Michael Luongo's BodyRefinery

Medicine Ball slams and "inexperienced" trainers.

2010-09-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Medicine Ball Slams - What a great, intense exercise for your clients! I consider these to be a bit more of an intermediate/advanced exercise depending on the weight of the ball and repetitions per set.

Many of you who follow the BodyRefinery Facebook page and/or Twitter site know that we have been having problems with our medicine balls. Dynamax is the brand we started out with and had the ball no more than a week before signs of destruction started. However, it wasn't until almost a year later and miles and miles of Gorilla Tape that the ball finally split to an unrepairable manner. I then ordered a medicine ball from Everlast only to have it 'never-last'. It died 1 day after only a couple of client's usage. I just received my new Dynamax medicine ball this past Monday and back to slams we went. However, I noticed on the first day some 'filling' leaking out of the seams. I decided to finally do some research on exactly what these balls are made for and what their warranty covers. I was unaware until this week that Dynamax had their own website: www.medicineballs.com. I have always ordered from: www.performbetter.com. Nowhere on perform betters website are there any warnings or limitations for the usage of Dynamax medicine balls. On the Dynamax website however, there is this:

"The product seams will not hold up to (and the warranty does not cover) what some inexperienced trainers refer to as "Ball Slams". (I added the bold and italics to 'inexperienced'.)

EXCUSE ME?! Inexperienced?! I have been a professional, certified, personal trainer for over 15 years now! Plus, I know many of you, top qualified, very experienced trainers are utilizing medicine ball slams as an exercise in routines for yourself and your clients. Also, on the very site - www.performbetter.com - where Dynamax sells there medicine balls, there are top trainers in our field demonstrating this very exercise - see Mike Boyle's video.

Dynamax, are you calling all of us 'inexperienced' or just a few of us?

Ok, let's calm down a moment. I'm not here to tarnish or damage a quality name like Dynamax but merely just bring attention to a mistake in wording that needs to be corrected on their website. I, Michael Luongo, will continue to use their products and order from them. Actually, I recommend that you do as well. However, I am modifying how I do my medicine ball slams (video to follow). Dynamax, I would have much more respect for you as a company if you would just simply list your products limitations and not let insecurity about your own product allow you to write disparaging comments about trainers doing an exercise that your product is not made to handle. I still think you make a great product! Here is some wording you can use on your site instead of the childish wording currently displayed. It's an example I've written for you. Feel free to use it on your website. (This is for free - I shall not charge you for any copyright issues - I'm writing this for you). "Please note: our medicine balls are not made to withstand any overhead slams. Many trainers refer to this exercise as 'Medicine Ball Slams'. This exercise voids our warranty altogether. However, you may add a soft mat underneath your slams to help protect and extend the life of your ball. This still is not covered under our warranty."

Thank you, Michael Luongo

Happy 9 Year Anniversary!

2010-04-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Wow! 9 Years! What a ride this has been so far. I thank you for joining me on this journey. This means that some of us have been training together for 10+ years! Can you believe it? Whether it's been 10+, 5, 1 or if we just started training this week - Thank You for being such an important part of my life. I hope our training together has meant as much for you as it has for me. After all, you are my clients, you are such a big part of why I am here to say Thank You.

To my friends and family who have been supportive through the years and who have listened to me through the highs and the lows - Thank You.

To my teachers who have taught me how to be spiritually strong - Thank You. Your dedication to my spiritual growth has and continues to inspire me to be a better person.

What would BodyRefinery be without our amazing trainers? For your commitment to the studio, to me and to our fantastic clients - Thank You. Coming to work everyday with a team like ours is something I am very grateful for.

To 2010 and all the that the future holds. I wish you all the best in all your endeavors.

