top of page

Search Results

48 items found for ""

  • Thinking Out of the Box, Memories, and Taking that First Step.

    So the last of my clients has left tonight at 10 pm. It was a great day. All of my clients are improving, so that is a plus. I was also hired earlier last week, by a woman looking after her 78 year old mother. Her mother had a knee replacement and while she completed her rehab, she cannot walk very far without a cane or walker. Now, this is an issue as in November, mom is travelling out of state to attend another daughter’s birthday, so she WANTS to be independent. That is her goal, and we are going to fix it. Mom used to work out and wants to get back to it so that is a motivating force. Having one of my specialties in Exercise Therapy, her daughter hired me to help. Today was my first session with her mother. While most of my clients are in person or online, for her I have to travel to her home and train there. That kind of limits what equipment I have to use, but in these cases we must think out of the box. So, I took some of my resistance bands and she also had some hand weights and some ankle weights. With my bands, and her ankle weights we got a basic full body workout in. I also had her walk a short distance around a cone without a cane or walker. While this all worked, I still needed a few hand weights she could lift to complete the workout. Not having any weights light enough for her, I asked her caregiver for a few cans of soup. These cans turned into weights light enough for her, but heavy enough for resistance. Thinking out of the box was a big key to client success today. In between sets, she shared stories of her time in the gym back in the 80’s and 90’s. She was kind of a pioneer back in the day as most women never worked out very heavy with weights back then. She said she would be lifting and these big men bodybuilders would kind of give her a kind of “nod” that she was doing good. That obviously made her proud. Most of my certifications are from the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) and a lot of my training was simply in the trenches learning. Having the ability to change other people’s lives is a true gift. I thank God that through proper training, some trial and error and tenacity that I was given this ability. One of the biggest gifts you can receive is being able to give to others. For mom, and many of my clients this is MY gift to them! It can be fat loss, building muscle or simply the gift of mobility. If you are trying to get back into shape, think out of the box. Sure I have all professional equipment and gizmos and gadgets, but if you are taking that first step to get fit, use what you have. A gallon of milk is about 5 pounds. If you don’t have 5 pound weights get two milk jugs, fill them with water and now you DO have 5 lb. weights. Yes, eventually you may need to hire a trainer, or go to a gym, but TAKE THAT FIRST STEP to fitness. If you do, you will have no regrets. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips. If you are in the Northeast Ohio area such as Kent, Brimfield, Stow, Tallmadge or Ravenna areas, or if you wish to find out about online training contact me at www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or at 330-554-1345. Additionally, if you are in need of post rehab therapy give me a call. Thanks for checking out Garan fitness Consulting. Scott

  • Success Stories. YOU Can Do It Too.

    So while I generally share posts on HOW you can improve yourself, this post will be about some successes my clients have recently had. Essentially, I want to share WHAT is possible if you put your mind and effort into it. The first client I want to share their success story is Shaman. When he came to me, he was 389 pounds. He is now down to 324 and 24 pounds away from his weight goal. He has a big frame, so 300 will be perfect for him. So how did he do it? There is no secret strategy to his success. He simply started working out, doing cardio and making minor changes to his diet. That included meal prepping and doing things like cutting out his “addiction” with “pop or soda.” As I suggested diet advice, I told him I expected 90% compliance. No one will be perfect with diet and training, but close is close enough. I told him to have a cheat meal once a week that can include ANYTHING he wants. Pancakes, go for it. Beer and wings, go for it. Pizza is fine as well. The thing is knowing you are having those things on say Friday, so stick with your program on the days leading up to it, and then following it. He is simply making better choices! The second client I will discuss is Mattie. She came to me for a very specific reason. She is getting married in a few weeks (She has been coming since January), so came to me to help her look her best for her wedding day. She has had a literal transformation. Last weekend she had her last dress fitting, and was so pleased with the results. The side effect of her training is that she is noticeably stronger and has more muscle. She is involved in a volleyball league and stated that even the men are impressed that she can throw the ball back a long distance when it goes out of bounds. Becoming strong and fit can change so many aspects of your life. The last person I will discuss is named Tony. Tony met me at 489 pounds. For Tony, a lifestyle change was needed to literally SAVE his life. In several months, Tony has dropped 34 pounds. As with Shaman, he has made some simple changes including meal prepping. What is so amazing about his progress, is that he is already more mobile and feels the effects of the routine. He says he has more energy and his joints don’t hurt as much as they once did. His will be a long journey, but you can see that the progress he is making is keeping him on track. Progress is progress! My friends, live in the now. If you are on a journey, whether it be fitness, spiritual, or other, take pride in your progress. As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, but every small step is still progress. If you have a setback, don’t sweat it. Simply get back on the horse and move ahead. Small changes make for major gains! If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips. If you are in the Northeast Ohio area such as Kent, Brimfield, Stow, Tallmadge or Ravenna areas, or if you wish to find out about online training contact me at www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or at 330-554-1345. Thanks for checking out Garan fitness Consulting. Scott

  • Am I being Lazy, or do I Really Need an Extra Day Off From Working Out? THAT is the Question!

