The Bell Fitness Company Blog

Why Partner Fitness Training is Hot

2010-03-13T07:34:00.000-08:00

This is a fantastic way to get in great shape, share the exercise and fitness experience with a loved one, or a best buddy, create friendly competition and keep the costs of personal training within your budget. The cost is about a third less than regular personal training, but offers so much more in terms of keeping each other motivated, comparing results or simply getting a little closer by sharing in an intense but fun experience.

Right now I have a couple that I work with every Sunday and they are hooked. They tell me they can’t wait to get back in and train again. And, instead of spending hours away from each other during the weekend, they get their workouts in and still are spending time together.

So, if you want to share in this type of passion I highly suggest partner training.

Get fitter, and closer this Spring. Partner training is also a great gift to give someone for their birthday, an anniversary, or just because you care.

What better way to say how much you care for someone than helping them get a flatter stomach, a tighter tushie, stronger arms, a more muscular chest or better posture?

Personal Trainer NYC Blog

2010-02-12T04:35:00.001-08:00

Personal Training in NYC that is Affordable!

The nice weather is coming! And I know you are chomping at the bit trying to figure out how to get in the best shape of your life this spring and summer season. Problem is, with a personal trainer, you get in the best shape ever, but these days for many people just can’t afford it. As a personal trainer in NYC, I have 25 years of experience helping people get in the best shape of their lives, and of course, working on my own level of fitness. Lately, I have discovered that training with a partner (usually I train with my good friend Carlos Leon) or in a small group with friends, has been a great experience that I want to share with my clients.

Personal Training in NYC, Recession-Style!
I have turned my own experience into a solution that makes it affordable (yes, affordable!) for anyone to get the benefits of a working with a personal trainer without the expense. So, how would you like to get in awesome shape, do it with friends, have more fun, compete with your buddies (friendly of course), and see results you haven’t seen in a long time, or ever? And, how about getting personal training in NYC at a fraction of the cost of one-on-one personal training?
· No lines
· No waiting list for equipment
· No crowded classes

Personal Training in NYC has been Reinvented with Small Group Training
Share the cost of personal training in our Small Group Training Classes (limit 4-8 people) where there are no lines, no waiting, and no crowds! Just a serious fitness atmosphere with personalized training designed just for your needs.

Best Part: You and Your Friends Share the Cost of Personal Training in NYC! Personal training in a group is ideal for getting in great shape because the extra push you get from your fitness partners drives you to lift that extra rep or sweat that extra pound off.

Personal Training in NYC without the Worry about how to Afford It!
Call for the schedule give small group personal training a test drive.

Thank You,
Jeff Bell

Bell Fitness Company
12 St. Marks Place NYC
212-226-5860

What in the World is Wrong with our Running Shoes?

2009-10-21T06:47:00.000-07:00

by Jeff Bell

I just finished an amazing book “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen” by Christopher McDougall. It’s a book about the Taramuhara people who live in the Copper Canyons of Mexico. The Taramuhara culture is deeply rooted in long distance running. And they do it barefoot!

I love to run. Millions of people run for cardiovascular fitness, to lose weight, to look lean and healthy. However, researchers are discovering that the running shoes we thought were protecting us from injury are actually causing us to be injured! According to Dr. Daniel Lieberman, professor of biological anthropology at Harvard University, “a lot of foot and knee injuries… are actually caused by people running in shoes that actually make our feet weak, cause us to over-pronate giving us knee problems.”

Stanford University track coach Vin Lananna agrees. ”We’ve shielded our feet from their natural position by providing more and more support…I believe when my runners train barefoot, they run faster and suffer fewer injuries” and this he told to Nike reps!

Up until about 30 years ago, most running shoes were very thin-soled, allowing the runners’ feet to move in its natural motion and respond to the ground through the soul of the foot and Achilles heel. Then running experts began to preach that running shoes should supply more and more support and because of that we have the running shoes we all wear today.

The running shoes we have been wearing all these years were designed using "Motion Control Technology,” ultra built-up heels and foot soles that prevent natural foot pronation during while walking, running, jogging etc. This technology is severely altering the natural pattern of foot strike on the landing surface. These alterations produce excessive impact forces that we don't feel but are masked through the soft shoe. Instead of landing on the whole foot, those wearing these type of shoe overextend their stride, crash through their heels (poor shock absorber) sending greater shock throughout the whole body. This produces:

Back Problems
Knee Injuries
Hip Pain
Shoulder Pain
Neck Injuries
And who knows what else?