In the Best of Health,

Michael Luongo

Vibram Five Fingers Pt. 2

2010-03-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Since we last spoke, I've been in my VFF's a few times. First, I wore them out on the streets for about a 40 minute run. This was all concrete through Balboa Park. I will say that for the most part I loved my experience in them. Feeling the ground underneath my feet was amazing. The VFF's allow you to feel quite stable on the ground. 2 down points: My big toe on both feet started to burn near the end of the run. I had to alter my stride for the last 15 minutes of the run. I did not however develop a blister. Perhaps this is to be expected with any new style running shoe. I must note however, this is not due to the stride. A couple of weeks ago when I went out for a run, on concrete, in socks only, this did not happen. Also, I noticed that the interior bottom of the shoe becomes slighlty slippery once your foot begins to sweat. This did not prove problematic as the shoe is snug to your feet. The best part was that the VFF's didn't smell a bit after I took them off my very sweaty, wet foot!

Friday, I wore the VFF's to Cabrillo National Monument for a light hike/tide pool adventure. I felt as though I discovered a new world! The VFF's were amazing on the trails. With your feet basically touching the ground with every step it is an amazing feeling. The stability on the trails was perfect. Not once did I ever feel my ankle might role or I might lose ground. Once we got to the tidepools, the VFF's lost many points. My VFF's are the KSO's. They are obviously not ment to be worn when wet. Now, I realize that tidepool destinations are slippery by nature but my 2 friends wearing good old sneakers showed not nearly the amount of slippage that I was. The KSO VFF's simply do not have enough traction for terrain like this. Not to worry, for me at least, I am almost never hiking around in tidepools!

Overall, I really like them. There currently isn't another option for a barefoot experience.

3/16/10
This note would not have made it in this post had I published this yesterday but today I went for another run in my VFF's. They held up great, however, my calves are still not recovered from this weekend. I made it only about 1 1/2 miles and then had to walk the last 1/2 mile. Getting used to this new forefoot stride takes a bit but I'm getting there. While I still noticed a tiny bit of interior slippage when walking, the VFF's held up great today!

Until the next post...

Michael Luongo, Personal Trainer at Large : )

Vibram Five Finger's Pt. 1

2010-03-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

So as many of you know my VFF's arrived yesterday. 1st I must say, I had to purchase these on ebay for a dollar amount over what they sell for in stores or on Vibram's website. No one! and I mean no one! including Vibram, has black, KSO's in a 41 available. Come on! Isn't the trick of 'limiting production in order to bring on a demand'something we expect from Nike?! Not from a new shoe company looking to do things better. Vibram - Get your act together and offer all sizes in in all colors.
But thank you and congrats to the very nice seller on ebay who received $40 over the average selling retail price : )

Day #1 - yesterday - I only wore the VFF's for about 4 hours in my studio. I did not work out in them. Overall I enjoyed my experience.
Day #2 - today - I put the VFF's on when I arrived at the studio. I did not wear them to my morning home clients as I was worried my feet would be cold in the garage where I train them. Here at the studio they were basically great. But I will say a couple of times I was concerned about them not being warm enough. They performed awesome for my workout!...which included some treadmill running and Kettlebell swings. When the workout was over however, I couldn't wait to get them off. My feet were trapped in a sea of rubber and sweat! Yuk! As I type this, I am happily back in my black workout socks, warm and comfy.

Not to worry. My jury (which mind you, is the only one that counts - Lol) is not out! I will update you often until I come to my final conclusion. As for the rest of today, my VFF's will remain off of my feet.

In my continual search for the perfect "barefoot" option...

Michael Luongo, Personal Trainer at Large : )

Barefooting...

2010-02-03T08:26:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, I do all of my workouts in my socks. I am not a runner by any means but have recently been playing around with treadmill sprints. I am in my socks for this as well. I continue to read Born To Run by Christopher McDougall and various research articles on running Barefoot. You can find many of these if you are following me on Twitter. With the knowledge I am finding through these articles and the results I am seeing in my own body, I cannot emphasize enough that you should give Barefoot exercising a try. If you, like me, are not a runner, I really encourage you to leave your sneakers in the locker room at your gym or in your car if you are working out here. Give the "barefoot" workout a chance. It is becoming boldy apparent to me that many of the foot, knee and hip injuries we are seeing come from our dependency on sneakers. I am not here (just yet anyway) to throw all of the facts and research back at you. If you are compelled, do the research yourself or simply follow me on Twitter to find the many links to articles I am reading. In the future however, I will compile all that I have found and present it to you in an easy to read article of my own. Most of the information out there is geared to runners. I, as your trusted fitness expert, can tell you that this translates into all areas of fitness. With extreme confidence I say, "Leave your sneakers at home and get your feet on the ground. Everything in your workouts will begin to change. Your squats, lunges, swings, getups, even your upper body exercises will all take on new effectiveness as your feet and all the intrinsic muscles in your feet finally touch ground!"

