The Morning, Or Two, After

25 days to Memorial Day

Also, between now and Memorial Day, I'm offering a special "Countdown to Summer" training package for all new and former clients at 25% off regular package rates. $430 for 6 sessions. Get into your summer grove & call or email me to set up your first session!

Now, on to the blog.

You probably know what I'm talking about before I even start this one. Maybe you took a new spin class. Maybe you really pushed it out on your long distance running day. Maybe you added that extra 5lbs needed to set your new personal best. That next morning, or maybe even as much as a couple of days later, man you feel it back in your legs, or your back, or your triceps, or maybe your calves. Actually I'm there right now.

It's not been unusual that experienced the equivalent of having my nose swatted with a rolled up newspaper by clients who said, "I couldn't walk

for ___ days after that!!" "Well," I ask them, "...what did you do when you started feeling the soreness?" The answer inevitably comes as a variation on the theme of "well....nothin'. I tried not to move."

What we're talking about here is D.O.M.S. or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. You're not going to believe this, but I'm going to say it anyway. The best way to beat soreness that results from exercise is to EXERCISE! A recent study published by the National Strength & Conditioning Association reaffirms that moderate activity will actually shorten the effects of d.o.m.s. I know. You don't believe me.

Here's how it works. We all know the body is an incredibly smart and efficient machine. Well, turns out we carry our own physical therapist with us in our blood stream. Muscle soreness results from micro tears in the muscles that allow them to reform and grow back stronger than they actually were. Moderate activity focusing on the sore (torn) muscles will do several things. Here's the top two.

1. Increased activity demands increased blood flow to the active area. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients needed to heal and grow damaged muscles. More activity = more blood flow = faster healing
2. The stretching and contracting of the muscle in addition to the increased blood flow raises the temperature of the active muscle. In effect, you're self administering heat therapy like a hot wrap or heated blanket to the muscle. This also speeds the healing process as well as giving a mild anesthetic effect, thus lessening the pain almost immediately.

You still don't believe me. You're going to push it one day and you're going to get sore. Then you're going to sit on the couch and spend some quality time with Ben and Jerry when even just a brisk walk around the block will speed immediate relief to the sore muscles. Well, to steal a turn of phrase from LeVar Burton, " You don't have to take my word for it." Just try it. You'll be surprised.

Workout of the Week

One time straight through. No stopping. Breathe later.

30 Burpees

5 ball slams

25 burpees

10 ball slams

20 burpees

15 ball slams

15 burpees

20 ball slams

10 burpees

25 ball slams

5 burpees

30 ball slams

Thursday Blowout

Thursday Night took a break this week. We'll see you next time though. Remember, sign up starts Tuesday at 2pm.

Tip & Technique: Ball Slam

Simple, effective, fun, tough as hell when performed right.

Simple: Pick up a medicine ball (guys start around 15# or 20#, ladies start around 10# or 12#) above your head and slam it down onto the ground.  When raising it up, you're swinging it over your head as fast as you can, fighting that momentum to stop the ball and reverse its direction. Slam the ball as hard as you can down onto the ground, contracting around the torso (core) to help create as much momentum as possible. Catch it on the first bounce and do it all over again. 

Here's where you have to be careful. This isn't about gravity pulling the ball down. It's about you trying to drive a hold in the ground by slamming that ball as hard as you can. Arms, back and core are all working here. 

Also, I'm using a Dynamax ball without much bounce in this video. Be careful and test out the bounce of the medicine balls you have available. The last thing you want is one of those babies bouncing back up into your teeth while you're still trying to get out of its way. You also don't want to do this with a ball that's super rigid. It may actually break the ball. So, as with anything you see on this website, proceed with caution.

The Few The Proud

It’s growing. It’s spreading! In a recent paper by the Assistant Commandant for Combat Development and Integration of the U.S. Marine Corps, General James Amos, an entirely new paradigm was put forth for marine fitness training.

