Diesel Fitness | Darian Johnson's Favorite Things

Training I don’t know why most guys have a stigma about hiring a personal trainer.

A few weeks ago, I got into a conversation with some of the neighborhood dads about healthy habits. We were all lamenting about how hard it was to make time for exercise and that eating healthy was a chore.

I mentioned that, for me, I had to make my health a priority. I changed my diet and I committed to exercising four times a week. That was received with a chorus of attaboys and goodforyous.

Then I causally added: “The biggest impact to my health my was decision to hired a personal trainer.”

Silence, followed quickly by “I just couldn’t do that.”

Silly, right? We hire people to help us with our taxes, our lawns, and our laundry, but won’t turn to a professional when we need help meeting health goals. For some, a personal trainer might be overkill, or not needed. For me, it was a necessity to getting in shape. Continue reading “Going from Skinny Fat to Fit: With a Personal Trainer”

My Rating:

My company did us a solid last week and gave everyone a $150 credit to purchase a fitness tracker.¹ After looking at a few options, I went with the Fitbit Charge HR, primarily because of the positive review on CNET².

There are really good reviews out there, where people compare multiple trackers and rank them. I can’t provide a side-by-side analysis of trackers, but I can share what I like, and dislike, about my Fitbit.

HIIT/Weightlifting (5 out of 5)

I’ve worked with a personal trainer for the last two years³; he does a great job of putting me through the paces and getting my heart rate up. Last week, we did a series of full body exercises, starting with plank rows, weighted lunges, burpees, and a number of balancing exercises on a Bosu ball. In my opinion, the Fitbit did a great job logging the intensity of the session (see the picture to the left). The middle of our session was the most intense – which matched the peak and cardio indicators. At the end, we finished with Romanian deadlifts, pistol squats and shoulder presses – performed at a slower pace. Again, this matches what was captured by the Fitbit.

I used it on two other occasions where I’ve primarily done weightlifting – one session pretty intense (building endurance) the other not-so-intense (building strength). On both occasions, the Fitbit seemed to capture the proper “intensity” – based on my steps (or lack of steps) and my heart rate. Continue reading “Favorite Workout Gear: Fitbit Charge HR”