Run on lower deck and stairs 1 min x 30 seconds 8 rounds
Kettle-bell swings 2 rounds of 20 seconds with 40 lbs.
Bag work 5 min
Lateral and front raises
Thursday, January 12, 2012
WOD 01-12-12
Run on lower deck and stairs 1 min x 30 seconds 8 rounds
Kettle-bell swings 2 rounds of 20 seconds with 40 lbs.
Bag work 5 min
Lateral and front raises
How To Eat Out Without Putting On The Pounds
How To Eat Out Without Putting On The Pounds
by ALLISON AUBREY
EnlargeiStockphoto.com
Eating slowly is one way to avoid overeating while dining out, a study found.
If your love of eating out is hampering your diet resolution, you're not alone.
We're a culture that loves to eat out. The typical American family spends 40 percent of its total food budget on foods prepared somewhere other than their own kitchen. (Some even prefer to eat out on Thanksgiving.)
But every time we choose to eat a snack or meal away from home, we add an average of 134 calories a day to our diets. Over the course of the year, these extra calories translate to a weight gain of about 2 pounds, according to an analysis from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.
But there's hope, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin found that women who enrolled in a six-week mindful eating program could learn to eat significantly less while dining out.
Gayle Timmerman, the study author, found that women were eating 297 fewer calories per day after completing the program. And they lost, on average, about 2.2 pounds.
"Slowing down was really key. You're paying attention to the texture [of each bite] and taste and smell," says Timmerman. "You're really kind of savoring it." Some women succeeded by eating less at home, and strategically saving the calories for dinner when they'd be dining out. Other women learned to eat less at each meal, whether home or in a restaurant.
The program used in the study was adapted from theMindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training pioneered by clinical health psychologist Jean Kristeller. Mindfulness Training, or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been found to be effective as a complementary treatment for a variety of chronic health conditions. In recent years, health providers and universities including Duke University Integrative Medicine have offered classes on mindful eating
If you're curious to know what mindful eating looks like in practice, here's one exercise, excerpted from a review written by Stephanie Vangsness of Brigham and Women's Hospital. She writes:
"Do this exercise with a friend. You will need one small slice of an apple for each person. One person reads the instructions listed below while the other person completes the exercise.
Take one bite of an apple slice and then close your eyes. Do not begin chewing yet.
Try not to pay attention to the ideas running through your mind, just focus on the apple.
Notice anything that comes to mind about taste, texture, temperature and sensation
going on in your mouth.
Begin chewing now. Chew slowly, just noticing what it feels like. It's normal that your
mind will want to wander off. If you notice you're paying more attention to your thinking
than to the chewing, just let go of the thought for the moment and come back to the
chewing. Notice each tiny movement of your jaw.
In these moments you may find yourself wanting to swallow the apple. See if you can
stay present and notice the subtle transition from chewing to swallowing.
As you prepare to swallow the apple, try to follow it moving toward the back of your
tongue and into your throat. Swallow the apple, following it until you can no longer feel
any sensation of the food remaining.
Take a deep breath and exhale."
by ALLISON AUBREY
EnlargeiStockphoto.com
Eating slowly is one way to avoid overeating while dining out, a study found.
If your love of eating out is hampering your diet resolution, you're not alone.
We're a culture that loves to eat out. The typical American family spends 40 percent of its total food budget on foods prepared somewhere other than their own kitchen. (Some even prefer to eat out on Thanksgiving.)
But every time we choose to eat a snack or meal away from home, we add an average of 134 calories a day to our diets. Over the course of the year, these extra calories translate to a weight gain of about 2 pounds, according to an analysis from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service.
But there's hope, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin found that women who enrolled in a six-week mindful eating program could learn to eat significantly less while dining out.
Gayle Timmerman, the study author, found that women were eating 297 fewer calories per day after completing the program. And they lost, on average, about 2.2 pounds.
"Slowing down was really key. You're paying attention to the texture [of each bite] and taste and smell," says Timmerman. "You're really kind of savoring it." Some women succeeded by eating less at home, and strategically saving the calories for dinner when they'd be dining out. Other women learned to eat less at each meal, whether home or in a restaurant.
The program used in the study was adapted from theMindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training pioneered by clinical health psychologist Jean Kristeller. Mindfulness Training, or Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has been found to be effective as a complementary treatment for a variety of chronic health conditions. In recent years, health providers and universities including Duke University Integrative Medicine have offered classes on mindful eating
If you're curious to know what mindful eating looks like in practice, here's one exercise, excerpted from a review written by Stephanie Vangsness of Brigham and Women's Hospital. She writes:
"Do this exercise with a friend. You will need one small slice of an apple for each person. One person reads the instructions listed below while the other person completes the exercise.
Take one bite of an apple slice and then close your eyes. Do not begin chewing yet.
Try not to pay attention to the ideas running through your mind, just focus on the apple.
Notice anything that comes to mind about taste, texture, temperature and sensation
going on in your mouth.
Begin chewing now. Chew slowly, just noticing what it feels like. It's normal that your
mind will want to wander off. If you notice you're paying more attention to your thinking
than to the chewing, just let go of the thought for the moment and come back to the
chewing. Notice each tiny movement of your jaw.
In these moments you may find yourself wanting to swallow the apple. See if you can
stay present and notice the subtle transition from chewing to swallowing.
As you prepare to swallow the apple, try to follow it moving toward the back of your
tongue and into your throat. Swallow the apple, following it until you can no longer feel
any sensation of the food remaining.
Take a deep breath and exhale."
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
WOD 01-10-12
Body weight pistols
Deadlifts 5x5 with 220 lbs
Sissy squats with ball
Bulgarian split squats
Lateral and front raises
Foam roller work
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Tips from Olympians
Pillar 1: Set Clear Goals
Olympic gold? That's probably not in the cards. But a best-ever bench press, or completing a half marathon, or losing 20 pounds? Those could happen. Your first step, as it was for Usain Bolt, is to state your goal. Tell your wife, your training partner, your dentist—someone who will remember it and hold you accountable. And hold yourself accountable. Write your goal down and post it on your refrigerator. Going public with your goal creates the kind of contract that's hard (and embarrassing) to break.
