Write it down!

Here is a link to a yahoo post; Study shows value of food diary in losing weight. We all know the benefits of keeping a journal to track what we eat. Most of us don't like to do it because writing down what we eat makes us accountable and points out right away what we are doing right and where we are falling short.

QUOTE

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

Humour

Someone asked me the other day if crossfit was like aerobic classes and right away I thought of this video. As I tried to control my laughter I emphatically said no. I invited the person to have a workout with me and let them decide for themselves. Anyone who has done a crossfit workout will appreciate this video and my likening the question to it. What we do is definitely not 'aerobic classes' Be carefull it is not work safe due to content.



This video was in response to this one which is just as funny if not more.....
Have a good weekend!

Results are fast when you do it right!

Today was a weigh in day for a client of mine. If you read my blog with any regularity you will know I hate these days. I hate weighing people because in my HUMBLE(haha) opinion, it doesn't mean anything. What is the weight consisting of, muscle, fat, water? etc. etc. So she got onto the scale and lo and behold the first number she sees is her weight. Drum roll please...... she had gone up in weight! shock and despair! She may have been a little confused at first but I then point out that her body fat has actually gone down a full % which is fantastic because she has only been with me for a month! She has been working damn hard and it is starting to show! It all became a little clearer when we did her measurements and found she had dropped an entire inch off each body part we measured meaning a full 6 inch loss in the month time frame we have been together! Now all these numbers don't mean much to me because I am a performance based trainer; but try telling a woman 6 weeks out of getting married that wants to look great in her dress that she can now do 15 modified pull-ups in a row instead of her 5 and she will look at you like... huh? Anyway, lesson learned, I am going to start with the measurements first, then the scale!

Point being results are dependent on effort. When the effort is there results follow. Just like the point on form following function. These results were from 3x a week work out and a progressing towards zone diet. Time to up the intensity and commit to more workouts and tightening the dial into the zone. In that place results will skyrocket!

Neat Commercial

This is a tough quote to live by, but rewarding if you can keep it in mind...

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.
~Steve Prefontaine

QUOTE

"Blur the distinction between strength training and metabolic conditioning for the simple reason that nature's challenges are typically blind to the distinction." -Greg Glassman

SORE? TIME TO RECOVER

Everyone has been very sore from their workouts before. This is meant to happen; the muscles are breaking down when you workout and the time after is the most important. This time is the “Recovery.”

In the recovery process your muscles are rebuilding and getting stronger. It's important to treat your body well and give it what it needs, so you can get the proper recovery and maximum results from your workouts. Especially with CrossFit, recovery is that much more important because your body is taking a beating. Especially if you train with me! If you don't let your bod recover, then injury will most likely occur. Trust me on this one. I've made the mistake in the past and it's no picnic! Plus, letting yourself recover will ensure you more time to train and maximize your results!

“Recovery is the night to our exercise day” - Robb Wolf

There are 4 important parts of recovery:

1. Nutrition: I am sure you have heard many things of what to eat after a workout and heard a lot of controversy. Just keep it simple: your body needs protein and carbohydrates after a workout to replenish your glycogen stores and repair the muscles. Take in a lean protein and fruit or yams/sweet potatoes. And for those of you that follow the Zone, like most CrossFitter’s, keep to the same regime.

2. Sleep: For proper recovery you need 9-10 hrs of sleep in a completely dark room. If you don’t sleep properly your body can't function properly and it throws off all the other points on recovery.

3. Stress: If you are stressed, a hormone called cortisol is released. When coritsol is released it promotes fat storage in the abdominal area.


4. Contrast Hydrotherapy: I tell all my athletes about hydrotherapy and no one believes it until they try it! I think it is because they don’t want to try it because it is not fun. Contrast Hydrotherapy is the alternating of of hot and cold water soaking. Contrast is 3-5 minute in a hot tub and 30-60 seconds in an ice bath or cold bath. Repeat this process 3-5 times. Not everyone has a hot tub, so try it mimic as much as you can with a shower. Try it sometime, it works!

All of these aspects affect each other, if one is lacking, it will throw the others off. It won't be a catastrophe or anything but it can be a viscous cycle. If you are not getting your recovery, take a look at your personal recovery process compared to this one I have mentioned. If it isn't similar give this one a try and tweak it out for yourself!

The Front Squat

Today I had a question from a client about the front squat. The front squat is a fantastic exercise that really is a transition to the clean. Which is where I take all my clients. I will speak about the clean in more detail later but back to the front squat. It is essential when learning the front squat to also practice the rack position, which for some, is next to impossible due to inflexible wrists. The wrists are key Roger, we will be practicing wrist flexibility soon enough! One way is handstands.... but that is another story.

