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Featured Post

I’m back!!! It’s 2012

By Belton Lubas On January 2, 2012No Comments

So im back from disappearing and I must say first and foremost….sorry. Alot has happened and I am excited to share and show you this Belton 2.0. It’s going to be a hell of a ride and journey. So I’ll keep this short since I’m testing out this new app on my iPhone that allows me to blog.

What happened since 2009? I’ll sum it up

- MMA training
- combat training instructor
- Muay Thai
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Filipino Martial Arts
- Underground Strength Coach
- NSI instructor and affiliated gym
- Element 5 Fitness exploding
- a new baby!!!
- 2012 is my year. I am a dragon and this is the year of the dragon

I’ll catch you on the flip side. Keep up if ya can.peace my fellow warriors!!

Recent Posts

Fighters taking a pic

By Belton Lubas On January 2, 2012 No Comments

20120102-014034.jpg

Element 5 Fitness posing with strike force fighters and TUF athlete.


KettleBell Sled Demo

By Belton Lubas On December 17, 2009 No Comments


Boxing Moms Kick Butt!

By Belton Lubas On October 28, 2009 2 Comments

Ladies and….well no gentlemen here. But guys, you can read this because these ladies are your wives, girlfriends, heck later in this blog, you will see one that is a GRANDMA! Yeah can you believe it!?  Better yet, some of the guys I know can’t hang with these ladies in their workouts.

Now in this blog you will see martial arts, training, and some other crazy stuff but…this blog isn’t all about Muay Thai, Thai Boxing, or MMA cage fighting for ladies. Although I will talk about that a little bit, I want to emphasize the fact that these are Moms, real women, and working folks.

Check out this Mom rippin it up!

Gotta love it! Can you imagine the caloric burn from that workout? Yes, IT BEATS the traditional form of cardios that most people do. It can trump it as much as 5x the amount and burn fat more effectively. So if you are looking for FAT LOSS (male OR female), you should highly consider a workout that involves high intensity interval training or H.I.I.T.

Now you can be like the previous lady who is tearing it up. Obviously she has had some form of training. I had the pleasure of holding mitts for her and it was treat to see this former boxer and now MOM of THREE kids go at it!

Or you can go to the extreme like this gal who went onto try an amateur fight. She is a grandmother folks!

But you know what? Whether you are in it for the fight, or for the the benefits….it’s a win win situation. Check out this workout I put out for killer FAT LOSS:

Activity (1 hour)                            130lbs                    155lbs                    190lbs

Aerobics, general                           354                          422                          518

Boxing                                                 708                          844                         1035

Ok so the above is obviously an estimate but the point is…Look at the difference. Plus traditional cardio DOES NOT give you an Afterburn or EPOC (aka Excess Post Oxygen Consumption) effect.

Said and done…you get the point. There are misconceptions about being a female in regards to working out such as “getting bigger”, it’s too hard, blah blah blah. I can always post more videos of the females I have trained kicking butt and taking names! But heres the deal -

The question for you now people (MALE OR FEMALE), are you going to do something about it.

You don’t have to be a pro, or have lifted weights in the past. Proper programming, good fitness coach, and a desire to win and fight back the elements of defeat is how you are going to get ahead! An exercise program is always relative to the person’s fitness level and any good coach can regress an exercise program to accomodate where their client is at and make small adjustments accordingly.

Commited to your fitness success,
Belton Lubas
belton@element5fitness.com


Train Like a Fighter and Look Like One Too!!!

By Belton Lubas On March 31, 2009 1 Comment

 

Have you ever looked at high intensity athletes such as martial artists (MMA Fighters), track stars, gymnasts, etc, and wonder how and why they have a physique like that of a bodybuilder posing at the night of their showing? You see 6-pack abs, ripped muscles, and basically just a lean mean fighting machine? These high intensity athletes are not freaks of nature (well, some of ‘em are), but more or less people who have truly maximized their genetic potential through High Intensity Training. Whether it is their profession or a passion, you can see across the board the effects of their training. One class of high intensity athletes are martial artists such as MMA (Mixed Martial Artists) Fighters.

GSP

GSP

GSP http://www.sportsbettingandcasino.com/files/2008/01/georges-st-pierre.jpg

As of late, you have seen the explosion of MMA into the mainstream affecting everything from clothing lines, media, pay-per-view, haircuts (kidding), etc. But when you look at how these high intensity athletes train, it is amazing. There is something to be said about the energy demands and requirements for this type of training. This form of training is anaerobic (without oxygen) in nature and has what we call an “afterburn” effect aka EPOC (Excess Post Oxygen Consumption). Unlike traditional cardio aerobic programs where you stop burning once you stop your exercise, anaerobic exercise keeps on going for hours afterwards thus maximizing fat loss! It is the Energizer Bunny of fat loss! Keeps going and going and going…

BJ PENN

BJ PENN

BJ Penn http://www.newzealandmma.com/home/images/photos/bjpenn.jpg

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao

Manny Pacquiao http://hibachibaby.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/manny-pacquiao.jpg

Although many cannot handle the actual intensity of how hard Martial Artists truly train, you can still get involved in high intensity training starter programs and maximize the benefits from it. As you progress, you can increase the workload and change up the routine to accommodate your progressions. So how many calories can you burn? Well, let me just say that your body composition determines that. Obviously if you are heavier, your energy demands are greater. For example, did you know that you can burn up anywhere from a low end of 300-600 calories OR 800-1200 calories per hour of boxing training? Those numbers are dependent upon the body mass of the individual. But before you get excited about your fat loss journey, keep in mind most people CANT go for an hour of boxing let alone 15 minutes. Now remember, boxing is one format of a high intensity exercise. You are missing the point here if you start buying gloves and a heavy bag. I’m talking about high intensity training and using martial artists as an example.