The difference between a goal and a daydream is whether you take action to achieve it. So your second step is to give yourself a deadline and count backward from there to come up with incremental benchmarks. Or count forward from where you are now.
Third step: Create a program to achieve both the incremental goals and the grand prize. "My coach, Glen Mills, splits the season into cycles with specific goals," Bolt says. "Then he breaks down the cycles by the week and by the day, with each unit having its own goal. There is a purpose to everything we do. Each session we know what we want to accomplish."
It's an approach approved by Martin Rooney, P.T., C.S.C.S., creator of Training for Warriors. "I have every client write down goals. Your goals become your 'why,' and if that's powerful enough, you will figure out a 'how.' " Set monthly goals for body-fat percentage, strength, and performance, with weekly checkups to see how you're progressing.
Pillar 2: Upgrade Your Workout
You probably don't have a cadre of coaches armed with camcorders and calipers, stopwatches and syringes to analyze your every move. And luckily, you don't need that kind of prodding and poking to tell if your routine is working. Just take this quiz, formulated by MH's dream team: Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., creator of Turbulence Training in Toronto; Joe Dowdell, C.S.C.S., founder of Peak Performance in New York City; and Nick Tumminello, a strength coach in Boca Raton, Florida.
Does your workout feel like forced labor?
NO, IT'S THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY = 15
YES, BUT ISN'T THAT THE POINT? = 10
SOMETIMES = 5
You won't achieve your goals if you're averse to hard work. You don't have to love it, but you have to understand that it's a key to success. Not psyched to sweat? Make one of these adjustments.
CHANGE YOUR PROGRAM
Ask a buddy for his favorite workout. Or buy a book—we like MH's Huge in a Hurry—and follow the program for at least 3 months. You can also take a class to learn a new sport or to reach a higher level at something you enjoy.
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
If you work out at home, join a gym. If you don't like your gym, join a different one. If you're indoors, try training outdoors.
COUNT YOUR WORKOUTS
Give yourself weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals for total number of workouts. Make the number ambitious and the totals nonnegotiable, with rewards for reaching them and penalties for falling short.
Does your warmup make you sweat?
YES = 10
A LITTLE = 5
ONLY IF THE A.C. IS DEAD =-5
Your warmup should take 10 to 20 minutes, progressing from slow, easy movements to drills that test your power, balance, coordination, and range of motion. You can start with a couple of minutes of foam rolling for your major muscles, focusing on areas where you're typically tight or frequently injured. Proceed to basic movements like body-weight squats, lunges, and pushups. Follow that with more ballistic movements, like forward and side-to-side hops and jumps, and then finish with power movements, like skips, shuttle runs, and box jumps.
Are your muscles sore the day after your workout?
ALMOST ALWAYS = 10
RARELY = 5
ONLY IF I DROP SOMETHING ON ONE OF THEM = 0
Technically, soreness just means you did something your muscles weren't prepared for. It's not directly linked to muscle growth or improved strength. But if you're pushing yourself, you're probably going to feel it the next day. A muscle might feel a little tender or maybe just a bit heavier than it did before the workout. If you're so sore it hurts to lie down in bed, you'll know you took it too far. And if the pain is in your joints rather than your muscles, you may have done something wrong.
How often do you change exercises, sets, and reps?
EVERY 3 TO 4 WEEKS = 15
WHEN IT STOPS WORKING = 10
ONCE EVERY PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION = 0
If you're a beginner, you can probably stick with the same workout for up to 8 weeks and continue to grow stronger while mastering the basic exercises. But once you're beyond that stage, you should change your workout every 3 to 4 weeks. That doesn't mean dropping one program and picking up another that may have been designed for a completely different purpose. You simply want to freshen up your routine by subbing in new exercises, changing the order, increasing or decreasing the total weight lifted, raising or lowering reps, or some combination of those four.
Are you nearing your goals?
YES = 20
NO = 0
GOALS? = *5
You need to identify benchmarks that prove you're making progress. If your goal is weight loss, you need to know two things. First, are you losing weight? The answer is easy if you weigh yourself at the same time every day. (First thing in the morning is best.) You also need to know you're losing fat and not muscle. Measure your waist at least once a week, and the circumference of your upper arms, thighs, and calves once a month. If your waist shrinks but your arms and legs stay the same, you're losing the right kind of weight.
How long can you hold a plank?
UNTIL TOMORROW = 20
30 TO 60 SECONDS = 10
LESS THAN 30 SECONDS = 0
Stability of your core muscles—a marker of their endurance, strength, and coordination—is crucial for maintaining good posture, training effectively, and remaining pain-free.
Score Your workout:
60+ = Rocks!
30–59 = Needs a tuneup!
<30 = Is junk!
Pillar 3: Eat to Win
At the Beijing Olympics, Ryan Lochte picked up a stomach bug. So to play it safe, he ate every subsequent meal at McDonald's. By the end of the Games, he'd gained 13 pounds of fat, despite burning 6,000-plus calories a day. If you ever needed proof that you can't outtrain a bad diet, this is it. "I watch what I eat much more closely now," Lochte says. "If my abs start to disappear, I tweak my diet."
Research shows that many of us overestimate the number of calories we burn during exercise. For instance, in a 2010 University of Ottawa study, people who walked briskly for 30 to 45 minutes thought they'd burned at least 825 calories—three to four times the actual amount. They subsequently overindulged by 300 to 350 calories.
The point of exercise, of course, is to end up with a net energy deficit. That is, you want to burn more calories over each 24-hour period than you consume. But a long list of hormones and metabolic processes make that surprisingly difficult to pull off. Hunger, to our everlasting frustration, is an unreliable guide to how much energy the human body really needs.
If weight control is an issue, use a three-step process to figure out how much you're eating, how much you should be eating, and which times and circumstances are the most likely for imbalances to occur.