Things to do for a perfect front squat

1. weight is solid on the heels
2. bar will rest on shoulders, not in the hands
3. good lumbar curve
4. chin and neck are neutral although a slight tilt up is ok
5. elbows are pointing up where the humerous is parallel to the ground if possible
6. knees track over the feet
7. hips drop below the patella
It's all outlined in this video but I have written it out here for you as well

Nutrition Part 2

I am being asked with more and more frequency about nutrition, about what I do, what I recommend, and how can someone get started. I always answer with my canned response in the gym (well you know _______, I am not a licensed dietician so I can't really suggest anything but I can tell you what I do, but can't give any specific advice for liability reasons) This response is not the one I like and I can tell the people that asked the question don't like it much either. What I can do and often do is tell people about the nutrition books I am/have reading/read and this is usually sufficient to get people going. I don't have to be as diplomatic on my blog because it's MY blog. I still won't tell people what to eat, but I will tell them what to look for in nutrition. Jack Lalane use to say if man made it, don't eat it. That was back in the 40's I believe and things have come full circle. Take for instance the zone diet. Awesome food plan by the way. Anyway, I linked to the main site last post but I want to link another section of that site I found to be a little burried. This LINK will help you get started in the zone, it has a sample day, ideas for snacks, groceries to get and my favourite, a description of blocks of food. (I always fumble my description to people because it is hard for someone to think of food in oz. and blocks) Enjoy the link and happy shopping!

Nutrition

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:

Protein should be lean and varied and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Carbohydrates should be predominantly low-glycemic and account for about 40% of your total caloric load.
Fat should be predominantly monounsaturated and account for about 30% of your total caloric load.
Calories should be set at between .7 and 1.0 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass depending on your activity level. The .7 figure is for moderate daily workout loads and the 1.0 figure is for the hardcore athlete.

Follow link for more information:
Zone Diet">Zone Diet


What Should I Eat?

In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That's about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all circumspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.

The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition

Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace with advances in agriculture and food processing resulting in a plague of health problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. Search "Google" for Paleolithic nutrition, or diet. The return is extensive, compelling, and fascinating. The Caveman model is perfectly consistent with the CrossFit prescription.

What Foods Should I Avoid?

Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.

What is the Problem with High-Glycemic Carbohydrates?

The problem with high-glycemic carbohydrates is that they give an inordinate insulin response. Insulin is an essential hormone for life, yet acute, chronic elevation of insulin leads to hyperinsulinism, which has been positively linked to obesity, elevated cholesterol levels, blood pressure, mood dysfunction and a Pandora's box of disease and disability. Research quot;hyperinsulinism" on the Internet. There's a gold mine of information pertinent to your health available there. The CrossFit prescription is a low-glycemic diet and consequently severely blunts the insulin response.

Caloric Restriction and Longevity

Current research strongly supports the link between caloric restriction and an increased life expectancy. The incidence of cancers and heart disease sharply decline with a diet that is carefully limited in controlling caloric intake. “Caloric Restriction” is another fruitful area for Internet search. The CrossFit prescription is consistent with this research.
The CrossFit prescription allows a reduced caloric intake and yet still provides ample nutrition for rigorous activity.

Become Legendary

FEEL THE BURN

I had the privilidge of working out with a fellow crossfitter at the gym the other day. We had a great work out and I hope to do it again soon.

10 box jump 20"/20"
15 ball slams 15#/8#
20 squats (air)

x5 rounds through
Our times were just seconds apart and we pushed each other through the workout which is what it's all about. We came in at 8:48 and 8:54. Great job and thanks Mark.

HOW AM I DIFFERENT?

We will run, jump, climb, push, pull, lift, press, squat, carry, throw, and catch. We will use body weight, medicine balls, free weights, plyo boxes, jump ropes, and pull up bars. We do so using OUR ENTIRE BODY; not isolating a certain muscle group. By doing this, we properly and equally tax and exhaust every major muscle group, which in turn makes you work much harder, in turn burning more calories and increasing your heart rate more than you ever will with other methods. Remember if you can read while 'working out' you aren't working.

The workouts I will have you do, are the same workouts for everyone. They are the same workouts I do. The intensity and weight/load resistance is adapted to each individual’s current fitness levels. CrossFit requires less equipment, but requires professional expertise on my part. You will never be bored. The only time you repeat a workout is to benchmark progress.My style of training is geared for:

1. engaging and recruiting multiple muscle groups simultaneously
2. using intervals to exercise the body’s metabolic systems (cardio)
3. performance in a safe, effective and timely manner

The goal is performance; not weight gain or weight loss. Frequency, round/circuit times, pounds moved, rest periods taken and intensity are all measured, observed and repeated. This information is your personal motivational tool for your next attempt when benchmark workouts are revisited. Weight and body measurements are discouraging for most and often not an accurate gauge of fitness capacity, which is why I frown on administering them.

Training takes place in small groups. (IDEALLY) Group training offers a high level of personal attention with the addition of positive peer influence. Natural camaraderie, competition and fun of sport yield an intensity that is unparalleled and cannot be experienced in one-on-one training. You are motivated to push harder in a group dynamic. It is also less expensive.

