Who needs a gym?

     I've heard a slew of excuses as to why people "cannot" meet their fitness goals.  Most use these excuses to mask why they haven't even tried.  I'm not writing to be upset or judgmental about these people and their excuses, but rather I want to understand.  Through some probing questions and great consultations, I've come to realize that the number one reason that individuals struggle to meet (or begin) their fitness goals is their feeling that they don't have the proper equipment (ie treadmills, dumbbells, etc).  This, of course, is the best excuse following the sheer will power problem.  Here's the kicker: what if I told you that meeting your fitness goals actually requires no equipment at all?  As a fitness trainer and coach, I can tell you it's much more fun when you've got some fancy equipment to play with while shedding the poundage.  However, I can also tell you that you can achieve great results with absolutely nothing at all...well, aside your own bodyweight.

     Bodyweight exercises are quite possibly the most overlooked exercises in the fitness industry.  Most folks feel as if they MUST have a barbell, kettlebell, medicine ball, or fancy machine in order to really "feel the burn" and get results.  That's simply not true.  In fact, with proper programming and execution, you can see fast, effective results in the same amount of time with no toys at all.  There's no need to sling weights off and on the bar or rack and un-rack med balls or kettles.   The bonus is you don't have to pay the monthly premiums, or be concerned about who's watching you while you're training.  Another bonus to bodyweight training is the ease of progressing and regressing certain exercises.  

     Let's take a look at a common bodyweight exercise and examine how much you can do for your body without having to purchase any equipment.  The standard push up.  One of the most common exercises, performed by everyone from elementary school kids, athletes, soccer moms, servicemen, heck, even some grandparents are still rocking this classic in their training.  The standard push up may seem boring, but it has so many great qualities, working primarily your chest and arms, but also building shoulder stability, and activating core musculature like the transverse abdominus and the erector spinae (you can google those if you don't know what they are).  What most of us fail to realize is that simply holding your entire body off the ground in push up position requires an incredible amount of stability and neuromuscular control.

     Did I mention that progressions and regressions are easy with bodyweight training? Yes, yes I did.  To progress a standard push up, simply elevate your feet above your head (decline push up), or lift one leg while performing the exercise.  Heck, use one arm at a time!  It's that easy.  If a standard push up is a little too difficult for you right now (don't worry, everyone has to start somewhere), then simply raise your hands above your feet (incline push up), or work from your knees rather than your toes.  As with all training, you want to challenge yourself, increasing the level of difficulty as needed to increase strength and encourage proper muscle growth and tone.

     Don't let the "I don't have any equipment" excuse get the best of you.  YOU are all you need for resistance training.  If you need some accountability or a little extra push to get moving, feel free to contact me, because I'd love to help.  Next time I'll discuss more bodyweight exercises, as well as some programming ideas, but until then, start working on those push ups.

Stay Strong,

Chad

The Core

Webster defines the term "core" as, "the central or most important part of something".  In reference to the core of our bodies I think this definition is delicious.  Ever heard the term "core values"?  Or what about someone saying they've been "cut to the core".  That's deep.  What I'm trying to do here is stress just how important this core of our bodies actually is.  Before we get to the nitty-gritty (Nacho Libre voice), let's discuss what exactly I'm talking about.

Most folks are going to hit the gym for their "ab" work, and end up doing a thousand crunches, then walk away feeling like they've dominated their "core".  There's one simple, yet GIGANTIC problem here.  If you pop the hood of a vehicle, and check out it's "core", you'll find a million different parts, each of which as valuable as the next.  Everything has it's purpose, and works together as a core system to create that wonderful driving experience that we all take for granted.  In the same respect, the core of our bodies is a slightly complicated system, made up of many different parts, all important, and all working together to get us moving and keep us safe.

The National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) defines the core as the Lumbo-Pelvic-Hip Complex (or LPHC), with the Thoracic and Cervical Spine.  This is where all movements begins, and is responsible for creating proper muscle balance throughout the body.  Rather than try and explain the 29 muscles that make up the LPHC, let's just put them into 2 groups:  The Movement System and The Stabilization System.  These groups are pretty self-explanatory, one group provides the movement while the other group stabilizes that movement.  Imagine if you had great movement muscles with no stability.  You're just asking for injury.  What about having incredible stability muscles with no movement?  That would give you that great taxidermy look.

