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Top 3 Fitness Inspirations

If I had to pick the top health and fitness inspirations, these three would be it. They’ve all put in years, if not decades, of work. They’ve tested. They’ve re-tested. And finally, they’ve developed mastery of not only their craft, but their teachings and delivery of information.

  • Tim Ferriss. Fast track your weight loss with the slow carb diet. No, this isn’t some atkins diet knock off. This is a healthy diet for those who really need to shed excess pounds or for those who aren’t too jazzed on putting in a lot of time at the Greenville athletic club, but still want to maintain a sculpted, lean physique. In his book, the 4 Hour Body, you’ll learn a lot more about how to effectively manage your efforts to maximize your gym results. If you are a serious athlete or lifter, slow carb probably isn’t an optimal diet plan for you. Tim gets into that in the book. He also presents lots of great exercises and therapeutics that you can perform at the Greenville health club.
  • Krissy Mae Cagney. If you want access to many FREE HIIT and metabolic circuit workouts, head over to Krissy Mae Cagney’s Facebook, where she posts new workouts several times per week and other valuable health and wellness information and inspiration. She’s no nonsense and knows a tank load when it comes to dieting and working out. She also offers multiple training/nutrition plans on her website. Check them out if you need more structure in your Greenville sports club routine. Greenville Gym has all of the tools you’ll need to follow through with these programs.
  • Kino MacGregor. This one’s for all the yogis or potential yogis out there. No one knows yoga like Kino. To build more strength, core intelligence, and confidence in super difficult postures, Kino is your girl. Not a yoga fanatic? That’s no problem. Kino instructs to all levels. The bulk of her teachings are on her YouTube channel. You can also find full-length classes with her on YogaVibes.com. If you’re interested in starting a yoga practice, check out our Greenville yoga options!
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5 Reasons to Take Advantage of Greenville Gym’s Ladies Only Area

For some women, the last place they want to be is a gym full of showy men pumping iron. If you don’t want testosterone distractions interrupting your flow, enjoy the privacy of our ladies only gym, a 4,000 square foot beautifully appointed and fully equipped facility.

Designed with women in mind, this space features a 1,500 square foot group fitness area, separate strength and cardio equipment and spaces, and all of the gym essentials you could possibly desire.

Here’s 5 advantages of working out in Greenville’s ladies gym:

  1. Relaxed Atmosphere. No pressure here. No need to impress. Just do you.
  2. Limited Distractions. Better achieve your health objectives. Minimize distractions. Maximize results.
  3. Increased Comfortability. Sometimes it can be daunting to work out in a male-dominated realm. Insecurities bubble to the surface and all you want to do is walk out the door. This fem-friendly space makes working out feel more comfortable and less intimidating.
  4. VIP Attention. This beautiful space comes complete with a separate ladies service staff. You will love all of the VIP attention.
  5. Connection. Make new female connections with like-minded women.

Greenville Gym offers only the best in terms of cardiovascular and strength training equipment. Enjoy state-of-the art cardio machines, including treadmills, ellipticals, arc trainers, recumbent and upright bikes, and much more! Take advantage of top-of-the line strength training equipment, including circuit training equipment, functional training equipment, and free weights. Our ladies only area has it all!

What’s more, Greenville health club also boasts a full schedule of Group Fitness Classes, including Pilates and yoga. Click here for more information about the Greenville sports club Group Fitness Classes.

Plus, Greenville athletic club offers personal training sessions designed specifically to align with your training needs or objectives. Click here to learn more about our personal training services. 

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10 Reasons Why Women Should Lift

Weight lifting is incredibly beneficial for both men and women. Some women, however, still believe it is an activity reserved for men. Some women believe themselves incapable. This just isn’t true. Lifting is not an activity reserved for men. Women are just as capable. Plus, there are specific benefits for women. So ladies, get over this anti-lifting mentality, and tackle some weights next time you find yourself at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club.

  1. Decrease your risk of osteoporosis. Lifting promotes and preserves bone density.
  2. Lower your risk for certain injuries. Lifting strongly supports the lower back by strengthening the deep muscles of the core and the muscles of the low back.
  3. Increase your metabolism. Muscle burns more calories than fat. The more muscle you build via lifting, the more calories you will burn.
  4. Better your posture. If you’re correctly lifting, your body is precisely aligned. This heavy focus on alignment and body intelligence and awareness really enhances posture, balance, and the way you carry yourself.
  5. Feel empowered. Boosting strength boosts confidence. Building physical strength definitely has the power to build mental strength.
  6. Easily track your progress. When you lift regularly, you will easily be able to track your progress, which is incredibly rewarding and pushes you to raise the bar that much higher.
  7. Boost your cardiovascular strength. If you’re lifting heavy, you are most definitely stressing your cardiovascular system.
  8. Supplement other physical activities. Lifting can help you realize goals in other physical realms. You can really tailor your strength training toward what you’re striving for due to the highly individualized nature of lifting.
  9. It’s accessible. Contrary to popular thought, weight lifting is incredibly accessible. There are always modifications to explore. Consult a Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym trainer to discover variations and options.
  10. Strong is the new sexy. Have you heard? If not, you just got the memo.
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3 Awesome Health & Fitness Resources

