Wakeup Workout: Killer Countdowns

Here is a fun little countdown to throw in at the end of your routine. This one is a weighted burpee and shoulder press countdown. Keep the weight light on your first go around since the countdown packs 55 reps into just a couple of minutes. If you're really feeling sadistic, throw in a push up and jump with the burpee. This will ensure annihilation!

Protein Shake Vs. Recovery Drink

Many of you are aware of the magical window of glorious nutrition opportunity that opens for thirty minutes post-exercise. For a half hour after your workout your body is like a super sponge, ready to soak up as many nutrients as it can. To ensure your body has the best shot at absorbing vital nutrients, it is best to use liquid calories post-workout. Tribal fueling knowledge that has been passed down for many moons says you should be drinking protein shakes after your workout. Protein shakes can get you some nutrients, but what you really want is a recovery drink for after your iron-pumping session.

A recovery shake or supplement is one that will have a balance of carbohydrates AND protein. Our body's main source of energy during a weight training session is the anaerobic energy system. This short term powerhouse creates energy (ATP) by breaking down glucose available in the bloodstream and glycogen which is stored in the muscles and liver. Because you deplete these energy stores during exercise, especially during intense workouts, it is important to replenish the fuel you lost within a half hour of working out. The ideal ratio of carbohydrates to protein count is 4:1 for recovery. The carbohydrates help replenish the glycogen that was metabolized in the workout and also induce an insulin response. Insulin helps move nutrients into the cells of the body, speeding up the process of nutrient absorption. The protein in your recovery drink helps deliver amino-acids for repairing muscle tissue that has been broken down through your activity. As you can see, there is a lot going on with a recovery supplement when used after a workout.

A protein shake on the other hand is best used as a supplemental source to increase your daily intake of protein. When you drink shake with just protein in it post-exercise, you are missing carbohydrates that are vital for replenishing glycogen stores and you miss out on the carb-induced insulin response for nutrient transport. Using a lean protein shake without carbohydrates is ideal for adding protein throughout the day as a snack, meal replacement and as supplemental calories to another meal. Protein plays a vital role in the muscle building process, especially in the 24 hours following a weight training workout.

The blurry distinction between protein shakes and recovery shakes should now be a little more clear. It is tough to find a recovery shake with the perfect carbohydrate to protein ratio. Finding a lean protein drink is easy, but finding a recovery drink is in fact a little more tricky. Here are some simple recovery drink solutions:


Drink low-fat chocolate milk - Chocolate milk has a combination of carbohydrates and protein that is an easy and economical way to re-fuel after your workout!

Mix your lean protein powder with low-fat milk - This sort of follows the same technique as chocolate milk, you just add some more quality protein by using your protein powder rather than crack...I mean Quik.

Mix your lean protein powder into a fruit smoothie - I'm not talking about adding a shot of whey to your Jamba Juice which is falsely perceived as a healthy smoothie venue. If you have the ability, blend some fruit up with your protein shake to add the carbohydrates.

Cellucor IsoPro Nitro Sport - This is the post-workout shake I've been using myself. The company Cellucor lets me sample some of their products since I contribute to the Health & Fitness portion of their blog. I absolutely love the IsoPro Nitro Sport product. It has carbs, protein, BCAA's and glutamine which are all essential for maximum recovery.

Wakeup Workout: In-Home Cardio

Try this awesome little routine right in your own living room! All you need is a little motivation and a clock to keep you on time. Try 5-8 rounds of this routine and let me know if it's as easy as it looks!

My New Obsession: Kettlebells

Ok, so I have officially caught the kettlebell bug. I used to think they were just a novelty piece of equipment. I believed they were likely to be another fitness gimmick and nothing more than a glorified dumbbell. Boy was I wrong. Once I started using them, I became addicted! Now I've started incorporating kettlebell complexes into my workouts at least once a week, while integrating individual kettlebell exercises more frequently. The truth is, kettlebells are awesome. They are very comfortable to grip and handle. They are sort of awkward at times, which makes it very difficult to stabilize the kettlebells from time to time. All in all, you can perform a variety of excellent total body exercises, explosive lifts and an array of compound movements that just get you winded. This increase in difficulty can be attributed to the fact that kettlebells are often used as a single piece, which makes a lot of your work unilateral and causes your body to perform a tremendous amount of stabilization with the movements. Because of all the stabilizing, the abs and your core are getting tons of work without performing a single crunch! If you're on the bubble when it comes to using or buying into kettlebells, take a look at the scientific proof behind kettle-mania in a study done by the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse:

The study involved 10 men and women between the ages of 29-46 who performed a typical kettlebell workout by doing kettlebell swinging and lift exercises to a certain rhythm during a 20-minute period. All were experienced with the use of kettlebells.

