Top 7 Gym Equipment Exercises – Ep 11 – Tola Talks Texas

Today we’re talking about the Top 7 Gym Equipment Exercises that anyone can do – and should be doing at their local gym or health club. Because when it comes to drinking from the Fountain of Youth, the best advice I always give is to consume a daily diet of iron. Gym equipment iron that is. Like I’ve been doing for the past 40 years. And like you can…either man or woman or adolescents over the age of 16, when I started training at Man’s World Gym in Trenton, NJ. Plus some more talk and confusion about the bipolar Texas weather as well as whether the best tennis player in the world, Novak Djokovic, will get to compete in Australia. And speaking of confusion, there’s more talk about investing in trillion dollar companies like Tesla (bought some today) and risky assets like cryptocurrencies, and how it’s best to limit your exposure to this so-called gambling while enjoying the topsy turvy ride.

Tola Talks w/ All-American Band, Slow Motion Celebrity

 

Tola Talks with the All-American rock band, Slow Motion Celebrity, and rocks the house with music from their new album, Flexible. On Acoustic Fridays, Rich also talks about the Ebola virus now in NYC, Monica Lewinsky & the US government’s bullying lawyers, the world’s deadliest catch in Brazil (pufferfish), plus GYST Awards for a bunch of teenagers polluting the environment. Weekdays at Noon (PT) on youtube.com/tolatalks.

Tola Talks' Rich Tola with Brandon, Brian, Anna & Mandie of the All-American Band, Slow Motion Celebrity
Tola Talks’ Rich Tola with Brandon, Brian, Anna & Mandie of the All-American Rock Band, Slow Motion Celebrity

 

Tola Talks w/ Celebrity Fitness Trainer Kathy Kaehler

 

Tola Talks with Celebrity Fitness Trainer, Author, Spokesperson and LATalkRadio’s host of “Fit and Sexy for Life”, Kathy Kaehler. On Whatever Wednesdays, Rich also talks about healthy living & good nutrition, gunshots & terror in Canada, Social Security increases & Warren Buffet losing Billions, plus the GYST Award for pre-natal pill popping & drug addicted babies.

Weekdays on youtube.com/tolatalks.

Tola Talks' with Celebrity Fitness Trainer & Personality, Katy Kaehler (and Katie Couric)
Tola Talks’ with Celebrity Fitness Trainer & Personality, Katy Kaehler (pictured her with Katie Couric)

GQ – Letter to the Editor

If you’re a GQ reader like me, you probably read the August issue with Mila Kunis on the cover. On page 32, there’s a brief article by Mark Byrne called “Rewriting the Book on Yoga”, with a 15 minute yoga workout as prescribed by a studio owner in NYC. Unfortunately, I cringed when I reviewed the workout that includes three twisting and forward bending poses, the last of which is an advanced pose.

But before I add my two cents, let me state my fitness and yoga qualifications: I’m 48 years old, 5’7″ and weigh 150 pounds. My body fat is less than 9% and most people think I’m 33. I’ve worked out in fitness centers every day for the past 32 years totaling more than 12,000 hours. I’ve practiced yoga every day for the past six years totaling more than 2,000 hours. An accomplished student/athlete through college, I’m also a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Cycling Instructor, and 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher. I’ve taught more than 15,000 yoga students of all levels in the past five years, from the ages 3 to 93. I’ve created more than 15 hours of instructional yoga videos in the past two years, including a Yoga Survival Guide detailing more than 100 poses.

I currently teach yoga to women and children living in domestic violence shelters, who had zero experience with fitness and yoga before I got there. I have neck, low back, shoulder and wrist issues, and have been injured three times since I started practicing yoga – all from bad teachers. Thus, my very precise teaching style is designed to minimize injury to any body part, especially the neck and low back. Finally, I’ve practiced yoga mostly in New York City and Los Angeles, the yoga meccas of the United States, and have taken classes with the “so-called” best teachers in the world. 90% of which are women.

