Monday Random Thoughts..

Some of my new recent favorite things

PROBAR-
     Pros-

• Whole food/raw food energy bar with natural ingredients
• Vegan if it matters to you, no preservatives
• High fiber, good fats
• Great taste
• Best to satisfy energy needs due to high carbs

    Cons-

• High in carbs, lower in protein
• Higher in calories at about 380

GREENS SMOOTHIE-

       I love making this quick greens shake in the morning using my Vitamix. Take some spinach, kale, pineapple and green grapes. Add Coconut water, a couple of ice cubes and blend until fully mixed. The fruit gives the shake a nice natural sweetness and the greens of course are loaded with nutrients. I like using Vita Coco brand coconut water which helps with hydration.

BISON SLOPPY JOES-

        I take an old time favorite and update it using bison which is low in fat, high in protein and high in Omega-3s. I like to make mine with finely chopped onions, green peppers and garlic. Mix in mustard and organic ketchup and you are good to go. The organic ketchup is key because it doesn't have the high fructose corn syrup that regular ketchup has. If you are keeping your carbs low then eat it with half a bun or no bun at all.





PULLUPS FOR  TUT- 

     Keep the muscles working with a higher time under tension will lead to better results! Try doing a 10 second count both on the way up and down. I like to do this for 3-4 reps and 3-4 sets. This is really difficult so most people will need to use a band or machine for assistance.


GLUTE THRUSTERS WITH 1/2 REPS

     Do 8-12 traditional reps followed by 8-10 1/2 reps in which you just drop half way down from the top of the movement and then go right back up and then right back down just to burn out the glutes.


FAT LOSS FINISHER

       Burpees-10 reps
       Speed squats-10 reps
** Each set drop the burpees down  by 2....and keep the squats at 10. You are done when you finish 2 reps of burpees. Take as little time as possible between sets.

2 workout formats to use!

I tend to think of myself as the mad scientist of workout formats as I like to be creative and think of different ways to challenge the individual in the workout and avoid boredom. Below are some formats I have been experimenting with as of late. Most of these formats are best used for fat loss and body composition goals.

Use the following to better understand each format

examples

UPPER VERT PULL- chinup, pullup, lat pulldown, x-row etc
UPPER HORIZ PULL-row variations etc
UPPER PUSH-pushups, presses etc
LOWER HIP- glute bridge, thrusters, deadlifts, hamstring curls etc
LOWER QUAD- goblet squats, lunges, box squats, step ups, etc
CONDITIONING/METABOLIC-ball slams, jump rope, ropes, etc



A) Ascending/Descending Giant Set

* Pick 8 exercises that fit into the following movements

1. UPPER VERT PULL
2. LOWER BODY SQUAT
3. UPPER PUSH
4. LOWER BODY HIP
5. UPPER HORIZ PULL
6. LOWER BODY MISC
7. CORE
8. CONDITIONING/METABOLIC
3-5 rounds. 3-5 min rest between rounds

* You have options for this workout

a) Increase the reps for all upper body exercises each set, and decrease the lower body reps each set. Of course you can reverse this have the lower body exercises go up and upper body go down in reps each set. I would go up/down by 1-2 reps
b) Increase the reps of the first 4 exercises each set and decrease the other 4 exercises each set. Of course again this could be reversed.

Other notes

*Make sure the weight matches the reps. Meaning if you start with 6 reps and you end up with 10 reps on the last set that weight should go down in order to be able to perform 10 reps on that exercise.


* I wouldn't go lower than 6 reps on anything and higher than 15 on most of the exercises



B) CONTRASTING TEMPO SUPERSETS

* Pick 4 different supersets, each having one upper body exercise and one lower body, so 8 total exercises. You can end the whole workout with some core work if need be.

Example-

A1) Row-8 reps, hold each for 4 seconds
A2) Step up with dumbbells-12 reps each leg for speed
3-4 sets. 0-60 sec between sets

Notes on  this

* One exercise will be done with a slow tempo, pause or hold. Don't use a tempo higher than 10 seconds. One exercise should then be done for speed with a fast tempo.
* Alternate lower and upper body exercises in terms of which is the slow one and which is done fast. So based of A1 & A2 above, grouping B1 & B2 would then have the lower body exercise done slow and the upper body done fast.
* Fast doesn't mean bad form, it means controlled speed!

Are you doing this in your training?

Below is a simple checklist to use to make sure you keep the right balance in your workouts.


1. 2-1 ratio of pull to push-Most of us tend to be stronger in the chest and shoulders as well as overly tight. Couple this with being at a desk all day and the situation becomes worse as we get internally rotated and a slumped forward posture. Therefore, we lack development in the back which leads to injuries and decreased performance in the pushing movements. Start making sure you do more back work either on a weekly basis or in each individual workout.


2. Work the the glutes more! Help keep your back healthy, improve daily function, sports performance and decrease your chance for injury Add thrusters, bridges, donkey kicks, deadlifts, deficit lunges and band walks into your routine on a regular basis.


3. Start with your weakest link first- No matter what it is start off the workout while you have the most physical and mental energy to put towards getting better. If you tend to do core work at the end and rush through it knowing you need to leave the gym start doing to avoid this.


4. Staying active- Whatever you do don't sit during your workout. I never do it myself or let my clients. Keep the heart rate going and stay focused on what is next without sitting and getting too relaxed. If you train purely for strength and that's it then yes go ahead and sit between sets but for most of you stay up!


6. Limiting distractions-Sure be nice and social, after and before your workout but while you are actually training focus on the task at hand and that's it. Ignore the tv, phone and the weird guy always asking you questions and keep your intensity and mind geared towards your goals.