Movers vs. Stabilizers

Movers that you will usually hear about are: Lats, Obliques (external), Erector Spinae, Hips, and  Hamstring Complex (yes, your hammies are considered in part of your core as well).  You build these muscles with your sweet 1,000 oblique twist sets, followed by Lat Pulling everything you can (as opposed to a few pullups), and maybe throwing in some leg curls.  That's all fun and good, but if these movers don't have stabilization help, it's only a matter of time before we do more damage to the spine.

Stabilizers you may know about are: Transverse Abdominis, Oblique (Internal), Pelvic Complex.  The average gym-going individual will take care of these muscle groups with side planks, russian twists, and side bridges.  Designing your core training sessions with stabilizers in mind will not only help you perform better, but will also keep you much safer.

The bottom line, if you've learned nothing else from this post, is to recognize that the core is an intricate system of both mover and stabilizer muscles.  Both of which need to be properly trained and maintained to ensure the best muscular performance and injury prevention.  So next time you hit the gym, maybe cut back a little on the focus on the 6-pack, and work all around your core.  Trust me, when everything is working together properly, the 6-pack will come.

As always, should you have any questions, comments, concerns, or your looking to start training, shoot me a call/text/email/etc. I'd love to hear from you.

Stay Strong,
Chad

Tabata Training......uh, what?

Tabata (Tuh-bot-uh) training was started by a Japanese dude named, you guessed it....TABATA!  Izumi Tabata to be precise.  It is basically a variation of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training).  However, it's not just high intensity.  It's ridiculously and deliciously high intensity.  Standard Tabata training looks something like this:

<Insert Exercise Here>
20 seconds exercise
10 second break (repeat to complete 8 total rounds or 4 min. total time)

***You score yourself based on the lowest rep count in any 20 sec. period of work    
ie        Round 1-4: 12 reps completed
           Round 5:      6 reps completed
           Round 6-8: 8 reps completed
           YOUR SCORE:  6


The idea is to work EXTREMELY hard for 4 minutes of time, rather than working moderately hard for longer periods of time.  What Izumi found out when he tested this theory was those who participated in Tabata-style training as opposed to "normal" training developed a greater aerobic AND anaerobic threshold.  What this means is that not only were they pushing their cardiovascular systems to growth and increased capability, but they were also challenging and growing muscles.  When I research training styles/types, my goal is to find the most effective means by which to create results in the minimum amount of time.  Tabata training is an effective AND efficient.  As with any workout routines, you will eventually get bored or lose focus, so feel free to change it up, and maybe add Tabata only from time to time.  Maybe you're on the road, or trying to wrestle around your day with 5 kids, and you only have a limited window in which to train.  Add some Tabata to your week.

Tabata training can be performed by choosing just about any exercise to be repeated for the proper time and rounds.  Exercises I use most often for my clients and myself are pushups, situps, squats, and lunges.  What you'll find rather quick is that round one you will feel like the king or queen of Tabata...but wait.  Though you DO get a break, that 10 seconds will go quickly.  It's designed to give you just enough time to breathe and recognize that you have to start again momentarily.  Now what most folks don't recognize when they start their routine is just like starting and stopping your car, you will use more fuel than simply continuing on.  That's where the burn comes in.  As you start and stop through several rounds, your body fatigues faster and faster...but I challenge you to keep your score as high as you can.  Remember, to get that stubborn body fat to go away, you have to burn the junk out of your body first.  Train hard, and get excited as the results come in.  As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, or would like to talk about training sessions, feel free to hit me up.

Stay Strong,
Chad

Training Frequency...and pain.

So a couple of days ago I woke up at the late hour of 4:45am, swung my legs off the bed, and started to get up and get going.  Unfortunately, my legs weren't as inspired to get up as the rest of my body.  I just about completely bit it getting out of bed because of sheer sore legs.  Why?  I'm glad you asked.  For about 2 weeks, I had taken a break from strength training and heavy lifting.  Then I went back to start it up again.  Unfortunately, I'm a competitive person.  I can't just do things halfway.  I went all out with back squats, deadlifts, and lunges (5x5 squat and deadlift, 80 overhead lunges) until I beat my chest and felt like a man! It was epic.  Until that next morning.  Matter of fact, my legs are still somewhat sore to the touch.  