This method fosters teamwork, camaraderie, motivation, focus, and a sense of belonging. I hope to foster a fitter, healthier person, rather than building bigger muscles and smaller waistlines. I combine strength training and cardio using a different workout every day that is both timely and effective because to routine is the enemy.

The only requirement I have is that you commit to giving me your best effort. I commit to providing safe, efficient and effective elite fitness to those who find me an attractive alternative to the mainstream workout!

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WHY ARE YOU SO INSANE ABOUT CROSSFIT?

I get asked this quite a bit. Why do you like CrossFit so much? Why do you push yourself so hard? A fellow trainer made a comment tonight and said 'Man you are pretty intense' I looked at him and said 'yup' like there was no other way to be when it comes to fitness. I understand that what I do will unfortunately be rejected by some and I also understand that my opinion may not be accepted but I try here to shed light on the burning question everyone wants to ask me when I am at the gym...

Why Do you workout like that?

Who really relies on the results of their fitness to preserve their lives? Military Personnel, Law Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters.

What is being adopted throughout the Canadian Military, Special Forces communities (most notably The US Navy SEALS ), Secret Service, US Marshals, FBI, ATF and many other people who rely on fitness to preserve their lives? CrossFit. When it comes to an endeavor where being weak costs you your life, they do CrossFit.

Most of us do not require that level of fitness in our daily lives. So why train this hard? If you look at a continuum when on one side is residing in a nursing home and the other end the decathlete (Or similar well rounded capable individual), ask this simple question: Which place do I want to be in?

Time, aging, and lifestyle conspire to put us in long term care homes and alike. The harder we pull toward the elite fitness side of the continuum, the further away we are from the nursing home. If teaching a 57 year old woman to dead lift 200 plus pounds seems extreme, think of the grandmother who can’t pick up her 20 lb grandson. Which place do you want to be in?

Very few of us will get to the level of being on the main CrossFit website for some outstanding physical feat. However, we can ALL work diligently to give our best effort in order to accomplish the maximum results our age and ability allow us to achieve.

All the training I do is influenced largely by CrossFit principles. Whether it is Sport Conditioning, Personal Training, or Group Training, much of what I do is based on functional exercises (life activities, sport, survival), executed at high intensity that is varied to the point of near randomness.

Why? My goal is to create people who are capable in ALL aspects of fitness.

When the Navy SEAL Teams and Special Forces adopt Swiss balls as a major tool to keep them alive when it counts, I will use them. Until that time, we (myself and clients) will do CrossFit.

– Adapted from the writings of Doug Chapman

If it is good enough for these people, then it is good enough for me. Besides if I am going to spend time doing something, I want to make sure I am getting the most bang for my time. It's like Dad's everywhere around the world. If you are going to do something, you may as well do it to the best of your ability, otherwise why are you doing it?

WHAT I DO

What I Do

I design each training session utilizing fundamentally sound scientific principles. I employ a back to basics, minimalist style of training focusing on primal movement and total body, multi-joint exercises designed to benefit even the most sedentary individual while still punishing the elite athlete. Each plan is unique and is structured to maximize performance in the 10 Fitness Domains.

My approach is consistent with what is practiced in elite training programs associated with major university athletic teams and professional sports. No one would argue that athletes in these programs are some of the fittest people in the world – but make no mistake, these individuals have to work extremely hard to reach and maintain those levels of fitness.

My goal is to bring these coaching and training techniques to both athletes and the general public who do not have access to current technologies, methodologies and research.

It is true that genetics do play a role in this equation; however the most elite athletes in the world dedicate a great deal of time practicing and training. Unfortunately, TIME in the gym does not necessarily correlate to results. It is quality of work and not quantity that Forges Elite Fitness rather than pretend fitness.

In other words, doing “an hour of cardio is going to turn you into someone who is capable of doing an hour of cardio. Twenty minutes of hard sprinting will turn you into someone who can sprint, jump, lift, AND do an hour of cardio. Everyone thinks they work hard. Most of them are wrong. The harder you make ‘hard work’, the more progress you will make”.
(Jon Gilson – CrossFit Affiliate / Owner)

Half Life

I learned today that the polyunsaturated fat (the bad fat) has a half life of 115 days. Interesting huh? Why is this important to know? It isn't. All it means is that if you have a serving of fries from your favourite fast food joint, it would be in your system for infinity unless of course your energy system burned it off (which it would, so you will not be carrying it infinitely) Thanks to Dan for correcting me on my math.
Here is the formula for you nerdy people out there.

M=c(1/2)^t/h

But never mind the technical stuff. All you need to take away from this lesson class, is that polyunsaturated fat is bad...... read food labels, it's in more than you think. But you already knew that right?

Heeeeere's Johnny!

Yes the blog did to sleep for a while, but no Dan, it definitely did not die. I am alive and well, and so is the blog. Between everything that I have on the go now, I don't have much spare time for blogging. I apoligize to all my readers. I had those right? Oh well start from scratch again...