Step 1 is easy to describe, but difficult to pull off: Keep track of everything you eat—seriously, every bite—for at least 3 days. To figure out total calories and tally your daily average, use an app (try Lose It!) or an online calculator (try fitday.com). This drill works only if it includes typical workout and nonworkout days.
Step 2 is to estimate the calories you actually need. MH nutrition advisor Alan Aragon recommends this formula.
Don't work out? Multiply your body weight by 10. If you weigh 200 pounds, that's 2,000 calories a day.
Work out once or twice a week? Multiply your weight by 12. That's 2,400 calories for a 200-pound person.
Work out three or four times a week? Multiply by 14. Now we're up to 2,800 calories.
Work out five or more times a week? Multiply by 16, bringing the daily feast up to 3,200 calories.
These are just estimates, Aragon says. Human metabolism is notoriously resistant to simple math. But we need to start somewhere, and Aragon's formula allows you to focus on how much you eat and burn in an average 24-hour day. This determines whether you end up with more body fat or less.
That brings us to Step 3: Figure out when, where, and how you can tweak your daily calories to create a bigger deficit.
The timing of your meals matters, but not for the reason you think. "Your nutrient timing should be personalized to whatever maximizes your training or doesn't hinder it," Aragon says. Training on an empty stomach might work for your buddy, but if hunger pangs derail your workout, you're better off with a light meal before hitting the gym.
That applies to postworkout nutrition as well. Aragon says that while short-term studies find that protein and carbs increase markers of muscle protein production, recent long-term research suggests that making sure you meet your daily needs for protein, fat, and carbs will benefit you more than a postworkout meal or protein shake. Of course, you can also do both!
Pillar 4: Target Weaknesses
"If you work only on what you're good at, you may get good," says Rooney. "But if you work on what you're not good at and make that good too, you can become great." This strategy improves performance and helps prevent injuries.
Exhibit A: Bolt. "I started working with Coach Mills in 2004, when I failed to qualify for the finals in the 200 meter at the Athens Olympics," Bolt says. "Glen rebuilt me from the ground up." Back then, Mills saw in Bolt a gifted but flawed athlete. Bolt's height, the attribute that now seems his greatest asset, was slowing him down. He was imbalanced, Mills observed, running behind his center of gravity. He also suffered frequent hamstring injuries. Mills realized that both problems could be addressed by building Bolt's strength, which helped him increase his stride length and maintain his maximum velocity. Longer strides would help him use his height advantage but only if his feet could hit and leave the ground as fast as his competitors'. The combination has made him unbeatable: At the 2009 world championships in Berlin, Bolt covered 100 meters in 41 strides, compared with 45 for his rivals—and set a new world record.
Exhibit B: Hardee. He excelled at sprinting and jumping in college, but struggled in the three throwing events of the decathlon: javelin, discus, and shot. Working with his coaches, he recalibrated his training. "It's a combo of core work and explosive movement-specific drills," Hardee says. "Plus, I was sharpening my technique for each throw and watching video." Two world championships later, it's safe to say it worked.
So how will you upgrade your own training? Rooney suggests making a list of your three weakest areas. These could be exercises, like deadlifts or pullups for a lifter, or sport-specific skills, like climbing for a cyclist. Or they could be overall fitness qualities like flexibility, or specific injury-prone muscles or joints. Seek guidance from a trainer to learn how to fix your weak areas, and track your progress with tests every 4 weeks.
If you find that a weak core is on your list of problems to fix, here's a solution, courtesy of Ballantyne: It's called 5-Minute Abs.
Do these exercises as a circuit; when you can complete three, your core is no longer a weakness.
1 Swiss-ball plank: (with your forearms on the ball) 30 seconds
2 Swiss-ball jackknife: (hands on the floor, shins on the ball; use your lower legs to roll the ball toward your torso while keeping your back flat) 20 reps
3 Swiss-ball rollout: (with forearms on the ball and feet on the floor, roll the ball forward as far as you can while keeping your body in a straight line) 12 reps
4 Side plank: 40 seconds a side
Pillar 5: Cross Train
Most Sunday afternoons in the off-season you'll find Lochte flipping tires and dragging a 450-pound chain with Matt DeLancey, the strength and conditioning coach for Olympic sports at the University of Florida. It might seem like an odd approach, but DeLancey says the strongman-inspired regimen gave Lochte the power to set a world record in the 200-meter individual medley in 2011. Our elites also mix it up: For instance, Hardee paddleboards, which improves both balance and core endurance.
Your strategies: Add an activity that mixes exercise with social contact so you're more motivated, says David Jack, performance coach and director for Teamworks Fitness in Acton, Massachusetts. He recommends hoops or flag football. "You'll boost your cardio, hone coordination, and make friends."
Sign up for a charity walk, run, or ride; it'll improve your fitness and contribute to a worthy cause.
Take a week off every 12 weeks and do yoga. You'll tune up your balance, flexibility, and core.
Pillar 6: Make Your Mojo
Before his final pole vault attempt in the 2008 Olympics, Hardee felt emotionally empty. He was in fourth place, with a chance to medal. He just needed to clear the bar. He didn't, leaving himself with a goose egg. He vowed never to be caught emotionally unprepared again. To elevate his mood, he listens to the same mix of songs by the Strokes while he's waiting to compete. He also visualizes each event.
Mental prep can help you, too. "Think of imagery as a skill, and practice every day for several minutes," says Robert S. Weinberg, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at Miami University in Ohio. "Focus on sounds, smell, and feel. The more senses, the better." Researchers believe imagery trains your muscle memory. When done before a specific movement, it prepares your body with small but beneficial neuromuscular adjustments. So there you have it: A mind-body plan to put yourself on top of the podium. Now, isn't that a great image?
Olympic gold? That's probably not in the cards. But a best-ever bench press, or completing a half marathon, or losing 20 pounds? Those could happen. Your first step, as it was for Usain Bolt, is to state your goal. Tell your wife, your training partner, your dentist—someone who will remember it and hold you accountable. And hold yourself accountable. Write your goal down and post it on your refrigerator. Going public with your goal creates the kind of contract that's hard (and embarrassing) to break.