That said, here’s why I disagree with the Byrne’s claim that GQ “found the best back-saving, workout-improving moves…” When it comes to anything twisting and forward bending while standing, you better move slowly and be super careful. Your stance is critical, which the caption doesn’t clearly emphasize. The caption also says “twist your head to look up”, which you should NEVER attempt without properly warming up the spine and preparing your body for such deep twists. Revolved triangle is a perfect example of this. A good teacher wouldn’t sequence this pose until at least halfway through the yoga class, because coming into this pose is AS IMPORTANT as the pose itself. So is coming back up to stand once you’ve been in the pose for any length of time. Here’s why: once your torso weight and your 10 pound head is down and over your forward leg, you’re balancing this weight over a tight triangular stance, making it quite difficult to manage. And since most men carry their weight in their torso and have tight hamstrings, coming into – or out of – this pose without bending your legs (like the picture shows), and without moving ridiculously slow, could lead to serious injury.

Thus, it’s not back-saving at all. It’s actually quite strenuous on your neck, low back and hamstrings. And requires ample core strength to control your torso as you’re folding forward at a 90 degree angle (if you keep your back straight like the picture – which is also very difficult). And although the directions state “you won’t be able to touch the floor right away – settle for your ankle”, very few men can even get to their ankle. Frankly, this is a very challenging pose for an advanced yogi, let alone anyone who’s never done it before. So take note and be VERY CAREFUL, especially when twisting and forward bending at the same time. And if you really want to experiment with this pose on your own, warm up and strengthen your core and abs first with my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workout #82 – Easy Abs. Enjoy & hope to see you on the FAT BURN TOUR! – Rich Tola

Remembering “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”

You may not remember what you were watching on television 44 years ago today, but if you were about my age, say 2-5 years old, you were probably watching the debut of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.  This first-of-its-kind “television visit” with Fred Rogers helped children develop their imagination, creativity, cooperation and self-esteem.  The show was theme-based, slow and simple.  However deceiving these qualities can be, the Neighborhood was a tremendous success.  Interestingly, my 5 Minute Fat Burning Workouts are also theme-based, slow and simple.  But don’t be deceived. Because you now have 88 different – and effective – workout themes to choose from, including today’s Screaming Abs II.  So thanks for the memories & RIP Mister Rogers. – Rich

Look at the results

Sir Winston Churchill once said, “However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results”.  I would certainly agree, and when it comes to fitness and body sculpting, it’s always best to look at the results more than occasionally – like every day. Most likely you won’t see any noticeable results on a day-to-day basis, but this more than occasional acknowledgment of your daily workouts will help fuel you to do that little extra.  Like going for a walk or jog after your 5 minute abs, bicep and thigh blasting you’ll get from today’s workout #22.  So keep looking for results, and I’ll see you next time – R

Based on yoga principles

Utkatasana

Bicep Curl

When I refer to exercises being based on yoga principles, I’m referring to the how you do the exercise as compared to what you do and how often you do it.  In the gym this morning I overheard this twenty-something guy ask Mr. Adonis (check out my earlier blog “External Motivation”) what he should do for his biceps and how often he should do it. He also said he only read about it on the internet and found many different opinions.  That’s correct.  When it comes to asking any weightlifter or certified personal trainer their opinions about weightlifting, they all vary.  Just like yoga teachers are like snowflakes – they’re all different – so are opinions of what you should do in the gym.  But here’s something that I’ve brought into my workouts – and you can too – where you can’t go wrong:  think yoga principles in everything you do.  Like biceps.  Take a look at my posture and balance in the left picture – much like my posture and balance in the right picture.  In yoga terms that’s chair pose or Utkatasana (in Sanskrit).  Make sure the energy is radiating straight down through the crown like a steel rod going all the way through your spine down to the middle of your heels planted firmly on the ground.  Relax your toes and try not to swing or alter your posture when curling.  And curl slowly and deliberately for a better burn.  This way is more challenging than the usual swinging people do to get the dumbbells or bar up.  It’s also much more focused and effective.  And for specific lessons on bringing yoga principles into your everyday life – and the weight room – check out my Yoga Survival Guide.  There’s expert instruction on 100 key yoga poses filmed throughout the streets of Hollywood, Venice Beach and the LA Zoo!  There’s even Baking Yoga, Traffic Yoga and Prison Yoga – made especially for Lindsay Lohan.  So think yoga principles and enjoy your workout – R