This time around will be a little different because this will be used as a blog for my clients as well. I will write articles on different things fitness related and hopefully you find it helpfull. If not always write in and comment or email works too.

I'm back!

Charles Schultz Philosophy

Think about this...

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read it straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America Contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. They are not second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are NOT the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones who care.

'Don't worry about the world coming to an end today.
It's already tomorrow in Australia . '
(Charles Schultz)

Quote

"To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline - training - is about." -- James Clavell, in his novel "Shogun"

Boxing

Last night was boxing. It was a good workout. Lots of met-con work. The format of our workouts are pretty simple. Our warm-up consists of stretching out legs arms shoulders legs and trunk. Then there are 5 different stations we do for 3 min. rounds x3. There is a minute rest in between rounds. Included are shadow box,skipping, heavy bag work, speed bag work and med. ball drills. Sometimes we are called out to the ring for individual work like focus pads ( wail on the mitts held by a coach), sometimes it's to learn new punches or combos. I am not at the stage where I spar yet but that requires a medical (which isn't cheap) so I won't be getting that in the near future anyway. Training lasts about an hour and fifteen minutes where we do speed drills which is a combination of things. Most often it is fast rabbit punches or hard head/body shots on the heavybag for quick intervals. When it's not our turn on the heavy bag we a re doing squats/pushups/crunches/lunges/ jumping jacks or running on the spot. After this I am normally spent but we aren't done. Next is abs. We take turns running abs drill. Most people do legs raises/planks/knees to elbows/flutter kicks and rows are the ones I remember. All in all it is a great metabolic workout but I find doing this 3x per week my strength has gone down quiet a bit. I am working on incerasing my endurance and ability to recover so I can work out heavier during the week. I'll keep you posted w/ results.
Flickr credit: soulshiftr

No workout posts in a while

It's true. I haven't posted workouts in a while. Not that I haven't been working out but just posting my workouts would pretty boring, no? So I try to up the content and meh....

Lately the workouts have been going at a pretty intense clip. Every other day I have been doing 2 workouts. 1 in the morning, which is usually just intervals. I do about 5-10 2 minute sprints depending on the energy level, with 2 min. rest period. Sometimes I'll mix the rest up or the sprints up, I just keep the body (and me) guessing. Later that night, I'll go to boxing where I'll do more met con (metabolic conditioning) work for the most part but a good portion of that is skill work as well. It makes for a pretty gruelling day of exercise but I'm addicted!

The days that I'm not doing that I'll work on strength, doing max lifts on squats or deadlift or shoulder press. I do practice some explosive stuff concerning the 'o' lifts but mostly form issues, no real weight. All in all it is a pretty intense schedule so I have dropped the workouts to 5 days on 2 off, with the weekend to recuperate. I'm not as young as I used to be!

Moment Of Truth

My girlfriend was flipping the other night and stumbled on this show. Amazing, not only did she tell her hubby that she shouldn't be married to him, she also told him she slept around. Next she says she thinks she is a good person and loses any money she had built up! Wow. How desperate are people for money and entertainment. Get a damn hobby people... Or better yet how about exercise when this show is on!

TurboPower Drink commercial

Where do I get one of these? Made with real LIGHTENING! 400 BABIES!hahahaha

Would you like some water?

What kind of joke is this? I try to be healthy. I really do. That is why I was so pissed off when I read this article. I mean what the hell is the point? I Try to be healthy, I drink lots of water, oh and apparently that's not all I may be drinking. Would you like some sex hormones with that? Fuck Me!

As stated in the article:

A vast array of pharmaceuticals — including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones — have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Reading this kind of bullshit makes me wonder if it is possible to truly live a healthy lifestyle. Yes, we can all make good choices for our health, but what are we really in control of? There is only so much you can do to avoid toxicities and pollutants. All I have to say is I hope Canada has better policies than the U.S.

Flickr Credit: http: monkeyuk2000

10 FITNESS DOMAINS

GENERAL PHYSICAL SKILLS
If your goal is optimum physical competence then all the general physical
skills must be considered:
1. Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance - The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.
2. Stamina - The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.
3. Strength - The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.
4. Flexibility - the ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint.
5. Power - The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units,
to apply maximum force in minimum time.
6. Speed - The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.
7. Coordination - The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.
8. Agility - The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.
9. Balance - The ability to control the placement of the bodies center of gravity in relation to its support base.
10. Accuracy - The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity.
(Ed. - Thanks to Jim Crawley and Bruce Evans of Dynamax, (www.medicineballs.com\)
CrossFit Fitness

Crossfit’s First Fitness Standard

There are ten recognized general physical skills. They are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. (See “General Physical Skills”, pg. 4, for definitions.) You are as fit as you are competent in each of these ten skills. A regimen develops fitness to the extent that it improves each of these ten skills.
Importantly, improvements in endurance, stamina, strength, and flexibility come about through training. Training refers to activity that improves performance through a measurable organic change in the body. By contrast improvements in coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy come about through practice. Practice refers to activity that improves performance through changes in the nervous system. Power and speed are adaptations of both training and practice.