Having collected extensive amounts of data from marines coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq, General Amos determined that USMC fitness training has to change. Currently focusing on endurance training (long distance running) and body building based training just doesn’t adequately prepare our troops for combat missions.

He concluded:

1. Fitness should follow combat function.
2. A balanced approach must be used to develop speed, power, strength & flexibility.
3. The program must have intensity and great variety
4. It must also be characteristically general and well balanced.

In short, his marines should be training like athletes.

Sound familiar? True fitness, be it marines, college baseball players, soccer moms or minivan dads, prepares you for the demands your life and your job places on you. Your fitness level is determined by how well you’re prepared to take on those tasks.

Disagree? Tell it to the marines.

Workout of the Week

The sign up sheet for Thursday Blowout is up. Contact me to reserve your space.

Complete 4 rounds of the following. Mark your time.

5 turkish getup / 1 arm over head squat per side*

400 meter sprint

* Start your getup in the standing position. When you return to the standing position after one fell get up, complete 1 overhead squat. Do that 5 times on the right, then 5 on the left. Look back to the overhead Squat Tip and Technique post to check your form.

Thursday Blowout

 

What keeps you going? What is it that pushes you harder? It’s like in a job interview question. Do you need the camaraderie and competitive environment that comes in a group situation with less individual attention? Or are you more of a self motivator? Here’s your task.  You’ve got supervision if you need it, but we’re looking to you to make this happen?

 People are figuring this out every week at the Blowout.

 That’s no surprise. What does surprise me is when people are taken out of their familiar environments and given a mission, just how farthey’re willing to go. Every week I learn something new about the resolution of a strong mind. I’m not talking about elite professional athletes.

I’m  not talking about world record holders. I’m not 

talking about anyone other than the kind of people we all sit next to on the subway every single day.  Every day athletes that choose to rise above through performance. Resolution, determination, strength of mind and body.

Never am I ceased to be amazed by the stamina and determination our participants demonstrate. Weekly the instructor is inspired by these athlets. Weekly I learn a lesson that allows me to push myself harder. It’s another reason why I’m grateful. Another reason why I understand I have the greatest job in the world. 

Tip & Technique: Turkish Getup

Goal: Get from the ground to standing and back to the ground.

Why? We're looking at creating intense torso strength, flexibility, stability and range of motion at the shoulder and the ability to maintain equilibrium in an exaggerated walk or lunge position.

Remember, to gain the full benefit here, follow the steps and don't rush through it. Also, keep your eyes on the load. Always keep your eyes on the load.

Usually you're going to see this movement performed with a kettlebell held vertically in the air. You can substitute in any number of things. To start with, instead of holding a weight aloft, try hugging a sandbag to one shoulder. Or, as you progress through this, transition from using a kettlebell to a barbell. This provides another stability challenge in load above and beyond the already challenging vertical positioning.

To begin with lie on your back, weight held perpendicular to the ground with your left hand. Right leg straight, left leg bent with the foot flat on the ground. Your right arm and hand should be flat on the ground, 45 degrees out from your side. Begin by pushing through the left foot and rolling over up onto your right elbow. Keep the weight vertical, elbow locked. Push up to your right hand. Swing your right leg back underneath you as you lift your hips off the ground to transition into a kneeling position. Keep the weight vertical, elbow locked. Lunge up to standing. In the finish position you should be standing straight with the load perpendicular to the ground, elbow locked out behind the line of your ear.

To get back down, reverse the steps. Step back with your right foot into a kneeling position. Reach for the ground with your right hand while keeping your hands on the load. Kick the right leg out in front of you and set your hips on the ground. Roll down to your right elbow and then lower the rest of your body down.

Great. Now go have some turkish coffee to celebrate.

Ya' Want Some Acrylamide With That?

It’s tradition. Besides apple pie, there’s nothing more American. We come to expect them. In fact, it’s almost impossible for some people to think about their favorite sandwich or burger without simultaneously seeing a heaping stack of fries or a bright yellow bag of chips.