Maybe your self-transformation progress feels like it has reached a standstill. Maybe you need an extra push to motivate and move you upward to finally achieve your fitness goals and create your best you. Maybe what you are doing right now is not enough. Maybe you need to rework your focus – to place your energies on a new exercise routine or a new meal plan. Maybe you just desire some new information – a fresh perspective on fitness, health, and healing.

The following 3 resources have helped to transform my life, fitness, overall health, and perspective. They steered me in the right direction, effectively and quickly enhanced my progress, and supported (and continue to support) my health.

The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss

Get thinner, bigger, faster, and stronger! Learn the ins and outs of the slow-carb lifestyle in this comprehensive book. Also, read up on how to improve sexual prowess, how to slim down, how to build 30 pounds of muscle in 30 days, and how to eat whatever you want in excess one day per week and still loose weight. That’s not all. You’ll gain additional weight loss and strength enhancement tips and tricks.

This book is accessible, informative, and self-supporting. You will gain plenty of tested tools to create your best you, including various exercises to perform while working it at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

Not sure you want to plunge into this massive text. Enjoy the first chapter FREE. I bet you’ll become convinced of its incredible value.

The Slow-Carb Cookbook (Online)

Enjoy lots of healthy, creative, and easy to whip up slow-carb eats in this handy-dandy online cookbook. These slow-carb meals will definitely enhance weight-loss and promote the buildup of muscle. Eat a slow-carb diet for 20 days, and you’ll surely realize inches lost, pounds lost, and definition gained. This diet will definitely support your workouts at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym by boosting your energy and creating a leaner, lighter, and stronger you. 

Eat-Taste-Heal: An Ayurvedic Cookbook for Modern Living

Learn about the healing science of Ayurveda – the most ancient system of healthy living and medicine. Create harmony within by eating foods appropriate for your mind and body and by involving yourself in healthy lifestyle practices, such as yoga and meditation. Learn to eat right for your unique make-up and design. Learn to personalize your health and healing and cater to your own specific needs. Completely restore and transform your health! Plus, experiment with new, healthy recipes and foods!

Use of these 3 resources will definitely complement what you’re already achieving at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club and may even get you to where you want to be faster and more effectively. So, add these fitness gems to your list of things to read and implement!

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Two Ferocious Chest and Back Circuits

Next time you are at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, destroy yourself with these killer chest and back circuits inspired by fitness innovators and educators Krissy Cags and Travis Baker.

First, enjoy this dirty, giant set of fortifying chest and back exercises:

  • Incline Barbell Press x 12 reps
  • Pull Up x 12 reps
  • Flat Bench Press x 12 reps
  • Bent Over Row x 12 reps
  • Dip x 12 reps
  • Reverse Grip Chin Up x 12 reps
  • Push-ups x 12 reps

Repeat this circuit 5 times, resting 45 seconds between rounds. Ouch.

Not going to lie, this will hurt. You’ll immediately feel like you put on some extra pounds of muscle after manning your way through this circuit beast. What’s more, you’ll definitely feel this one the next day. That’s a good thing! It means you successfully worked those chest and back muscles. It means you are moving forward, tackling your Greenville gym fitness goals and creating your best you.

To add more brutality to the fitness mix, here is a further series of exercises you can perform at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym to fire up the muscles of the chest, back, and more. Get ready and pumped to slam, swing, and slam some more.

Slam. Swing. Slam. via Krissy Mae Cags Webstagram

  • Rope Slams
  • Kettlebell Swings
  • Ball Slams

Fun, right? Right. You definitely gotta muster up some enthusiasm for this set!

Perform exercises as repeats of 40-30-20-10-20-30-40. That’s 40 of each exercise, 30 of each, 20 of each, and so on. We’ve got plenty of exercise equipment at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. However, if you can’t find some of the equipment necessary, ask a trainer or staff member at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club to help steer you in the right direction or modify the exercise. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.

What’s the hold up? Transport yourself to the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. Suffer the burn. Generate a sweat. Strengthen and sculpt those chest and back muscles. Meet your fitness goals. Create your best version of you.

Kill it.

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Butts and Guts Challenge

I am about to propose a serious challenge for you to master next time you are working out at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club. Actually, challenge is an understatement in this fitness scenario. This “challenge” may be better described as a murderous, muscle-frying fight. One of my fitness gurus, Krissy M. Cags, is, again, setting the bar pretty high here; maybe, even, a bit too high. You gotta aim high, though, right? Right.