    So yesterday was a scheduled workout day for me. I scheduled myself for an upper body workout that included shoulders, chest, abs, biceps and triceps. I am currently on an upper and lower body split routine. Yesterday was also a busy day as I had to travel to meet a potential new client and then had clients until 8 pm. Now, buy the time I could finally get MY workout in, I was gassed. While I was tired, I knew I needed to get my workout it. It can almost become a religion to work out after 43 years of fitness training. How did I remedy this situation? I simply sat down and asked myself TWO simple questions. I asked myself, DO I NOT want to train because I am being lazy, or does my body NEED an extra day of rest? This can be the key to success for you to have a successful healthy lifestyle. You see, there is a difference between being “lazy” or unmotivated and your body saying, “I need a break.” This is what you have to determine. As I stated earlier in this post, I am currently on and upper/lower body split routine. That simply means on day one of the week, I train my upper body and on day two of the week I train my lower body. Then I take a day off and repeat and the last two days I take off. I then repeat over and over, however if I feel I need an extra day off I take it and then get back into the cycle the next day. While that sounds simple, some days I really push myself requiring more rest in between workouts. This should NOT be a problem with any split routines you use. That could even be a five day split of more, depending upon your goals. So yesterday, I asked myself am I lazy or unmotivated or does my body need an extra of rest? It turned out, I was being lazy! So I forced myself to press on and get my workout in. In the end, it turned out to be a powerful workout where I went up in many exercises. We all get lazy, and all of us who exercise MAY need extra rest. Listen to your body! That will be the key to your exercise progress. If you don’t want to work out, ask yourself why and be honest with yourself. If you are being lazy or unmotivated, then hit the weights or whatever exercise routine you had planned. If in your mind you say to yourself, NO I REALLY need an extra day off, take it! I have been personally training for over 43 years now, and this method of determining if I needed a break has worked since I was twelve years old. Most people that regularly have an exercise program stick to it like it is the gospel. You do NOT have to do that. Get in tune with your body and let IT tell you what is needed. Once you find that mind/muscle connection, you will truly start to improve your health and also your feeling of well being. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. Scott

  • What does the Tactical Officer have to do to be fit.

    As a retired Police Officer that became a Detective ran our department’s fitness program and ran our department’s Tactical Operation’s unit, I know how important fitness is in a Police Officer’s life. The same can be said about Fire/Rescue and the Military. I LIVED that lifestyle. That is why I am qualified to help YOU reach your fitness goals in your Tactical Conditioning goal. If you ARE, or want to be in the Military, Police or Fire/ Rescue fields, I can help you get there. I have been training others for over 26 years now. Anyone in the Military, Police, and Fire/Rescue fields must train differently than the average athlete. Yes, there are crossovers, but we cannot train like a bodybuilder. Our jobs require far different fitness requirements. We are far more reliant upon our cardio ability than the average athlete, but still must maintain the ability to lift heavy weights. This is usually in the form of a partner or body that we must remove from a fire, or drag to safety in the Military or in a Police Officer setting. We do not generally work, behind a desk. We work in the field. So here are a few tips I have for those wanting to become, or are already in these fields. First, cross train. Add weight lifting movements as well as cardio movements into your routine. Think Push Ups, combined with Sprints, or Squats combined with a Mile Long Run. Think Sit Ups along with Bear Crawls. All of these fields require this cross training. In combat or in the Fire/Rescue field all of these things can become requirements to be able to perform our job. Think out of the box. While we are athletes, we are NOT conventional ones. Most athletes KNOW what they will be required to do on “game day”. In these fields, we can be called upon to do a number of these tasks over and over. If you need help completing your fitness tests in any of these fields or wish to improve yourself to pass the entry requirements of these fields, reach out to me. I have literally lived in the world that you are in, or want to be. Additionally, I have helped hundreds of people reach their goals as the lead fitness instructor for the University of Akron’s Law Enforcement Training Academy. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips. If you are in the Northeast Ohio area such as Kent, Brimfield, Stow, Tallmadge or Ravenna areas, or if you wish to find out about online training contact me at www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or at 330-554-1345. Thanks for checking out Garan fitness Consulting. Scott

  • What is Rest/Pause Training, and how can it help you make more gains?

