ROD 040110

March 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Thursday, 01Apr10

 

Tabata Boxing   

A timed 2 min of WORK at each station.  The last 30 seconds of each station everyone will do a movement called out by the trainer such as burpees, mini push-ups, V’s…… 

No rest between stations. We want 100% maximium effort from all the participants

  • Ring push-ups
  • B-A-G
  • half burpees  
  • Sandbag shoulder passes 
  • B-A-G
  • Hit Mitt w Juan
  • Box jumps
  • B-A-G
  • Air squats
  • Mt. climbers 
  • B-A-G

 

What’s it worth to you $$$$ - Coach D 

“But Juan, I can go to Planet Fizical for $10 a month, why would I pay any more for a gym membership?” I get this question asked several times a day.  My response with a smile, “you shouldn’t pay any more for a GYM MEMBERSHIP.”  I leave it at that and I usually get a blank stare, with people expecting some sort of sales pitch as to why they should join Nxt Level.  

Understand please, Nxt Level does not provide a GYM MEMBERSHIP.  A gym membership for $10/month usually gets you access to an over crowded, machine filled, defected treadmill, social club.  A gym membership gets you access to inflated personal training fees $$$.  In a gym, you are just a number.  The main goal of a gym is to get as many people as possible to be a member, and hopefully they never use the facility.  Again we do not offer gym memberships.

A gym membership is $10/month because that’s its value.  That’s what its worth to you!  So you should never pay more than $10/month for a gym membership.  I want to make it clear that we should never be compared to a gym membership.  That would be like comparing a 2010 7 Series BMW to a pair of inline roller skates.  They can both can get you to your destination, however the BMW will be quicker, have navigation, and ensure your safety.  

So is your perceived value of a pair of inline skates the same for the BMW?  I guess I’m not looking for a response there, I’m looking to make a point.  You get what you pay for.  

When you become part of the Nxt Level FAMILY you become part of something incredible, something community.  Can you say that about a gym membership.  We are a family.  We are results driven.  We feed off each others energy.  We strive to improve & be the best facility to train H.I.I.T..  We are Nxt Level Performance.

Filed Under: Boxing, Conditioning, Fat Burner Tagged With: , ,

ROD 033110

March 30, 2010 By 1 Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 31Mar10

  

Two Minute Torture

On the 2 minute mark for 20 minutes, do
  • 5 burpees
  • 10 kettlebell snatches
  • 15 mountain climbers
  • 20 kettlebell swings (advanced will be resisted)

 

If you find yourself falling behind, do 20 jumping jacks instead of swings.

 

How to Relieve Sore Muscles  This is a good article to get tips on the Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness, or what we trainers refer to as DOMS.

Nxt Level Product Tip… “EFFERDENT” - Great product to use for cleaning Vibrams – nothing else works half as good.

  

 
 
 
 
 

“On Performance”
Why is it important that your ROD’s are done faster than anyone else? Why a bigger deadlift &  more explosive Thrusters? 50 Pull-ups? Why not just tone & sculpt? Why not just be comfy with losing some of the flab off those arms? Because it doesn’t work.

In the picture above is Ferrari 458 Italia. Even if you have absolutely no clue about cars – you can guess that it’s pretty fast and expensive. Why?

Performance dictates the form, not the other way around. We know an athlete when we see one (unless he/she competes in Curling or Chess). How? We’re wired machines who can tell who’s the Alpha Male & who’s the Beta, who’s strong and who isn’t – that’s our instincts. Small scrawny wolf will not be the leader of the pack.

Form follows function. Once you train like an athlete – you will look like one. Not the other way around. Chase better ROD times & faster 2k row, heavier squat & stronger shoulders and you will transform along with your body. Oh yea… Don’t forget to eat right.

  
  
Filed Under: Bodyweight, Conditioning, Fat Burner, Kettlebell Tagged With: , ,

ROD 033010

March 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Tuesday, 30Mar10

 

Tabata Tuesday

20 seconds work/20 seconds work/20 seconds rest x 8

Couplets

  • Jumping pullups/ Burpees
  • Kettlebell swings/ Tuck jumps
  • Kettlebell high pulls/ Dumbbell thrusters

Do 20 seconds of work at each movement in each couplet, take 20 seconds rest then move to the next couplet.

