Category: Uncategorized

With all-new fitness journeys, we all ask the question about how to lose only fat while maintaining our muscle mass. This is a great question that should undoubtedly be at the forefront of our path. 

When it comes to losing body fat, I always bring the focus back to building more muscle – yes ladies, that means you too! What I dispel first about this is that you can exercise for the sole purpose of burning calories, but that’s a battle that will get you nowhere fast. Let’s say you went to a spin class and burned off 400 calories, great! As with all intense workouts, individuals tend to focus only on the number of calories burned during their hour-long class/workout, versus how they can elevate their calories burn throughout the rest of the day. 

How do we focus on doing that you ask? Well, the primary focus should be given back to that hour we spend working out. We want to put the focus on developing more muscle in the body, this is the most effective way to increase our metabolic rate. By having more muscle, we in turn burn more calories at any given point in the day. 

So now you can burn more calories while you sleep, drive your car, and while at work. This is why I always shift the focus to lifting weights as our primary method to lose fat and preserve muscle. Now, let’s hit the weight room and show that stubborn fat we mean business! 

Until next time,

Written by Cody Perez – Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

Fat in the body can be divided into several categories, such as subcutaneous and visceral fat. It can also be broken down into another subset of white, brown, and beige fat.

As a consumer, the priority is to understand where the different categories of fat are located and how it plays a huge role in the longevity of someone’s health. 

Visceral fat is the main cause of several health issues such as diabetes, hypertension, coronal arterial disease, cardiovascular disease, and other complications such as sleep apnea. 

Visceral fat is located underneath the abdominal wall and around the organ. It’s meant to be a protective layer against physical trauma and can also be used as a backup energy source and heat insulation for our organs. 

The following list can cause us to develop Visceral Fat:

Any individual with over 500 grams of visceral fat is considered “at-risk” and needs to be taken care of immediately. The only way to know how much visceral fat someone has is to perform a Dexa scan (the gold standard of body composition). The Dexa scan is the most powerful on the U.S. East Coast; it has over 700 sensors and less than a 1% margin of error. The scan reads an individual’s total body fat and visceral fat percentage, total lean mass (muscle), bone density, and limb comparison.   

If you’ve never had one performed, we highly recommend conducting one to optimize your overall health and fitness. If you’d like to schedule your Dexa scan with us, you can give us a call at 786-591-7586 or email us at tm@infinitysi.com  

Until next time,

Eric Martinez, Co-Founder and Clinical Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

One of the foundations of a healthy and active lifestyle is undoubtedly centered around nutrition and rightfully so. What we put into our bodies is directly linked to how we feel and how well we perform. Now most blogs written about nutrition put the focus on what types of foods we should be eating and what diets are best. We all have a preference for foods we like to eat and different styles of diets whether it’s paleo, keto, carnivore, vegan, or anything in between. What I want to focus on is how much we should be eating and the only way to determine that is through a resting metabolic rate test (RMR). 

Now, before you start to think to yourself “no I don’t need that,” the calculators you find online are highly inaccurate. Inaccurate data can hinder any progress you’re making in your health and wellness journey. By using an RMR test, we can measure your calorie consumption via what your breath is telling us. 

Through this test, we can accurately measure exactly how many calories you burn in a day at complete rest. From here, we can then determine your calorie expenditure and how much you should eat (in terms of calories). This accurate data will help you lose fat, gain muscle, and become an overall “better you”. So don’t hesitate and reach out to get that RMR test in and let’s start this journey off with our best foot forward. 

Interested? You can call (786) 591-7586 or email tm@infinitysi.com to schedule your RMR test. 

Until next time,

Written by Cody Perez – Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

Hip pain is one of the worst pain anyone can have and is complicated to alleviate. When it comes to hip pain, there are a lot of reasons and moving parts that can cause pain, such as:

There are a lot of things that can go wrong and cause pain. The best course of action is to narrow down the cause of pain first and then to continue working with the patient until the pain has subsided. Once they have a strong foundation to fall on and prevent any further issues, is when I would recommend starting a new program aimed at the patient’s goals. 