The difference between a goal and a daydream is whether you take action to achieve it. So your second step is to give yourself a deadline and count backward from there to come up with incremental benchmarks. Or count forward from where you are now.
Third step: Create a program to achieve both the incremental goals and the grand prize. "My coach, Glen Mills, splits the season into cycles with specific goals," Bolt says. "Then he breaks down the cycles by the week and by the day, with each unit having its own goal. There is a purpose to everything we do. Each session we know what we want to accomplish."
It's an approach approved by Martin Rooney, P.T., C.S.C.S., creator of Training for Warriors. "I have every client write down goals. Your goals become your 'why,' and if that's powerful enough, you will figure out a 'how.' " Set monthly goals for body-fat percentage, strength, and performance, with weekly checkups to see how you're progressing.
Pillar 2: Upgrade Your Workout
You probably don't have a cadre of coaches armed with camcorders and calipers, stopwatches and syringes to analyze your every move. And luckily, you don't need that kind of prodding and poking to tell if your routine is working. Just take this quiz, formulated by MH's dream team: Craig Ballantyne, C.S.C.S., creator of Turbulence Training in Toronto; Joe Dowdell, C.S.C.S., founder of Peak Performance in New York City; and Nick Tumminello, a strength coach in Boca Raton, Florida.
Does your workout feel like forced labor?
NO, IT'S THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY DAY = 15
YES, BUT ISN'T THAT THE POINT? = 10
SOMETIMES = 5
You won't achieve your goals if you're averse to hard work. You don't have to love it, but you have to understand that it's a key to success. Not psyched to sweat? Make one of these adjustments.
CHANGE YOUR PROGRAM
Ask a buddy for his favorite workout. Or buy a book—we like MH's Huge in a Hurry—and follow the program for at least 3 months. You can also take a class to learn a new sport or to reach a higher level at something you enjoy.
CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
If you work out at home, join a gym. If you don't like your gym, join a different one. If you're indoors, try training outdoors.
COUNT YOUR WORKOUTS
Give yourself weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals for total number of workouts. Make the number ambitious and the totals nonnegotiable, with rewards for reaching them and penalties for falling short.
Does your warmup make you sweat?
YES = 10
A LITTLE = 5
ONLY IF THE A.C. IS DEAD =-5
Your warmup should take 10 to 20 minutes, progressing from slow, easy movements to drills that test your power, balance, coordination, and range of motion. You can start with a couple of minutes of foam rolling for your major muscles, focusing on areas where you're typically tight or frequently injured. Proceed to basic movements like body-weight squats, lunges, and pushups. Follow that with more ballistic movements, like forward and side-to-side hops and jumps, and then finish with power movements, like skips, shuttle runs, and box jumps.
Are your muscles sore the day after your workout?
ALMOST ALWAYS = 10
RARELY = 5
ONLY IF I DROP SOMETHING ON ONE OF THEM = 0
Technically, soreness just means you did something your muscles weren't prepared for. It's not directly linked to muscle growth or improved strength. But if you're pushing yourself, you're probably going to feel it the next day. A muscle might feel a little tender or maybe just a bit heavier than it did before the workout. If you're so sore it hurts to lie down in bed, you'll know you took it too far. And if the pain is in your joints rather than your muscles, you may have done something wrong.
How often do you change exercises, sets, and reps?
EVERY 3 TO 4 WEEKS = 15
WHEN IT STOPS WORKING = 10
ONCE EVERY PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATION = 0
If you're a beginner, you can probably stick with the same workout for up to 8 weeks and continue to grow stronger while mastering the basic exercises. But once you're beyond that stage, you should change your workout every 3 to 4 weeks. That doesn't mean dropping one program and picking up another that may have been designed for a completely different purpose. You simply want to freshen up your routine by subbing in new exercises, changing the order, increasing or decreasing the total weight lifted, raising or lowering reps, or some combination of those four.
Are you nearing your goals?
YES = 20
NO = 0
GOALS? = *5
You need to identify benchmarks that prove you're making progress. If your goal is weight loss, you need to know two things. First, are you losing weight? The answer is easy if you weigh yourself at the same time every day. (First thing in the morning is best.) You also need to know you're losing fat and not muscle. Measure your waist at least once a week, and the circumference of your upper arms, thighs, and calves once a month. If your waist shrinks but your arms and legs stay the same, you're losing the right kind of weight.
How long can you hold a plank?
UNTIL TOMORROW = 20
30 TO 60 SECONDS = 10
LESS THAN 30 SECONDS = 0
Stability of your core muscles—a marker of their endurance, strength, and coordination—is crucial for maintaining good posture, training effectively, and remaining pain-free.
Score Your workout:
60+ = Rocks!
30–59 = Needs a tuneup!
<30 = Is junk!
Pillar 3: Eat to Win
At the Beijing Olympics, Ryan Lochte picked up a stomach bug. So to play it safe, he ate every subsequent meal at McDonald's. By the end of the Games, he'd gained 13 pounds of fat, despite burning 6,000-plus calories a day. If you ever needed proof that you can't outtrain a bad diet, this is it. "I watch what I eat much more closely now," Lochte says. "If my abs start to disappear, I tweak my diet."
Research shows that many of us overestimate the number of calories we burn during exercise. For instance, in a 2010 University of Ottawa study, people who walked briskly for 30 to 45 minutes thought they'd burned at least 825 calories—three to four times the actual amount. They subsequently overindulged by 300 to 350 calories.
The point of exercise, of course, is to end up with a net energy deficit. That is, you want to burn more calories over each 24-hour period than you consume. But a long list of hormones and metabolic processes make that surprisingly difficult to pull off. Hunger, to our everlasting frustration, is an unreliable guide to how much energy the human body really needs.
If weight control is an issue, use a three-step process to figure out how much you're eating, how much you should be eating, and which times and circumstances are the most likely for imbalances to occur.
Step 1 is easy to describe, but difficult to pull off: Keep track of everything you eat—seriously, every bite—for at least 3 days. To figure out total calories and tally your daily average, use an app (try Lose It!) or an online calculator (try fitday.com). This drill works only if it includes typical workout and nonworkout days.