Crossfit’s Second Fitness Standard

The essence of this model is the view that fitness is about performing well at any and every task imaginable. Picture a hopper loaded with an infinite number of physical challenges where no selective mechanism is operative, and being asked to perform fetes randomly
drawn from the hopper. This model suggests that your fitness can be measured by your capacity to perform well at these tasks in relation to other individuals.
The implication here is that fitness requires an ability to perform well at all tasks, even unfamiliar tasks, tasks combined in infinitely varying combinations. In practice this encourages the athlete to disinvest in any set notions of sets, rest periods, reps, exercises, order of exercises, routines, periodization, etc. Nature frequently provides largely unforeseeable challenges; train for that by striving to keep the training stimulus broad and constantly varied.

Crossfit’s Third Fitness Standard

There are three metabolic pathways that provide the energy for all human action. These “metabolic engines” are known as the phosphagen
pathway, the glycolytic pathway, and the oxidative pathway. The first, the phosphagen, dominates the highest-powered activities, those that last less than about ten seconds. The second pathway, the glycolytic, dominates moderate-powered activities, those that last up to several minutes. The third pathway, the oxidative, dominates low-powered activities, those that last in excess of several minutes.

Total fitness, the fitness that CrossFit promotes and develops, requires competency and training in each of these three pathways or engines. Balancing the effects of these three pathways largely determines the how and why of the metabolic conditioning or “cardio” that we do at CrossFit.
Favoring one or two to the exclusion of the others and not recognizing the impact of excessive training in the oxidative pathway are arguably the two most common faults in fitness training. More on that later.

Common Ground

The motivation for the three standards is simply to ensure the broadest and most general fitness possible. Our first model evaluates our efforts against a full range of general physical adaptations, in the second the focus is on breadth and depth of performance, with the third the measure is time, power and consequently energy systems. It should be fairly clear that the fitness that CrossFit advocates and develops is deliberately broad, general, and inclusive. Our specialty is not specializing. Combat, survival, many sports, and life reward this kind of fitness and, on average, punish the specialist.

Exerpts from CrossFit Journal "What is Fitness"
Click to download the issue for free.

Dog needs good home

This is hilarious!

Dog For Sale: Free to good home.

Excellent guard dog.

Owner cannot afford to feed him anymore, as there are no more thieves, murderers, or molesters left in the neighborhood for him to eat.

Goes by the name 'Holy S**t'

Check this out if you blog

I'm evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they're letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I'll let you know what I think once I've had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it's still free.

Dr. Randy Pausch - from Oprah

What an amazing way to look at things.

How to lead your life by Dr. Randy Pausch.

1. Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things. Our dedication
2. Respect authority while questioning it.
3. Have fun.
4. Decide if you are Tigger or Eeyore. (See #3)
5. Never lose the Child-like wonder.
6. Help others
7. Loyalty is a two way street.
8. Never give up. Don't bail out.
9. You can't get there alone. Pay it forward.
10.Tell the truth, be earnest, Apologize when you screw up, Focus on others.
11.Get feedback and listen to it.
12.Show Gratitude
13.Don't complain, just try harder.
14.Be good at something
15.Work hard..Oh that's the secret
16.Find the best in everybody.
17.Be prepared: "luck" is where preparation meets opportunity.

Pop VS. Alcohol

Sugarholics. Jack was way ahead of his time folks. Is what he said back in the 70's still prevalent today? You decide.

Sugar is now the highest source of calories in the U.S. I shouldn't say now, it has been like that since 2005. What 'food' has one of the highest concentration of sugar you ask? Why soda pop. As a matter of fact pop has around the equivalent of 10 teaspoons per 12 oz. can. This study says around 13 teaspoons. Obviously not good. Would anyone in their right mind sit down to eat 10-13 teaspoons of sugar twice a day? I hope not! Are we getting a clear picture of the hazards of pop? Someone saying that drinking a couple of sodas per day is okay, doesn't have all or even some of the facts. The thing that makes pop 'bad' for us is the high concentration of corn syrup.

Alcohol on the other hand, doesn't use corn syrup, what sugar it does have, it has less than pop, and goes through a natural firmentation process (at least it used to be natural). I know, not very scientific, but it's all I got. It is also known to reduce risks of dietary diseases.

Bottom line about health and nutrition is there is right way and a wrong way to go about it. The only thing you can do is aim to do the right thing more often than the wrong thing. This process is long and difficult but necessary. This is how I quit smoking a pack of smokes a day. It is how I quit drinking pop (limited to movie night, which is maybe 2 times a month) It is also how I am still eliminating fast food from my vocabulary. I started at once a week and am now down to once per month, soon to be once per 6 weeks (yes I actually track it on a calendar) It works for me.

