My Fall 60 Day Challenge Goals

The Summer 60-Day Challenge just ended.  Although I didn't actually compete in it I was happy with my results as I was able to get leaner over the summer than I was in May at my Physique Show.

For the Fall 60-Day Challenge I will compete and it is timed well as the Northern States Natural Classic Physique Show is one week after the final weigh out for the 60-Day.

For the 60-Day my goals as are follows:

1. To win the Employee Division of the 60-Day Challenge.
2. To place better and be in better condition at my physique show the following week.
3. Most importantly, I want to be a really good example for my clients to follow for the next eight weeks.

I will keep you posted on how things are going!

Motivation Monday 7/18/16: Use a Countdown as a Motivator

Taken from http://www.wpsmartcounter.net/

One simple tool you can use for initial motivation as well as keeping motivated for a goal is a Countdown. 

Whether it is a Countdown App to use for an upcoming event or simply using a calendar, it is a great way to keep you moving towards your goal.

All you need to do to make it effective is to set a date you want o accomplish a goal by and make sure you see the countdown on a daily basis.

It is amazing how much it can keep a person on track to moving towards their goal if they look at it on a daily basis.  It enhances the sense of urgency.

Give it a try the next time you have a goal you want to accomplish.

Fitness Tool Friday: The BOSU

For this weeks post on Fitness Floor Friday I will go over the BOSU.

The BOSU was designed by David Weck in 1999 and is an acronym that means "Both Sides Up"[1].  It is a fitness tool that is similar to a Stability Ball but one half of it is flat to offer more stability.  This may be beneficial if you want to use lower body exercises to stand or step on while offering instability.

Regarding personal use, I use the BOSU either for Core exercises or as a Squat "Finisher."  For training the core I use a four exercise circuit that includes the (1) Abdominal Crunch, (2) Side Lying Crunch on each side, (3) Back Extension and (4) Seated Abdominal Rotations.  When I use it for legs I will do squats or 1.25 squats at a slow, consistent, and constant tempo done for time at the end of a leg workout.

When I use it for clients I do both the above exercise examples.  In addition I use Hip Raises and Push Ups with the flat side up.

In the future I will have video examples of some of the above BOSU exercises.

Training Tip Thursday 7/7/16: Monitor Work to Rest Ratios

People are getting more and more interested in High Intensity Training or High Intensity Interval Training as a form of cardio training.

Unfortunately most people when doing this form of cardio do what Strength Coach Martin Rooney calls the "Illogical 4" in his book Warrior Cardio.  As a result they fall short of achieving their performance goals.

The "Illogical 4" are:

1. Novelty
2. Coolness
3. Ability to produce soreness
4. Ability to produce fatigue

To avoid these in higher intensity cardio training like High Intensity Interval Training make sure to monitor the Work-To-Rest Ratio.  Rooney describes two ways to monitor this in his book:

1. Work/Rest:  An example would be 1:3.  In this example you would exercise hard for 1-minute and rest for 3-minutes before you start over again.
2. Recovery Heart Rate:  In this example you would use a Heart Rate Monitor.  During the work period your heart rate would increase quite a bit.  One you are done with the work period you would rest until your heart rate gets to a certain number.  Once you get to that number you would start the interval again.

To make cardio more effective in the future when doing aggressive intervals make sure you use a Heart Rate Monitor to track heart rate and start with longer rest periods (i.e. 1:4 Ratio).  Over time try to gradually decrease the rest periods by 15-seconds every other workout until it gets to a 1:2 Ratio.  Once you get to that point you can raise the work times by 15-seconds every other workout. 

Give this a try and see what happens.

Workout Wednesday 7/7/16: Incorporate Opposing Muscle Group Supersets Into Your Program

In many of my personal workouts and training programs as well as those I design for my clients one method I often use is using supersets for opposing muscle groups.

I wanted to take this time to give Jim Stoppani a shout out as he has a well written section on the benefits of this in his book Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength.

Here are five of those benefits listed in his book:

1. Greater strength and power.  I won't cite all the studies to support this but it seems like doing supersets can activate the muscles better.
2. Greater fat burn in the workout.  Stoppani lists references for this as well but doing two exercises for opposing muscle groups will increase the caloric burn during the workout.
3. You will hit muscles you have probably neglected.  The main muscle group that people miss is back and this technique allows you to train that more as you have to match the volume of the chest.
4. Time management.  This is a no brainer as you will be doing work while you are resting.
5. Change.  Changes are you have not done this before.

Regarding the fifth point, if you have not tried opposing muscle group supersets in the past give them a try in the future as they can be a really nice change in your program.

Tasty Tuesday 7/5/16: Steamed Vegetable Option #1

I often get asked questions on how I have an easy time eating vegetables.  One way is a simple recipe I am going to share with you.

Regarding cooking equipment all you need is a Steamer - nothing fancy, just a good basic Steamer for vegetables. 

I call  this "Steamed Vegetable Option #1."  Regarding ingredients/food all you need is the following:

• 1 Bag of Vegetable Medley.  In this photo I use Broccoli/Cauliflower.
• Olive Oil
• Lime Juice (I use the Organic brands)
• Celtic Sea Salt
• Pepper

Here are the directions:

1. Once the water is boiling, empty the bag of vegetables into the steamer and steam them to the consistency you desire (I like to steam them for 6-minutes). 
2. Once steamed, put the vegetables in a large bowl.  Most of the time I will put a pre-cooked, cut up chicken breast at the bottom of the bowl and put the vegetables on top. 
3. Add 1-2 TBSP of Olive Oil, 1/2-1 TBSP of Lime Juice, 1/4-1/2 tsp of Celtic Sea Salt, and a pinch of Black Pepper for flavoring.

Give it a try and let me know how it tastes.

Workout Wednesday 6/29/16: Increase Reps First, Resistance Second

Workout Wednesday Tip:  Increase Reps First, Resistance Second

If there is a simple fix for most people's resistance training programs it is proper progression. 
 
The first step to improve this is to choose a rep range for the exercises you are going to use for 4-6 weeks. Some examples include 12-15, 10-12, 8-10, 6-8, etc. After you determine the rep range you are going to use, multiply it by how many sets you are going to do in the exercise.

For illustration, let's say you are going to do the Barbell Squat for 3 Sets X 10-12 Reps. When you multiply 3 X 10 and 12 respectively you get 30-36 total reps - this is your range.

If you didn't get 30 total reps after 3 sets of the Barbell Squat you picked a resistance that was too heavy. If you are between 30-35 total reps after 3 sets you picked the right resistance. Once you can perform 36 or more you can bump the weight up.

Give that simple tip a try going forward as it is effective.