Coming back form a vacation can be brutal on many fronts. Getting back in the gym can be almost impossible. First off you’re feeling fat from eating too damn much, and if you’ve been away a while you have probably lost some strength and are feeling pretty weak. The good news is the strength loss is only temporary. If you have only been gone a week or two the chances of real muscle loss are fairly slim. And the reality is that you probably didn’t gain that much weight. It may feel like you did, but I doubt it.

I have had clients come back from a single weekend of overeating and say they gained ten pounds. The truth is you would have to eat and absorb 3500 calories OVER your current maintenance level to gain a single pound of fat. So the chances of someone over eating by 35000 calories over the course of a weekend is ridiculous. Most of any scale weight you may carry will be due to excess water. Within a few days of getting back on your normal routine those extra water pounds should fall right off.

I’m not saying you can’t get fat, I’m just saying you won’t get as fat as you’ll feel. And let me say I put those theories to the test. Now on to the workout…

I returned really late on Thursday (like 1am) , so with the time change and dealing with kids and the time change getting back into the gym on Friday was not really in the cards for me. As I was feeling a bit bloated, I decided to hit some circuits at home before returning to the gym on Monday. I did the circuit below in my garage on Friday evening, and again on Sunday morning as a re-introduction. By Monday I felt pretty normal again and ready to get back to my weight program.

This is nothing fancy, but it gets the job done. I use similar circuits with my fat loss clients all the time. You can do this anywhere, you just need some dumbbells (and I used a ball for crunches, but the floor works too).

Perform the circuit 4-6 times, no rest between exercises. Rest 1-2 minutes and repeat.

A1: Squats w/ Shoulder Press x 12 reps
A2: Push-Ups w/ tuck x 12 reps
A3: Alternating Jumping Lunge x 8 reps each leg
A4: DB Row x 12-15 reps
A5: Ball Crunches x 10-15 reps

Simple and effective.

Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness
http://carterfitness.com/
818-337-6175

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I have gotten many emails asking how the surprise / vacation went. So here it is: I am happy to report it went great. I’ll keep this brief, but let me start at the beginning…

As planned I woke Denyse up at 6am and as expected she was initially not thrilled. That changed when I told her we were leaving for a week in Hawaii. She had 24 hours to get packed and ready, and I presented her with a check list and all the stuff I had pre-prepared. We spent most of that day shopping for crap she needed (wanted) but it wasn’t that bad.

After the flight there was one last treat I had in store for her upon our arrival. I had arranged for her Mother, sister, brother-in-law and their baby to meet us in Hawaii. When we got to Kona and walked through the gates there they all were. It could not have been more perfect.

I did manage to slice my foot open on a rock on the first swim of the first day, but some Band-Aids and tape and I was good to go. We spent the week doing tourist stuff; sight seeing, snorkeling, eating, hiking, eating, lying on the beach, eating, etc. Below are some of the 800+ pictures I took (yes I know, I am that type of Dad). It was absolutely great having some of our family there. Ironically, even though it was out 10th anniversary we were so busy that I hardly got any time alone with Denyse. The exception was an amazing beach side couples massage at sunset- a gift from her sister Amy and brother in-law Jason. A special thanks you to them for that wonderful experience. Another special thanks to Denyse’s mother Linda who looked after our kids when they were driving us nuts. Also thanks to everyone who knew and said nothing, Mary who took Gabe to school on Wednseday so Denyse could pack, my mother who watched our dog Buffy (and more), Josh, Everett & Evelyn who made sure my gyms still ran smooth in my absence and thanks to anyone else I might have forgotten.There are a few things I’ve learned if you are traveling soon that you might want to keep in mind.

• Take pictures in your bathing suit at the beginning of the trip, not the end
• When flying, sedate your kids or yourself
• Even a plain burger will be $20, and take about an hour
• Your kids will throw fits, and will wait till everyone is watching (just roll with it, they are out of their element)
• Women will shop in stores they have at home simply because they are in Hawaii now
• Snorkeling is a great ham exercise

The tan has already faded, but the memories are holding on strong. And if I ever need a reminder I can check out the 800 pictures previously mentioned It was well worth all the effort, and I hope my family had as much fun as I did. Here are some of my favorite shots (click for larger version).

Denyse and Nate at sunset

Gabe at the Kona Hilton (not where we stayed)

Another shot of Denyse and Nate at sunset

Self portrait of Me and Gabe at the beach

Nate loved the sand

Gabe and Me at the Volcano at night

The whole crew at the luau
(I’m happier than I look)

-JC

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Yes it’s true. My pants are on fire, and have been for some time. I have been lying about something pretty big for about 7 or 8 months now. This has nothing (or very little) to do with fitness, but is very personal to me. As many of you readers have been very open in sharing your lives with me, I now share some of my personal life with you. Before I go into all the details, a little history lesson.