4 Factors for success in training

1. Having a great work ethic- Everyone wants to find the easiest route and path of least resistance. As a society we always look for the next secret diet or magic pill because nobody actually wants to work for anything today. No matter your goal you are going to have to work at it and its not going to be easy to accept the challenge and work each and everyday with your goal in mind. Lets face it if it was easy then everyone would do it and everyone would be in great shape and be successful. Tom Hanks said it perfect in the movie A League of Their Own


"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great."


2. Having the right mindset-You must have the mindset to get stronger, lose weight and get better for these things to actually happen. If you start off with the wrong negative mindset you will give yourself no chance to reach your goals.



“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.”


― Henry Ford


3. Having a great support system- Family, friends, co-workers or significant others all are people in your lives who can help build a positive support system for you in reaching your goals. Those people in your life who bring you down and keep you from reaching such goals should be eliminated in order for you to have success.Each of us are surrounded by ‘crabs’ and "haters" who take up precious time and try to ruin our ambitions, motivation, passion and enthusiasm.The best thing to do is surround yourself with like minded individuals and those who will bring out the best in you.



4.Having true dedication-Dedication is bringing work ethic on a day in and day out basis. When things get hard, when results have slowed only those truly dedicated with stick around and fight some more. Dedicate yourself to reaching your goals and doing whatever it takes to get there. Dedication is getting up on a Monday at 6am in the middle of the winter to get your workout in. Dedication is not being " in the mood" to workout but still getting in it anyways. So ask yourself " are you really dedicated?"

“The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication. ”


-Cecil B. DeMille

Monday random tips!

• Drink more water and eat more fiber for fat loss especially before you eat your main meals.

• You must put your goals on paper for them to happen, make sure you put down specific goals and everyday do something to get you closer to achieving those goals.

•  Most of us don't move laterally nearly enough. Make sure in your workouts you are strengthening the hips, especially those abductors. If you are a serious runner you definitely fall into this category. Put some lateral band walks, lateral lunges and squats into your program. If your cardio tends to be just pure running start doing lateral shuffles or play sports such as tennis. 

• The body gets used to the reps and tempo faster than it does to the exercises. This means before you go to change your exercises all the time stop and focus more on how fast or slow you lift the weight and the reps used.

• Do less anterior more posterior. Think glutes, hamstrings, lats, rhomboids, over shoulders, chest and quads. 

Finshers for fat loss

A better way to get leaner is to add finishers to the end of your strength workouts. A finisher should incorporate as many muscle groups as possible and usually is done for time. Below are some of my favorites that you can try in your workouts. The finisher you use should be exhausting in nature.


1- Med ball/Hill climbers

Do as many med ball slams in 30 seconds, followed by hill climbers for 20 seconds as many as possible. Rest for 50 seconds. Do 3 total rounds.

** To make it harder gradually decrease your resting time by 5 seconds each workout.


2. Renegade row/Squat press

Start off doing 1 rep on each arm of renegade rows, then jump the feet forward between the dumbbells and stand tall ( much like a finishing aburpee ) as soon as you get into a standing position flip the dumbbells on your shoulders and drop down into a squat. Once in the bottom position, explode up as you press the dumbbells overhead. Finish by putting the dumbbells back on the ground and jumping your legs back into the starting position. Do 12 reps. Take 1 minute rest and then repeat.


** To make it harder decrease the rest or add another set and do 3 total sets


3. Kettlebell swings/Explosive pushups

You can give credit to this one from a great trainer named Chad Waterbury. Basically do 20 swings followed by 10 explosive pushups. Next do 18 swings and 9 pushups, followed by 16 swings and 8 pushups. Keep doing this until you finish at 2 swings and 1 pushup. Rest 60 seconds then start at 10 swings and 5 pushups. Do this until you get to 2 swings and 1 pushup.

** Make this harder by decreasing your rest time by 5 seconds.


4. Classic 300 yard shuttle

Place two cones or whatever you have 25 yards apart. Go as fast as you can back and forth 12 times for 6 total round trips. Try and finish this in under 1 minute. Do 1-2 sets giving yourself 3-5 minutes of rest between sets.

** To make it harder look to do it faster!


5. Tabata finish

Do each exercise for 20 seconds taking 10 seconds rest between exercises. Perform this for 2 straight rounds. This will take 4 minutes.

A) Alternating lunge jumps
B) Burpees
C) Speed skaters
D) Hill climbers

Thursday Q & A!

Q- My pushups are awful what is wrong?

A-  1) You might lack pure strength in the shoulders, triceps and chest as well as core stability.

      2) You might lack proper form. If your elbows are flared, hips sag and your head is forward then you have bad form and it needs to be corrected. Proper form is having your elbows tucked into the body at a 45 degree angle, with the neck, hips, torso and head all in a straight line.

Q- Besides doing curls and direct arm work how else can I build my biceps?

A- Direct arm work certainly will help, but there are many other ways to build the biceps. Start doing some heavy rows, both with a neutral grip but also with your palms facing forward as well. Chinups are another great builder of the biceps and as you get stronger you can add more load.

Q- I workout 7 days a week and yet haven't seen much of a difference for working out this much, why is this so?

A- Honestly more isn't always better and in some cases less is more. If you are working out that much you need to be fueling yourself with more calories and odds are that isn't happening. Second, you are just beating your body down and results come from events that take place outside the gym not inside the gym. Start giving yourself 1-2 days of recovery and focus on rolling, stretching and massage to get your body better. With the added recovery your workouts will become more intense and you will find yourself getting better results.

Q- Do you have any good ideas for cardio ?

A- If you get bored with the treadmill and your gym has an airdyne give this one a try-

30sec work , 90sec off x 3 rds

*For the next 3 weeks add 1 more rd to each week, so week 2 would be 30sec work, 90sec off for 4 rds