Today, many experts and researchers are beginning to connect the dots between foot pain and injury and the “technologically advanced” running shoes we’ve been wearing. According to Bernard Marti, M.D., a preventative medicine specialist at Switzerland’s University of Bern, “runners wearing top-of-the-line shoes are 123% more likely to get injured than runners in cheap shoes”.

So what’s the deal? Did we all just swallow the blue pill and line up to buy our one hundred and fifty dollar Air Jordan’s, or the latest spring loaded, mega-bounce Converse and expected that the shoes, not our own conditioning would take care of our chronic conditions and improve our performance? What if we had been running barefoot all these years or wearing thin “track flats” that I remember using in high School track meets? Would we be better off?

Next: my own experience with barefoot running.

NEW YORK MARATHON RUNNING HEATING UP AGAIN

2009-10-16T08:29:00.000-07:00

I ran into a friend of mine the other day that said she’s running in the NYC marathon. I told her I’m amazed every year the amount of passion and attention the event gets from all over the world. It’s truly a World Event.

You can see the numbers of runners begin to increase in late August. Suddenly Central Park is overrun by skinny aliens in very short shorts trekking mile after mile until by late October you can hear about a dozen languages emitting from the runners.

What brings all these people with one shared interest from so many corners of the world to New York City every year? I believe it’s a combination of:

Our beautiful New York autumns.
The camaraderie of thousands of runner spinning high in a vortex on a small island.
The act of running itself.

Whatever it is, it’s great to have them here!

Ibuprofen & Tylenol: Safe for Runners?

2009-09-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

With the New York Marathon soon upon us, many thousands of runners are dialing their road work up to several miles daily. I can’t help but wonder how many rely on the miracle of NSAIDS like Tylenol and Ibuprofen to quiet their aches and pains as the pace of preparing for the marathon quickens to almost maddening levels here in New York City.

As an experienced personal trainer, life coach and health practitioner here in New York I am amazed that these same people pop medication like candy.

I’ve known runners whose toe nails fall off, get infections like colds and even flu like symptoms that take hold of their bodies either during training or just after the big day. The average marathon runner tends to be educated, successful and is seeking a quality life, which includes family, and a healthy body. Yet these otherwise smart people keep repeating the same patterns of physical abuse by squelching pain and inflammation with painkillers in order that they can continue the very activities that are causing or aggravating the very conditions they are suffering from.

Over half the athletes that participate in endurance type events

all over the world use the “stuff” to reduce pain, decrease inflammation, and repair damages done while participating in actual competition, or training for endurance events. Unfortunately, there are huge risks in the form of unmitigated soft tissue damage including cartilage, ligaments and tendons, even joint structures.

The biggest mistake the average runner makes is not understanding the entire training response to extended endurance activities. The body has its own molecular response to physical stress that allows for the development of stronger bones, more resilient collagen, thicker ligaments and tendons, and of course better adapted musculature. The extensive use of the “stuff” before, during and after activities is actually blocking the body’s healthy response to exercise and is actually slowing down the healing process overall.

These conditions can be avoided with a few SIMPLE RULES to deal with pain and inflammation associated with overuse:

1. Only use NSAIDS following acute trauma, never before endurance

activities to mask pain.

2. Use ice whenever there is inflammation, pain or redness due to overuse or

trauma.

3. Always warm-up properly before endurance activities, cool down for 5 - 10

minutes after activities, and ice any areas of the body that show signs of

inflammation or overuse.

4. Maintain a balance of proper flexibility and strength training for the

whole body, particularly the core to avoid muscular imbalances due to

repetitive fitness activities.

5. Stay hydrated. Way too many injuries can be avoided if participants just

took in enough fluids for the duration of the entire training program and

especially during the critical race time.

6. Maintain a proper balance of electrolytes and minerals by eating plenty of

fresh fruits and vegetables. Take in plenty of protein. Marathon runners

actually require more grams of protein per pound of body weight than do

bodybuilders. Great sources include red meat, poultry, fish, and cottage cheese

whey protein, and soy products like tofu, and tempe.

7. Wear the proper exercise gear, especially properly fitted shoes. AND don’t

buy new shoes for the actual race. Your feet have little brains in them that

take in information from the way your current shoes land and distribute shock

and impact. Your feet have actually formed a bond with those shoes and will

want to continue the same distribution pattern. A new pair of shoes will just

disturb that pattern and could cause serious injury to the lower extremities.

8. Finally, if you have been hitting the pavement a little too often or a little too

hard, take a day off. Often what our bodies need most is rest. Taking an

extra day of rest could mean the difference between suffering silently your

aches and pains or joining in the spirit of your chosen sport with friends and

comrades in training.

This blog post was in response to a recent article in the New York Times

Phys Ed: Does Ibuprofen Help or Hurt During Exercise?