In July of 1992, I met Denyse. There she was sitting in my apartment when I returned home from my late night security job. She was friends with my new roommates so when I came back to the apartment she was there with a group of her girlfriends just hanging out. She had recently graduated from UCLA, and I was still working on getting my degree. My roommates were all in a band, as was I at the time. We all took turns on the guitar, singing songs to impress the girls. Apparently I did a good job.

Denyse & Josh circa 1992

On August 13th 1992, we had our first date and first kiss. The date was easy to remember, because 5 years and 3 days later we were married. For those of you keeping track that was August 16th, 1997.

Yes, I had long hair - I got better

Fast forward 2 houses, 2 gyms 2 kids and 10 years later and here we are. That’s 15 years together. I’m about to get sappy, so hold tight…. They say that behind every great man, there is a great woman. Well, I make no claims to be a great man, but whatever kind of man I am I owe all to her. She has given me support, hope and most of all love. She paid my rent when I was just starting out as a trainer and didn’t have two dimes to rub together. She made me well when I was sick and made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry. She put up with all my slobbish ways and managed not to kick me in the head when I was being a giant ass (which has been known to happen from time to time). It cannot be easy being a trainer’s wife, yet she pulls it off with ease. She has also given me the greatest gift of all, my two sons Gabriel and Nathaniel. She has shown me what it is to be a good parent, and she continues to amaze me every day with the amount of love and caring she shows us all.

The Carter Boys

Ok, enough of the blubbering, on to the lying. One part I left out of my little story was that I proposed to Denyse on a beach in Hawaii at sunrise. I thought it only fitting that to celebrate out 10th anniversary we head back. The big lie: On Thursday August 16th (our actual anniversary), Denyse, Gabe, Nate and I are flying off to Kona for a week’s vacation. Keeping this from her has been eating me up. I am not a good liar, and this has literally been keeping me up at night. By the way, this is our first real vacation in 6 years.

Me, Gabe and Denyse not too long ago

It was around last Christmas I began my plotting. I have had to involve many others in my scheme, and so far she has no clue. As I have had many months to put this together I have taken care of every conceivable aspect of the trip (I hope), from the hotel, car, flight and bendryl for the kids. This newsletter comes out August 15th, and this is when I will be springing it on her. My plan is to wake her nice and early and tell her she has 24 hours to pack. I expect she with both be excited and pissed. I can look forward to everything from “Thank you, I love you blah blah…” to ” “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you jerk…”. Ah, this should be fun.

To beautiful wife Denyse, there are no words to thank you for all you have given me. Thank you for the best 15 years of my life.

Joshua Carter

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For full disclosure, I will tell you that the place I am about to tell you about and I have a profit sharing agreement. That’s right, I get a percentage back on everything I purchase- 2%. Stand back - I’m an Executive Member. We’re damn near partners. That place is Costco.

The other day one of my new clients told me she had to stop shopping at Costco because she only bought junk- by the case. She knew that she needed to improve her eating habits and that meant not only changing how she ate, but where she shopped. I smiled, I knew something she didn’t- Costco is the best health food store there is. The good stuff is is just on a different isle than the pizza rolls. I then broke it down for her.

I make about one trip to Costco per week on average. I use use it to stock my gyms with various supplies as well as stock my own shelves at home. I have kids, so of course I buy diapers and stuff like that. But I will tell you truthfully I think it is the perfect place to buy the essentials for your fat loss nutrition plan. If you can go on a weekday, the lines are much shorter and isles are less crowded. Here is my shopping list from my last trip:

Meats Etc.
Chicken Breasts
Tri-Tip
Whole Roasted Chicken
Omega 3 Eggs
Beef Jerky

Fruits & Veggies
3lbs Broccoli florets
Bag of Spinach
Organic Salad Mix
Strawberries
Blueberries

Misc.
Bag of Almonds
Bag of Walnuts
Mozzarella Cheese Sticks
Fish Oil Capsules
Bottled Water

That was just for last time. I often add salmon as well as whatever veggies happen to be looking good. The selections at your store will vary, but the staples should always be there. While you are there get a box of gallon sized freezer bags to store the extra stuff you buy for future use. Take advantage of this amazing resource and explore all the amazing fresh vegetables, fruits and meats they have to offer. If you’re nice (and shell out the dough for the Executive Membership), they’ll give you 2% back, too.

Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness
http://carterfitness.com/
818-337-6175

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Here is the workout from the bootcamp on Sat Aug. 11th. You can see it is similar to the previous one posted. We are at the The Lazy J Ranch Park in West Hills (Click For Map) every Saturday so come on by and check it out.

Warm up
Long-ish Moderate Walk

2 X through
A1: Jumping Jacks
A2: Mountain Climbers
A3: Walking Glute Stretch
A4: Squat & Stretch

Workout
(all circuits 3 x through ea., jog/sprint to cones between circuits)

B1: C2P (curl to press w/ squat)
B2: Crunch

C1: Leg Complex (12 squats, 12 lunges, 12 jumping squats, 12 jumping lunges)

D1: See-Saw Press
D2: Rev Crunch

E1: Walking Lunge w/ curl
E2: Plank Combo

Quad Set
F1: “T” Push Up 12-15 reps
F2: DB Row 12-15 reps
F3: DB Curl 12-15 reps
F4: DB Overhead Tri Extensions 12-15 reps

Cool Down:

Walk to the cones & back
Upper Body Stretches
Lower Body Stretches

We had a new camper that was 72 years old, and she kicked ass! Are you tough enough?

The Lazy J Ranch Park in West Hills (Click For Map).

Check out the website http://crbootcamp.com/ for full details.

Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness
http://carterfitness.com/
818-337-6175

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My current split has me working the posterior chain on Tuesdays.  Of late I have been trying to lean out and thus using circuits of big moves to kick my own ass.  It has been working quit well.  Like you I am often pressed for time.  This past Tuesday was a perfect example. I only had about 30 minutes to workout - start to finish including warm ups.  Here is what I did:

4 x through in circuit fashion - no rest between exercises. 60-120 secs rest between circuits.

That’s it.  It took about 25 minutes or so and I was completely wiped out (and sore the next day).  I have utilized similar circuits for other training days and have been loving the results.

By the way, my deadlifts look nothing like this:

Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness Training
http://carterfitness.com
818.337.6175

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I get asked a lot about my bootcamp.  Why is it free?  What is it?  What is the workout like?  Well it is a kick ass little workout every Saturday at 8am at The Lazy J Ranch Park in West Hills (Click For Map).   I teach it personally most weeks, and sometimes other trainers do.  We utilize various sized dumbbells and do sets for time as well as for reps so everyone can go at their own pace. Here is the exact workout we did last Saturday.

Warm up:
Moderate Walk - 500 yards
Jumping Jacks x 30 secs
20 seconds rest
Jumping Jacks x 45 secs
2 x Walking Glute Stretch - Dynamic Ham Stretch

The Workout:
Superset 3 times w/ 30-45 secs rest before starting again
A1: Curl-to-Press (with squat) w/dumbbells -40 secs
A2: Ab crunch - 40 secs

Moderate jog to the cones and back (100 yards)

Superset 3 times w/ 30-45 secs rest before starting again
B1: DB Swing (15 each arm)
B2: Reverse Crunch 45 secs

Sprint to the cones and back

Superset 3 times w/ 30-45 secs rest before starting again
C1: Walking Lunge 20 total steps (with dumbbells)
C2: Plank Combo 45 secs

2 x Sprint to the cones and back

Quad Set, 3 times w/ 30-45 secs rest before starting again
D1: Push up
D2: DB Row
D3: Bench Dip
D4: DB Curl

Cool Down:

Walk to the cones & back
Upper Body Stretches
Lower Body Stretches

And there you have it.  They were all completely melted and cursing my existence.  Come by any Saturday, I’ll be there.

The Lazy J Ranch Park in West Hills (Click For Map). 

Check out the website  http://CRBOOTCAMP.COM for full details.

Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness
http://carterfitness.com
818-337-6175

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I consult with clients all the time. The vast majority come to me to lose bodyfat. When I consult with a client I often times have to break it down to the bottom line, and here it is so brace yourself: You do not get to eat the way you do now anymore. The same is true for exercising. You do not get to exercise (or not exercise) the way you do now. That is all done –over. Because here is the thing- if you could eat the way you eat now AND have the body you want (with the health you want) you already would. The way you eat now has given you the body you have now. The way you workout now has given you the body you have now. If you want your body to change, you need to change both your nutrition and exercise programs. And That is not always fun and can be daunting but it is the absolute truth. I would love to eat peanut butter while sitting on my couch watching my HDTV all day long, but that just is not in the cards for me. There are those genetically gifted people out there who can seemingly eat what they want and still look great, but guess what? NOT YOU. Just so we are clear – not me either. And that my friends, is the bottom line.

Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness
http://carterfitness.com/
818-337-6175

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