The participants' fitness levels were measured before and during the workout by measuring heart rate, oxygen consumption, and blood lactate.

The results showed that the average participant burned about 20 calories per minute during the kettlebell workout, which equates to 400 calories during a typical 20-minute kettlebell workout. - WebMD

20 calories a minute! I absolutely believe it. Once you try a kettlebell complex or circuit, you will know exactly what I am talking about! EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) for days!

Wakeup Workout: Jump Rope

Here is a nice little interval training tip using the jump rope! The best part is, you don't even really need it! Ankle hops or small jumps are just as effective at elevating your heart rate and loading the leg muscles. As you get better, lengthen your jumping period and shorten your rest period!

Personal Training Client Ettiquette...

I have made fun of men, I have dug a little into the silly things women do and shouldn't be doing at the gym and now I am going to take years of frustration out on the things clients do to their trainers they should not be doing.

DON'T neglect our plan and tell us you're not seeing results. I can't tell you how many clients completely disregard ALL the information their trainers give them and then have the nerve to complain about why they aren't seeing results. If I ask you, "Are you following your nutrition plan? Are you doing your extra cardio? Are you doing your own day of weights" and all of your answers are "No," then please put away the world's smallest violin and stop complaining. You're not holding up your end of the deal.

DON'T sandbag when you're doing intervals on your own. One of my favorite things to do is quiz my clients on their interval training sessions. Some days I'll say, "Ok, we're going to do ten minutes of intervals together!" Since I typically prescribe 15-20 minutes of intervals, my clients should breeze right through these. What usually happens? By minute four they can barely breathe, they are sweating profusely and turning white. This tells me they aren't even coming close to doing their intervals properly, which means they are wasting time on cardio just going through the motions. If you aren't gasping for air, sweating and completely spent after your interval session, there is a good chance you are not doing them right.


DON'T show up to your session fifteen minutes late and expect me to give you extra time. You don't call your doctor, your lawyer or your accountant and say "Oh I'm a little late, but can I get my full hour?" The answer is simply "NO"! Granted, we as trainers have flexible schedules and we may be able to squeeze some extra time in here and there if someone's late or their is a cancellation. But do not make being late a habit because we have a schedule to keep too. Get to your work outs on time so you can get the full benefit of your routine!

DON'T call to say you're not coming on the hour of your appointment. This makes me angry...and you won't like me when I'm angry. Ok, so I thought the Incredible Hulk was cool when I was a kid. But seriously, nothing makes me more agitated than when I drive into work or turn away sessions at certain times and a client calls right on the hour to tell me they aren't coming in. First of all this is totally rude. Secondly, please show a little respect for our time and the effort we put into trying to make you fit. Trainers like to do a few things with the time they aren't training: squeeze in a workout for themselves, eat food, nap or train more clients! When you call without ample notice, sometimes we can't do any of these things. If you don't want your trainer to Hulk out and annihilate you next time you work out, give them a little notice before you cancel.

Keep Your Smoking To Yourself Please

Despite living in one of the staunchest states when it comes to smoking laws, I still find myself completely irritated and wishing there were more restrictions placed on smoking when it comes to the way people choose to light up in apartment complexes. I have lived in apartments for the last four years of my life and to this day I cannot stand when I am sitting in my living room enjoying some fresh air and then it hits me: the delectable stench of cigarette smoke drifting from someone's balcony completely invading my smoke-free home. Let me get this straight Mr. Smokey Bear neighbor, cigarettes are nasty enough that you don't want to smoke inside of your house so you're going to make sure you go and smoke where it will drift into your neighbor's living area. I am a pretty easy going guy, but this utterly pisses me off.

Now, I may be a little biased. I am a health and fitness freak, so I am overly conscious of how my environment affects my body. I also happen to have a lost a wonderful grandfather to lung cancer from being a life long smoker. Sure my disdain for smoking may run deeper than others, but on the surface I think it's just common decency to not subject people to gross, lingering and harmful doses of second hand smoke. Going outside to smoke to keep your house clean and stinking up mine is like me walking across the hall and dropping a huge dump in your toilet because well, I didn't want to blow out my own bathroom. It's just not cool. If you choose to smoke, that is fine I am not going to judge you it's your personal decision. I am kindly going to ask you to please keep the habit to your self and keep that cancer stick away from your peers who exercise their right to breathe fresh air. Thanks...

