Lateral Raise - Stand on top of band directly in middle, with feet shoulder-width apart. Grab the handles and raise arms out to side at shoulder level, return to starting position and repeat.

Overhead Triceps Extension – Stand on the band with feet shoulder-width apart, holds the handles behind your head with your elbows facing upward. Now push handles over your head until arms are straight, return and repeat.

Row – Wrap the band around a pole of some sort so the grips are at chest level. With your abs tight pull handles straight back until they are on the sides of your chest, back to starting position and repeat.

Bicep Curls - Stand on band with feet shoulders width apart. Hold handles with an underhand grip beside your thighs. Now bend your elbows and bring handles to shoulders and return to starting position and repeat.

Pushups – Loop the band around your upper back and grip handles. Starting in a pushup position with arms straight, lower yourself until your chest is an inch from the floor and push back up to starting position, repeat.

Shoulder Press - Stand with one foot behind you while stepping on middle of band. Grab handles at shoulder-width apart at shoulder level. Extend arms straight up and return to starting position, repeat.

Squats – Stand in middle of band, feet shoulder-width apart, grab grips straight overhead. Next bend your knees and hips into a squat, repeat.

Austin is a collection of communities though, so I serve clients from Round Rock to Cedar Park and into Austin proper. This site is called Personal Trainer ATX, but that means so much more than just Austin. I have lived in Georgetown, South Austin, and Round Rock (North Austin really). It doesn’t matter where you are, I am an Austin Personal Trainer that will come to you.

Total body works different major muscles all in one exercise and promote balance, coordination, strength, and most importantly a healthier heart. So if you thought you could only raise your metabolism and burn fat by during only aerobic exercises (aka running) try these for a different types of cardio. Perform these great exercises 2 to 3 times a week or incorporate into your weekly workouts.

1. Dumbbell Squat to Military Press- start with holding dumbbells in a shoulder press position, palms facing head. Stand with back straight and feet shoulder width apart. Next lower body to a squat position making sure thighs are parallel to the ground. Now push your upper body back up (make sure back stays straight) to standing position and right when you hit that standing position push the dumbbells directly of shoulders and extend arms straight up. Finally lower the dumbbells back to starting position.
2. Barbell Press Step up- Start with overhand grip on barbell holding it in front of shoulders right above chest. Stand with back straight, feet shoulder width apart. Now put one foot on a box or bench, push body up with leg on box or bench.  While you are pushing body up push barbell straight up over shoulders until arms are straight up, end result should be you standing on top of bench or box. Next bring barbell back down to starting position and slowly step back down.
3. Dumbbell Deadlift Bent-over row- Grab a pair of dumbbells and arm’s length in front of thighs. Next while keeping back arched and knees slightly bent, bend upper body into a bent over position. Now pull the dumbbells towards your chest with palms facing down.HINT: imagine pull with your elbows not your wrists and don’t move torso while performing the row.
4. Laydown and getup- Start lying down, face-up, and arm straight out in front of you with a dumbbell in hand. Now roll to one side and hold yourself on elbow, place one foot flat on the ground and push yourself to a kneeling position. Next push body up to a standing position with dumbbell over your head. To get back to starting position reverse the whole process. HINT: Dumbbell should be over your whole body the whole exercise with arm straight and always keep your eyes on the dumbbell.
5. One arm kettle ball snatch- Start in a squat position with a kettle ball in between feet with a straight arm (make sure back is arched and feet shoulder width apart). Next in one steady movement try to throw the kettle ball up towards the roof without letting go of the kettle ball.
   Hint: keep kettle ball close to your body and push your elbow up and out as high as possible.

   Next with the momentum of the throw push kettle ball up over shoulder until arm is straight up. Finally pull your whole body under the weight and push your hips straight forward.

6. Curl to overhead press side lunge- Start with feet shoulder width apart and feet straight forward. Hold a dumbbell in one hand with arm by your side. Now lunge sideways opposite of side that you are holding the dumbbell.  You need to stabilize body with your knee bent and feet flat on ground, now push back to starting position. Right when you get back to starting position perform a standard curl to your chest then press dumbbell overhead until arm is straight. Finally lower dumbbell back to side of body into starting position.
7. Medicine ball floor slam- Grab a medicine ball and hold it with arms straight out, over your head. Stand with legs shoulder width apart. Now slam medicine ball straight to the floor. Next bend at your knees and pick up the medicine ball and return to starting position.
8. Barbell Trap Hop- Start in the squat position, grab a light barbell and hold it in front of your shins. Now explode up (a jump) and perform a shoulder shrug at the top for your jump. Return to starting position in the squat position. 

