GOOOOOOOOOOOOOALS

        We all need goals.  Goals for work.  Goals for housecleaning.  Goals for personal hygiene (did I floss this morning?).  Goals for life.  Goals give us a way to quantify how well we are doing at whatever it is we are trying to do.  Confused?  Sorry, let me splain…(everyone else, sit tight)

        You set an orange cone 40 yards down the field.  You set a goal: run to the cone that’s 40 yards down the field.  You know how well you are doing during this run because of how close (or far) you are from the cone.  If you’re closer, congratulations, you’re doing something right.  If you’re further away from the cone, maybe we need to make some adjustments.

        How does this all relate to fitness? I’m glad you asked!  Ask yourself these questions: “What is my current level of health and fitness?  Where do I want to be?”.  If you answered the 2^nd question, you’ve now placed the cone.  And now that you’ve placed the cone, all you need to do is go after it.  Maybe your cone is 20 pounds less than your current weight.  Maybe your cone is 5% less body fat.  Maybe your cone is adding 50 pounds to your back squat.  Maybe your cone is running 40 yards without passing out.  Whatever it is, go get the cone.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you would like some help making it to that cone, you can get at me HERE.

Stay Strong,

Chad

Muscle Cramps and Magic Juice

        Let’s be fair….the juice isn’t really all that magical.  Especially because it comes from pickles.  And if there’s one thing you’ll never find me snacking on, it’s pickles.  That being said pickles contain a phenomenal magic juice that medical evidence suggests can actually decrease the effects of muscle cramps.

If you’ve ever been active for a long enough period of time, you’ve at some point had to deal with a cramp (or multiple cramps).  Cramps are basically involuntary movements of your muscles.  Though they can be extremely painful, muscle cramps are generally harmless.  Most studies would indicate that dehydration is the major culprit of cramps, though there are some other factors to add in the equation as well.  As your body sweats, your body loses control of it’s balance between potassium and sodium, creating muscle cramps.  You can slam some water, maybe a Gatorade or other sports drink (typically loaded with extra sugars)….or you could just drink a little pickle juice.  About 2-3 ounces after any workout can reduce the muscle cramps up to 45-50% faster than plain water.  Yes, it tastes nasty (unless you’re a pickle fan, which I am not), but it works!

HOW?!?

That’s a great question, and thank you for asking.  Research would lead us to believe that the vinegar in pickle juice sends a message to your nervous system to ease up a bit.  Drinking vinegar itself might do the trick, though if I’m choosing the lesser of 2 evils, I’m going with the stuff I DON’T use to clean my floor.

        Try throwing down some pickle juice after a rough workout if your muscles are cramping.  If you know you’re going for a long run or a tough training day, slam a little before your workout as well to get it in your system.  You can also find frozen pickle juice, similar to those cheap pop-ice popsicles at your grocery store.  They might not taste great, but they get the job done.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, you know where to get hold of me.  Please don’t hesistate to ask me anything (in reference to training and/or nutrition….or the Dallas Cowboys).  If you need some guidance in your training or would like to join one of our Boot Camp groups, let me know!

Stay Strong,

Chad

Less Is More

        Having worked at a big Globo Gym-type location before, I have recognized a substantial amount of individuals who spent what I would consider too much time in the gym…and expecting more results.  The National Academy of Sports Medicine did a study that points out that those who exercise more than 3 times per week don’t typically see much better results than those at 3x per week.  That doesn’t mean it’s a perfect equation for everyone, but it DOES help me make my point: Less is More.

        Take, for instance, your lifting day.  Whether you’re trying to set a new PR or just build some better bone density, you can easily perform better and see greater gains through less reps at a higher intensity than those long, drawn out, low weight sets you’ve seen all too often.  The key is to push it for short periods, and take longer rest in between:

                     Do:                                                Don’t:

     Deadlift 1-3 reps @ 85+%max         Deadlift 10 reps @ 55%max

        Extend your period of rest between sets to give your body ample time to recoup before your next set.  You’ll find that gains in both strength and stability will come much faster, with less overall fatigue. 