Body Basics PROMO!!!

My debut workout DVD is almost here! Check out this promo and watch for the DVD to be available to you soon! Body Basics includes four in-home workout routines that require just your body weight and a set of dumbbells. Body Basics combines more challenging exercise arrangements by using super sets, compound sets and circuits with simple exercises that every one should master before moving on to more technical lifts. The DVD is also going to provide a link to my Body Basics Booklet which will give you the skinny on shedding fat and educate you on the basics of cardio, resistance training and nutritional planning. Watch the promo and enjoy!

Wakeup Workout: Speed Ladder

Here is a nice little introduction to the speed ladder. I absolutely LOVE using the speed ladder with my clients to work on agility, coordination, balance and even a little cardio. Tackling the speed ladder forces you to consciously tell your body what exactly you want it to do, which always proves to be challenging at first. Trying various ladder routines may be discouraging at first because you may feel a bit uncoordinated. Stick with it, learn and start slow! As you master the movements, then you can go faster!

Complexes Oh My!

I will be using a hand held digital camera, youtube and some sweet tunes that have been laid down by Rusted Metal to share with you all the metabolic routines I have been using on myself and with clients to help them get shredded! In between my complex and the plyo super set I did 4 x 10 chin up grip pull downs for my back just to make sure my lats got a little work! Enjoy!



Rusted Metal is the band I play in which is mostly a family band consisting of these members:

Tim Bomberger (vocals) except on the recordings to be used for my on-line posts without vocals sorry dad!
Rick Bomberger (rhythm guitar)
Kevin Nielsen (lead guitar)
Matt Bomberger (slappa da bass)
Jeff Bomberger (drums)

What's Up With Overweight Trainers?

One of the things that never fails to blow me away is the prevalence of overweight and out of shape trainers in gyms. Honestly, that to me is a complete walking contradiction and one of the most fascinating phenomenons in the fitness industry. I completely understand that we are all on our own journey and some people choose to become personal trainers after a tremendous weight loss transformation. Personal trainers aren't the only "fitness professionals" guilty of not practicing what they preach. Group exercise instructors, yoga teachers, strength and conditioning coaches all around the country can be found walking around with dangerously excessive body fat.

There are several downfalls to being an overweight fitness professional. The first is no matter what your profession if you are walking around with excess body fat you are not healthy. So my first concern is for the personal wellness of this kind of trainer. The second is, who wants to take advice who cannot take care of themselves? Not to get too academic here, but I know that not listening to someone's advice, rationale or arguments just because they don't follow it themselves is a logical fallacy and doesn't mean you should disregard their reasoning. The truth is people look for teachers who walk the walk! If I am going to tell you to have self control when you eat, stick to a strict exercise regimen and to take care of yourself, I am guessing you are going to expect me to have some sense of what that feels like. How can a trainer connect to a client and help them through the mental struggle that comes with a lifestyle change if the trainer themselves have no discipline?

It is true, life happens to every one. I'm not saying overweight trainers are bad people or bad trainers. Nor does it mean if you're bulking up and carrying a little extra weight you are a terrible fitness professional. But if you are a trainer and your stomach hangs over your belt line and you're stretching your t-shirt out at the bottom further out than your chest, you should consider getting on one of those programs you are selling to your clients. From a business stand point, our own personal health and wellness is a billboard for other people to see. People want someone who is healthy and fit to help them get to their goals. I can guarantee if you are a personal trainer, group exercise instructor or strength coach and you are in shape, you will have more open minds, more attentive ears and more open wallets than if you are in poor physical shape!

Wakeup Workout: Push Press

Monday morning's Wakeup Workout is a demonstration of my favorite shoulder exercise: The Push Press. The little "dip and drive" motion may look like you are just cheating on some regular shoulder presses, but I guarantee you will be huffing and puffing by the end of your first set! Make sure your abs are tight, your core is strong and you stabilize this movement at the top end of the range of motion. Enjoy!

Obese Kids & Premature Death

You have all heard me rant a few times about childhood obesity. Although I mostly deal with adults on a daily basis, the childhood obesity epidemic is something that really tugs at my conscience each and every day as I contemplate avenues in which I can help kids. Here is a serious piece of information to consider if you are a parent or even a youngster who is struggling with fitness issues:

Childhood obesity more than doubles the risk of dying before age 55, according to a new long-term study that followed nearly 5,000 children.