Photo Credit: Flickr firenzesca

I have been tagged

I don't usually play these games especially due to the nature of this blog. It first started out as a workout log/journal. Now people are starting to come to it on a regular basis and asking me questions. Weird how that works. Anyway, the game goes like this:

The rules are as follows…

Step one is to take the first book you lay eyes on that fits the rules. Not your favorite book, but the closest at hand:

The rules are as follows…
1. The book must be over 123 pages.
2. Find page 123 in the book.
3. Find the first 5 sentences.
4. Post the next 3 sentences.

So since my sister tagged me I will play.

The first book I saw was The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

The sentences:

From that day on, the desert would represent only one thing to her: the hope for his return.that thought ends there and a new one starts (no this isn't in the book)
"DON'T THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE LEFT BEHIND," the alchemist said to the boy as they began to ride across the sands of the desert. "Everything is written in the soul of the World, and there it will stay forever."

The game ends there but the next sentence is cool so I will put it in there as well.

"Men dream more about coming home than about leaving," the boy said.

Very cool wisdom but the whole book is like that. It makes sense in my every day life and makes this game spooky for me.

New Avatar

This picture was taken this past weekend and I thought it would make a cool avatar. The picture is hard to see now that it's on the blog but I thought I'd try it. It is a pic of me on top of a snow bank. Yes a snow bank. No it is not natural but in front of a Giant Tiger store in Port Elgin.

Revisiting Soft Drinks

Another question I get asked a bit, is why no soft drinks? Bottom line is that they are filled with sugar. Check out this article. Anything in moderation won't kill you but if you look at your food choices as 'what will help my health and what will hurt it', drinking pop will obviously be a bad choice. Don't get me wrong, I still drink pop once in a while. By once in while I mean once a month, maybe when I am at the movies.

I got a great question from my brother yesterday that I am not sure I can answer. Needless to say I will be researching this. Why is alcohol a better choice than pop? I guess it's not really. Anything in moderation. I am not a big drinker. And when I do drink I limit it to a couple. More research to follow.
Photo credit: supercamel of Flickr

I have readers?

Considering that I now have a couple readers, I should try and make this interesting. I get askedthis question quite a bit by people I run into on a day to day basis and thought I'd share what I think could be done. How and where do I start being healthy? My first response is always the same. Start. You would be amazed at what happens when you just start. For more details read on.

101 ways to improve your health & fitness


1. sleep 8 hours each night
2. meditate
3. stand up straight
4. eat more protein
5. read about health & fitness
6. don’t drink soft drinks
7. visit a chiropractor or osteopath to ensure your spine is correctly aligned
8. take a multi-vitamin supplement everyday
9. consider complimentary therapies before antibiotics
10. snack on nuts and seeds in place of sugary snack foods
11. take an anti-oxidant supplement everyday
12. eat whole foods (if man made it, don't eat it)
13. reduce your sodium intake
14. increase your magnesium and potassium intake
15. exercise regularly
16. believe in yourself
17. set yourself some realistic, achievable goals
18. find a training partner
19. eat less simple carbohydrates
20. breathe deeply
21. get your partner involved in health & fitness training
22. employ a personal trainer
23. educate yourself
24. recognise your addictions and take steps to treat them
25. start playing a new sport
26. choose compound exercises instead of isolation exercises
27. take the long-term approach, there are no quick fixes
28. join a sports club
29. don’t rely on scales as your sole measurement of success
30. push yourself
31. challenge your habits
32. reward your achievements
33. watch less TV (hard for most people)
34. spend more time with your family and friends
35. stop worrying
36. remove temptations
37. drink less alcohol
38. don’t smoke
39. sit properly at your desk
40. learn how to lift objects correctly
41. take some time for yourself each day
42. get some fresh air
43. exercise your mind
44. invest in a good pair of shoes
45. lift free weights in place of machine weights
46. eat carbohydrates with and low-medium GI value (where possible)
47. learn how the human body works
48. get a regular health & fitness check-up
49. form a plan to reach you goals
50. follow your plan precisely and adjust if necessary
51. stretch
52. don’t fall pray to advertising
53. keep a food diary
54. forgo your favourite drink for 24 hours
55. keep a training journal
56. don’t drink and drive
57. keep a sleep journal
58. understand that both food and exercise affect your hormones
59. don’t skip breakfast
60. keep your physical training interesting
61. ask questions of friends and professional about their health & fitness knowledge
62. get a massage
63. choose organic food options as your priority
64. wear your seatbelt
65. eat lots of fruit and vegetables
66. increase the intensity of your exercise sessions
67. eat less bread
68. reduce – or where possible remove – the stress from you life
69. drink at least 2 litres of water each day
70. eat fruit in place of fruit juice
71. drink less coffee and caffeine-containing drinks
72. understand your moods and learn how to deal with them
73. don’t eat sweets, cakes, lollies and so on (or dramatically reduce your intake)
74. train using heavy weights
75. limit your consumption of potatoes and pasta
76. combine cardio and weight training into one workout
77. balance your work time and free time
78. eat lean meats (or substitutes)
79. don’t live to work, work to live
80. eat 2-3 serves of fish each week
81. read labels on processed foods
82. clean your teeth and floss at least twice a day
83. eat something healthy every 3-4 hours
84. get a regular medical check-up especially as you get older
85. take the stairs
86. engage yourself in various physical activities
87. read books in place of watching the TV
88. remove saturated fats from your diet
89. treat outrageous health & fitness claims with due scepticism
90. don’t diet, learn to eat correctly
91. take time to smell the roses
92. avoid pollution and polluted environments where possible
93. aim for a ratio of 40:30:30 (carbohydrates, protein, fat)
94. strengthen your back
95. invest in a good mattress and pillow
96. wear sunscreen and a hat when your will be exposed to a lot of sun
97. aim to eat a portion of protein at each meal
98. rest, it’s just as important as hard work
99. eat less processed food
100. learn about your family’s health history
101. stay positive