Frequency all relates to how our bodies can handle the stress of each workout.  Now two weeks ago, I would've been up out of bed no problem, but my body had forgotten how to recover from such a vicious beating over those two weeks off.  What does it all mean Basil?  I'm glad you asked!  What that means, is before I go attack my poor quads again, they NEED to rest.  And I don't mean just sitting in a chair for a couple hours watching television.  I mean getting in a good night's sleep, stretching, fueling, and hydrating properly.  If we give our bodies the proper amount of rest, we will build healthy and effective muscles that we can rely on to do the job when we need them.  If we don't give them enough rest, we cannot guarantee their performance, or that they'll even stay healthy.  With medical costs the way they are, I'd say it would be smart to shoot for healthy muscles.  So how often should you put stress on the muscles?

Let's first define what it means to stress the muscles.  There are 2 very basic aspect of physical fitness/exercise: Resistance Training (RT) and Cardiovascular Training (Cardio).  RT is training that uses a resistance to the force of muscular contraction.  Most people know this as "strength training", with the use of weights or machines.  This can also be done simply by utilizing bodyweight during exercises.  Cardio is typically sustained exercise involving larger muscle groups (ie legs).  Cardio is performed to strengthen the heart and lungs, and challenge the body to handle cardiovascular stress.

From general health and wellness to body-sculpting, I would suggest the same routine:  one day RT, next day rest/Cardio, etc.  Now of course everyone is different and different peoples' bodies will respond to different types of treatment.  For the general public, however, it's a pretty safe bet to work your muscles hard one day, then rest them the next, for an easy to follow pattern.  What's important to recognize is that cardio can be performed even on rest days, because it is not as specifically strenuous to certain muscle groups.  You may choose to do cardio and RT on the same day, and that's perfectly acceptable.  Just be sure that you rest on the days in between.  Now here's a few more specific setups for different styles of training:

STRENGTH TRAINING (gaining/building strength):

Monday-Lower Body (75% max. ability) 

Tuesday-Cardio

Wednesday-Upper Body (85% max. ability)

Thursday-Cardio

Friday-Lower Body (85% max. ability)

Saturday-Upper Body (75% max. ability)

Sunday-rest/Cardio

TONING/DEFINITION:

Monday-Full Body (75% max. ability)

Tuesday-Cardio

Wednesday-Lower Body (75% max. ability)

Thursday-Cardio

Friday-Full Body (75% max. ability)

Saturday-Upper Body (75% max. ability)

Sunday-rest/Cardio

WEIGHT LOSS:

Monday-Full Body Circuit Training (75% max. ability)

Tuesday-Cardio (minimum 40 minutes)

Wednesday-Full Body Circuit Training (85% max. ability)

Thursday-Cardio (minimum 40 minutes)

Friday-Full Body Circuit Training (85% max. ability)

Saturday-Cardio (minimum 40 minutes)

Sunday-rest/Cardio

GENERAL HEALTH/WELLNESS:

Monday-Full Body (55% max ability)

Tuesday-Cardio

Wednesday-Full Body (75% max. ability)

Thursday-Cardio

Friday-Full Body (75% max. ability)

Saturday-Cardio/rest

Sunday-Cardio/rest

Remember again, not everyone has the same body/ability/schedule etc.  These are just ideas to help point you in the right direction.  If you need 2 days to do RT, then pick the Wednesday Friday setup and put them on whatever days you have available.  I would suggest following one of these patterns if you would like to see the fastest results.  Whatever you do, give it all you've got, and like always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, please don't hesitate to ask.

Stay Strong,

Chad

the Beach Bod...

Okay peeps, we are less than 8 weeks out from Memorial Day (the unofficial beginning of Summer awesomeness).  It's time to make plans (if you haven't already) to prep yourself for beach season.  Maybe you've kept off the spare tire, and now you just want to get that delicious muscle tone.  Or maybe you decided since last Summer to pick up a couple extra spare tires.  Maybe you want to look like Arnold in your tank top, but right now you feel like a pre-spinach Popeye.  Whatever the case, don't put off what you can start today.