    For those just reading this, I have been personally training for over 43 years now, and sadly it’s almost 44! I have been training others for over 26 years and soon to be 27. I hate getting old. I guess we cannot stop time. So I wanted to give you an “old school,” technique that can help you make gains in the gym. The technique is called Rest/Pause Training and it involves the stored muscle energy in our muscles. Now to explain, I have to get a little nerdy, but I will keep it simple. To describe it, I must explain what ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is and what it does in the body. ATP, is the stored energy in the muscles. When we lift something, ATP is used as the primary fuel source. Unfortunately, there is very little of it, so when it is used, our bodies run out and we have to revert to the Krebs cycle to replenish it (I know nerdy). The problem is it takes the body longer to convert other body chemicals into ATP, so over time we get slower. This is why a sprinter can come out of the blocks at blazing speeds, but slows over time. It is far more technical than this, but I wanted to keep the information simple. The same thing is true when lifting or doing anything physical. For the bench presser, the first 5 reps may be easy, but as they press on in reps, the lift gets harder and harder over time. Eventually, the body cannot produce enough muscle energy to continue the lift and we need a spotter to help. As a side not, this is why athletes take creatine monohydrate as a supplement. The immediate back up for ATP in the body is creatine, so this allows you to push a few more reps out as the ATP is replaced quicker. Still, it is short in duration and the body cannot overcome the lack of stored muscle energy. Now back to Rest/Pause. Rest pause is a technique used to overcome this chemical conundrum. You see if we do a simple cadence of up and down at the same speed, our ATP prevents us from pushing harder. We simply run out of muscle energy. But when we get tired at the bottom (resting phase of the lift,) and we take a few seconds for the body to replenish our ATP, we can get a few more reps in, which forces the body to grow. This is how we make gains by getting a few more pounds on the lift or a few more reps in. THIS is progress. My friends, getting one more rep or pound of weight on each workout IS the key to success. This is what makes us grow. Rest/pause is an advanced technique that should be used sparingly, but use it in your routine. Once you see those subtle gains, you will thank me. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, visit my Youtube page, Garan Fitness Consulting for videos on different exercises and training tips. I am also doing online training so reach out if you are interested. Scott

  • Why did I become a personal trainer?

    While I have been training others for over 26 years now, there are a few things that make my training style unique. I believe ALL trainers get the desire to train their clients based upon their own lives. Here is why I chose to train others. First off, I was a skinny kid growing up. My brother, used to call me “bird chest” as I simply had none as I was so thin. Him being 5 ½ years older than me, it kind of stung. Don’t worry, we still love each other. Still, wanting to prove myself, I wanted to prove him wrong, so I asked my parents for a weight set and bench. Happily, for Christmas they bought me the set when I was twelve. The journey started there. Slowly as I read all of the most recent fitness magazines for tips, I began to grow. In high school, I became an athlete and continued to progress. While I was a successful football player in high school, once I got to college I was a little small for college ball. Sure I had some small colleges interested in me, but they could not give me enough scholarship money to make it worth it. So I went to Kent State, and found the sport of rugby. I fell in love with it, and eventually became the team president. I played years after that. This and my upbringing gave me the desire to constantly improve myself, but also to help others. It was a big stepping stone for me as I had to be responsible for training the team, but also helping them grow into better athletes overall. It taught me leadership. While all of this was going on, I knew when I was seven years old that I wanted to become a police officer. In college I got my degree in Criminal Justice. After completing the police academy, I was hired as a police officer and after a few years was asked by the department to become the fitness instructor for the department after being sent to a school to teach it. Even today, I train Tactical Athlete clients that are, or want to be police/fire and military on how to pass their current fitness tests or how to pass the entry exams for those careers. These things all changed my life! While I was still testing and training police officers at the department, I was asked to be the Lead Fitness Instructor for the University of Akron’s Law Enforcement training center, which I did part time from 2000 to 2008. From there I started to transition into the civilian world of fitness and started my own personal training business. In total, I have been training others for over 26 years now. When I look back, had I not been so skinny and having my brother call me “bird chest” I may never be where I am today. While I know he was joking as brothers do, it lit a fire inside me. I never wanted to be put down again. While I am sure I teased him, this one event kind of changed my life. I have always been a driven person, and made the best of what God handed me. Yes, I was a “bird chest,” but I changed that for the better! My friends, no matter what hand you were dealt, never look down upon your past. We all make mistakes and have failures. Still, this is what makes us stronger. We overcome our disadvantages. THAT to me is strength and power over our lives. It is NEVER too late to change your life. Make a plan, stick to it, and put in the work! If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more.