Remeber. Pick 1 and just start. Little by little you will end up doing all of them.
Photo Credit: Revlimit of Flickr

PR Fran

Today was a PR day for me. I haven't done Fran in about a month or so and the last time i did it was modified to 65# thrusters and jumping pull ups. Well I have been working on strength in the shoulders and decided to try it at prescribed 95#. I wanted to change the weight back down after my 1st 15 uninterupted reps but kept going regardless. Pull ups were jumping after 1st five (I am going to have to dedicate some time to this now because that # just pisses me off). Anyway last time I did it I think I came in around 9:56. Today was 9:38 w/ prescribed weight. (20# more than last time) So my increases in strength were huge to pull that off. Yaaa me! The time itself suck compared to other fire breathers but I am still making progress which is always good. Try the workout.

thrusters 95#
pullups

21-15-9 reps per round.

Looks innocent enough right. hahaha that's what I thought. Give it a go.

Again with falling behind

For some reason I am always falling behind with this workout blog. Anyway, I have been working out and very active lately. Almost too active as my overuse injuries will attest to. I have taken up boxing 3 nights a week in addition to my crossfit workouts and they are definitely kicking my ass all over the place. I am going to pull back a bit and instead of 6 days a week 2x a day for 3 of those days, I will do 5 x week 2x a day on 3 of those to see how it goes. The trainers at the boxing gym don't agree with my training ethics totally but when they see the conditioning results they will be believers. Most people don't understand crossfit and that's ok. I don't mind talking about it.

MAD DRILLS

Today was a MAD. I call it this because it is mild activity day which is otherwise known as rest day but it really isn't a rest day. It is a go light, practice form, go slow kind of day. Everyone needs rest. That is how we make progress with the workouts we do day in, and day out. BUT... it doesn't mean sit on your butt and eat potato chips. I encourage everyone to do mild activity and by mild i mean anything but doing a WOD. Let's face it, nothing is as intense as a WOD done properly. I usually go through a couple rounds of the warm up to loosen up and stretch all the aches out. Then I practice what I want to get good with light loads or segmented movements.

cfwux2
bergener x2

OHS 95# 3x5 nice and slow to full depth. This is one bad ass move for a 'mild activity'
15 minutes of HSPU practice. These aren't full depth yet as I just finally got into the handstand last week.

SKIP

Jump rope pyramid
50-100-150-200-250-200-150-100-50
This should have been front and backwards but backwards was tougher than I thought so I doubled up on frontwards.

bearcrawls 15 sec. rest 15 sec. v-ups 15/15 repeat for 12 min. Fun!

Now that I am all caught up I may be able to spend some time on an article or something! More to come...

Wed. Back Squat

cfwu x2/Burgener x2

warm up w/ 135 x8
3x185#
3x225#
3x245#
3x245#
5x225#
Great form nice and low. Ass to grass as they say!
Practiced 85# OHS for form

The more running

run 2 min on 1:30 off

x10 = one great sweaty workout. Interval runs are pretty intense

Last Sunday

3 x cfwu/ burgner wu x2

15 box jumps
5 alternate between renegade rows 30#/ db50# military press
5 altrernate db snatch 45#/split squat

practice handstands 5 sets x 1 min. each

It's been a while...

The last few workouts.

I decided last week that I would practice getting my met con back up.

Last Saturday
Run 2min/ Walk 2min I did 2.6 miles in 27 minutes. Not too fast but it will come with time.

REST

Do something fun!

SHOULDERS

Today I thought I would do more testing. Not ME but 5x5. Last time I did this workout I maxed out @2 reps of 125#
Shoulder Press
1x5 @85#
1x5 @95#
1x5 @115#
1x4 @125#
1x2 @135#

Push Press
1x5 @105#
1x5@ 115#
1x3@ 125#
1X3@ 135#
1X1@ 145#

At this point fatigue was setting in and I know the Push Jerk should be the heaviest weight but I didn't have the juice.
Push Jerk
1x5@ 95#
1x5@115#
1x3@115#
1x3@115#
1x3@115#
Done!