Step 2 is to estimate the calories you actually need. MH nutrition advisor Alan Aragon recommends this formula.
Don't work out? Multiply your body weight by 10. If you weigh 200 pounds, that's 2,000 calories a day.
Work out once or twice a week? Multiply your weight by 12. That's 2,400 calories for a 200-pound person.
Work out three or four times a week? Multiply by 14. Now we're up to 2,800 calories.
Work out five or more times a week? Multiply by 16, bringing the daily feast up to 3,200 calories.
These are just estimates, Aragon says. Human metabolism is notoriously resistant to simple math. But we need to start somewhere, and Aragon's formula allows you to focus on how much you eat and burn in an average 24-hour day. This determines whether you end up with more body fat or less.
That brings us to Step 3: Figure out when, where, and how you can tweak your daily calories to create a bigger deficit.
The timing of your meals matters, but not for the reason you think. "Your nutrient timing should be personalized to whatever maximizes your training or doesn't hinder it," Aragon says. Training on an empty stomach might work for your buddy, but if hunger pangs derail your workout, you're better off with a light meal before hitting the gym.
That applies to postworkout nutrition as well. Aragon says that while short-term studies find that protein and carbs increase markers of muscle protein production, recent long-term research suggests that making sure you meet your daily needs for protein, fat, and carbs will benefit you more than a postworkout meal or protein shake. Of course, you can also do both!
Pillar 4: Target Weaknesses
"If you work only on what you're good at, you may get good," says Rooney. "But if you work on what you're not good at and make that good too, you can become great." This strategy improves performance and helps prevent injuries.
Exhibit A: Bolt. "I started working with Coach Mills in 2004, when I failed to qualify for the finals in the 200 meter at the Athens Olympics," Bolt says. "Glen rebuilt me from the ground up." Back then, Mills saw in Bolt a gifted but flawed athlete. Bolt's height, the attribute that now seems his greatest asset, was slowing him down. He was imbalanced, Mills observed, running behind his center of gravity. He also suffered frequent hamstring injuries. Mills realized that both problems could be addressed by building Bolt's strength, which helped him increase his stride length and maintain his maximum velocity. Longer strides would help him use his height advantage but only if his feet could hit and leave the ground as fast as his competitors'. The combination has made him unbeatable: At the 2009 world championships in Berlin, Bolt covered 100 meters in 41 strides, compared with 45 for his rivals—and set a new world record.
Exhibit B: Hardee. He excelled at sprinting and jumping in college, but struggled in the three throwing events of the decathlon: javelin, discus, and shot. Working with his coaches, he recalibrated his training. "It's a combo of core work and explosive movement-specific drills," Hardee says. "Plus, I was sharpening my technique for each throw and watching video." Two world championships later, it's safe to say it worked.
So how will you upgrade your own training? Rooney suggests making a list of your three weakest areas. These could be exercises, like deadlifts or pullups for a lifter, or sport-specific skills, like climbing for a cyclist. Or they could be overall fitness qualities like flexibility, or specific injury-prone muscles or joints. Seek guidance from a trainer to learn how to fix your weak areas, and track your progress with tests every 4 weeks.
If you find that a weak core is on your list of problems to fix, here's a solution, courtesy of Ballantyne: It's called 5-Minute Abs.
Do these exercises as a circuit; when you can complete three, your core is no longer a weakness.
1 Swiss-ball plank: (with your forearms on the ball) 30 seconds
2 Swiss-ball jackknife: (hands on the floor, shins on the ball; use your lower legs to roll the ball toward your torso while keeping your back flat) 20 reps
3 Swiss-ball rollout: (with forearms on the ball and feet on the floor, roll the ball forward as far as you can while keeping your body in a straight line) 12 reps
4 Side plank: 40 seconds a side
Pillar 5: Cross Train
Most Sunday afternoons in the off-season you'll find Lochte flipping tires and dragging a 450-pound chain with Matt DeLancey, the strength and conditioning coach for Olympic sports at the University of Florida. It might seem like an odd approach, but DeLancey says the strongman-inspired regimen gave Lochte the power to set a world record in the 200-meter individual medley in 2011. Our elites also mix it up: For instance, Hardee paddleboards, which improves both balance and core endurance.
Your strategies: Add an activity that mixes exercise with social contact so you're more motivated, says David Jack, performance coach and director for Teamworks Fitness in Acton, Massachusetts. He recommends hoops or flag football. "You'll boost your cardio, hone coordination, and make friends."
Sign up for a charity walk, run, or ride; it'll improve your fitness and contribute to a worthy cause.
Take a week off every 12 weeks and do yoga. You'll tune up your balance, flexibility, and core.
Pillar 6: Make Your Mojo
Before his final pole vault attempt in the 2008 Olympics, Hardee felt emotionally empty. He was in fourth place, with a chance to medal. He just needed to clear the bar. He didn't, leaving himself with a goose egg. He vowed never to be caught emotionally unprepared again. To elevate his mood, he listens to the same mix of songs by the Strokes while he's waiting to compete. He also visualizes each event.
Mental prep can help you, too. "Think of imagery as a skill, and practice every day for several minutes," says Robert S. Weinberg, Ph.D., a professor of kinesiology at Miami University in Ohio. "Focus on sounds, smell, and feel. The more senses, the better." Researchers believe imagery trains your muscle memory. When done before a specific movement, it prepares your body with small but beneficial neuromuscular adjustments. So there you have it: A mind-body plan to put yourself on top of the podium. Now, isn't that a great image?