Well….time for a nation to find a new favorite side dish. Besides the hydrogenated fats, cholesterol, extreme levels of sodium and empty calories, there’s another ugly guest at the party. Subjecting potatoes to the extreme temperatures required to produce these crispy bits of greasy starch actually alters the molecular structure in such a way to make ingestion of the finished product downright dangerous. One of the main byproducts of this process is the chemical acrylamide.

Last month the Canadian federal health authority recommended that acrylamide be added to the national toxic substance list. What do we know? Acrylamide has been shown as a potent carcinogen in lab mice. A Polish health study showed extremely elevated levels of blood toxins due to a diet including the equivalent of one small bag of chips per day. The elevated acrylamide levels all but killed the body’s ability to eliminate free radicals from the blood. Additionally there was a substantial increase in arterial plaque due to elevated numbers or acrylamide-hemoglobin adducts.

Time to find a new favorite side.

Workout of the Week

3 rounds.

10 Overhead Barbell Squats
20 Body Weight Rows
20 DB Push press
40 Situps

If you've never squatted with an over head load, go conservitive on the load. On the pushpress, or if you are experienced in over head loading, on both loads, the weight shoudl really challenge you even through just the first round. This isn't about comfort zones.

.5 mi sprint

Thursday Blowout

One hour on one night one time each week. Don't save it. Spend it. Push as hard as you can and find out just how much you've got, just how far you can go, just how much you can move.

Kudos to Laura for bearing the brunt of this week's workout without even the merest hint of shirking such a load. She could have said, "You know, it's a pretty evening, I'll just take a jog in the park." "I'll just spend a few minutes on the treadmill and go home."

Instead she spent 60 minutes pushing her strength and endurance to their limits. One more breath. One more rep. One more squat. One more swing.

In the end, 4,426lbs lifted, 57 rows, 120 squats, 81 situps, 48 overhead lunges, 69 swings of the kettlebell, multiple manmakers and over 100 TRX jumps in an hour....well, that's just really damn impressive.

Awesome job.

Tip & Technique: Over Head Squat

We went into this in some depth back during the squatting series in late Feburary. Actually, look back to Feb 28th where we specifically broke down the over head. I'm attaching the video demo here.

Learn this one. Love this one. I'm convinced there is no more efficient, effective or functional way to develop lower back strength and shoulder mobility while working the entire posterior chain.

This is also a highly adaptble movement. Remove the barbell from the scene and substitute in a kettlebell or dumbbell in one hand. In this way we're adding the extra benifit of rotational training. As always proceed with caution on all of these. Start small and work your way up.

Global Expansion

46 Days to Memorial Day

By 2030 58% of the world’s population will be overweight or obese.

This according to a study by Dr Jiang He, department chair for Tulane School of Public Health. Based on the 2005 numbers of 9.8% global obesity with another 23% qualifying as overweight, if we do not alter the accelerating rate of obesity across the globe, the number of overweight individuals will more than double to 2.16 billion by 2030; the number of obese adults will grow to 1.12 billion during the same time period.

This study is particularly alarming and important as it is the first of its kind to pool systematically peer-reviewed data from over 100 countries into one comprehensive global estimate for obesity. This is the clearest picture we’ve had yet of just how far we’ve fallen off the deep end.

It’s time to start making smarter choices at the store and at home. It’s time to get outside and get active.

Workout of the Week

4 Rounds
3 minutes rest between each round.
Time each round individually.

20 pullups*
30 dips *
40 situps
50 squats


* assisted if necessairy.

Thursday Blowout

Central Tenant: The separation between your cardiovascular conditioning and your strength conditioning is an artificial one.

