I was recently sent celeb trainer Jay Cardiello’s book to review and use with my workouts and workouts for my clients. I was very excited to find his book is full of pictures of moves and simple to understand directions for workouts that require no gym.
A little about the book:
CARDIO CORE 4X4: The 20-Minute, No-Gym Workout That Will Transform Your Body! (Rodale Books, May 2012, $21.99, Paperback; ISBN: 978-1609614027; $21.99) is the highly anticipated first book by “Jay Cardio,” so dubbed by rapper 50 Cent with whom Cardiello lived, traveled and chiseled for 4 years. The secret behind Cardio Core: It combines elements of Pilates, Yoga, boxing, martial-arts, surfing, and even break dancing into a potent workout blend, a program he has honed over the years, working with everyone from athletes to tight-on-time celebrities. Cardiello is certified in strength and conditioning, personal training and nutrition.
His goal is what he calls 3-D Fitness.” Cardiello trains the body across all three planes of motion, eliminating “imbalances” by strengthening the many small stabilizer muscles of the hips, shoulders and midsection. The not-so-secret benefit is “a strong foundation that’s lean, powerful, resistant to injury and aesthetically pleasing.” Cardiello calls his program focus “Prehab”–so that you don’t end up in “Rehab.”
Jay’s Tip:
Ever wonder why you crave sugar and carbs when you don’t sleep?
The reason, levels of Leptin, a hormone that tells your brain that your full drops by 18%; while levels of Ghrelin, which makes you crave comfort food increases by 28%. And, lack of sleep raises Cortisol levels making your appetite surge. So, get 6-8 hours and avoid this 1-2-3 knockout!
Throughout the book are tips in blue boxes are informative and interesting. They are more than your average tip to drink more water.
Jay’s Tip:
You are what you eat
Whether you realize it or not, food is where it all happens. 80% of your fitness success will stem from your diet. So, be cautious and understand that to lose weight your caloric intake has to less than the energy that you burn throughout the day. Reverse that and the only sweating you’ll be doing is with tailor who will be resizing your dress.
I also found Jay’s pillars of success to be very helpful and interesting. He is good at breaking things down to make them doable and put you in the right frame of mind to get results.
Jay’s Favorite Moves:
Perform each move for 30 seconds, with no rest in between each protocol
1. Leaning Tower of Pisa: Stand tall on your left leg and your right knee raised even with your navel. Next, extend both arms to the side. Then, slowly rotate your hip and right hand down towards your left toe. Retract and repeat as many times as possible.
2. Union Rows: With your leg still planted on the ground, extend your right leg back and lean forward until your upper body is a parallel to the ground, so your body forms a T. With your arms hanging down, simulate rowing with dumb bells, pulling your arms up with your elbows close to your body. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and release.
3. Flying Eagles: While still in this T position, extend your arms to the sides. Release your arms toward the ground.
**Now Switch to performing the above 3 moves on your right leg.
Attempt this 3 minute mini Cardio Core 4×4 workout and learn more of these excited and moves in my book…
Cardio Core 4×4 on Amazon