Monday, January 9, 2012
WOD 01-09-12
Ring push ups and fly's (incline too)
Dumbbell floor press
Lateral and front raises
Cable triceps press downs
Foam roller work
WOD 01-08-12
Run on lower deck and stairs 1 min x 30 seconds 9 rounds
Bag work 10 min
Max HR - 160 BPM
Rested from lifting.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
WOD 01-06-12
Run on lower deck and stairs 1 min x 30 seconds 8 rounds
Bag work 10 min
Foam roller work
Planks and core work
Front and lateral raises
Gym Boss is pissing me off.
http://www.gymboss.com/
WOD 01-05-12
Ring push ups and fly's (incline too)
Dumbbell floor press
Side lateral raises
Cable triceps press downs
Side bends with cable
Foam roller work
Thursday, January 5, 2012
More on Methyl Donors
METHYL DONORS
DEFINITIONS AND CLINICAL INDICATIONS OF NEED
by Ronald L. Myers, CNC
Do you want to slow the aging process…
Would you like to increase your mental capabilities…
Or prevent CAD…
Not interested in having cancer…
THEN LET’S TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF METHYL DONORS
By definition, a methyl donor is a substance capable of donating a methyl group (CH3), such as
methionine, betaine (bay‘ ta ine) or trimethylglycine ( according to the MERCK INDEX, these
are different names for the same substance), dimethylglycine or choline. Essential to the
transmethylation process are the coenzymatic forms of the vitamins folic acid (FH4) and B12.
Methyl donors are involved in a biochemical process known as methylation, the transfer of a
methyl group from a donor molecule (see above) to an acceptor molecule such as homocysteine.
Because of this, much research has been directed at the use of methyl donors to lower
homocysteine levels and prevent coronary artery disease (CAD). Thanks to the work of
McCully and Stampfer, elevated homocysteine is now recognized as a major risk factor for
CAD. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, enhancing the methylation process can not only
prevent an untimely death from a heart attack or stroke, it can contribute to our increased
creativity, productivity and overall enjoyment of a longer life. As the saying goes, not just more
years of life, but more life in those years!
Increased homocysteine has become an easily definable marker of inhibited or poor methylation.
RISK FACTORS FOR INCREASED HOMOCYSTEINE AND POOR METHYLATION
Persons who exercise less than three times a week?
Homocysteine is reduced during exercise. Why it is reduced during exercise is not known
A significant part of the diet is from a bag, box or can or fast food.
Processed foods contain a fraction of the critical vitamins, B-6, B-12, and folic acid. These
nutrients are required to lower homocysteine and prevent cardiovascular disease. eBytes Issue 14
Ronald L. Myers, CNC Copyright © 2004 All Rights Reserved
2
Family history of death from vascular disease.
This could be due to a family genetic weakness in the body's ability to lower homocysteine and
premature vascular disease. If parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles suffered from strokes, heart
attack, angina, or any vascular disease, an increased risk for vascular disease exists even if all
standard risk factors are normal. The good news is, researchers have discovered that betaine
(TMG), combined with B-6, B12, and folic acid, can prevent much of the damage created by this
defect. (The original work by McCully was based on children with vascular disease. Increased
homocysteine [due to a genetic defect], not cholesterol, was shown to be the cause. McCully,
K.S. Vascular pathology of homocysteinemia: implications for the pathogenesis of
arteriosclerosis. American Journal of Pathology 56:111-128, 1969.)
High protein, few fruits and vegetables in diet
Research has shown that a high percentage of Americans have never heard the government’s
recommendation to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Family history of depression, neurological disease or liver problems.
Person smokes or uses birth control pills.
Both smoking and birth controls pills elevate homocysteine levels and therefore inhibit
methylation.
For patients at risk, the good news is, through nutrition, homocysteine can be reduced and
methylation can be increased. Even people with previously diagnosed vascular disease have
survived dependent on their homocysteine levels.
METHYLATION--BEYOND HOMOCYSTEINE
Methylation is a process necessary for many biological functions aside from homocysteine
regulation. Methylation is involved in maintaining DNA integrity, processing fats, improving
neurological function, detoxifying the liver, and is connected to nearly every biochemical
process in the body. Several scientific peer-reviewed articles have demonstrated that this
methylation process degrades with age, and is associated with a large variety of age-related
diseases. Enhancing the methylation process with nutrition holds great promise for the future
with regard to reduction in age-related disease and the overall increased longevity of man.
Research is showing that the most effective method of enhancing methylation is through the use
of food supplements. Diet has not been shown to be an adequate means of providing the
nutrients required for methylation in the amounts needed. (van den Berg, M., et al. Combined
vitamin B6 plus folic acid therapy in young patients with arteriosclerosis and
hyperhomocysteinemia. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 20(6):933-40, 1994. Graham, I.M. et al.
Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for vascular disease. Journal of the American Medical
Association, 277(22):1775-1781, 1997.) eBytes Issue 14
Ronald L. Myers, CNC Copyright © 2004 All Rights Reserved
3
SLOWING THE AGING PROCESS
There is strong evidence for the theory that impaired methylation is one of the key mechanisms
of aging. Just as long-lived animals have strong antioxidant defenses, they maintain methylation
much better than short-lived animals. If we were to envision a curve showing the inexorable rise
in homocysteine with aging it would depict the peripheral blood vessels clogging up first, then
we seem doomed to end up with homocysteine-related damage to the nervous system, bone
density, cataracts, gray hair--the very changes that define aging. The development of cataracts is
related to rising levels of homocysteine, and inadequate methylation. Graying of the hair has
been related to inhibition of the methylation process. As we age, is it possible to reduce
homocysteine levels and enhance methylation? The answer is YES! Elderly people were
supplemented with nutrients involved in methylation (folate, B12, B6, TMG), at the end of the
study they had homocysteine levels lower than usually seen in healthy 35 year olds. (Cooney,
C.A., Growth, Development and Aging, 57(4):261-73, 1993.) Since homocysteine levels are
currently being used as a marker of the efficacy of the methylation process the results of this
study seem significant.
METHYL DONORS AND THE BRAIN
The brain is insatiable in its demand for methyl donors. For the production of neurotransmitters
and maintaining the myelin sheath around nerve fibers, these nutrients are essential. Nutrients
involved in the methylation process have been found to be effective anti-depressants as well.
Interestingly enough, lack of response to Prozac goes hand in hand with reduced folate levels.