I was pretty happy with the results. Considering I don't do these lifts often and I have gone from 2 reps of 125 to 2 reps of 135 in shoulder press is nice to see in a month. I am almost at my goal of 150# shoulder press. Push press was good to see @ 145 too!

Tomorrow is a rest day.

EASY PEASY

Yesterday all I did was run some intervals.

2min run
2min rest

x6

Afterward was practice time for snatches and cleans

MAX EFFORT

Today was nice, simple and very energizing. I hadn't done max effort deadlift in a while si I decided to test it today. I was shocked to find I did 1.5 x bodyweight which is 40# heavier than my last effort.

deadlift max effort

8 x 135#
1x 225#
1x 245#
1x 265#
1x 285#
1x 295#

rest as needed in between

worked on the Burgener Warm Up after as well as active stretches.

SOFT DRINKS ARE BAD FOR YOU? REALLY?

Here is an interesting article about soft drinks I found. I always knew soft drink weren't good for you, but not to this degree...

Rest

Evil WOD

Today was just evil especially after yesterday's filthy 50.

3rounds

200 reps skipping
21 deadlifts (185#)
12 box jumps

SUPER FAST JUMP ROPE

I thought I was well past the point of some young chick making me feel inadequate when it comes to fitness. I am humbled... again... Check THIS out!

Filthy 50

Today I actually did this WOD to completion. My first time ever!

50 box jumps 22"
50 jumping pullups
50 db swings 50#
50 walking lunges
50 knees to elbows (to this point I was a fast 18 min. I seriously was sucking wind at this point)
50 push press (45#)
50 good mornings (45#)
50 thrusters (45#)
50 burpees
200 skips instead of 50 double unders

45:01

Cleans and Dips

One thing I hate about Globo Gyms is their shitty equipment. I was doing cleans today with 135lbs and because the bars don't rotate like they are supposed (and I was gripping the bar too tightly) the load went right to my wrists. Needless to say it hurt like hell. Technique is so crucial and when you don't have proper equipment it sucks even more.

I finished the workout but had to modify severely down to 85lb cleans

supposed to be 21-15-9
135 clean
dips

Sunday was BodyFlow

It's becoming fairly standard. BodyFlow on Sundays. Unfortunately my girlfriend Stephanie did something to her back and I have a suspision that our Sunday Yoga session may in fact be the culprit. She does not think so, but I hope she is better by next week because I don't see myself going to one on my own. They are good for flexibility and all but it's not happening on my own.

Rest

Today I had some much needed rest. The other day though, I went into they gym where I work out and had a body composition done to compare from about 6 weeks ago. It turns I have gained 5 lbs and maintained by BF % at 15%. I knew I was heavier but I didn't expect to increase muscle mass that much especially coming off a 2 week layoff. This change is probably due to my changing my workouts to focus on strength days instead of metcons.

Since size gain isn't one of my goals I am tweaking my workouts yet again. This is something I am becoming more and more comfortable with since I am having to do it alot. So instead of doing 2 strength days and 1 metcon per 3 day cycle I will be switching it every other 3 day cycle. So I will continue to do the 2 strength 1 metcon but folling the one day rest I will rotate to a 2 metcon and 1 strength. This plan seems to make sense because I am looking for not only strength but also improved cardio endurance.

The main goals are to be right about 10% BF and 7min. mile. I will report in another 6 weeks with what happens.

Handblancing at it's finest

 Yuval Ayalon has just released his demo clip for 2007.
He is a generalist in a modern circus act by Franco Dragone (from
Cirque du Soleil) called ‘Le Reve’, and he has a strong interest in
the ‘Equilibre’ dicipline. (handbalancing) The man is an artist,

and this is his art.

Clint Young

Here is a great story about limiting beliefs and what happens when you have none. I wanna be like Clint Young!

Porno WOD (Push and thrust)

3x through warm up

For time

50-40-30-20-10

thrusters w/ 10# DB
push ups (any style as long as they are solid meaning chest to floor)

My time 23:43

Fast and The Furious

Burpees/Ball Slams (20#)
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

It doesn't get any simpler than this...


My time 8:52. This is an intense workout!

A quick one.

Todays workout was over quick. I had a hard time sleeping last night so I slept in. I stretched well when I woke up and felt guilty I didn't go to the gym but I also felt really sore from the kickstarts and lunges/pullups from earlier this week. I ended up going into the gym on the pretense of working out what didn't hurt. I did a quick inventory of muscles and decided the only thing that didn't hurt was triceps. So I did another endurance workout with a shit load of stretching in there as well. I feel better now. Maybe I can get something done now.

100 dips

Back at it and in Pain already

The title says it all.

Today was
100 kickstarts w/ 135#. Ow my ass!