Look at the example below demonstrating high intensity vs traditional cardio training below:

- 154 pound person who runs at a pace of 8 mph will burn 320 calories in 20 minutes. That same person, walking at 3 mph for an hour, will burn 235 calories.

Now take that into your training protocol and you will see that you do NOT have to train for an hour. Train Smarter not just harder. The Strong and Sexy bootcamp program with Element 5 Fitness has incorporated this form of training into their programming. All over the Eastside clients are experiencing fat loss with this type of training. From 25-50+ pounds of fat loss, you may wonder why participants at the Strong and Sexy Bootcamp classes are experiencing this phenomenon. Well, if you were paying attention to the paragraphs above then you would know why!

I have included some of the sample workouts below that were incorporated in our Strong and Sexy Bootcamps classes. This is a 30 second format PER exercise. You cycle through the three exercises one after another WITHOUT rest. The only real rest you will probably get is a 5 second transition between stations.

30 second format EACH exercise EQUALS ONE SET:

- Bench Press OR Band Punches 30 seconds

- Reverse Lunge with Band Row

- Jump Rope OR explosive cardio format

Repeat these exercises 4 or 5 times through! That itself covers a quick six to seven and a half minutes! Once you combine 3 – 4 formats of this type of training, you will have covered at least 20-30 minutes of a high intensity type of training. If you dare, try this format and adjust the intensity and tempo to get a killer workout! Welcome to the FITNESS WARRIOR LIFESTYLE!!!

Yours in health,

Belton

http://Element5fitness.com


New Years Resolution and Biggest Loser Secrets Revealed!!

By Belton Lubas On December 29, 2008 No Comments

Ok, I am going to keep this blog short because of TWO main reasons but I have to write it:

1.) I Hate New Years Resolution in the cliche sense; but I do love the idea of it, the increase in fitness participation, and the excited energy people have on 2009 and the re-birth theme.

2.) I Hate some aspects of the show “Biggest Loser” such as their training methods to accomplish excessive extreme goals, and push till you fly off a treadmill and pass out scenarios; but i do love the display of dedication, struggles, goal setting, achievements, and end result celebrations!!

So why am I writing this blog? To share the Biggest Loser secret? To tell you how they lose 5, 10, 15, maybe 20 pounds per week? Let me clarify some things and give you the bad news first.

BAD NEWS:

No, I will not put you in a ranch to train 6 hours per day, hard core, and risk injury like the Biggest Loser. No, you did not start at 350-400 pounds and have alot to lose. Most importantly NO, I DO NOT have $500,000 to give to you for achieving a healthier and happier lifestyle.  That should be an internal self motivator. If you need a self motivator, go look in a mirror naked.  Seriously…

Let me also clarify some other things first before I talk about the secret of “The Biggest Loser” because it has been irritating hearing it year after year each season it is on. People lost WEIGHT. Have you noticed I did not say FAT weight, or MUSCLE weight, or WATER weight? I said weight and it could have been all three or one or the other.

Imagine this…you have a backpack on that weights about 10 pounds empty. You use that backpack to carry 40 pounds of WEIGHT. The next day, you drop those 40 pounds and throw it away. Ok, so what about the 10 pound empty backpack? Why are you still carrying it?

Imagine you gain 40 pounds in 2 years. Remember, in order to support a heavier weight, your body has accustomed itself to support that new added weight through a heavier frame, whether it has extra tissue or muscle to help lug around the extra 40 pounds. So why am I throwing this tidbit of information? Because I get tired of people saying “Belton, why can’t I lose 15 pounds in one week? How do those guys do it? etc, etc, etc”

You don’t have BIG backpacks!!

You aren’t 350 pounds!!

You don’t live in a ranch and train 6 hours per day. Last I checked you had jobs and a life. Not that it is an excuse, it’s reality and you have to deal with it  and properly design a training regimen and fat loss program.

Ok, so let’s move onto the secret of “The Biggest Loser”, since I did say I was going to reveal it for you to kickstart your 2009 New Year. Well, obviously the ”Biggest Loser” show is over, and the winner was a person that I liked, but I did hear some wonderful things at the finale.

Ready for the secret?  Were you watching the finale?  There were two lines that said it all:

“Live in the Moment” – Vicki was told by Phil

“Surrender to the Process” – Michelle (The winner of “Biggest Loser” 2008 Family Edition)

Those two lines say it all right there. There is your Big Secret. No magic pill, No magic exercise, and No magic gel to rub on your cellulite.

“Live in the Moment” – It’s 2009!! Cmon! Enjoy what you have and know that you are alive, well, and survived 2008! It’s a time for change. New president, New Year, New you. Do something. Goodness! Here is a suggestion, Strong and Sexy Bootcamps. Forget the past, it’s done. Talking about the future is like every other moment you said you were going to start to lose weight.

Act now! The momentum will propel you. Don’t get me wrong, definitely set goals and have a future end goal in mind. But living in the moment means ACTION ACTION ACTION!

“Surrender to the Process” – Strong and Sexy Bootcamps, like other great programs have a plan in place. There is nutrition involved and a proper exercise regimen. Surrender, commit, and hold yourself accountable. Don’t go into it half-a@@. You know what I mean. ‘Nuff said.  New Years is around the corner.  Live in 2008 or come join us in 2009.

Readers, I have said enough. You get the point and now you know the secret. What were you expecting anyways?

Your Fitness Coach,

 

Belton Lubas

Co-Founder Element 5 Fitness

www.element5fitness.com or www.strongandsexybootcamps.com