Alzheimer's disease has been associated with high homocysteine and low levels of folate and
B12. Improving methylation is probably one crucial way to protect ourselves against devastating
brain diseases and give us years of continued creativity and productivity. Multiple sclerosis
(MS) has symptoms that resemble those of folate or B12 deficiency. Since methylation is
essential for the formation of the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibers, a combination of
methyl supplements and anti-inflammatory fatty acids could be used for the treatment of this
disease. (Cooney, C.A.)
ENHANCE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Research has shown that even moderately high levels of plasma homocysteine are associated
with subsequent risk of MI independent of other coronary risk factors. Because high levels can
be easily treated with vitamin supplements, homocysteine may be an independent modifiable risk
factor. Elevated homocysteine levels can often be normalized with modest doses of folate (1 - 5
mg/d). For cases that are resistant to this therapy, the addition betaine (TMG) is often effective.
These supplements at recommended doses have no side effects under most circumstances.
(Stampfer, Meir J., et al. A prospective study of plasma homocysteine and risk of myocardial
infarction in US physicians. Journal of the American Medical Association, 268(7):877-81,
1992.) This is significant because some researchers estimate that as much as 90% of CAD may
be due to increased homocysteine! A valid question at this point might be what is considered
increased when it comes to homocysteine. There seems to be some agreement that levels of 4 -
6 mmol are probably safe. This range may be lower than the "normal" range reported by your
laboratory. It is probably better to be safe than normal with a one out of three death rate from
CAD.
DEFINITIONS AND CLINICAL INDICATIONS OF NEED
by Ronald L. Myers, CNC
Do you want to slow the aging process…
Would you like to increase your mental capabilities…
Or prevent CAD…
Not interested in having cancer…
THEN LET’S TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF METHYL DONORS
By definition, a methyl donor is a substance capable of donating a methyl group (CH3), such as
methionine, betaine (bay‘ ta ine) or trimethylglycine ( according to the MERCK INDEX, these
are different names for the same substance), dimethylglycine or choline. Essential to the
transmethylation process are the coenzymatic forms of the vitamins folic acid (FH4) and B12.
Methyl donors are involved in a biochemical process known as methylation, the transfer of a
methyl group from a donor molecule (see above) to an acceptor molecule such as homocysteine.
Because of this, much research has been directed at the use of methyl donors to lower
homocysteine levels and prevent coronary artery disease (CAD). Thanks to the work of
McCully and Stampfer, elevated homocysteine is now recognized as a major risk factor for
CAD. But this is just the tip of the iceberg, enhancing the methylation process can not only
prevent an untimely death from a heart attack or stroke, it can contribute to our increased
creativity, productivity and overall enjoyment of a longer life. As the saying goes, not just more
years of life, but more life in those years!
Increased homocysteine has become an easily definable marker of inhibited or poor methylation.
RISK FACTORS FOR INCREASED HOMOCYSTEINE AND POOR METHYLATION
Persons who exercise less than three times a week?
Homocysteine is reduced during exercise. Why it is reduced during exercise is not known
A significant part of the diet is from a bag, box or can or fast food.
Processed foods contain a fraction of the critical vitamins, B-6, B-12, and folic acid. These
nutrients are required to lower homocysteine and prevent cardiovascular disease. eBytes Issue 14
Ronald L. Myers, CNC Copyright © 2004 All Rights Reserved
2
Family history of death from vascular disease.
This could be due to a family genetic weakness in the body's ability to lower homocysteine and
premature vascular disease. If parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles suffered from strokes, heart
attack, angina, or any vascular disease, an increased risk for vascular disease exists even if all
standard risk factors are normal. The good news is, researchers have discovered that betaine
(TMG), combined with B-6, B12, and folic acid, can prevent much of the damage created by this
defect. (The original work by McCully was based on children with vascular disease. Increased
homocysteine [due to a genetic defect], not cholesterol, was shown to be the cause. McCully,
K.S. Vascular pathology of homocysteinemia: implications for the pathogenesis of
arteriosclerosis. American Journal of Pathology 56:111-128, 1969.)
High protein, few fruits and vegetables in diet
Research has shown that a high percentage of Americans have never heard the government’s
recommendation to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day.
Family history of depression, neurological disease or liver problems.
Person smokes or uses birth control pills.
Both smoking and birth controls pills elevate homocysteine levels and therefore inhibit
methylation.
For patients at risk, the good news is, through nutrition, homocysteine can be reduced and
methylation can be increased. Even people with previously diagnosed vascular disease have
survived dependent on their homocysteine levels.
METHYLATION--BEYOND HOMOCYSTEINE
Methylation is a process necessary for many biological functions aside from homocysteine
regulation. Methylation is involved in maintaining DNA integrity, processing fats, improving
neurological function, detoxifying the liver, and is connected to nearly every biochemical
process in the body. Several scientific peer-reviewed articles have demonstrated that this
methylation process degrades with age, and is associated with a large variety of age-related
diseases. Enhancing the methylation process with nutrition holds great promise for the future
with regard to reduction in age-related disease and the overall increased longevity of man.
Research is showing that the most effective method of enhancing methylation is through the use
of food supplements. Diet has not been shown to be an adequate means of providing the
nutrients required for methylation in the amounts needed. (van den Berg, M., et al. Combined
vitamin B6 plus folic acid therapy in young patients with arteriosclerosis and
hyperhomocysteinemia. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 20(6):933-40, 1994. Graham, I.M. et al.
Plasma homocysteine as a risk factor for vascular disease. Journal of the American Medical
Association, 277(22):1775-1781, 1997.) eBytes Issue 14
Ronald L. Myers, CNC Copyright © 2004 All Rights Reserved
3
SLOWING THE AGING PROCESS
There is strong evidence for the theory that impaired methylation is one of the key mechanisms
of aging. Just as long-lived animals have strong antioxidant defenses, they maintain methylation
much better than short-lived animals. If we were to envision a curve showing the inexorable rise
in homocysteine with aging it would depict the peripheral blood vessels clogging up first, then
we seem doomed to end up with homocysteine-related damage to the nervous system, bone
density, cataracts, gray hair--the very changes that define aging. The development of cataracts is
related to rising levels of homocysteine, and inadequate methylation. Graying of the hair has
been related to inhibition of the methylation process. As we age, is it possible to reduce
homocysteine levels and enhance methylation? The answer is YES! Elderly people were
supplemented with nutrients involved in methylation (folate, B12, B6, TMG), at the end of the
study they had homocysteine levels lower than usually seen in healthy 35 year olds. (Cooney,
C.A., Growth, Development and Aging, 57(4):261-73, 1993.) Since homocysteine levels are
currently being used as a marker of the efficacy of the methylation process the results of this
study seem significant.