Until next time,

Eric Martinez, Co-Founder and Clinical Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday

12:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

“I just don’t have any time to work out, I’m always too busy,” is something we all will end up telling ourselves at some point. I get it, life comes at us fast and we are constantly juggling our responsibilities and emergencies as they pop up and the next thing we know it’s time for dinner and bed.

 It’s hard enough to make time for the important things, let alone exercising consistently. Well, I’m here to deliver a bit of hard truth, your health is easily just as important as any of the other responsibilities we have. 

However, as with all things, there’s light at the end of the tunnel (as they say). The good news is that your fitness routine does not have to take hours and it doesn’t even have to be every day. The goal for your health is to take action that you can sustain. Even if it’s a 20 min walk in the morning before work. You don’t have to go to the gym, learn a bunch of new exercises or create a complicated routine, simple effective activity will do just fine to start. 

A morning walk a couple of times a week, sprinkled in with some time to stretch, or maybe adding some push-ups and sit-ups will have you on the path to a healthier lifestyle! The beauty is the more time you invest in your health, the more time you’ll end up finding for it. So let’s keep it simple and just start. Remember the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step!

Until next time,

Written by Cody Perez – Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

Many cardiovascular diseases are manageable in the sense that we can monitor and modulate the intensity of an activity as the individual gets stronger. 

The key importance to working with cardiac disease is as follows:

1) Are there any other conditions such as pulmonary, shortness of breath, diabetes, swelling, hypertension, claudication, neuropathy, pacemakers, or neurological concerns?

2) What medication are they using, if any? 

3) Are there signs of chest pain, dizziness, pain, and numbness in extremities?

4) Be aware of the Cardiologist’s recommendations. 

5) Know the disease and its limitations of it.

6) Check blood pressure several times during activity.

7) Time vs intensity is key to a successful program.

8) Using many forms of measurements for intensity is important, Rpe, Mets, Hr, Blood pressure, and even breathing rate.

Activity and dosage are key. I start by having my clients do simple tasks that they can achieve and be consistent with. Over time I’ll add additional tasks, for example, I’ll begin with 5-minute intervals and slowly progress by adding more time as they improve.

During their rest periods, I’ll check their Avo2 saturation, blood pressure, HR, ask how they feel, and look for signs of heavy breathing. For more in-depth training on this subject feel free to reach out to us and ask about our Clinical performance Specialist course.

Until next time,

Eric Martinez, Co-Founder and Clinical Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

There’s this common trend that when most people start their fitness journey, they focus specifically on losing weight – with an emphasis on solely performing cardiovascular training. While they have the right intentions, there’s more to weight loss than just cardio!

Many of us end up gaining weight over the years when our responsibilities take center stage, and unfortunately, our health takes the back seat. What I want to express to my clients is that while our intentions are in the right place, the focus should not be primarily on weight loss – their focus should be fat loss. Through this approach, we can monitor something more specific and not let the scale dictate our success. Now that you have established that fat loss is the focus, we can narrow the vision down and pinpoint the best way to drop our body fat percentage.

The best way to increase our metabolism and drop body fat is to focus on increasing our muscle mass. Yes, ladies you too should focus on resistance training and increasing your muscle mass as the most efficient way to drop fat and lean out, cardio is not the friend you think it is. While cardio is great for your cardiovascular health it is not the go-to method here. 

Resistance training is great for building muscle and increasing our resting metabolic rate which is where we will have the biggest impact on losing fat. This will increase your metabolism and help you drop that body fat percentage much more effectively than hours on the treadmill. So, don’t fear the weights and get out there and build some muscle. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!

Until next time,

Written by Cody Perez – Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

Understanding that everything is a journey and conveying that to the client is key to a successful rehab or to improve performance. We sometimes forget that everyone’s experience is different from our own. 

A 6-week program is doable for professionals who dedicate time in their daily schedule to complete a 6-week program. However, a 6-week program for an individual who has never experienced such a thing (to be in pain and not getting the instant gratification of a healed injury) can make it seem like a lifetime. 