  • So some people say that a calorie is a calorie. Is this true?

    The answer is a simple NO! Not all calories are equal and that is why we must understand HOW they differ. This is why so many fad diets are in vogue, as they do target problems we face when changing our bodies, however in the end can be problematic. All things in moderation is the key. So what IS a calorie? A calorie is a unit of energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it. It also means if we ingest too many calories, our body stores it as fat! I will not get too technical, but provide enough information that you can make the proper decisions on how to focus on your training program. A gram of carbohydrates has 4 calories, a gram of protein has 4 calories and a gram of fat has 9 calories, while a gram of alcohol contains 7. So we see that carbs and proteins are equal while fats and alcohols contain roughly twice as many calories as carbs and proteins. Therefore, we should limit fats and alcohols while focusing on carbs and proteins for our fitness program. We cannot eliminate fats as they are required in the body, but you CAN eliminate alcohols. While this is all true, proteins are needed for the repair or building of muscle after exercise. Carbs are turned into glycogen and used as muscle energy. The brain only works on glycogen converted form carbs, so while many diets try to eliminate it, I suggest simply cutting back. Carbs consist of things like bread, potatoes, rice and the like. Proteins are essentially things that come from an animal, like cheese, meat, milk, fish and the like. Beans and other things also contain the basic building blocks of proteins so should be included in your diet. While this is over simplified, it should give you a basic idea of what I am talking about. Now the body is an amazing machine. It can convert one component of the diet into another when necessary. If we take in more carbs than our bodies need, the body will turn it into fat as a reserve should we need it. That is why limiting carbs in necessary for a healthy fitness program. Likewise, proteins can be converted into carbs by the process of gluconeogenesis. This is essentially turning non carbohydrates into a form of carbs. This is a longer process than simply turning carbs into fat so is the reason we should focus on getting more proteins into our diets than fats or carbs. So this is my basic biology lesson on what a calorie consists of boiled down from over 43 years of learning into a few simple pages. So how can we use this information to change our bodies? To lose weight (fat) I suggest upping your protein intake, while cutting back slightly on your carb intake. This does NOT have to be drastic. To explain further know this. There are 3500 calories in a pound. By simply cutting back 250 calories a day (mostly in carbs) and burning 250 calories a day through exercise you will lose 500 calories a day. If you do this 7 days in a row, you will drop a pound of fat in a week. Multiply that over 52 weeks and we have lost 50 pounds in a year. If you are too skinny, focus on lifting weights to build muscle and add another 250 calories a day in both proteins and fats and you will slowly start to put on muscle and weight. While this may be confusing to some of you, I tried to boil this down as simple as I could. I have been training others for over 26 years now, so it comes easy to me. While true, it didn’t at first. Stick to a proper fitness program, add some cardio and weight or resistance training into your fitness program and make minor adjustments to your diet and you WILL have success. If you go to www.garanfitness consulting.com I have provided a free basic workout program to get you started. If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. Scott

  • Do you NEED to do cardio every day to lose weight?