Michael Luongo
Master Trainer, recognized across the country, around the world and throughout the galaxy... ; )

Dogs on a leash 101

2010-01-24T11:31:00.001-08:00

What a beautiful day in San Diego! I just got back from another great walk in Balboa Park with the boys (Niko and Tyson). If you see me in the park with my dogs on leash, you probably notice I never stop to let other dogs say "hi". Typically I will say hello to you and keep on walking. Why? You ask...

When your dog is on leash a couple of things are happening all at once:

1st: When your dog is leashed, it should be training time. Whether on a walk or sitting on a park bench, if your dog is leashed all he should be concerned with is your next move. This is the best training time you have. The only thing your dog should be allowed to do while on leash is listen to you. Sure, you can play, walk, run. But while doing all of the above, your dog should be constantly 'checking in' with you as to what the next move should be.

2nd: When on leash, your dog is feeling a bit vulnerable in part because he is protecting you. Instantly when that leash goes around their neck, they know that protection is what it's all about. So when you allow other dogs to come up, you're just asking for trouble. Have respect for this. It's such an important piece of your bonding.

The opposite is true as well. If you're headed to dog park - take your dog off leash. For the all the same reasons. There's nothing worse than a dog feeling vulnerable on leash and handfuls of other dogs come running up to him. That's disaster waiting to happen.

Remember when walking on leash your energy is carried down to your dog via your leash. Just like an extension cord - the energy you're tapping into is the energy your putting out there. The behavior of your dog is all about you. No exceptions. A great EGO/behavior/emotional check in station for you is to watch your dog: Are they too hyper? Do they listen? Are they too aggressive? Are they too passive? Are they too lazy? Do they get enough exercise? (do you like that trainer plug?)

A dog just like our partners, friends, bosses, employees and the random person who just cut you off on the freeway are all mirrors for us. Providing us with a detailed description of all the issues we need to work on ourselves. So the next time you feel someone is treating you unfairly, take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself: Who are you treating unfairly? Maybe that person is staring right back at you. And, the next time your dog is pulling you around and not listening... Ask yourself: Who am I pulling around on a leash? Who am I not listening to?

Alright, take all that mumbo jumbo, throw it together and voila! A perfect recipe for a well trained dog and a well trained dog owner.

Barks and Tail Wags,

Michael

2010-01-20T15:08:00.001-08:00

How come walking out of Barnes & Noble with bag in hand makes you feel so smart? I just left the Encinitas location with two books: Born To Run by Christopher McDougall and The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein. I went in to the store for the 1st but couldn't leave without the 2nd which was on sale for 40% off! Sweet! Plus I had a 10% coupon and a $60 gift card! Total score!! I'll keep you posted on the reading...

Inspiration to share!

2010-01-11T21:18:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days where I was looking for a bit of inspiration. I've been there before and I have a great 'go to' solution. I look at what others in my field are doing!
After I left the studio today, I drove down to Pacific Beach to sit and think (and drink coffee, of course). While I was there, I happened to run across a few fitness sessions taking place on the beach. Whether they were with a personal trainer or not, I'm not sure. But just seeing these groups of people exercising was enough. It switched on the Light. I've been in this position before and I knew just what to do. When I arrived home I spent some time viewing other trainers websites and blogs. I have a group of trainers who I admire whether having met them in person, on Facebook or on Twitter. This was in it's own way a great brainstorming session for me. I love to read what others are doing in the world of fitness. I love to see how other trainers interpret fitness for their clients.
So perhaps your next session with me will reflect some aspects from a favorite trainer in England, in Australia, in Michigan or perhaps 1 of my many favorite trainers in NEW JERSEY!!! : )
I hope you will take some of the inspiration I received today from my peers. Regardless of your career: CEO, Stay-at-home Mom, Barista at Starbucks, Teacher, etc., look to your peers for some inspiration! You never know what you may find!!

