That's Fit

Fitzness Fiends is a section devoted to you, the reader! We all have learned so much on our path to becoming more fit, and now it's time to learn from and inspire each other! Fitzness Fiends are constantly working to better themselves. Some are perfect, some are not. All have health on the mind. Please send Fitz your answers to these questions with a photo of yourself. Time for you to be the motivator!

Name: Renel Gerwig

Age: 47

Occupation: RN. Currently an at home mom of three boys; 14years, 10 years, and 9 years.

How often do you exercise? Four to five days a week.

What type of exercise do you do? Cardio, weight training, and Martial arts (Choi Kwang Do).

What gets you to workout, even when you're feeling lazy? A mental picture of how good the Desperate House Wives look at their ages, and how good it will keep me looking.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

My guest this week is one of the most menacing creatures the Octagon has ever known. Andrei "The Pitbull" Arlovski is a contradiction as one of the Ultimate Fighting Champion's Title Holders, and the kind of guy anyone would die to call their friend. As generous as he is powerful......Andrei is someone I'm proud to introduce you to.

In fact, a couple of weeks ago I watched Andrei win a UFC match on television. Normally, he lives up to his nick name "The Pitbull," but on this night.....the story was only slightly different. He overwhelmed his opponent in a completely lopsided first round, and then chose not to go for the knock out in the second and third (UFC rounds last five minutes). This was very smart of Andrei, as it preserved his win and kept him far from risk. But.....the crowd wanted blood and gave a little "Boo." This is what I love about Andrei. He totally could have left his opponent unconscious if he would have chosen to, but since he didn't go for it....he took responsibility to the UFC fans. The man actually took the microphone post-win and apologized to the crowd! Have you ever heard of that? The guy is both and monster and a gentleman at the same time. A perfect combination.

Andrei is a former police officer and is now playing hero to his sport. Interviewing Andrei was a lot of fun for me. He speaks English extremely well, but I left his "accent" here in the interview. I think it adds to his charm. Enjoy!

Fitz: How did you get involved with Mixed Martial Arts and UFC?

Andrei: When I was a student in the Police Academy. It is a four year school like University here. Every student needs to learn a combat sport and I learned Sambo. I excelled at this and after the Academy I tested myself with cage fighting. I then moved to Chicago and had my first fight with the UFC.

Fitz: What are your workouts like when you don't have a fight pending?

Andrei: I work on my technique in Boxing, Jiu-Jitsu and freestyle wrestling. I also do my cardio to keep in shape.

Fitz: What are your workouts like when you do have a fight in the near future?

Andrei: My work out changes as it gets closer to the fight, and also changes depending on the opponent. I work out six days a week and 6-8 hours a day.

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

Bruce Buffer is known worldwide as the Voice of the Octagon as he announces for the UFC. If you're not familiar, UFC and mixed martial arts is the hottest sport in the world earning fanatics by the millisecond. So is Bruce. He's got a pretty face, hot body, big voice and the business savvy most millionaires still wish for.

By day, the man is President and CEO of Buffer Enterprises, managing not only his career, but the career of his big brother Michael Buffer. If you've ever heard the phrase "Let's get ready to ruuuuuumble!",(Michael's below) which I'm positive you have....Bruce made some money off of your listening pleasure. He's turned a phrase into an empire and he's not done yet. By night, Bruce stands amongst some of the most athletic, aggressive and entertaining athletes in the world. He starts the UFC action with his infamous phrase, "It's time....to begin", and all hell breaks loose. Definitely a guy to keep tabs on.

Fitz: You spend so much time surrounded by some of the most elite athletes in the world at events, how does that motivate you?

Bruce Buffer: I have always approached life with an athletic winning attitude and being surrounded by superior athletes only motivates me more to keep it all together.

Fitz: Do you ever train with any of the competitors you announce for?

Bruce Buffer: I rolled with Randy Couture years ago in which was an eye opener.

Fitz: Who is the last person you'd ever want to be struck by?

Bruce Buffer: Bas Rutten, Chuck Lidell and most any 200 lb. or heavier striker.

Fitz: Sometimes UFC fights get gory. Do you flinch much? Look away?

Bruce Buffer: No, it's all part of the job.

Fitz: Even though it' your voice people pay attention to and value, you're in show business. Besides staying fit, what measures do you take to stay so 'pretty'?

Bruce Buffer: Vanity and personal pride... thanks for the compliment.

Fitz: Where is your favorite vacation spot? Do you workout on vacation?

Bruce Buffer: The south of France or any place tropical with waves. Yes, I workout on vacation by surfing or at the very least 30 or more minutes of cardio.

One of the most popular questions I'm asked as a fitness trainer is "how do I get abs like Usher's? You know.....I want the grooves inside his hip bones!" Ahhhhhhh yes. I know exactly what they're talking about, and yes.....I too love those abs. In fact, the particular body parts folks are truly desperate for are his hip flexors and psoas. Mmmmm yummy psoas.

Usher is the role model for a sexy midsection, and if you're eager to have yours look like his......you're going to have to earn it. Truly earn it. Just being skinny isn't enough. Just doing crunches isn't enough. You're going to have to work! This is a two factor type accomplishment. First of all, you'll have to be pretty lean. If you're not lean, we probably won't be able to see any of your muscles with such great definition. So dropping pounds and body fat may be in your future.

The second component to earning abs like Usher's is working the proper muscles. Crunches will never ever give you such provocative hips. You're going to have to do more. Those interior hip muscles are responsible for lifting your legs, so that's what you are going to have to do. But, simple leg lifts are not enough. You are going to have to strain the hip flexors and psoas severely. Not in a dangerous way, just in a "ahhhh! this is tough" way. I recommend doing double leg lifts on the roman chair or while hanging from a pull-up bar. To do this, hang from a bar and lift both legs to at least a 90 degree angle at the same time. Hold that lift as long as possible and lift. If this is too difficult at first (which it probably will be) do a double knee lift instead.

Kickboxing aerobics and tae-fitness classes have been the rage for the past few years. To some, they are a bit more fun and interesting than the traditional dance aerobics style group fitness classes. Instead of screaming "reach", instructors yell "punch" and the students go wild. Men are more inclined to venture into these fighting style classes as well. All good news.

As a competitive kickboxer of a little more than a decade I understand the lure. I was compelled toward the sport as a teen, and finally found a legitimate trainer at age 20. My first fight came soon after. I didn't invent kickboxing so I can truly brag about it. It works every muscle in your body from head to toe. It offers the benefits of intense cardiovascular training, builds strength, and increases flexibility. Not to mention it burns a bazillion calories. Oh! And so far, fighting is the most fun thing I've ever done in my life.

Back to those classes. I'm a fan of anything that makes people huff and puff, but if you're into that you may want to take it further. Find a class that utilizes equipment such as heavy bags, focus pads or kicking shields. Hitting the air is fun, but hitting an actual heavy bag is amazing. To me, hitting willing opponents........PRICELESS!

To find a martial arts school near you, visit http://www.martialsearch.com/usa.asp.