Make Your Body Your Machine : Fraser Quelch

It's Called "Work"-Out for a Reason

FitnessAnywhere — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:32:00 GMT

By Fraser Quelch

Do you want to see results from your training? Of course you do, or you wouldn’t be training. You probably have specific goals in mind that you’d like to achieve, whether it’s staying fit for duty, fit for sport, fit for life, or just looking good. But if you want to achieve the results you have in mind, whatever they are, you need to ask yourself whether you’re training hard enough to achieve those goals.

If you couldn’t make it through more than three runs when you were skiing or snowboarding last season and you want to develop the fitness to last all day, then you’re going to have to train smarter and harder then you did last year to achieve your goal. If you find yourself doubled over at the end of your weekly pickup basketball game and you want to be chomping at the bit until the final buzzer rings, you need to dial up the intensity when you’re training. Whatever your goal, your training needs to meet-or preferably exceed- the demands of your goal.

It's Only Natural

In nature, animals stay just as fit as they need to be in order to stay alive. If they did anything extra, they’d be wasting energy and resources on something that didn’t pay any dividends. The human body is no different. It will only become as fit as it needs to be in order to meet the demands you place upon it. ‘Training’ programs the body to be able to respond to higher and higher physical demands and levels of bodily stress. But if you don’t push yourself hard enough while training, your body won’t have the stimuli it needs to adapt and push you to the higher level of fitness you’d like to have in order to achieve your goals.

The body adapts to do what you do and the intensities you do it at. The same rule applies to weight loss. Many people falsely believe that the best way to lose weight is to train in the ‘fat burning zone,’ a pace at which you can easily carry on a conversation while exercising. Wrong. While the human body most efficiently burns fat as a percentage of overall caloric expenditure at this level of intensity, working out at high intensity level actually burns far more fat calories. Want to say adios to love handles? Then dial up the heat.

Achieving your fitness goals requires dedication, discipline, mental toughness, a willingness to reach beyond what’s comfortable - and a willingness to suffer. Embrace the idea of working very, very hard when it’s time to ignite the afterburners, and you’ll see great results!

Ask The Trainer: Start Working Out Safely

Fitness Anywhere — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 22:44:00 GMT

Question: I'm just starting out in a workout routine. How I should go about building myself up and minimize the risk of an injury setback?

Fraser Quelch, Head Coach and Director of Training and Development for Fitness Anywhere: So you’ve come off the fitness rails and are working to get back in the groove. One of the most common mistakes that people make when they’re trying to return to exercise after a layoff is come in too hard. This can result in a discouraging level of soreness or even an injury. Here are 5 tips to help you get past the crucial first 3 weeks.

Be realistic in your expectations of your body
Quite simply, you are going to be a bit sore. It’s next to impossible to start up after a layoff and not have your muscles lobby a grievance against you. They’ve been sedentary and underused and you’ve suddenly slapped them with a demand that they’re not used to. They’re not going to like it. Expect and embrace this to some extent and you will keep the positive attitude that got you going. The good news is that they will adapt quickly and within weeks your workouts won’t make you sore at all.
Avoid multiple sets
Many sources tout the benefits of multiple sets. While there are many advantages to performing multiple sets, now is not the time to seek them out. Generally speaking, acclimatizing your body to single set arrangements for a few weeks will go a long way to help you ease in. Once you’re over the hump, you can start to stack on the set volume with great results.
Avoid heavy loads and advanced progressions
Use this first few weeks to engrain the exercise technique and begin to address imbalances, instabilities and motor pattern deficiencies. Now is not the time to crush yourself with the hard progression or advanced workout posted on the blog. There is no shortage of time on the other side of the first 3 week period to challenge yourself with all of the amazing advanced workouts and exercise progressions that the top athletes from every sport use.
Extend your rest
One of the greatest qualities of the TRX is its capability for lightening fast transitions between exercises. As you get comfortable with the basic procedures of shortening, lengthening the TRX and placing your feet in the foot cradles you will find that you can transition between any 2 exercises in under 20 sec. The reality is that you shouldn’t until you’ve engrained your routine. Take some extra time between exercises and avoid super sets for the first few weeks. Short transitions and advanced set arrangements can be added in with great affect after the first 3 weeks.
Take rest days and use them for light recovery workouts
One of the best ways to manage the soreness that accompanies a new training routine is to be sure you are taking enough time off to recover and to use these rest days for light, active recovery. Go for a walk, do an easy bike ride or swim or add a flexibility session on these rest days. Integrating the TRX Essentials: Flexibility program is one of the best ways to increase your rate of recovery from the strength training workouts and improve your flexibility, an area that most people place little emphasis on but sorely need.

Cool Combo: Scorpion w/ TRX Burpee

Fitness Anywhere — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:20:00 GMT

If you are taking the TRX 30 Thanksgiving Day Challenge, then you will become very familiar with the TRX Burpee. If you are feeling like you need more of a challenge, then maybe you will attempt the Scorpion. Now, if you are really looking to push your limits, than check out Fraser's cool combo, Scorpion w/ TRX Burpee! Combing both the Scorpion ab/core focused exercise and the TRX Burpee arm and leg exercise, you create a challenge for your whole body.