All the best!

Michael

My sample lunch!

2010-01-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

This is a sample lunch option for you to try. This has been my lunch each day this week! I feel great and have tons of workout strength from it. Alter the amount based on your caloric needs:

1 1/2 cups brown rice
6 oz of Nigari Tofu
1/2 cup mixed vegetables
1/2 cup spinach
2 tbl spns Soy Sauce (wheat free)

Try it. You just may like it... : )

Kettlebells at any age...

2010-01-07T14:14:00.000-08:00

Kettlebells have hit the air swinging and I see no end in sight. The popularity of these perfect bells is all due to the amazing results they provide. Today I simply want to acknowledge an awesome feat in our Kettlebell world. Here at BodyRefinery we train people of all ages. Currently our clientele range is 14 - 87! In that upper range, coming in at the perfect age of 67, soon to be 68, is a client who has been with us for quite a number of years. In the past couple of years, Kettlebells have been introduced to his program. We have worked with him through a variety of health issues including overcoming cancer, chemotherapy and radiation. You may be unfamiliar with the lasting affects of radiation (and I hope you are). There is a great potential for breakdown in muscle, bone and overall body strength and stabilization. With constant work and dedication to exercise and fitness, we have overcome, surpassed and moved far beyond the potential of your average 67 year old fitness level.

I am extremely happy to report that with an ongoing workout program which includes BodyRefinery and Kettlebell work, our client, just this week, accomplished the Turkish Getup with a 20KG Kettlebell! Congratulations!

In the greatest of health,

Michael Luongo

This Is It!

2010-01-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

It's the first Monday of the first full week of 2010! Yes! The studio is off to a great start. So, I must take a moment and say: Thank You. Thank you to you my clients, my readers and my friends. It is because of you that everyday I get to do what I truly enjoy doing. I love being a personal trainer, business owner and now as of 2009, a blogger/twitterer/facebooker : ) Without you, all of this wouldn't be possible.

This April will be our 9 year anniversary! Can you believe it? This is going to be our biggest most productive year yet. We will be building up to April 1, 2011 - our 10 year anniversary - as the training studio providing the most results!!! That's because this year, you our clients, will be working harder than ever to reach your goals. (now don't get scared)

This Is It! Yes, that's the title to an awesome Michael Jackson documentary (which I highly recommend) but it has just become our slogan for 2010. This Is It! This is the year to reach all your goals. I am here to help. I am here to motivate you. Hopefully, I am here to inspire you. The journey has begun and I am sure glad we are doing it together.

In the greatest of health!

Michael Luongo

2010-01-03T14:07:00.001-08:00

Just got to Balboa Park with the dogs. It is packed! Everyone and their neighbor is here... I guess a 2pm free organ concert can pack them in. If u haven't been here in a while, you should come. Lots of great trails to run, walk, hike. Lots of open space for, oh I don't know, some Kettlebell swings...! : )

For now, Me, Niko and Tyson will enjoy some of our favorite trails.

FREE Trial Sessions

2010-01-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

Here's another part of the resolutions. My FREE Trial Sessions page on our website. Copy and paste: http://www.bodyrefinery.com/id7.html

2010-01-02T15:15:00.001-08:00

Ok. So I've added my iPhone to my blog...if u r reading this I guess it worked... : )

The beginning...

2010-01-02T14:13:00.001-08:00

This is it! The beginning of the new blog! I hope this address makes it easier to read, subscribe to, and learn from. So it's the 1st of the year (well really the 2nd) and I have made some serious resolutions this year. And for the most part this is the 1st time I am doing such a thing. I will share some of them with you in the coming months. As you may have guessed - this is one of those resolutions...getting better at blogging....mainly because you have asked : )

Here's the skinny...This blog is going to be a culmination of all things me! Yes, me. What does that mean exactly: 1 part BodyRefinery, 1 part personal stuff, a big dash of all things you let me know you are interested in and poof hopefully something worth while reading! : )

Now I must figure out how to publish this and get it attached to our homepage: www.bodyrefinery.com

Talk to you soon...