Fighting the Freshman 15 / Getting Real World Ready

60 lbs in 6-months
Way back in the early 2000’s I was honored to get to train a forward thinking high school graduate that was looking to get in his best shape for college.  This young man who is now a strong adult, desired to lose weight, get strong and get lean, which I assume would only compliment his great personality as he moved forward.   His result was 60 lbs of weight loss in 6-months.  I’d like to take some of the credit for his success, but I can’t because we both know he was super motivated to change and his nutrition was dialed in.  Plus I know that my programming then vs. my programming now was far inferior, so it really was a super motivated person, training 4x/wk/1hr each with me on strength and then doing additional cardio on his own.  He made the time for both training and in the kitchen and had an outstanding first semester and college experience.  If you’re reading this, way to go AC!
30 lbs Gained in 24 weeks
Also back in the early 2000’s I was honored to get to train another super motivated high school kid, we’ll call him J. Flavor, who was tired of being skinny and wanted to get strong, put on muscle and increase his body weight.  After his first, 12 week program he had put on 20 lbs and after his second 12 week program he put on at least another 10 lbs.  Again, it was this young man’s desire to change and get better that earned him results.  He could of have done it with anyone, but I was the lucky coach he chose.
Peak for Sports Seasons
Also back in the 2000’s I had the honor of co-starting a high school strength & conditioning program called Pride Sports Performance (Pride is the Team Name for Springfield College, my alma mater) and volunteering at Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning, where I had the opportunity to train super motivated high school and college athletes that either wanted to peak for their upcoming high school / college season, to get noticed by college recruiters / pro scouts or to prepare to play at the next level.  I can’t again take credit for any of their successes, I was just lucky to work with them, but each of these kids went on to have improved seasons.
Body Changes = Increased Self-Esteem and Self-Confidence
And there were numerous handfuls of other awesome, smart and motivated high school and college kids who I’ve had the pleasure of working with privately over my last 12 years as a coach, who hired me not only for body changes, but for what those changes could do for their self-esteem and confidence.  How they would feel more secure in meeting new people while living away from home for the first time or entering the “real world” and becoming fully independent.  How they would walk taller and not second guess themselves when speaking or taking action, which allowed the life skills instilled by their parents, the education they’ve worked hard to accumulate and their own personal life experiences to shine through without hesitation.  
1st Impressions
If you’ve graduated from high school and had the new / scary / exciting experience of being a college freshman as a dependent / independent or if you’ve graduated college and had the new / scary / exciting experience of entering the real world as an independent (or maybe still co-dependent), you know that there are some big butterflies and that you wanted to make a great impression.  
From 147 – 185 in 1 Semester
When I graduated from high school, I weighed 147 lbs. and was a ½” shy of 6 feet.  I was SKINNY!  I knew that when I got to college, I wanted to be more attractive to the female co-eds and if I put on some muscle and weight so I wasn’t skinny anymore, I’d have the confidence and self-esteem to go with my already outgoing personality (my blog, I can boast).  What happened?  I trained every day from Monday – Friday following the good ole body building / body part routines that were sadly too common then, with next to no cardio and an occasional weekend day of shooting hoops.  I made time to get to breakfast at 7am before my 8am classes (what college kids make time to get up these days), always went to lunch and dinner in Cheney Hall (the cafeteria) and stocked my dorm fridge and cubbies with food (thanks mom & dad) so I would never have to worry about being hungry, plus I was a partier then so I had my share of pizza and beer.  Result:  I went home for winter break and weighed 185 lbs.  That’s 38 lbs of mostly muscle with some fat gained in 1 semester.  I had to get a bunch of new clothes because I outgrew a lot of things.  My waist went from 30” to a 34/35” waist and my shirts went from M-L to L-XL.  It was cool.  Academically I was kicking butt, socially I knew everyone’s names even if people didn’t remember mine (I’m great with names) and I was definitely more attractive to and confident with the females on campus.  Life was great.
Lost & Found:  Self Confidence / Body Weight
When I finished my internship (I graduated college upon completion) with the Boston Red Sox’s minor league affiliates the Sarasota / Fort Meyers Red Sox, I had lost a bunch of weight and with it some confidence.  This time I arrived to Spring Training weighing 195 lbs and when I returned up north 6-months later, I was under 180 lbs and my primary responsibility was to be the Strength & Conditioning Coach for my teams, so it’s not like I didn’t have access.  My clothes were hanging, I was tired and I wasn’t happy and I had to prepare for my boards, my National Athletic Training Association Certification.  After I passed my exams (first try), it was time to get my confidence back and my weight back, by getting in the gym and training.  This time I was at Umass Amherst as an assistant strength & conditioning coach working with their Division 1 athletes / teams.  This was awesome, I got right back into shape fast and only had to lift weight 4x/wk now to make fast gains.  I was ready for the real world and good karma had followed me once again when I had the confidence and high self-esteem to believe in myself and let my talents and work ethic shine through.
Special Offer for 2011 Grads ONLY
Circling back to the present, I now want to provide an opportunity for motivated, 2011 high school and college graduates (New Customers Only), who are looking to change their bodies, get in their best shapes and increase their self-esteem and self-confidence so their natural talents can shine through without hesitation or second guessing.  From now until midnight on Memorial Monday, I’ll be offering the following Grad Bootcamp Packages for the summer: 
Grad (3-Month) Summer Bootcamp Package (June 19 – September 3)- $97/month (Typically $246/month)

