Formosa Fitness

So I think we've about done all we can do here at Pixnet. time for a change. I'm moving the blog over to the formosafitness.com site: http://formosafitness.com/?page_id=127

See you there!

Unfortunately, many trainers don't know the difference between making people tired and making people better. They think that if a workout exhausts people or makes them sore, then it's good. When you do circuits with 10 or more random exercises, you certainly get folks tired, but the excessive variety prevents people from adapting to the exercises. The effect is too general for adaptation to occur.

We used to do this too and what we found was that after 6 months, people stopped progressing. They stopped progressing because they never got stronger at any movement. How could they when they were doing 10-15 moves? We switched to a combined strength/conditioning model and our folks haven't stopped progressing. The skies the limit.

Here are pics and the current prices so get them while you can.

One pair of 2kg NT$1300

One pair of 4kg NT$1900

One pair of 6kg clubs NT2500

One pair of 8kg clubs NT$3000

One pair of 10kg clubs NT$3500.

The whole set at a discount for NT$12,000. Supply is limited so get them while you can.

As a test, I bought some pullup bars to sell at the gym but as it turns out, i can't use them at home. It's the iron Gym model that fits in your doorway and allows you to do stable pullups.

Here's the thing I did NOT know: your doorframe MUST stick out of the wall for this to work! My doorframe at hoem does not stick out of the wall as you can see below:

And I'm guessing that some doorframes in houses around here won't either, meaning the pullup bar will slide down as there is nothing to stop it when you do pullups.

My loss, your gain. If you have a door that can hold these (with a frame that sticks out) then I'll sell you one at cost: NT400. I'm not making any money on this and I only have 3 for sale. No returns, no execptions. These are new in the box. Call me today if you want one!

Resistance builds lean body mass (LBM) and it's the only thing that does! Bouncing on BOSU balls and using other toys doesn't do it! Building and maintaining LBM is THE key to long term fat loss, THE key to athletic performance, THE key to muscle building. It's the number one thing you should be doing in the gym everyday. We get great results with folks because we teach folks how to use heavy weights safely. And when they start using those weights, amazing things happen. Calories fly away because you burn tons more calories with the 24kg kettlebell than you do with the 8kg.
I see women talk about fat loss and they do crap isolation movements that use small muscle groups with light weights. How many calories does that burn? Try using the large muscle groups like hamstrings, glutes, and quads with compound moves in which you can move heavy weights and the calories literally melt off you. And you build LBM in the process!
I see men in the gym who want to build muscle doing half reps with toy dumbbells for dozens of reps. They look exactly the same as they did last year by wasting their time like this!
Resistance, folks!

We're having a ding and scratch sale. We used 50+ kettlebells in training the AFAA instructors today and some of them came back a little scratched or with a small ding. So while supplies last, we're offering NT500 off each kettlebell! That's right, so get them while they last!

8kg 1000  12kg 2000  16kg 2500  20kg 3000  24kg 3500  28kg 4000 32kg 5000

A quick update on what we've been up to. today we were honored to be invited to train 50+ personal trainers at the AFAA APEX convention.
Here are a few pics of the training.

Thanks to the entire group for coming out.

Here are some of our crazy trainers that helped make this event happen.

Very cool concepts here and just another example of blending martial arts with fitness. Reap the best of both by thinking outside the box. Sweet.

This is some of the barbell training we've been doing with folks lately. It has been going really well. The barbell has a lot to offer folks, more than they think from watching bodybuilding. Barbells are sophisticated tools, for sure. Here's a wonderful testimonial from a client that has been doing nothing but barbell training with us. We're very humbled by what he's said and it's always an honor to train clients like this:

Brian's experience

I first heard the Formosa Fitness name while looking into some options for proper exercise around Taipei.  I saw a posting on Forumosa for a used STX suspension training system and figured that would be a good investment for getting back into shape.  I had moved to Taiwan about two months prior and hadn’t done any kind of exercise aside from walking (and sweating) a lot.

I met Dave at his gym to pick it up, we chatted briefly, and I checked out the equipment there. He had everything I was interested in using: barbells, bumper plates (because dropping heavy things is fun), kettlebells, rings, and a squat rack.

I was researching several strength training programs based primarily on barbell work and had no interest in machines or treadmills. I was also into the functional-fitness principles, so this seemed like an ideal place to train.

After using the STX system at home for several weeks, I went in for the free private training assessment session.  I really liked it – enough to commit to coming back twice a week after work, with a 45-minute commute each way.

The private training sessions are outstanding.  I’ve really never gotten so much out of a 30-minute routine before.  The warmup and stretching portion is quick, but still manages to be comprehensive and effective.  I love the efficiency, and the stretches are a series of useful, dynamic movements which can be continually progressed. In fact, the stretching routine alone has helped me with a problematic tight shoulder and hips (I sit at a desk for extended periods every day), and with my overall posture.  The rest of my routine is based on compound barbell movements.

Dave sequences the lifts such that the ones needing the most improvement come first, also ensuring that my legs get a bit more warmup time before squatting.  Although there’s no specific cardio or interval-style training in my current program, the intensity stays pretty high with brief rest periods and movements that engage the entire body.  I’ve been fit enough from these lifting sessions alone to do 3-5 hour hikes with decent elevation gains on the weekend without feeling winded.

I was quite nervous about attempting heavy squats and deadlifts without advice and critique from an expert, but luckily Dave is great at analyzing form and spotting.  I’m never worried about failing a lift and injuring myself, I can just remain focused on moving the weight.  Dave never interferes with a lift unless it’s absolutely necessary, and even then, provides just the minimum amount of help to finish.

He also suggests ways to break through plateaus, which is something I would likely never get sane advice on at a big gym.   Overhead presses have been problematic for me, and we tried a few different approaches to move the weight up – things I had never read about or considered trying.  Occasionally he also modifies the main lifts I work on to add challenge, emphasize a different muscle group, or investigate potential problems.

For example, we’ve moved from barbells to kettlebells a few times to look for any imbalances in strength or flexibility on one side of my body.

Another thing that I appreciate is that Dave is constantly learning and trying new things with his own workouts and with other clients.  I’m sure everyone working at Formosa Fitness benefits from this continuous learning.  Dave is very familiar with a lot of the current material I’ve read online and in bookstores about strength training, and recommended other good reading that was new to me.

It’s been really motivating and exciting to see my lifts go up steadily in weight.  I’ve progressed from never having done a single barbell squat or deadlift, to hitting 150% and 200% bodyweight (in squats and deadlifts, respectively) in just 4 months.  Also, you really can’t help but be pleased with the efficacy of a program when people comment on your strength, and can’t believe that you only exercise 1.5 – 2 hours per week.  Many people spend over an hour each day in the gym and fail to meet their fitness goals.

As long as you’re willing to push yourself hard and not miss workouts, you’ll get excellent results from Formosa Fitness.  The only way I could imagine things improving is with complimentary post-workout bacon.

Wow. Thanks to Brian and all our other clients for their hard work.

I'm always reaching for something higher and pushing myself further. Never rest on your laurels, says I. So I'm off to train with Valery Fedorenko of the world Kettlebell Club. Here's some of the impressive things he can do with the kettlebell.

So you can see that he's capable of some crazy things. I expect this to be the hardest cert I've done to date, so wish me luck. I plan to bring back lots of knowledge to share with you in your fitness quest! See you next week!