There is always room for advancement in your fitness regimen at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym. There is NEVER room for boredom or stagnation. If you think your workout at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym needs a significant boost, here it is in the form of an energizing 1K exercise experiment.

This set of exercises is pretty simple, actually. The exercises are very straightforward. No funny business here. Yet, don’t get too excited or smug. I said simple. I never said easy.

Allow me to lay it out for you.

First, get in a short, cardio warm-up of 10 to 20 minutes tops. Then, here goes…

  1. Sit-up to Bridge Exercise – 1000
  2. Atomic Sit-ups – 1000

Yeah, that’s right. 1K of each exercise. Do it in whatever order you wish. Just do it!

If you are anything like me, you may prefer to ease your way into things. 1000 of each exercise may be a bit much right off the bat. I’d start out with 250. Then, jack it up to 500. Then, 750. Finally, 1000. See that? Baby steps.

Spice up your Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym time with this crazy challenge once per week. By all means, up the ante to twice (or more) per week if you’re a super hero.

The bad news? This will kill. The good news? You are well on your way to stronger, more defined abs and glutes.

Fight for 1K victory at the Pivotal Fitness Greenville athletic club. Go all the way to 1K!

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Psych Yourself Up for the Gym! – Part 1

Before you can step through the doors of the gym for the very first time, there are several other important steps you might need to take. It’s important to get the right mind frame to change your lifestyle before it can become a reality. But if you’re feeling intimidated (as we discussed last week), there are mental exercises you can do even before you come to check out our facilities and try our free Greenville gym membership trial.

Here are the first three easy exercises to put you in the right state of mind:

  1. Think about goals. The first thing that any fitness advisor will ask you is what you want to gain by visiting the gym in Greenville. This might be certain body parts that you want to tone, a specific weight you want to achieve or less specific ideas like flexibility, durability and a longer lifespan. Having an agenda not only helps motivate you to go to the gym, but it also helps you figure out what kinds of activities and exercises you’re going to be interested in. It’s also just much easier to reach your goals once you name them and make them real.
  1. Assess your health. You may have an idea of your goals, but do you know where you already stand when it comes to meeting them? You can assess your BMI to get a general idea of where you stand on the healthy weight ratio. Do you have any injuries, illnesses or other physical limitations that a trainer might want to know about? How is your stamina? Go for a long walk and see how long it takes for you to need a rest or get out of breath. Look at the foods you’re eating and see if you can make more nutritious choices that might complement your workout plans. You should also learn what kinds of foods to eat before and after you work out in order to make the most of your gym visit.
  1. Think about timing. What’s the best time of day for you to visit your local Greenville gym? Maybe it’s on your way to work, or maybe it’s later in the evening. How many days of the week do you aspire to visit the gym? You might not need to find time for an hour of working out each time you come if you can come everyday during your lunch break for a short run. Coming up with a routine and schedule that might work for you — even if you have to adapt it down the road — will help make the idea more concrete.

Check back next week for three more tips to psych yourself up!

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Coping with Anxiety About Joining a Gym

Would you like to join a gym like our Greenville sports club — but you’re inexplicably nervous about it?

It’s completely normal to feel a little anxiety about starting a new activity that may be outside of your comfort zone. Gyms come with a lot of stigmas about the kind of atmosphere they offer and the kind of people who use them. But don’t worry, we’re not one of those pretentious fitness clubs with only model-sized people working out like graceful athletes. We have classes and activities for every preference and skill level, plus a staff that can walk you through getting started and answer any questions you have until you feel perfectly at ease at our Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

Here are a few of the most common concerns we hear from new and prospective members, as well as ways you can get past the intimidation:

  1. I need to look thin to go to the gym. A lot of people get the idea that everyone else at the gym will be in perfect shape and they’ll stand out. But fear not — even the sveltest athletes had to get started at some point. Our gym boasts every shape and size. No one is here to judge you. Our staff and members welcome and celebrate anyone who’s just starting out. Joining for the first time means you’re committed to a healthier lifestyle, and it’s one that every member shares and enjoys — so you all have something in common right from the start, no matter what level someone else is at right now. And remember, in a matter of time you will get to your best body, too!
  1. I’m not going to know anyone there. It is great when you have a buddy for the gym. But if you don’t have a friend, family member or co-worker who’s willing to sign up with you, don’t worry. You can easily make friends at the gym who shared the same workout schedule as you. The more you come, the more you’ll chat with new people and recognize some of the same faces. One great way to build your gym community is by joining weekly classes. It’s one of the most social aspects of Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym, and we have a wide variety!
  1. I won’t know how to work the equipment. When you walk into a gym for the first time, there might be a lot of machinery that isn’t familiar to you. But that’s no reason to turn around and walk back out. When you’re exploring our space and thinking about membership, it’s a great idea to ask someone on our friendly team to escort you. You can talk about the types of exercise you’d like to do and what your fitness goals are — and then your guide will introduce you to some of the equipment that fits. Over time, a personal trainer can teach you how to work out expertly and use the machines in the correct way to achieve those goals. Sooner than you might think, you’ll start to feel like an old pro.

