May 31, 2007

Thursday

Workout of the day

12 sprints for time:

run 100 meters

Warm up for 10-15 minutes

Post your comments:

May 30, 2007

Wednesday

Workout of the day

10 reps 5 sets

Pullups              
Overhead Squat
Walking Lunge with hammer curl
Rotational Presses

COMMON FAULTS

The most common fault with novice lifters is the failure to maintain the bar over the center of the head. This is poor control, inadequate shoulder and leg flexibility or too narrow a grip.

When the bar drifts in front of the head the shoulders cannot carry the full load of the bar. When the you allow the barbell to drift behind the head this causes increased stress on the shoulders and can result in injury.

Ideally you want to keep the bar over the center of the head throughout.

Best place to start is with a broom stick and develop the technique and strength over the weeks.

Do not allow the heels to rise up off the floor during the downward movement. The feet should remain in full contact with the floor.

Before you start incorporating the overhead squat you must have develop squatting technique using a back and front squat.

The overhead squat can be used in the warmup using a broom stick

Post your comments:

May 28, 2007

Monday

Rest Day

Yoga for a stronger and flexible you.

Weight lifting can leave your muscle sore and tight. Flexibility in the hips and legs is important to success in most sports. When a muscle is chronically shortened, it cannot develop its full power when called upon to contract. In addition a short muscle limits range of motion. Since I’m a runner we will consider a runner’s gait. Short, tight hamstrings will cause he quadriceps to work harder to accomplish a full stride because they are pulling against the internal resistance of the hamstrings. This extra work fatigues both muscle groups.

Do each of these moves after your workout.

Warrior I
strengthens arms, back, legs, and shoulders; stretches ankles, calves, chest, lower back, and shoulders

Extend your arms out to the sides, level with your shoulders with palms down, your feet about 4 feet apart. Turn your left foot slightly in and your right foot out 90 degrees. Turn your palms to face the ceiling and bring your arms toward each other until they’re parallel, fingers pointing up. Rotate your pelvis and chest to the right so they are facing in the same direction as your right toe. Bend your right knee to 90 degrees. Concentrate on stretching the back leg and lengthening the spine as you reach up.

Stay here for 15 to 30 seconds before repeating on the left side.

Warrior II
strengthens abs, ankles, and legs; stretches chest, groin, and shoulders

Extend your arms out to the sides, level with your shoulders with palms down, your feet about 4 feet apart. Turn your left foot slightly in and your right foot out 90 degrees. Keep your hips facing forward. Inhale, then bend your right knee. Try to get your right thigh parallel to the floor. Turn your head to the right as you look over your right fingers.

Hold for 30 seconds. To release, straighten your right leg, turn your feet so they’re facing forward, and repeat on the opposite side.

Modified Eagle Stretch

strengthens jaw and neck; stretches shoulders and upper back

Wrap your arms around your torso, left arm under right, hugging yourself. Keeping your arms close to your body, bring your hands up, your right elbow resting in your left in front of your chest, with your palms touching each other. Relax your jaw and shoulder blades. Hold for 30 seconds, breathing evenly. Release and repeat with your right arm under your left.

To make it harder, cross your right leg over your left and place your right foot behind your left calf. Squat slightly.

Gluteus Maximus Stretch

Lie on your back and bring your left knee to your chest as far as is comfortable, keeping both hips flat on the table. Place your hands behind your knee and pull your thigh toward you before you feel the stretch on the gluteus maximus.

From this starting position, push against your clasped hands as if you’re going to put your thigh back down on the floor. Hold this isometric contraction of the gluteus maximus for 6 seconds. After the isometric push, relax and inhale deeply. During this time, maintain the leg in the starting position.

As you exhale, pull your thigh closer to your chest, deepening the stretch on the gluteus maximum.

Repeat two to three times.

May 27, 2007

Sunday

Workout of the Day

Run a 10 K

May 26, 2007

Saturday

Workout of the day

5 rounds of

500m Row
15 bench press (weight that is challenging hardly complete last rep)
15 Burpee Box Jumps

Burpee Box Jump: Do a Burpee, immediately Jump onto the box, repeat burpee.

This is what a burpee looks like:

A Step by Step:

A Box Jump

May 25, 2007

Friday

Workout for the day

Perform two sets of each combination. Choose weights that allow you to fatigue the smaller muscle group in each combination within 12-15 reps. Rest no more than 60 seconds between sets, and add a slight cardio element to your workout to burn more calories.

Step-up with Alternating Dumbbell Raise

Forward Lunge with Bicep Curl

Barbell Deadlift with Shoulder Press

Barbell Deadlift to Bent Over Row

Dumbbell Row to Tricep Kickback

Flat Bench Dumbbell Flye to Lying Triceps Extension

Reverse Crunch

All completed in one hour…

May 24, 2007

Thursday

Workout of the day….

