By Lisa Talley

Fitness. A word that makes the general populace groan in dreaded anticipation. Even still, there’s no arguing the benefits of a well-balanced body functioning at a healthy RPM. But where to start? Cardio? Weight and strength training? Both? Nick Bustamante, personal trainer of Brick House Fitness and MMA, is going share some insight to help make sure you start your training off on the right track.

First and foremost, “Avoid crash dieting and overtraining,” says Nick. It’s common to build unrealistic diets and workout routines when you’re first starting out, or even if you’re coming back to the gym after a long absence. We tend to overestimate what our bodies can handle and push too hard right out of the gate, especially when we’re excited to get started on our fitness goals. The problem, Nick says, is that people burn themselves out after a short period of time and stop coming to the gym altogether.

It’s important to start gradually. Build habits that are easy to maintain but also help you to reach those fitness goals, no matter how big or small. Don’t start with a sprint, but rather warm up and stretch your legs on a light jog before dashing towards a faraway finish line.

“I recommend simply cutting out unhealthy eating habits [to start] and finding an exercise routine that is both fun and challenging. This will help you look forward to working out instead of dreading it,” he shares.

Deciding where to get fit can also pose some interesting challenges. Even though gyms can appear quite similar to each other, it’s important to note that they’re not ‘one size fits all’ type of experiences. Nick suggests seeking out those gyms that offer free trial sessions/classes before signing up. In fact, try as many as you can until you find the one that you enjoy the most. That way, it’ll keep you coming back for more.

Once you’ve chosen a gym, the next question will be what sort of work out to tackle. This, according to Nick, is reliant on what your goals are.

“If you are focused solely on what the number on the scale says, then cardio should be your emphasis. But if you are looking to change your body fat percentage and lose body fat while building muscle then a balance of cardio, strength, and resistance training is the best solution,” says Nick.

This advice also goes to both men and women. Gender is irrelevant when it comes to choosing a workout that aligns with any individual’s goals. However, without proper guidance, some imbalances may occur.

“I often see men and women preferring to work different muscle groups. For example, many of my male clients like to work arms, chest, and shoulders, whereas my female clients like to work glute and legs,” offers Nick.

In those situations, Nick pulls his clients out of their comfort zones and pushes them to work other areas of their body as well, in order to help create a well-rounded fitness.

But weight lifting isn’t your only option. Combat sports like MMA, Muay Thai, and Jiu Jitsu can also help you reach your fitness goals in a more engaging and challenging way. And it isn’t just a healthy body you’ll get in return. Combat sports help build confidence and discipline. It’ll also help improve your balance, flexibility, speed, agility, physical/mental toughness, and of course, strength. These types of workouts can be very intense and will help you burn more calories than say, riding a stationary bike, says Nick.

In the end, goals should be realistic. Success with your fitness comes when you find ways to keep it easy to manage and fun to do, and not only with your work outs, but also with your diet.

“In my opinion, fad diets [like Paleo, Ketogenic, Intermittent Fasting etc.] when followed correctly, can give good results. However, most of them are extremely hard to maintain long-term and become a short-term weight loss solution. Many of these fad diets can actually keep athletes from reaching their peak performance,” says Nick.

Finding what works for you is a process and it could take a little time to figure out what fits your particular style the best and will help you achieve your goals for the long haul. However, Nick suggests seeking out a good trainer if you’re looking to reach your goals faster. Nothing keeps you from falling off the wagon quite like a personal coach invested in keeping you on track.

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Nick Bustamante is a professional MMA athlete who has proved himself in the cage for local promotors, including Bellator. Nick’s passion for fitness led him to become a certified personal trainer and coach. Shortly after, he and his wife, Gina, decided to launch Brick House Fitness and MMA. Nick is currently training people out of Dethrone Base Camp’s 2 locations (Bullard & Marks, and Peach & Kings Canyon) Nick offers individual and group lessons, we also put on private group self defense seminars for church groups, school districts, teachers, office groups, bar bouncers, security and anyone else who is interested. We also feel strongly against kids being bullied and offer kids self defense. 

Jan 15th at 3pm, Brick House Fitness and MMA will be hosting their next women’s self-defense seminar at Dethrone (Bullard & Marks) $25 per person.  Call 559-472-6030 for more information.

Brick House Fitness and MMA-Specialized Training in:

Personal Fitness & Weight Loss Goals

Mixed Martial Arts

Self Defense

Kickboxing/Muay Thai

Jiu Jitsu/Submisssion

Wrestling

Boxing

Judo

Nutrition and personalized meal plans 

Kids (5 and up) and Adults