''The bottom line is, obesity in kids is a serious problem that needs to be taken seriously," study co-author William C. Knowler, MD, DrPH, tells WebMD. Although experts have known that for years, he says, the new research is definite confirmation.

"What this particular study shows is, obesity is going to cause excess premature death," says Knowler, chief of the Diabetes Epidemiology and Clinical Research Section of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
Although recent data suggest a leveling off of obesity in the U.S., one in six teens is obese.

The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. - WebMD

Further on in the article, the American Academy of Pediatrics shares a pretty fun little way to keep children ahead of the obesity curve called "5210" and it stands for:

• 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily
• 2 hours or less of television viewing daily
• 1 hour of exercise daily
• 0 or nearly zero sugar-sweetened beverages daily

These tips are not only great for kids, but for adults too! Let's all set a good example for the youngin's around us and show them what it takes to live a long and healthy life!

Muscle Blasting-Fat Burning Program A Hit!

Those of you loyal BombergerPT followers know I have been posting a lot of the complexes and metabolic routines I am using in my own daily work outs. This program is sort of a hybrid program I have used on and off the last two years with various clients. The program is really founded on principles and techniques that have made Coach dos Remedios a best selling author and one of the best strength coaches in the country. Taking the best of both muscle building and fat burning worlds, I have tweaked and meshed the two programs together to include five fun filled days of work outs that are just destroying people! I have received some great feedback and I am going to share some tangible results the program has cultivated with you guys here:

A friend of mine is in his third week of doing the program. Yesterday he weighed and he was down 4 1/2 pounds from when he started.

A former colleague and friend of mine has been using the hypertropy-metabolic split routine I have been posting and he has lost 9 pounds in just three weeks!

At this point I have not lost any strength and very little (if any) muscle mass at this point using the program. I am now down to about 188-189lbs from 197lbs about five weeks ago. I am noticeably leaner which is great. More importantly, my conditioning levels are out the roof! Five weeks into it and my work capacity seems like it goes for days! I can do much longer work periods of high intensity exercise, my heart and lungs are recovering faster and I feel like a million bucks!

There is no doubt this program is wrecking my metabolism and keeping it elevated all week. I really highly recommend this program for those of you looking to get in shape, lose body fat or if you just want to train like a bad ass. The best part is you won't ever be in the gym for more than fifty minutes.

Don't hesitate to tweet me @JeffBomberger on twitter or e-mail me if you want some more info on this program's layout!

Wakeup Workout: Corkscrew

This exercise is not for the faint of heart! Start small and work your way up as you build strength! This is a considered a core exercise, but is a GREAT total body burner!

Double-Jointed?

I want to just clear the air once and for all that there is no such thing as being double jointed. I love it when people or clients say "Oh yeah I have great flexibility because I am double jointed." Really? So, you have a knee joint right next to another knee joint? Or you mean your elbow actually is two elbows close together with an unnamed bone in between them? It's actually kind of funny when you think about. The term double jointed doesn't really make sense unless you have some visible deformities. What people are actually referring to is something known as hypermobility, which is a condition that allows a joint to easily move beyond the normal range of motion for that particular joint. So, next time a friend tells you they are double jointed, tell them they are being silly and they actually have hypermobility in that particular part of their body. It's a great party topic...not.

Wakeup Workout: Horizontal Pull-up

This is a KILLER exercise for your back and is much tougher than it looks! When I show unsuspecting clients this technique for the first time they all say, "Oh ok, that doesn't look too bad!" Little do they know this exercise is packing some serious core work and a real challenge for the upper body. Raise your feet the easier these get and if you're really looking to put a little hair on your chest(not recommended for women) place a plate on your chest to increase resistance. Have fun!

Three Questions To Ask Your Trainer

Despite our country being in an economic recession, the fitness industry is still growing. People are realizing that cars, houses and toys don't buy you a longer, healthier life. This is why people have continued to invest in their personal health and the number of health club members continues to rise. There are several reasons investing in exercise makes sense even during a recession. Exercise first and foremost is a great stress reliever helping you work off negative emotions and boosting your feel good neurotransmitters. Another reason investing in your health is a good idea is your vacations, boats, sea-doo and ski equipment are much more enjoyable if you are fit and alive enough to use them! In the midst of this shift in exercise awareness, more and more people are seeking the assistance of personal trainers. Due to the fact the personal training industry is not a highly regulated field, it is important you find a qualified health and fitness professional that can safely and effectively help you reach your goals. Here are three questions you should ask your trainer to make sure you're in good hands:


1. Are you certified and through what organizations?

Having certifications are important because they help demonstrate at least a fundamental understanding of human exercise science. Degrees are a plus for fitness professionals, but don't actually mean the individual understands exercise science and program design concepts. Make sure your trainer, whether they are degreed or not, hold current certifications from one of the following respected organizations: ACSM, NSCA, NASM, NCEP. In my personal opinion, these certifications are some of the more respected programs around and they test trainers on important subjects such as biomechanics, functional anatomy, corrective exercise, rehabilitation, program design, bioenergetics and health risk factors.