1. Pushups – Start off on all fours, position hands shoulder width, feet and legs together. Next lowers your body until your nose almost touches the floor, pause then push back up to starting position. (Hint: If your middle body starts to sag make that your last rep of that set)
2. Floor Y Raise - Lie face down, form a Y with your arms straight out and face palms towards each other. Next raise arms straight up and then back down to starting position.
3. Inverted Shoulder Press on Floor- Start like your about to execute a pushup, now make sure hands are little wider than shoulders. Now raise your hips and walk your feet towards body until torso is perpendicular to the floor. Next without altering body position, lower upper body until head almost hits the floor. Finally pause and return back to starting position.
4. Bodyweight Squat- start in standing position with feet shoulder-width apart, next straightened arms straight out in front of you. Now lower body until legs are perpendicular to floor. Finally pause and return to standing position.
5. Hip Raises- lie on floor face up with feet flat on floor and knees bent. Now raises your hips so you form a straight line from knees to shoulders. Next pause for 5 to 10 secs and return to starting position.
6. Sit Ups- Start lying on floor, face up. Next place feet flat on ground and slightly bent knees. Now put your hands behind your head. Raise your upper body to sit up position and back down to starting position. (Hint: the movement should be nice and flowing not jerky)
7. Bodyweight Lunge- Start in standing position with hands on hips, next perform a knee raise and push body forward until foot hits ground. Once foot hits ground lower your body until front leg in perpendicular to floor, now back leg should have a little bend in knee and directly behind you, next push body up and return back leg to starting position.

Mountain climber

With your hands shoulder width apart on Swiss Ball, raise right knee towards body then down, repeat with opposite leg.

Jackknife

Start in the push-up position with you arms straight. Position your shins on top on Swiss ball (body should be straight). Next roll the ball with your feet towards your chest, and then back to starting position.

Torso twist

Lie with your middle back on top of Swiss ball, push out your hips to form a straight line, next hold your arms straight out in front of you with hands together. Brace yourself and roll your upper body as far right as possible, then roll upper body to the opposite side.

Crunch

Lie on the Swiss ball with your shoulders and back, place hands behind head, raise your shoulders and head and crunch. Pause then return to starting position.

Pike

Start in the push up position with straight arms and shoulder width apart, rest shins on top of Swiss ball, next, without bending your knees, roll the ball towards you by pushing your hips upward as far as you can, pause then return to starting position.

Leg Lifts

Lying on back grab Swiss ball with both feet, extend legs straight and make sure back does not arch, bring ball back to starting position.

1. Measuring fitness progress with a scale – We all know that a scale will measure our weight loss. The problem is that the scale does not measure the difference in losing fat or lean body mass.  The more lean body mass that you lose the lower your metabolism rate drops.  So next time look at differences in a mirror or how your clothes fit. If you have a personal trainer (*hint hint), get body assessments every two to four weeks and say goodbye to the scale!
   * I’m only half joking. ;)
2. Women can get big and bulky – I have heard so many women say “I won’t and don’t do bicep curls and bench press because I will get big and bulky.” False. The reason why that is false is because women do not produce enough testosterone in gain huge muscle mass. Now there is only one way a women can get “bulky” is by taking testosterone injections or steroids to make those muscle gains.So ladies next time you are in the gym, pick up some heavier weights because the truth is it will lead to more strength and build lean muscle mass that in return will increase your metabolism.
3. “No pain no gain” – This is one of the oldest fables ever. Many people, including myself several years ago, said that since I am not sore today I did not work out hard enough yesterday. If you lift any sort of weight from barbells to dumbbells, to those boxes you moved into the garage, whether you lift it once or ten times, you are increasing muscle! Every time you lift you breakdown muscle fibers, your body in return needs to repair those fibers with the aid of protein. When the body repairs those fibers the muscle becomes stronger and increase in size.So in general don’t think you didn’t make any gains because you aren’t sore after. This will lead to overtraining witch slows down muscle gains.
4. Using the same workout program – I have meet many people that have been using the same workout exercises, same amount of reps, and same weight for years. So why change? I personally get bored in the gym but I also used to stick to the same program because it was familiar and confortable.Studies have shown that the most efficient way to maintain muscle growth is to change your workout every month.  Your muscles need to be challenged in order to grow.  So next time find a new workout, it will challenge you muscle fibers and challenge you to learn new exercises or different variations of the same ones you use now.
5. Weight loss pills – Ok people, this is a billion dollar industry that strives on the idea of losing weight fast without exercise or minimum exertion at that. This is so false. I have  never seen any studies to prove that any of these pills work, period. Actually some of these can cause heart problems or even death! The whole goal of these pills producers is to make you believe the ingredients are just going to cut the fat right out of your body by making infomercials that hype up the product with lies.

Now I’m not saying that steady running for more than twenty minutes won’t burn fat, but once your body uses all your stored fat as energy the body turns to muscle for energy. That is a huge no no.

So I am sure you are wondering what you could do to avoid that. Intervals.

Studies have shown that the best way to lose that unwanted fat is to increase your heart rate and then lower it and back up again, etc. etc. The way intervals work is you want a good sprinting pace for a period of time then a steady walk for another time period, and back to another high intensity pace. Now depending on your personal running and walking speeds will vary but here is the program:

Warm-up
5 min. walk

Workout
Increase to a steady jog for a minute then walk 2 minutes. Next either up the mph or incline for a minute, then return to a steady walk for 2 minutes. Repeat this step for 20 to 45 minutes.

Try this program to burn that fat without comprimsing muscle loss!