein drink that is 300 calories and 40 grams of protein without having to make any food, but if you were to eat a large grilled chicken breast and some vegetables instead you would be better off.

Gaining Lean Muscle Mass Key Factors:

I. Set and Rep Count

Generally, in lean mass building sets and reps should be kept to a maximum of three to four sets with less than eight repititions per set.

Common Sets and Reps for Lean Gaining Muscle Mass:

8x6x4x2

8x7x6x5

9x6x3x1

8x6x4

8x7x6

II. Rest Time Between Sets:

A huge factor in building muscle mass is your rest time between sets. It’s better to wait longer than to start too soon.  Remember you want have to rest time between the sets to lets your muscles recover and avoid your heart rate getting to high. I recommend to rest 2-3 minutes between sets. At times it can be hard wait that long, but once you develop a consistent routine you’ll get use to it.

III. Hear Rate Monitoring:

Your heart rate should be at 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. At this rate you’ll peak into a fat burning zone, but won’t burn to many calories during your workout. It’s a good idea to invest in a heart rate monitor that has a strap to go around your chest. To calculate your muscle building heart rate use this formula.

Click Here for Calculating Heart Rate Zone

IV. Breathing and Form

Breathing and form the one the most important elements for weight training. Breathing through the mouth is high recommended when participating in weight training, sports, and other cardiovascular activities. When breathing during your weigh training session you want to keep these tip in mind

- Breathe out when when pushing or pulling on reps.  Make sure that your neck is always up and never positioned down in your throat. When your chin is down you will cut off oxygen to your lungs therefore excreting more energy, lose stamina, and rick potential injuries.

- Inhale between with mouth open.

When lifting weight it’s very important to have full extension in movements in your reps. For example on barbell bench press, the bar should hit your chest on the way down and the on the extension up your arms should be fully extended out straight to remember to breathe out.
V. Nutrition and Protein Intake

Keep in mind that my lean muscle mass building program is used for men that are looking for a natural way to gain lean muscle and to look bigger porpotionately . This program is not designed if you’re looking to do “Bulking” for bodybuilding or competitions. Also, this program is not designed for strength training although you will see gains in your weights when lifting.

The protein your body stored is a process called protein synthesis—the larger your muscles grow. But your body is constantly draining its protein reserves for other uses—making hormones, for instance. The result is less protein available for muscle building. To counteract that, you need to “build and store new proteins faster than your body breaks down old proteins,” says Michael Houston, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech University.

In addition to adequate protein, you need more calories. Use the following formula to calculate the number you need to take in daily to gain 1 pound a week. (Give yourself 2 weeks for results to show up on the bathroom scale. If you haven’t gained by then, increase your calories by 500 a day.)

A. Your weight in pounds.
B. Multiply A by 12 to get your basic calorie needs.
C. Multiply B by 1.6 to estimate your resting metabolic rate (calorie burn without factoring in exercise).
D. Strength training: Multiply the number of minutes you lift weights per week by 5.
E. Aerobic training: Multiply the number of minutes per week that you run, cycle, and play sports by 8.
F. Add D and E, and divide by 7.
G. Add C and F to get your daily calorie needs.
H. Add 500 to G. This is your estimated daily calorie needs to gain 1 pound a week.

A 2001 study at the University of Texas found that lifters who drank a shake containing amino acids and carbohydrates before working out increased their protein synthesis more than lifters who drank the same shake after exercising. The shake contained 6 grams of essential amino acids—the muscle-building blocks of protein—and 35 grams of carbohydrates.

Since exercise increases bloodflow to your working tissues, drinking a carbohydrate-protein mixture before your workout may lead to greater uptake of the amino acids in your muscles,” says Kevin Tipton, Ph.D., an exercise and nutrition researcher at the University of Texas in Galveston.

For your shake, you’ll need about 10 to 20 grams of protein—usually about one scoop of a whey-protein powder. Can’t stomach protein drinks? You can get the same nutrients from a sandwich made with 4 ounces of deli turkey and a slice of American cheese on whole wheat bread.

Research shows that you’ll rebuild muscle faster on your rest days if you feed your body carbohydrates. Post-workout meals with carbs increase your insulin levels, which, in turn, slows the rate of protein breakdown. Have a banana, a sports drink, a peanut-butter sandwich.

If you don’t eat often enough, you can limit the rate at which your body builds new proteins. Take the number of calories you need in a day and divide by six. That’s roughly the number you should eat at each meal. Make sure you consume some protein—around 20 grams—every 3 hours.

Eat a combination of carbohydrates and protein 30 minutes before you go to bed. The calories are more likely to stick with you during sleep and reduce protein breakdown in your muscles. Try a cup of raisin bran with a cup of skim milk or a cup of cottage cheese and a small bowl of fruit. Eat again as soon as you wake up.