Trainer Wants You to Know the Skinny on Health and Fitness Myths

Fitness Results studio in Upland

Fitness Results owner Lance McCullough, a longtime fitness, exercise and nutritional expert, has declared war on all the myths and misinformation “out there” on the proper way to get and stay in shape.

He’s not just on a search-and-destroy mission to eradicate exercise falsehoods and the fitness fad of the week; he wants to restore a common-sense approach to exercise and nutrition in order to help people maintain a safe, happy and healthy lifestyle.

Toward that goal, he recently launched a program called the Pathway to Success (PTS), an eight-step health and fitness program that he is now sharing with local groups across the Inland and San Gabriel Valleys. He’s become the new Jack LaLanne of the lecture circuit.

His eight steps are:

·         Obtain the right information

·         Work with a Certified Personal Trainer

·         Assess your current health index

·         Determine your fitness goals

·         Select the right training program

·         Implement a sensible cardio program

·         Diet sensibly

·         Be consistent

Obtain the right information

McCullough feels “The Biggest Losers” are people who gobble up what they see on TV and believe they can obtain the same results, forgetting that popular television shows are first and foremost “entertainment” programs. Similarly, he believes people are often misled and misguided by a host of other sources, including well-intentioned friends and family (“Just because Aunt Betty lost 100 pounds eating Subway sandwiches doesn’t mean you will.”), glossy, profit-driven magazines that exist to sell products and supplements, internet Web sites that are poorly researched, and those infamous and ubiquitous infomercials that try to convince you that maximum results can be achieved with a minimum of effort.

“Half-truths are not the truth,” McCullough said. “Claims are not facts. You have to get past the promises that are designed to prey on your pocketbook and get credible, reliable and reputable information. It all goes back to that saying, “Consider the source.”

Work with a Certified Professional Trainer

McCullough believes one of the best sources of health and fitness information is a certified personal trainer. Yet even here the path is not clear-cut. Many trainers say they’re certified, when in reality, they’re not. “In all of the years, I’ve been in business,” McCullough said, “no one has ever asked to see my certifications. That’s just crazy. Ask to see a trainer’s certification and have them explain what it means. Also, ask to see proof of the fitness results they’ve helped produce for others.”

Before settling on a certified personal trainer, consumers should learn as much as they can about the trainer’s fitness philosophy and ask to participate in a free, no-obligation workout session. “Everything has to mesh; you’re going to be partners. A good fit with your trainer leads to good fitness.”

Assess Your Current Health Index

“Assess, address and discuss your age, gender, risk factors, health concerns, prior injuries and other relevant components with your personal trainer,” McCullough said. “Only then can you and your trainer design a health and fitness regimen that’s going to give you maximum results in a safe and healthy manner.

“You can’t take a cookie-cutter approach to fitness because no two people are alike,” he added. “What is the right regimen for one person may not be the correct program for another. Context is everything.”

Determine Your Fitness Goals

Too often, McCullough has seen people following exercise programs that are counterproductive to their goals. “If you’re 45-years-old and just want to feel fit, you don’t need to be doing ‘extreme’-type exercises that would really only apply or make sense for a very small percentile of people,” McCullough said. To avoid going down the wrong path, McCullough asks clients to pose some simple but important questions:

Is your goal to …

·         Lose weight?

·         Reduce body fat?

·         Tone?

·         Build muscle?

·         Be an all-around healthier person?

Select the right training program

McCullough believes a weight-resistance training program must be an essential part of any health and fitness program because it can build muscle and reduce body fat while raising the body’s calorie-burning metabolic rate. He understands that many women fear working out with weights because they’re afraid of bulking up. That’s an unwarranted fear, according to McCullough

Jill McAlpin

“Women come in with 35% body fat,” he said, giving an example. “You have to build muscle to get that number changed around. For women, it’s not a matter of building too much too muscle; it’s that they can’t build enough muscle.” As a rule, he said a woman’s body fat should be between 12% and 22% and a man’s between 9% and 18%.

Implement a sensible cardio program

McCullough fears that many women in a race to lose weight go overboard, stepping up the cardio portion of their fitness regimen so much that it actually burns more muscle than body fat. “The harder they work, the more they actually put themselves at risk of being in worse shape,” he said. “When they suffer cardio burn-out and the weight goes back on, the added weight is nearly all body fat.

“They’re exercising themselves into obesity,” McCullough added. Therefore, he recommends a cardio program that complements a weight-training and nutrition program.

“If you try to lose weight just by cardio, you will not be successful,” McCullough said.

Diet sensibly

“We don’t believe in fad diets,” McCullough said. “Keep a food journal to see what you’re currently putting into your body. Not only do calories count, but the types of calories you’re consuming count.” He recommends that you target consumption at 30% protein, 40% carbohydrates and 30% fat. With proper exercise and nutrition, McCullough has seen his clients lose between one and two pounds a week. Typically, women should try to restrict their calorie intake to about 1,200 calories a day and for men, about 1,500 calories a day.

Be consistent

It may be the last step, but it could very well be the most important. “Try to set small goals and benchmarks to stay motivated,” McCullough said. “Celebrate them. Enjoy how you feel and the new healthier lifestyle you’re living.”

If you would like for Lance to address your group or organization, or if you would simply like to talk to him about developing your own health and fitness program, please call him today at (909) 608-1780. The Fitness Results studio is located at 1842 W. 11th St., Suite G, in Upland, Calif.