Cool Combo-TRX Burpee and Scorpion

Quick Guide to Strap Length

Nathan McGee — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:08:00 GMT

We get this question a lot, "How do I know when to shorten my straps, when to lengthen them and when I should have them in the middle?"

In this video Fraser addresses this question and gives some guidlines to help you determine the appropriate strap length.

Basic Length Adjustment Guidlines

Here's the quick low down:

Standing Exercises: Mid-Length
Row Exercises: Fully Shortened
Pressing Exercises: Fully Lengthened
Ground Exercises: Mid-Calf Length

Have fun!

Metabolic Training: Why the TRX Should Be Part of Your MetCon Program

Fitness Anywhere — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:00:00 GMT

by Fraser Quelch, Head Coach and Director of Training and Development at Fitness Anywhere

If you’re already following a metcon program, then chances are you’ve wondered if the TRX can be effectively implemented as part of your metcon training program. In short, the answer is unequivocally, yes.

Consider that:

1. The perfect amount of resistance every rep, every set, every workout.

There are hundreds of exercises you can perform on the TRX that are functional, whole body movements ideally suited to metcon. The TRX’s ingenious design allows you to instantly, infinitely scale resistance with a simple step towards or away from the TRX for

2. The TRX trains the body in all three planes of movement.

The vast majority of exercises prescribed in typical metcon programs involve moving the body in a single plane of motion, like dead lifts, cleans, pullups, or squats. These are all fantastic whole-body exercises, but in the real world, virtually every movement a human makes engages the body in all three planes of movement—forward and back, side to side, and rotationally. A planar training program should be incorporated into your metcon program.

Therefore, functional training by its very definition should train the body to move in all three planes of motion. The TRX is an unparalleled tool for training the body in all three planes of movement, including rotationally. The suspension training concept makes it possible to move your body in training exactly the way you do in the real world—in 3-D. FA’s educational products like the All Body Express train the body in all three planes of movement, the same way the body has to move in real life.

3. Using the TRX for metcon saves time and keeps your workout flowing.

It’s simple and easy to transition from one exercise to the next on the TRX. There’s no waiting for someone to get off the machine or drop a barbell so you can have a go. There’s no futzing with pins or weight plates between exercises.

4.Whether your goal is broad, general fitness or training for your favorite sport, the TRX is for you.

TRX workouts can be tailored to meet the functional demands of a specific sport or for building general functional fitness. That’s why amateur athletes at all levels, soldiers, and some of the world’s best professional athletes in the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and UFC choose the TRX to forge the functional fitness they need to be game—or combat—ready.

5. THE TRX IS FITNESS ANYWHERE. REALLY.

Since the TRX weighs less than two pounds and comes with its own dob-kit sized stuff sack, you never have to miss a workout because you weren’t able to carry an armada of gear with you on your travels. If you can’t make it to the gym, you can still complete your metcon workout. Just anchor your TRX and you’re ready to go.

This isn’t to suggest that metcon exercises that call for Olympic barbells or other apparatuses are without merit, though. They’re great tools when properly used, and when paired with appropriate TRX exercises, they can become even better tools for building functional fitness.

Video Exercise: KILLER Suspended Scorpion

Fitness Anywhere — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:00:00 GMT

If you think this sounds deadly... IT IS! This will totally KILL your abs! Fraser demonstrates how versatile the TRX is for all levels by demonstrating this challenging, core specific (opposed to the fact that all TRX exercises work your core), advanced exercise. Not for the faint of heart! Let's here it, who gave this a shot?

Fraser's TRX Suspended Scorpion Exercise

Video Exercise: Fight Day TRX Training!

Fitness Anywhere — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:11:00 GMT

In honor of Roger Huerta's UFC fight lastnight, we are bringing back a couple of videos from the TRX Video Archive to help all of those aspiring fighters out there (and of course anyone who wants to just build the strength and body of a fighter will benefit from these exercises as well).

First up, to get you into the fighting spirit we bring back burpee to punch. Get in the fighting spirit by popping up and throw some punches.

Next is a powerful, complete workout to build strength in your arms and legs for fluid movements and powerful hits. Fraser brings the TRX workout to the next level by incorporating sandbag exercises with the TRX.

For high quality sandbags take a look at Sandbag Fitness Systems.

Roger Huerta, you fought a great fight!

Video Exercise: Rotating Oblique Crunch

Fitness Anywhere — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:05:00 GMT

Fraser takes an oblique crunch to the next level by combining it with a rotated push-up. This challenging combination will work you to the core!

Click here for video

Video Exercise: Pre-Fatigue Set

Fitness Anywhere — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:03:00 GMT

Get your muscles ready to work to fatigue by setting up with a pre-fatigue set! Fraser demonstrates using the chest press exercise a pre-fatigue set and a fatigue set.

Video Exercise: Plank Progression

Nathan McGee — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 21:32:00 GMT

It is a rare occasion that Fraser is out of breath. Well just demonstrating this Plank Progression leaves him gasping for air! If you are bored just hanging there, try these moves out to intensify you core workout.

Video: Plank Progression