As I’ve mentioned before, I have a home gym that I set up to train myself and others. I began building my own home gym in July 2004 because I no longer wanted to train at another gym or fitness center, and I wanted to train using methods that were not always accepted in some fitness centers (Olympic lifts, heavy deadlifts, athletic-based training, etc.).

I started my home gym with a very basic but effective set up that included a Body Solid Power Rack, flat bench, 300lb Olympic Barbell set, a weight tree (to hold and organize the Olympic weight plates), two 4′x6′ rubber mats from a feed store, some 2′x2′ interlocking rubber mats along with a few pieces of equipment I already had on hand including a dragging sled, a 16kg kettlebell, jump rope, medicine balls and a few other small pieces of equipment. I purchased most of my equipment from Play-It-Again Sports for less than $600!

At the time, I lived on the second floor of a luxury apartment community. Luckily, I never had any problems training for the next 8 months despite the fact that I performed heavy deadlifts, squats, bench presses and other lifts. I was always careful to set the weights down carefully as to not disturb my neighbors, and I never received any complaints.

During this time, I made some great progress. I was able to focus on many basic exercises and work on increasing my strength and size.

Over time, I continued to add more equipment to my home gym including a lat/row attachment for my power rack, a 40lb X-vest, the Ironmaster Super Bench and Adjustable dumbbells and attachments, sandbags, various bands, boards, kettlebells, etc. I had also moved a couple times so I was able to expand my home gym and keep it in a garage (see photo of me squatting below).

Last December, I moved into my new home and set up the gym and all the equipment I had purchased during the last four years in an organized and efficient manner. Since I have so much more equipment now than when I first started, I needed nearly half the garage to organize everything and give me the required space to perform a variety of exercises. The extra space also allows me to train 2-3 people at one time.

I’m very pleased with the equipment I’ve purchased, as I have been able to add plenty of variety to my workouts. I’m also able to use a variety of training methods that get results while using a very small amount of space (I have less than 200 square feet for all of my equipment). And I’m still able to fit my car in the garage along with everything else that is on another shelf or hanging on the opposite wall (house and yard tools and supplies).

Although it can be very hot training in the garage during the summer, I enjoy it because I’m able to get some fresh air while technically training outside. Luckily, I have two fans that I use on high speed to help keep the heat from becoming overwhelming, but that doesn’t stop me from being completely drenched in sweat after the end of a training session or after dragging the sled, pushing the car, performing heavy farmer’s walks (see below) or sprints outside on the street.

I enjoy training at home and having the opportunity to train others. I look forward to opening my own training facility one day so I can offer semi-private and group training to many more people and help them meet their health and fitness goals.

Christian Athlete Fitness Training offers strength, conditioning, fat loss, nutrition and health tips without all the nonsense. My goal is to help others succeed with their training and nutrition to get the results they desire. I also train people at my private garage gym to help them lose fat, build muscle and become athletic, strong, fast, fit and mentally tough using results-proven intense training programs.

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• Eat protein with every meal from lean meats (organic beef, chicken, fish, bison, venison, etc.), eggs (whole eggs, preferably organic) dairy (organic milk, yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese), raw nuts and protein powders
• Eat plenty of vegetables with each meal – the greener and more colorful the better (broccoli, spinach, green beans, asparagus, peas, zucchini, brussel sprouts, green peppers, lima beans, squash, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, etc.)
• Eat plenty of healthy fats from olive oil, raw nuts and seeds, avocados, natural peanut butter as well as fats from lean meats, whole eggs, dairy products, etc.
• Limit starchy carbohydrates such as grains (bread and corn), potatoes, rice, pasta and sugar.

In fact, Mike Roussell recommends following the six pillars of nutrition:

1. Eat five or six times a day.
2. Limit your consumption of sugars and processed foods
3. Eat fruits and vegetables throughout the day.
4. Drink more water and cut out calorie-containing beverages (beer, soda, juice, etc.)
5. Focus on consuming lean proteins throughout the day.
6. Save starch-containing foods (in small quantities) until after a workout or for breakfast.

If you follow the tips above and consume a lower carb diet, you will be able to lose fat and improve your health. Adding exercise to your nutritional program in the form of resistance training and high-intensity interval training will increase the benefits to your health and body composition.

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Stacey and I attended the The University of Florida Gators Charity Challenge on Friday. The strongman competition showed fans how hard they’ve worked this summer and helped raise money for charity.

The Gator team, which usually holds a strongman competition toward the end of every summer, chose to open this year’s competition to the public for the first time while raising money for a good cause.

We saw our favorite players excel in team and individual events such as a tire flip, sled push, Torpedo hold, medicine ball toss and two obstacle courses.

The inaugural UF Football Charity Challenge raised $6,000 for six charities. Six booths set up inside the stadium represented each charity and accepted monetary pledges while the activities occurred on the field. The charities represented included the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, the Children’s Miracle Network, the American Diabetes Association and the March of Dimes.

Stacey and I decided to donate to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as a friend of ours was recently diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer and had a double masectomy just a day before the strongman competition.

We supported and cheered for the Gator team wearing their pink breast cancer awareness shirts. Ironically, the team we picked, led by Gator team captain and offensive lineman Jason Watkins, ended up winning the challenge!