        What about my cardio (conditioning) work?  Yea, less is more.  Even in the case of marathoners, on strength training day (which you need as well), take it easy on the length, while increasing the intensity, and adding rest between sets:

                    Do:                                              Don’t:

    (10) 40yd sprints @ 90-100%           5k the dreadmill @ 60%

        So there you have it.  Less is more.  Lower rep rate at higher intensity will help in the case of strength gain, maximum anaerobic capacity, and skeletal health.  If you’re not really looking to make big changes right now, but you want to feel the workout “burn”, or you just want to boost your heart for the day, then keep on trucking through the reps.  If it’s gains you want to see, you now know what to do.  As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, etc don’t hesitate to get at me.

Stay Strong,

Chad

www.chadhumphreyfitness.com

A Work in Progress(ions)

        As I’m talking with people about opening the new CHFitness location, many different types of folks have asked of group fitness classes, “Is this something that will work for me?”  That’s a great question.  One of the most difficult aspects of successfully implementing a group fitness program is the endless variety of potential participants.  We want to be available to both active and sedentary individuals, with all different types of backgrounds and health issues, etc.  So how does that work?  I’m glad you asked.  The key word here is: PROGRESSION

       Maybe you’ve been running day after day but don’t have much upper body strength.  Maybe you’ve been bench-pressing your whole life but you’re rocking chicken legs.  Maybe you’ve thought really, really hard about exercise but the devil on your shoulder told you that TV show was more worthy of your time.  Wherever you are, let’s start there.  (Remember yesterday’s post, about BUILDing your foundation?!?)  Find out what you’re capable of right now, and make that your benchmark.

        Progression is all about recognizing where your limits are, then surpassing them through intentional, methodical training methods and a little bit of will power (okay, okay…a LOT a bit of will power).  Take one of the most common, yet often overlooked exercises…the squat.  Rather than trying to throw down a 350lb. back squat, let’s start here:

1. Squat to Box

2. Bodyweight Squats

3. Goblet Squats

        Stick with the first exercise until the body can perform 10-15 reps with flawless form.  Once you can handle that, PROGRESS to the next exercise.  Of course there are many more steps after that before you’ll hit that 350lbs, but this is a great place to start.  It’s amazing what you can be capable of when you push yourself through progressions properly, step by step.  More importantly, in a group setting, whether you are on step 1 or step 101, everyone can be training together, growing together, and achieving more.

        As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you’re interested in getting started and making your fitness goals a reality, you know where to find me.     ***you can sign up now by visiting www.chadhumphreyfitness.com)

Stay Strong,

Chad

CHF Core Values (Part 2)

Build. Push. Achieve.

BUILD your foundation,  PUSH your limits, and ACHIEVE more.  This is the next layer in the composition of CHFitness.

     BUILDing your foundation.  Do I even need to explain the importance of this one?  Just in case, here’s a quick overview:

EVERYTHING THAT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH YOUR BODY’S PHYSICAL CAPABILITIES RELIES ON YOUR FOUNDATION!!!

     As a tree without roots is fairly useless, so is a body with a weak or non-existent foundation.  Your foundation isn’t just your legs, but more your entire lower chain, from your feet, ankles, calves, quads/hams, hips, and lower abdominals.  It’s also how these things work together.  You can have incredibly strong legs and lower abdominals, but with little flexibility or range of motion.  Your power is only a fraction of what it could be without that properly working chain.  Build your foundation, and you’re on your way to seeing impressive results in your training.

     PUSH Your Limits.  The purpose of building your foundation is to create a starting point.  You can’t create a masterpiece without the first brush stroke.  You also can’t create a 6-pack and 3% body fat without starting somewhere.  Once you build your foundation, then you can push yourself to see just how far you can go.  And with every attempt to push yourself, you raise the bar higher and higher.  In Eric Cressey’s book "Maximum Strength Training", he discusses that building strength and power comes from the training that is done at a minimum of 85% of your total capability.  So how do we know what our 85% is?  By PUSHing the limits!

     ACHIEVE more.  Lastly, and what seems to be the wrap up for this layer of the CHFitness composition, is the follow up to the previous 2 pieces.  We BUILD our foundation and PUSH our limits so that we can ultimately ACHIEVE more.  Drop more weight, build more strength, make our tummy that much tighter, add a few years onto our lives, decrease the level of stress and anxiety.  These are just a few examples of the ACHIEVEments that can be made, and will be made at CHFitness.  Are you ready? We are.

Stay Strong,

Chad