2. How long have you been a trainer and how many clients do you currently have?

Much of a trainer's knowledge and understanding comes from actually working with people. Your trainer could have all the certifications and degrees under the sun, but without any real clients there's a good chance they are going to lack some on the fly skills. A trainer's ability to spontaneously modify movements to fit your physical needs or adjust the biomechanics of a movement to your capabilities are good signs your trainer knows what is going on. This doesn't mean you don't give young trainers a try, we all need to start somewhere! As much as it challenges our brain, clients with special needs push us to be better trainers!

3. Is this your career?

Asking your trainer if training is his career sounds silly at first, but you must realize that personal training typically offers flexible hours and pretty good money per an hour. This aspect of the trainer job is what leads many people to doing it part-time or on the side. I can guarantee you will meet a number of trainers who are aspiring "actors" or waiting for their big break "models". Just about every trainer I worked with in Sherman Oaks thought they were an actor or model. Some rightfully so and some were just dreaming. My point is, often times people interested in fitness or people that have their body right and are pursuing other career goals fall back on fitness to get them through the tough times. You want to make sure your trainer isn't going to ditch you any time soon. I have been guilty of this as I took off for Germany like a goofball trying to play pro football and then came flying back home nearly as soon as I hit German soil. Fortunately for a lot of people including myself, I realized staying in Germany wasn't going to make football my career so I am here for good!

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Omega 3's and Psychosis

Fish oils containing omega-3 fatty acids have long been revered by many scientists as an excellent supplement to promote cardiovascular health, help prevent heart disease, reduce the risk of stroke and even reduce inflammation in joints. A healthy dose of omega-3's appears to not only promote heart and joint health, but may also help battle symptoms of depression and psychosis:

"The finding that treatment with a natural substance may prevent or at least delay the onset of psychotic disorder gives hope that there may be alternatives to antipsychotics for the prodromal phase [symptoms leading up to psychosis onset]," Amminger and colleagues suggest.

Earlier studies have suggested that omega-3 fatty acids can alleviate clinical depression and other psychiatric disorders, although there have been mixed results.
- WebMD

Omega-3 fatty acids are considered "good" fats that are vital to human health, healthy heart function, brain health and anti-inflammatory mechanisms in the body. Due to the fact that the body does not produce omega-3 fatty acids, we must get our intake from outside sources through food such as fish or fish oil supplements.

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Another Beautiful Complex...

and then some!

I did the following complex yesterday which is a modified version of a complex I did last week. The results were very similar; I was sweating my arse off after two sets and by set five I was like, "ok...this isn't fun anymore!"

50 lb dumbbell complex 5x8

DB Sumo Squat & Press (both hands on the dumbbell)
Single Arm Dumbbell Power Snatch
Front Squat
Single Arm Push Press
Plyo Push Up & Over

90 seconds of rest

Then for giggles, my buddy Kyle and I jumped on the bench and threw on 135lbs. We did max reps for five sets. My rest period lasted only as long as Kyle's work period did and we blasted through the five sets and moved on. We finished off the work out with a jumping jack/burpee countdown: two jumping jacks to every one burpee with no restin between. Not a bad little routine...give it a shot!

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Fitness Fail Video #4

Whether this was intentional or not, it looks like it hurts. It appears the kid taps the ball with his heel on purpose to create his epic Super Mario butt-bounce on the hardwood floor. Either way, this is a failure of safely bouncing on the ball or a complete failure in brain function that results in a serious tail bone bruise. And I love how a ball comes launching from off screen at his head after he walks around in pain. Enjoy...

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Wakeup Workout: Compound Sets

Compound Sets are often confused with Super Sets because they are both techniques that involve performing two exercises back to back. What is the difference? Check out this clip for NBC's Wakeup Workout which airs Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30am and 6:00am on NBC 4 Los Angeles.