Building upon that, the separation between physical strength and mental strength is equally fictional. Now, you obviously don't have to be able to squat twice your body weight or have a 6 minute mile under your belt to be a Rhodes Scholar. I'm not talking about intelligence. I'm talking about mental clarity, strength, determination. A human

 is one machine, one unit. Just as the legs can't function with out a healthy core and back, the mind can not perform optimally without a strong body to support its efforts. Coming at it from the other direction, how will the body achieve it's full performance potential without real mental clarity and resolute determinati

on? 

And that's exactly what we saw this week. Clear, sharp determined 

minds driving bodies to 

the very edge of their performance capacity. It had been a long break for a couple of participants, so there was some ground to be made up. By sheer force of will that ground was clawed 

back, inch by inch. Summon enough energy for one more repetition. Now, one more. One more. Another. The key isn't to focus on finishing. They key is to just keep moving. Determine to move. Reap benefits both physically and mentally.

This only happens once a week. There is only this night to push yourself this hard in the accountability of your peers. Find out just how far you can go. Test the limits of your exertion. 

Know exactly what you're made of. 

In this room, it's not necessarily a bad thing when some

one says,

 "You've put a couple on since you started didn't you." That's not a question.

Congratulations everyone.

Also a huge congratulations to the boys out at Eads House of Pain in La Jolla for graduating their second evolution. Your third evolution

 has a ti

tle. "This one goes to 11." Enjoy.

Tip & Technique: Burpees, Flying & Traveling

This one has seen a big comeback in the past few years. No. It’s not fun. Yes. It’s a fantastic exercise. Yes. You should be doing this. No. I don’t want to hear it. Just go!

Reach down and place your hands on the floor just to the outsides of your feet. KICK your legs out behind you so fly into a pushup position. While your legs are shooting back, allow your elbows to bend so that by the time your feet hit the ground your chest touches simultaneously. Now, while performing a pushup (with as much force as possible!), push down into the ground with your toes, so that while the chest is still coming up, you’ve launched your knees back up towards your chest. You should end up in a deep squatting position, hands off the ground, feet planted flat on the ground. Explode up into the air as high as you can. When your feet touch down again, move right back into the next one. No stopping no resting. Breathe later!

That's a flying burpee. A traveling burpee is simply when you travel forward as opposed to straight up when you jump. So it becomes something of a frog hop right into the next burpee. Set yourself a distance goal. Try to travel the length of your group fitness studio and see how you feel.

Makes for a great active recovery from a more heavily loaded movement.

Commute Actively

53 Days to Memorial Day

A study came out late last year that I found particularly interesting. One of the common themes among my circle of transplants here in NYC is a perceived weight loss of 5 to 15lbs after moving into the city. I mean anybody that moved here from anywhere else seems to have a story like this here.

A study conducted jointly by Rutgers and The University of Tennessee shows why. As reported in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health, countries with the highest usage of active transit, trains buses, bicycles, walking, have the lowest obesity rates in the world. In fact, the two figures relate directly. So NYC being such a pedestrian and train heavy place, it makes sense.

Here's how the numbers break down. USA: 12% use active transportation. 25%-30% obesity rates. Netherlands : 62% use active transportation. 11% obesity rate. Latvia: 67% use public transportation. 14% obesity rate. So, as per the study, say americans walk an average of 87 miles and bike 24 miles each year. Europeans walk 237miles and bike 116 miles. That's an average of 9lbs burned each year for each European and 2lbs for each American. Now, granted NYC and Europe are constructed much more compactly than much of the nation, but these numbers should tell us something about our car addiction.

Forget about crazy oil prices and environmental concerns for a minute here. How many millions of people in this country have been trying to lose " that last 5 lbs.?" The average European is losing 7 more pounds than we are every year simply because of their commute. That says a lot. What kind of choices can we make on a daily basis to make our commutes just a bit more active? Maybe we park a little further away from the office. Maybe we drive to the commuter rail and then ride in. There's always the option of taking the stairs up to the office once you do get there. Every single day, make one better choice for yourself to create an active lifestyle. It adds up.