Now let's get real for a second.  Don't think that just because you pick up a set up dumbbells or you can do a kettlebell swing that you will instantly grow a 6-pack.  What's most important is the diet.  You don't have to be on a specific diet plan per se, but you do need to always focus on MODERATION.  Most Americans can quickly shed 5-10lbs. simply by practicing moderation.  I call this the push test.  Do you have what it takes to push yourself away from the table before that last dinner roll?  Before the last refill of sweet tea?  Maybe before the dessert tray comes by?  If you cannot pass this test, you will most likely struggle in getting that smokin' hot look your shooting for.  However, if you can pass with at least a high "C", then you're ready to focus on part 2: Exercise

I'm going to target 3 specific groups right now:

1.  The Spare Tires- those who have built up that spare tire(s) since last Summer and are now trying to get rid of it before beach season

2.  The Pre-Spinach Popeyes (herein referred to as "PSP's"):  those who are looking to build up the body a little to feel less like a deflated balloon

3.  The IsoToners:  those who have some muscle, but are looking to tighten up a bit


Let's Start with the Spare Tires...the most common group come this time of year.  Because Christmas break is spent with family, and pot-luck dinners filled with breads and pies are in abundance, most of you have probably binged on all the sweet deliciousness over the holidays.  You then commit January 1 to workout and get fit.  Then in February you realize how busy your schedule has become and how unmotivated you are.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!  Here are some quick things to think about... First, the most important thing for you right now is to GET MOVING.  Get that heart rate up, and start pushing your body beyond where it wants to go right now.  It's called "training" for a reason, because you have to "train" your body to do what you want it to.  Then, as your body gets used to moving around again, start implementing circuit training into your day.  (take 4-8 exercises and perform them back to back without rest)  Focus on resistance training for your circuits.  Go about 3-4 rounds, with short rests in between, for each day of exercise.  This will test your strength as well as conditioning at the same time.

Now for the PSP's.  You're looking in the mirror wondering how you can look like the guy/girl on the fitness magazine you just ordered (thinking you will instantly become like the cover model).  What's more important here for you is to push yourself.  If you want to build muscle, you need to be challenging yourself with at least 85% of your maximum potential.  If you can lift 100lbs, you need to be lifting at least 85lbs. in your resistance training.  Remember not to kill yourself.  Don't try to do a million reps at higher weights, but instead perform more sets with lower rep counts.  (ie, 5 sets of 4, as opposed to 2 sets of 10)  You need to train your muscles to understand that you mean business, and it's time to get to work.  Spend most of your time pushing hard, but give yourself enough time to spread out your rep counts throughout a larger number of sets. SIDE NOTE:  When you're trying to build muscle, it's important to cool the jets on aerobic training...rather than spending 30 minutes on the dreadmill, take 5 minutes to do 40yd. sprints.  Anaerobic training won't affect your building like aerobic training will.

Last, but certainly not least, are the Isotoners.  You are the ones who hit the gym pretty regular and do a decent job of eating well.  You don't necessarily have a spare tire, nor are you looking to become Governor of California.  However, you do want people to see the fine details of definition in your frame.  Your best option here is to focus on isolation.  You want to choose which muscles you're looking to define, and use exercises at moderate weights for long sets and rep counts.  Ideally, it will feel rather monotonous, but more importantly, it will take the pre-existing muscle and make it jump out enough for the world to see.  Instead of lifting 95% of your max on the leg press machine, maybe choose to do squats (bodyweight or free weights) at 55% of your max for a larger number of reps.

As always, should you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to ask.  And if you're looking for some help to whip your body into shape before Memorial Day, let me know.  I'd love to help.

Stay Strong,
Chad

What's Up with CrossFit? Part II

Okay, round one we spent some time discussing the basics behind CrossFit and it's purpose/design.  To refresh, CrossFit is the style of training (or sport) that is focused on creating a well-rounded athlete.  It is designed to train in various methods, though most specifically focusing on 5 parts: Diet, Metabolic Conditioning, Gymnastics, Olympic Lifts, and Sport.  Eating a proper diet disperses proper energy throughout the body, and trains the body to utilize the proper nutrients.  Metabolic Conditioning helps build endurance through the aerobic and anaerobic pathways.  Gymnastics focuses on functional control and flexibility.  Olympic Lifts develop the ability to produce and control power.  Sport applies all these techniques in a competitive atmosphere, keeping training fresh, and providing motivation to push yourself.