This Paradox continues to grow as we get bombarded by media and other factors that influence the client/patient mindset. From what I’ve learned, understanding our patients and utilizing our education is key to achieving the proper outcome. 

When we understand that people learn at a different pace and/or by different forms, it helps the process. You could have done everything imaginable and there is a chance that it doesn’t work. Take that moment to review what might have been missed, like giving homework via video of sheets or maybe even referring them to another professional. As a professional, you have a right to guide clients until they either outgrow your teachings and/or everything else was done to achieve their goals.

Until next time,

Eric Martinez, Co-Founder and Clinical Performance Specialist

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

Coffee, the most consumed product on the planet. When that morning cup of coffee hits me in the morning it seems like I’m ready to tackle the day. What is it about that cup of joe that just seems to be the key to start the engine off our morning? Most people view coffee (caffeine) as a necessary part of our routine and without it everything seems off. I want to dispel some myths about caffeine and how it works and just how much we should be taking in a day. 

Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it increases activity in your brain and nervous system. It also increases the circulation of chemicals such as cortisol and adrenaline in the body.  Caffeine is well absorbed by the body and typically within 5-15 minutes you can start feeling the effects. Most research will show that up to 400mg of caffeine daily is sufficient for us and anymore can lead to the jitters, dehydration, headaches, and anxiety.

What most people don’t know is that caffeine isn’t giving you energy but tricking the mind into thinking that it isn’t tired by blocking the receptors from adenosine, a hormone that causes sleepiness. This is one of the main reasons we experience the 2 PM drop in energy. Now I’m not here to advocate against the morning coffee but understanding what it does will help us understand why our bodies are crashing in the early afternoon. That morning cup just might be a crucial part of your day but let’s be careful with just how much we are taking in so we can avoid the harmful side effects. 

Until next time!

Written by Cody Perez – Performance Specialist

Infinity Sports Institute

163 NE 24th St Miami, FL 33137

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed

“What’s the best cardio training program?” This is such a loaded question, the best form of cardio-based on our experience and practice is some form of interval training. I define interval training as going a little higher on the heart rate for a few seconds and then back down – it does not mean moving to the maximal effort. 

Cardio should be based on multiple factors. If I were to work with a high-risk patient then the interval would be based upon the restriction and rate of perceived exertion. Take a person with a pacemaker for example. If the pacemaker is set at 120 (beats per minute) max, then my intervals would be 90 BPM on the low end and 110-115 BPM at the high end. This of course is also related to the education and inherent risk the practitioner is willing to take.

On the flip side with athletes with no risk factors, I would want to push them to their maximal heart rate and see where their Lactate Threshold (LT) of Ventilatory Threshold (VT) markers are at as well as the metabolic point of aerobic and anaerobic shift. 

If the maximal BPM is 202 in a 30yr old and the VT is 176 BPM, the metabolic point is 155 BPM. My intervals would then be based on the activity or the preferred adaptations. 

For better adaptation from homeosis, we need to decide to either improve power, speed, endurance, or recovery of anaerobic effort.

For anaerobic recovery I would do 3:0.5 ratio intervals = 155 BPM for 3 min then 30 sec at 170 BPM (just under VT) – followed by slowly REDUCING the recovery period.

If it’s an endurance athlete looking to increase speed then I would select a 3:1 ratio following the same format but slowly ADDING more time when they’re at their higher heart rate; leaning towards anaerobic capacity at 3:1.5 ratio and onwards. 

The reason for this logic is that at a homeosis state the human body needs to adapt. The more conditioned you are, the more we need to push your body to see the full benefits of, increased Heart Rate Reserve, AVO2, Capillary Density, Mitochondria Density (and size), better cardiac output, higher blood plasma…the list goes on. 

For beginners ideally, we don’t need to push them too hard, however, we want to introduce a more challenging anaerobic capacity later in their training to obtain the best benefits. 

Until next time, 
Eric Martinez, Co-Founder and Clinical Performance Specialist

Monday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Tuesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Wednesday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Thursday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Friday

6:00 AM – 9:00 PM

Saturday

8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Sunday

Closed