METHYL DONORS AND THE BRAIN
The brain is insatiable in its demand for methyl donors. For the production of neurotransmitters
and maintaining the myelin sheath around nerve fibers, these nutrients are essential. Nutrients
involved in the methylation process have been found to be effective anti-depressants as well.
Interestingly enough, lack of response to Prozac goes hand in hand with reduced folate levels.
Alzheimer's disease has been associated with high homocysteine and low levels of folate and
B12. Improving methylation is probably one crucial way to protect ourselves against devastating
brain diseases and give us years of continued creativity and productivity. Multiple sclerosis
(MS) has symptoms that resemble those of folate or B12 deficiency. Since methylation is
essential for the formation of the myelin sheath that insulates nerve fibers, a combination of
methyl supplements and anti-inflammatory fatty acids could be used for the treatment of this
disease. (Cooney, C.A.)
ENHANCE CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Research has shown that even moderately high levels of plasma homocysteine are associated
with subsequent risk of MI independent of other coronary risk factors. Because high levels can
be easily treated with vitamin supplements, homocysteine may be an independent modifiable risk
factor. Elevated homocysteine levels can often be normalized with modest doses of folate (1 - 5
mg/d). For cases that are resistant to this therapy, the addition betaine (TMG) is often effective.
These supplements at recommended doses have no side effects under most circumstances.
(Stampfer, Meir J., et al. A prospective study of plasma homocysteine and risk of myocardial
infarction in US physicians. Journal of the American Medical Association, 268(7):877-81,
1992.) This is significant because some researchers estimate that as much as 90% of CAD may
be due to increased homocysteine! A valid question at this point might be what is considered
increased when it comes to homocysteine. There seems to be some agreement that levels of 4 -
6 mmol are probably safe. This range may be lower than the "normal" range reported by your
laboratory. It is probably better to be safe than normal with a one out of three death rate from
CAD.
WOD 01-04-12
Run on lower deck and stairs 1 min x 30 seconds 8 rounds
Bag work 10 min
Foam roller work
Planks and core work
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
WOD 1-3-12
Chin-ups
Dumbbell and cable rows
Ring rows
Reverse and supine barbell curls
Posterior delt raises
WOD 01-02-12
Body weight pistols
Stiff leg Deadlifts 5x6 with 150 lbs
Glute ham raises
Bulgarian split squats
Lateral and front raises
Foam roller work
Stiff leg Deadlifts 5x6 with 150 lbs
Glute ham raises
Bulgarian split squats
Lateral and front raises
Foam roller work
Monday, January 2, 2012
A Half-Hour Walk Can Make a Big Difference, Even If It’s Your Only Activity
A Half-Hour Walk Can Make a Big Difference, Even If It’s Your Only Activity
Ideally, it would be easy to make sure we all got the exercise our bodies need every day, but in reality it can be difficult, what with competing demands and obligations at work and at home. If you're looking for a way to get started making a positive change for your health, this visual lecture explains why the one small change you can make with the most impact is to walk for a half-hour every day.
Dr. Mike Evans, the lecturer, is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital. His video speaks for itself, but some of the most important highlights are the fact that even if you're overweight or obese, the difference between being obese and getting no exercise and being obese and getting even some activity can be significant when it comes to reducing your risk factors for various illnesses. Plus, even some brief regular activity has been shown to reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and has also been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression.
Best of all, starting with some regular activity, even if it's a half-hour walk every day, can lead to more exercise that can help you progress towards other health and weight loss goals. Sciencebase points out that a half-hour walk is good, but once you've reached that goal, you definitely shouldn't stop there. Ultimately, if you find a way to squeeze in a half-hour of activity when you currently get none, it gets easier from there. How do you make time to exercise? Share your suggestions in the comments below.
Just Do One Thing to Boost Your Health | Sciencebase
Ideally, it would be easy to make sure we all got the exercise our bodies need every day, but in reality it can be difficult, what with competing demands and obligations at work and at home. If you're looking for a way to get started making a positive change for your health, this visual lecture explains why the one small change you can make with the most impact is to walk for a half-hour every day.
Dr. Mike Evans, the lecturer, is founder of the Health Design Lab at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of Toronto, and a staff physician at St. Michael's Hospital. His video speaks for itself, but some of the most important highlights are the fact that even if you're overweight or obese, the difference between being obese and getting no exercise and being obese and getting even some activity can be significant when it comes to reducing your risk factors for various illnesses. Plus, even some brief regular activity has been shown to reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and has also been shown to alleviate symptoms of depression.
Best of all, starting with some regular activity, even if it's a half-hour walk every day, can lead to more exercise that can help you progress towards other health and weight loss goals. Sciencebase points out that a half-hour walk is good, but once you've reached that goal, you definitely shouldn't stop there. Ultimately, if you find a way to squeeze in a half-hour of activity when you currently get none, it gets easier from there. How do you make time to exercise? Share your suggestions in the comments below.
Just Do One Thing to Boost Your Health | Sciencebase
WOD 01-01-12
Ring push ups
Floor dumbbell presses
Ball assisted ring fly's
Triceps cable press downs
Band presses
Lateral raises
Foam roller work
Sunday, January 1, 2012
WOD 12-31-11
Extended warm up
Bag work
8 rounds around stairs and lower deck 1 min x 30 sec
Tabata mountain climbers
Foam roller work
Front and side planks
Side and front laterals through out the day
Bag work
8 rounds around stairs and lower deck 1 min x 30 sec
Tabata mountain climbers
Foam roller work
Front and side planks
Side and front laterals through out the day
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