    The answer is simply NO! While cardio is PART of a weight loss (fat loss) plan, it is not the only component. To me there are essentially FOUR major components to losing weight (body fat.) The first is adding strength/resistance training into your workout. So many women I meet say, “I don’t want to be like Arnold.” Well unless you are taking male hormones, you won’t. Weight or resistance training is vital, because the more muscle we have, the more fat we burn. Muscle burns calories throughout the day. Fat just hangs on you in case we have a famine like an ice age, which is unlikely. The next thing is eating a proper diet. To be successful at changing your life, you must eat a proper diet. That essentially means a high protein, moderate carb and fat diet. I also include in this is a proper supplementation plan. In general, we simply cannot meet our dietary needs without some supplementation. This should include a protein supplement and BCAA’s and a multi-vitamin at the very least. The third thing IS cardio. When we do it, it can burn off extra calories we ate to support the weight and resistance training needed to build muscle. It keeps the ball rolling. Still, we must not do so much that we negate the muscle gain we built through weight training or resistance training. It can be a slippery slope so cardio IS necessary, but we cannot over do it! Trial and error is part of this process. While many trainers push THESE three elements of fitness, I push another. Sleep and rest. Sleep and rest are vital for recovery. We do not change our bodies when lifting or running. Essentially we damage our bodies (in a good way) and with proper sleep and nutrition our bodies say “hey we damaged ourselves so let’s grow back to where we were, and then get a little bigger and stronger so as not to do it again.” This is how we change. Push ourselves, recover, and then push ourselves again over and over. While cardio IS necessary to our health, the amount is not set in stone. I suggest start eating a healthy diet, get plenty of sleep, lift weights or do resistance training and then add some cardio in. Once you see your progress, you can adjust the cardio to whatever fits your needs. If you are not losing enough fat, then add more cardio. If you are training to gain muscle and are failing, do less cardio. There is no perfect example, but this should give you a guide. Changing your body is part exercise but also part art. We all have to make minor adjustments to mold our body into what our minds see as the ideal “me!” If you want to know more, go to garanfitnessconsulting.com, or FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can find video guides on Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. If you wish to contact me, go to www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or Garan Fitness Consulting at 330-554-1345. I also do one on one and online training, so reach out to me if you are interested in learning more. Scott

  • So here are some quick tips for shopping for food at the grocery story. What and HOW to choose the

    First, examine your grocery store. Simply take a walk around it and observe. When you walk in, you will notice the healthiest and least processed foods are situated on the outside ring of the store. Fresh fruits and veggies, meats, fish and dairy are all on the outside. This is where most of your time shopping should be spent. Choosing foods from this outside ring is where you will find what I call “real food.” Choosing from this ring will allow you to make fresh, home cooked healthy meals. Spend most of your time here. These are your best choices. As you move further in, you may find things like spices and various pastas and pasta sauces as well as rice that can be included into your diet but are more processed but may be needed and can be added in moderation. As you continue, you will start to find things like cake mixes, and all the basic bags of sugar and things like cookies that should be mostly avoided. Now I am not saying you can’t bake a cake or have some cookies once in a while, but these isles should be sparingly used. Hey, if it’s someone’s birthday venture into that isle and bake them a birthday cake. However, don’t make a cake every week! If you don’t have ANY fun and enjoy life you will NOT progress in the fitness realm. When I discuss diet with my clients, I ask them to be 90% compliant with diet. That means 90% of the time stay strict with your diet, but if you have a thing like the boys or girls meet out every Friday for wings and a few beers, go for it. If so, make sure on Saturday you are back on track. This keeps you sane and allows for fitness gains but to still enjoy life outside of fitness. We have to have fun, to enjoy life. Recently one of my clients wanted pancakes. So on a Saturday morning he got up, met a friend for breakfast and had them. That was his “cheat meal.” It satisfied his craving and the next day he was back on track. He is now down 62 lbs. in 11 months so what we are doing is working. Unless you are in any competitive sport such as track and field, body building, or strongman, you CAN still cheat a little on the diet, but I stress “a little.” Enjoy life but primarily stay focused on your fitness goals. In the end, you will improve your health while still enjoying the rest of what life gives us. Scott Want to know more, visit me at www.garanfitnessconsulting.com or you can find me on Facebook at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training. Additionally, you can visit my Youtube Channel at Garan Fitness Consulting or if you want online training, I have an interactive platform set up for that. Just reach out to me at the above website or at 330-554-1345.