Five rounds for time of:
400 meter run
(Weight you can safely hold) pound Overhead squat, 15 reps

May 23, 2007

Wednesday

Rest Day

A client asked me ”Does it matter if you Run or Walk?” “It does not matter if you run or walk, you burn the same 100 calories per mile?” This is a misconception of exercises. A little explanation…

You do burn approximately the same number of calories if you run or walk the same distance. However, what is not true is that the net effect is the same. What you need to look at is the number of calories burned per minute not per mile. If you were to walk one mile at at 3 miles per hour on the treadmill, the mile would take 20 minutes.
Assuming 100 colories per mile the caloric expenditure is 5 calories per minute of exercise. Three miles per hour is a tenty-minute mile pace.

If you were to run 1 mile at an 8 minute mile pace (7.5 miles per hour) the mile would take 8 minutes and burn the same 100 calories. This would result in a caloric expenditure of about 12.5 calories per minute. Running or a more higher intensity exercise results in a caloric expenditure of 2.5 times as many calories per minutes than walking in the example given.

This should answer the question on how that is equal.

The next question was … Why does this matter? A couple of reasons why… 1. most exercisers do not have an unlimited time. Most struggle to get 3 hours a week in the gym and are looking to maximize results so in my mind the intensity of exercise clearly matters.

To lose body fat you need to focus on exercises that will maximize the caloric expenditure for the time expended. We should work harder, not longer if we want to lose body fat and burn calories. I don’t think that getting in the target heart rate zone and burn fat will do it. If you really want to get fit you need to work harder, not longer.

Always remember that you still need to start easy. So start easy but not because it is more effective, but from injuring yourself and progressing forward.

May 22, 2007

Wednesday

Three Rounds for Time:

Run 800 meters
50 back extensions
50 sit-ups
50 push-ups
50 pull-ups

Post your comments:

Developing a pushup

Against a wall

Same rules as for the standard pushups
Rigid body, good posture, and especially, full range of motion.

The further from the wall the feet are, the more difficult this variation becomes.

These variations allow the body to move similarly while adjusting the load.

On knees against a bench

Make sure there is astraight line from shoulder to knees.
These can also be done on stairs. Higher the steps easier, lower the steps harder.

On Knees Hand on Floor

May 20, 2007

Sunday

Leg Lessons

1. Leg training is very focused, especially when you train with a heavier load.
2. 3 Sets of an exercise is a must. Doing one set and moving on does not stress the muscle and force it to change.
3. To dial your legs in tighter superset one of the above exercises with an
unweighted plyometric version of the same move. For example do the plie smith machine squat, then plie jump squats with no weights.

Smith Machine Plie Squat 3 sets 20-25 Reps
Start: Your feet should be placed wider than shoulder width apart and slightly in front of your body. Turn your toes out, and line up your shoulders and hips underneath the bar.

Smith Machine Reverse Lunge 3/15-20 per leg
Start: Place a 12-14 inch box on the floor in front of the Smith machine. Place one foot on top and extend your opposite leg behind you in a lunge. Line up your shoulders and hips underneath the bar and unhook it.

Execution: Lower into a deep lunge, allowing your back knee to descend just below the level of the box. Push through your front heel to return to the start. Straighten your front leg until you are standing on top of the box. then lift your rear leg in front of your body with your knee bent. Smoothly step back to the start and repeat.

Cross-back Lunge 3 sets 20 reps per leg
Start: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a pair of dumbells along side your thighs.

Execution: With your right leg, take a large step back and as far to the outside of your left leg as possible, keeping your toes pointing forward. Keep your left knee over your left toes, and your hips and shoulders square. Lower into a deep curtsy like lunge before returning to the start position.

Dumbbell step-up 3 sets 20 reps per leg
to back lunge

Start: Holding a pair of dumbbells alongside your thighs, place one foot atop a flat bench. Place your opposite foot slightly behind you and balance on your toes, shifting your weight forward onto your front leg.

Execution: Press through the heel of your front leg to stand up on the bench,lifitng your rear leg behind you in a glute squeeze. Smoothly lower yourself back to the start and immediately lower into a deep reverse lunge. This is one repetition.

Finish off with this stretch

How to do it

* Kneel on right knee, with toes down, and place left foot flat on the floor in front of you, knee bent and aligned with ankle. Place hands on left thigh [A].
* Press hips forward until you feel tension in the front of your right thigh. Extend arms overhead, with elbows close to head and palms facing each other, and slightly arch your back while keeping your chin parallel to the ground [B].
* Hold for 30 seconds, then change sides.