Next week, we’ll offer a few more easy tips about how to come in and get started.

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Workout Videos Worth Watching

Obviously, we highly recommend our fitness classes to people who are looking to get some top-notch instruction and kick their metabolism — and their motivation — into high gear. But we also know it’s not always realistic for you to count on being able to come to classes right on schedule, because you’re a busy person! Sometimes it’s 10 p.m. and you’ve just finished some leftover Chinese food and suddenly you’re looking for a way to burn off that extra energy — and those extra calories. So we definitely support the idea of having some go-to at-home fitness videos on hand as a back-up facet of your overall fitness regimen for those times when driving over to our Greenville gym just isn’t in the cards.

Here are a few we like, new and old:

  1. “Insanity Workout” — This is one of the most popular DVDs on the market today. You receive 10 discs and follow a 60-day program that maximizes a blend of aerobic and anaerobic exercises. The best part is that you don’t need any equipment besides your own body — but be prepared for a real challenge, because this workout is intense! The routine claims to burn 1,000 calories in just one hour with take-no-prisoners trainer Shaun T.
  1. “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” — Surely you remember this one! A ‘90s classic, Richard Simmons will get you up and moving with some low-impact, easy-to-perform exercises that will get your heart rate up with those old tunes you love. Fun, funny and not intimidating, you can work up a sweat in just 55 minutes. There’s also a “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” 2 and 3. Sure, it’s embarrassing and kitschy, but if you can learn to laugh at yourself then keep in mind that laughing burns calories, too!
  1. “The Biggest Loser, The Workout” — If you’re a fan of watching “The Biggest Loser” on your TV, you’ll love this fitness video that combines the moves you see those contestants perform with the motivational catchphrases that your favorite trainers say. You can buy videos tailored to your interests, such as Cardio Max, Boot Camp or even Weight Loss Yoga. The videos are about 100 minutes, but you can choose from six routines to find what works best for you — all overseen by TV trainer Bob Harper.

Our best suggestion is to buy DVDs with return policies so that you can try a routine and figure out what tempo and type is going to actually keep you interested and fulfill your physical demands. Don’t be scared off if the first one you pick isn’t perfect for you.

Do you have any other favorite workout videos we should know about? Please feel free to share!

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Getting Motivated, Part 2: Fulfilling Your Ambition

Last week, we talked about the importance of setting a goal. This will fire you up for a challenge and give you a reason to add a boost of motivation to your regular old routine. But setting a goal is easy – the challenge is, of course, actually following through.

There are some common obstacles to look out for when you sit down to set an exciting new goal, and we have some solutions:

  1. First of all, you want to be realistic about your aims. If you’ve only been running about 10 miles per week, you may not want to sign up for a competitive 50K.
  2. Second, you want to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. If someone else is pressuring you to achieve more, you may wind up resentful toward your efforts rather than feeling good about them as you should.
  3. Third, you have to be honest with yourself about your limitations. If you’re a procrastinator or someone who gets in their own way in other areas of life (like at work), then it’s possibly that you can set a goal only to become frustrated when it doesn’t seem like you’re going to achieve it. To counter this, you can enlist a support team or personal trainer to help keep you on track and make your dream more realistic. But other people can’t do it all for you; you’ll need to make a strong commitment as well.
  4. Fourth, the idea of fulfilling your ambition is going to be very appealing, but you want it to be more than a fantasy. Make the entire process more concrete by breaking down the process in advance. You’ll want to come up with specific mile markers and time frames, figuring out how much training you’ll need and how long you’ll need to accomplish it. If you can’t get in enough conditioning in one month to bike a 20K, then you might need to look for an event that’s coming up a little more down the road.
  5. Fifth, you may become discouraged if you have any setbacks or if the goal at hand seems so far away that it may as well be a mirage. One way to counter this unsure attitude is to build in a system of rewards along the way, so it’s not just about the big final payoff. Get creative – maybe you’ll buy yourself a treat each time you hit a new marker, or maybe you’ll make a bet that you can do it and enjoy the satisfaction of being right. Maybe loved ones will treat you to healthy meals or your significant other will owe you a massage for your hard work. Pulling other people in to witness and support your accomplishments can certainly help. The important thing here is that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, the journey should definitely be part of the fun!

Got a specific event coming up? Want to set a goal with a group? Feel free to share your story with us or reach out to others to join you at our Pivotal Fitness Greenville gym.

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