That being said, I've been involved with a CrossFit boot camp for a few weeks now, and to be honest, I'm liking what I see.  More than anything, the greatest differences I've seen have been in the equipment and setup of the training sessions.  With most traditional training methods, you'll find machines and dumbbells, with the occasional bench press or lat pull.  To be fair, I'm not knocking traditional training methods.  I still use them.  Remember, training is all based on the individual and their goals.  Most of what we use are vinyl or leather-covered medicine balls, jump ropes, plyo boxes, and kettle bells.  The setup for these boot camps has been based primarily on completing reps for time, not a set number.  It's been a great challenge for me (remember the "sport" part?) because each set I want to get more and more reps in.  Another benefit to this style is the universality.  Whether you are an elderly woman (which we have in our group) or a young, strapping lad (a thank you), you can get a great training session from it.  Whereas I might be able to complete 50 kettle bell swings, the elderly lady in our group probably won't make it.....but she will do as many as her body will allow in 60 seconds.

The challenge is always to push yourself, the training individual, to new heights as you train.  You should always seek to progress.  Maybe 15 reps was difficult the first attempt, but now it's too easy.  By instituting a time scenario rather than a specific number, it's all about beating the clock......providing an infinite level of increasing challenges.  Now there are plenty of "traditional" trainers who use the reps for time method, but I find this is a big push in the CrossFit world.  

What's been most interesting in my study of the world of CrossFit is the culture it created.  There is virtually an entire vocabulary based around CrossFit, ie "WOD's", benchmark workouts with womens' names, and an overzealous desire to know whether foods/drinks fit the Paleo diet.  I know that runners tend to think/speak alike, as do soccer players and golfers.  However, I don't think I've seen any other sport that has accepted it's culture with such intensity.  I almost feel a bit lost hearing the discussions that happen around the gym.  Either way, it's fun to watch.

I'm sure there is so much more that I have yet to discover about the world of CrossFit, but until those thoughts burst from my mind, you can chew on these two posts for now.  I'll be sure to post any new information I can find in the future.  Until then...

Stay Strong,

Chad

What's up with CrossFit? Part I

So I'm diving into the world of CrossFit, because honestly, I haven't had enough experience with it quite yet to make an educated decision on whether I like it or not.  Yesterday I was watching the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and I was thinking about Weapon X (the dude that has pretty much all the cool powers mixed into his body).  I thought about how beast mode that guy could really be if only he were a good guy, and not having to be slain by Wolverine.  I mean think about it, having all the greatest mutant powers in one guy...okay, enough babbling.  There is a point here:  I love to learn about all types/styles of training.  I like looking into anything and everything I can get my hands on for the purpose of taking what I like from each and creating a stronger, more diverse program for my clients.

Probably 8 of 10 members who come into the gym these days grab a towel and head straight for the treadmill or elliptical, where they will remain for the duration of their stay.  Unfortunately, though they are burning off those cheeseburgers for the day, they're not getting the greatest training.  Now before you throw something at your computer screen, let me explain.  Great training programs include a mixture of exercises that challenge more than one system in our bodies.  Now all you marathoners out there, you probably like the treadmill, and that's great.  However, should you desire to be a more well-rounded, stronger athlete, you need more.  This is the idea behind CrossFit.

"The aim of CrossFit has been to forge a broad, general, and inclusive fitness" (CrossFit Training Guide, pg, 3).  Ultimately, CrossFit is designed to create a well-rounded athlete.  Not necessarily one who will be the world's greatest powerlifter, cyclist, or gymnast, but instead an athlete that can cycle, run, swim, stretch, and lift more than the average Joe.  It is a style of training (some refer to it as a sport) that is designed to prepare the athlete for any physical contingency.  This means it's programming and design is built around training for the unknown, as well as the unknowable.

Upon gazing in from the outside, having just stepped in the shallow end of the CrossFit industry, I see plenty of things that I like about it.  If you are looking for a specific type of training (ie Cycling, Marathons, Body Building, Specific Strength Growth) or are not a fan of the group fitness setting, I would suggest finding a personal trainer (ps-I can help with that) and working one-on-one, where you can be catered to specifically.  If you're looking for a program that's all-inclusive, or you're just looking to try it out, maybe you should give CrossFit a try.  Stick around, I'll give you more information about what's up with CrossFit in the upcoming posts.  As always, should you have any questions, comments, concerns, or you would like to talk about training, feel free to contact me.

Stay Strong,
Chad