  • Basic Exercise Workout for Beginners

    So for today, I want to give out a free basic exercise program to get you started on your fitness journey. For this training I want you to train 3 days a week with one day day off from strength training in between each workout. You will do cardio such as running or biking on Tuesday and Thursday. So a sample workout will be Monday-Wednesday-Friday Strength and then Tuesday and Thursday Running, Walking or Biking. This is a basic workout but will get you headed in the right direction. Saturday and Sunday will be a total non-workout days for recovery. Obviously you can change days to fit your work schedule, but use this as a guide. Now, for this program I simply show the # sign as the weight to be used. Get a notebook and record what you did so you can continue to push yourself. Since everyone is different, to select a good weight, I suggest using this strategy. Say we are shooting for 3 sets of 10 repetitions for each set. Choose a weight where you get the first set fairly easy and the next set is a struggle. While we are shooting for three sets of 10, perhaps we can only get 8 reps on the third set. That is fine! This is the perfect weight, so the next time we train, we shoot for 9 reps and then 10. Once we hit 10 reps, we move up in weight, and continue to progress. This is the basics of progression. Start out with the following: Monday Lateral Raise Push Ups (or on knees) # X 10 10 # X 10 10 # X 10 10 Supermans Body Squats 5 second hold at the top then lower and repeat 10 5 second hold 10 5 second hold 10 Biceps Curls Overhead Extensions # X 10 # X 10 # X 10 # x 10 # x 10 # X 10 Crunches 20 reps 20 reps 20 reps This workout hit's ALL of the major muscle groups. This workout will be good for several months as a beginner. As you progress, either try to add an extra rep or a little more weight to improve. I am also a big believer in change, so mix up weight and rep schemes. So if the last time you did 10 lbs. on curls for 3 sets of 10, perhaps the next time drop the weight to 8's but do 12 or 15 reps. Then the next time add weight, but shoot for 6 reps. Change it up to get you the results you want. Keep the body and mind guessing for progress. Eventually, as you progress, you will need to switch up your program. If you are a beginner and have questions, shoot me a question. If you want to know more and are in the greater Cleveland area such as Kent, Stow, Tallmadge, Brimfield or surrounding areas or want online training, visit me at www.garanfitessconsulting.com, at FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training or at Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. Additionally, you can contact me at 330-554-1345. Scott

  • Keto or low carb diet’s, are they necessary and effective?

    This particular question is tricky. So, to explain, I will tell you about my experience with weight loss, and allow you to make a decision that is best for you. I have lifted weights since I was twelve and have always been an athlete. This included high school sports and then rugby in college. After college, I continued rugby for a total of twelve years. As a police officer, I was in charge of our department’s fitness program and was in charge of tactical operations. I have been training others for over 26 years and I am now on my 43rd year of personally training in fitness. While I have been into fitness, and have always been bigger and strong, in the last several years however, I found out I have a bad heart valve. While generally the aortic valve has three flaps, I was born with two, so it leaks. Fortunately my meds seem to be controlling it, but at some point I will need a valve replacement. So what did I do, I intentionally decided to drop weight. It was a hard decision, as I had worked for yours to build my muscle foundation. It served me well as a police officer, but now retired and at the age of 55 I no longer NEED that amount of muscle. For my fitness career, I can simply share the knowledge that I have learned over the last 43 years. So the question is HOW did I do it. Well, my exercise routine is steady, but I realized I needed to adjust my diet. At first I studied KETO and gave it a try. For me, after 9 days of feeling like death, I gave it up. I simply could not do it for an extended period of time, and I knew it. You see the brain ONLY uses glycogen (blood sugar) to fuel itself. At such limited quantities, I was walking around in a fog and simply could not think! Still, I knew I was eating too many carbs. From here I decided to simply LIMIT my carbs, but still have enough that I could function. This plan, along with exercise allowed me to drop 56 lbs, while still retaining SOME of my muscle. I did lose some muscle, but am regaining it now, without the fat. So here is what I learned and wish to share with you. Some people CAN do KETO, and feel fine. Others, like myself simply cannot. If you are trying to lose weight (fat), I suggest you experiment. If you CAN function on a KETO diet, then do it. If you are like me, then simply cut back on carbs. We Americans simply eat too many carbs, but for most of us, some are required feel healthy. To be successful at losing weight (fat) you must do several things. First, you must use resistance exercises to build muscle. You must focus on diet, and you must do some type of cardio. Finally you must ensure that you are getting enough rest and recovery. This plan will get you the results you want. Yes, you must tweek this plan through trial and error, but this is the foundation. This is the key to success for whatever endeavor you are on. If you want to know more and are in the greater Cleveland areas such as Kent, Stow, Tallmadge, Brimfield or surrounding areas or want online training, visit me at www.garanfitessconsulting.com, at FB at Garan Fitness Consulting or Garan Fitness Tactical Training or at Youtube at Garan Fitness Consulting. Additionally, you can contact me at 330-554-1345. Scott

  • Success

    So my client Shaman went from 389 to 325 and went on vacation. I suspected he would gain weight and he did. Up six pounds. Today he was at 324 so we are back on track. Also today, my client that started at 489 over the last month weighed in at 471. That is a 17 pound loss in a month. While I don't post success of clients if the gain or lose 5 pound, these are major successes. These are life changing! ISSA has given me the knowledge to litterally change people's lives.

bottom of page