At the end of the competition we even had a chance to snap a couple pictures with Tim Tebow. I only had a brief moment to talk to Tim as he had already spent a lot of time after the competition signing autographs and taking photos.

When I called him over for a photo, I expressed my appreciation of him as a role model and invited him to attend our church if he was ever interested.

As he began to leave, I asked him for another photo, this time with Stacey. I mentioned that she was a big fan and would really appreciate it.

I joked with him that Stacey said she was going to divorce me to marry him (she had joked about that earlier that evening!). He got a good laugh out of that, and I think I embarrassed Stacey just a little.

I wish I had a few more minutes to speak with him, as there have been many things I’ve wanted to talk to him about regarding God, Christianity, his humility and how his actions have even helped me humble myself (no easy feat!).

I’ve seen Tim on campus in the past, and I’m sure there will be another chance for me to see him and speak with him.

Tim is an incredible role model and exemplifies what being a Christian is truly about. He has a passion for children (he chose the Children’s Miracle Network as his team’s charity for the strongman competition) and has been on many mission trips to various countries.

He was brought up in a good Christian home and taught Biblical values and beliefs. Tim is very humble and Christ-like. He has his priorities in order (1. God, 2. Family, 3. School, 4. Football) and has been blessed by God in so many incredible ways.

He is an ambassador for Christ, and I can see that God will use him for many special things beyond football.

Read more about the Strongman competition here – Click me!

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Dara Torres, Olympic swimmer and former Gator, continues to confront whispers and questions about performance-enhancing drugs as the reason for her record-breaking performances and sculpted physique.

“It stinks,” she said recently at the U.S. training camp on the Stanford campus. “I’m trying to be as open as possible and let everyone know that I’m clean. Unfortunately, once you get past that point, then they start questioning other things.”

At the end of the U.S. trials – where Dara won the 50- and 100-meter freestyles – she revealed the “one little secret that I have.”

She said she takes an amino acid supplement that is currently available only in Europe. Her coach, Michael Lohberg, introduced Dara to the product that was developed by former swimmer Mark Warnecke, a bronze medalist for Germany at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The amino acids, which Michael said are pure and have been approved by a drug lab that works with swimming’s international governing body FINA, help Dara gain muscle and allow her body to recover quickly after workouts.

“That really helped her quite a bit in not getting big and bulky and recover quicker, and look the way she looks right now,” Michael said.

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein (often called the building blocks of life). Of the 20 standard amino acids, 8 are called essential amino acids because the human body cannot synthesize them from other compounds at the level needed for normal growth, so they must be obtained from food.

Protein-containing foods include meat (beef, chicken, fish, bison, deer, duck, etc.), dairy products, nuts and protein and amino-acid supplements (protein powders and BCAA supplements).

I believe that Dara is free of performance-enhancing drugs and can attest to the fact that amino acids do help with recovery as well as muscle and strength gains. I eat a diet consisting of high-protein whole foods and also use protein supplements. One particular supplement I use, Surge, is specifically made for post-workout and contains a specific ratio of amino acids to help promote recovery as well as muscle and strength gains.

Amino acids and protein powders are not illegal supplements and they are not harmful to the body. If taken in the correct amounts, they can definitely improve your performance and body composition.

But amino acids, protein powders and other supplements will do nothing for you if you don’t already strength train and eat correctly. As I mentioned in a previous blog, that is something Dara has taken very seriously, as she follows a regimented strength training and nutrition lifestyle to achieve the success she has accomplished, even now as a 41-year-old mother and Olympic contender.

God designed the human body in such an amazing way that if you follow his instructions from the Bible, you can find all the “secrets” to a healthy lifestyle. With proper physical training and nutrition, you can improve your body to its true potential, even if you don’t contend for an Olympic medal.

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In one of the largest and most comprehensive studies of its kind funded by The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, American children become less active once they hit the teen years: While 90 percent of 9-year-olds get a couple of hours of exercise most days, fewer than 3 percent of 15-year-olds do.

The study suggests that fewer than a third of teens that age get even the minimum recommended by the government – an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, like biking, running, swimming or even brisk walking.

The study reported that the sharp drop raises concerns about inactivity continuing into adulthood, which could endanger kids’ health throughout their lives.

Inactivity is linked with greater risks for many health problems, including heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

What’s the cause? According to the study, they cited schools dropping recess and gym classes and kids’ increasing use of video games and computers (something I mentioned in a previous blog).

The 6-year study, which tracked more than 1,000 U.S. children from 2000 – 2006, coincided with the rise in popularity of video games, DVDs and Internet use – all the types of things that take children from outside and put them on a couch or in front of a computer.

The message being sent to parents is that it’s important to teach their kids to balance computer time with more active pursuits, like walking the dog, shooting some hoops and playing other games and sports.

Now is the time for parents to step up as the role models they should be for their children. Parents should become more active and encourage kids to get out and play more. It doesn’t take a structured training plan to become more fit and active. Simple family activities like walking the dog, going for a bike ride or playing games like tag, dodgeball, kickball, volleyball, basketball and flag football will all lead to positive changes, both physically and mentally.

There is one organization that is trying to make a difference: International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA).

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