Grad (1-Month) Bootcamp Package (Month Start Date of Choice:  June 19, July 17 or Aug 14)- $137 (Typically $268/month)

Fighting the Freshman 15 / Getting Real World Ready
If you know a motivated 2011, high school or college graduate, who would like to be proactive and fight the freshman 15 and/or would like to enter the real world with peaking self-confidence, please refer them to me or contact me through my website, bootcampboston.com/contact or mikealves.com/contact.html.
Yours changing lives,
Mike Alves
p.s.  this is a huge deal for those looking to make a change now!
p.p.s.  2011 grads only
p.p.p.s.  last day to order is Midnight, Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 2011.
p.p.p.p.s.  order now at:  bootcampboston.com/contact

Bra Flab vs. Man Boobs

They might not be life threatening epidemics, but they certainly can be a self esteem threatening epidemic.

What is bra flab?

Bra Flab

Bra flab is the “soft” tissue found above and below the bra material just below the posterior axillary fold (arm pit).  It’s the cousin of arm flab,

Arm Flab

which is when your triceps or back of the arm gets soft and hangs loose like in the picture. 

Most people know about the arm flab, but many haven’t seen the bra flab and bra flab occurs when the muscles on the axillary border of the posterior upper back become atrophied from lack of use and often in conjunction with overeating. 

What do you do?

Pulling more and eat less for starters.  What do I mean by pull more?  Do horizontal and vertical pulling exercises against resistance either from an external load and/or your own body weight.

Sample Exercises:

1.       Vertical Pulls
a)      TRX Chin Up Progression

b)      Band Resisted Reverse Grip Pull Downs

2.       Horizontal Pulls
a)       TRX Inverted Rows Regressions
b)       Seated Band Rows

Adding the above exercises to your strength training routine will help to tone and shape the muscles that make up bra flab.  They’re not the only exercises that can improve the area, but their the biggest bang for your effort exercises.

Fellas.  Man boobs are no bueno and you certainly want to fight getting soft and droopy up top. 

What are man boobs?


Man boobs are when you’re chest muscles or pectoralis muscles become severely atrophied and begin to sag. 
What do you do?
Pushing more and eating less is usually a good start.  What do I mean by push?  Do horizontal and vertical pushing exercises to strengthen and shape both your anterior thoracic wall (chest) and your upper trap muscles to give you the dominant beach muscles that you once had or always wanted. 
Sample Exercises:
1.       Horizontal Pushing
a)       Push Up T Progressions
b)       DB Bench Press
2.       Vertical Pushing
a)       Band Resisted Overhead Press
b)      DB Overhead Press Progressions
Now men or even ladies, if you want to get rid of the saggy boobs and get hard and tight pec muscles, add the above exercises to your exercise routine.  These are also not the only exercises you can do to firm up your chest muscles and give you great traps, but they’ll get you started.
So now you have potential cures to the self-esteem epidemics known as bra flab and man boobs.  Give the exercises a try and you’ll immediately feel them beginning to start the change process.  Incorporate the exercises into your weekly routines and before you know it you’ll have created a habit, eliminated a problem and gained increased self confidence.
Yours changing lives,
Mike Alves
p.s.  want a coach, a team and a program to help you get in your best shape this summer and not next?  Click here to try out Newton’s Best Boot Camp for 1-month at a killer price.