Complete all three couplets

Take 1 minute rest between. Do 8 rounds.

 Reverse Hyper Machine

The reverse hyper is a device that Louie Simmons, of the infamous Westside Barbell, invented several years ago. This machine targets the glutes, hamstrings, stabilizes the lower back and engages the spinal erectors. The benefit to this exercise is that it isolates the lumbar spine & sacrum allowing for decompression and traction, in that area, that you can’t get anywhere else. Check out the video below on how to use this equipment correctly.

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Conditioning, Couplets, Kettlebell, Tabata Style Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 032910

March 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Monday, 29Mar10

 

Strongman Monday

40 work / 20 rest timed routine for 4 rounds

~ 1 arm 24k Kettlebell bench press (alt. 5l/5r)
~ Keg overhead press
~ 1 arm 40# DB thrusters (alt. 5l/5r)
~ 30# ball slams
~ Pull-ups ( from a dead hang to the chin over bar)
~ 115# Deadlifts

“Pain is not evil, unless it conquers us.”
- Charles Kingsley

Monster Bells – What are they?

These massive dumbbells will help you blast your shoulder and grip strength to the Nxt Level. These dumbbells take the look and use of the antique dumbbells used by professional strongmen over 100 years ago. They have designed these dumbbell’s to be weight loadable by adding shot, BB’s, coins, sand or a combination of to bring the weight to your desired level. We have had our 8″ MonsterBells up to 202 pounds filled with lead shot and our 12″ up to 205 filled with just sand and they are built X-tra Heavy Duty! In the video below you’ll see just how they are used… Nxt week – Atlas Stones?

Filed Under: Conditioning, Heavy Day, High Intensity Interval Training, Power & Strength, Strongman ROD Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 032810

March 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD   

Sunday, 28Mar10   

R-E-S-T Day   

 Alex is feeling the Post – NLP training syndrome

         

Box Squatting   

By: Louie Simmons

    

Box squatting is the most effective method to produce a first-rate squat. This is, in my opinion, the safest way to squat because you don’t use as much weight as you would with a regular squat.    
Let me say first that, no, they won’t hurt your spine, you don’t use1000 lbs. on a 25 inch tall box, you don’t rock on the box, you don’t touch and go, and there is no need to do regular power squats before a meet. No knee wraps are worn nor are the straps of the suit pulled up. Continue reading…   
 
     
 
Athlete of the Month   Nick Coudakis
                
             When Nick came to us back in December his athletic abilities were, let’s say, less than average. Nick was not capable of doing a squat nor did he have the flexibility to perform a bear crawl. He was a slow runner and always was last in any activity.                
             As his determination and motivation grew, Nick pushed himself to his limits. He worked harder and was pushed more than any other athlete on the roster. His benchmark came when he went from barely jumping on to an 8″ box to jumping at a height of 28″ inches with air to spare. He has come down in weight and is faster and stronger than when he started our program. Nick has shown us what a motivated athlete could accomplish. Thank you Nick, we’ve learned more from your determination and drive than we could ever imagine. We are happy that you have chosen NLP to be part of your athletic success. We know that you will excel this summer playing baseball.    We also want to thank Nick’s parents for there dedication, commitment and trust in our program. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Filed Under: Recovery Tagged With:

ROD 032710

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD    

Saturday, 27Mar10    

4 rounds for time of:    
 20 KB Swings (53/35)
 20 Pull-ups
 20 Air Squats    

Here are some pics from Thursday’s ROD, Tabata Boxing                                                               

                    

 

 

Watch the video & then head over to PaleoChix blog post – Please Help The Children

Some great advice in that article: “I have clients that tell me their kids are picky eaters, well so are mine, but if I do not bring cupcakes and frozen pizza in the house, they will eat what I serve.  I am in charge not the 14 or 22 year old.” Also check out the comments where other parents are posting how they overcame the obstacles in their struggle with current health & school systems

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Conditioning, Kettlebell, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , , , ,

ROD 032610

March 26, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Friday, 26Mar10

 

Jumping, Slamming,Thrusting & Conditioning

This is a 40 second work / 20 second rest timed exercise for 4 rounds with 40 second rest in-between rounds

  • Box jumps
  • DB Thrusters
  • Jump rope
  • Ball slams
  • Jumping split squats
  • Reclines

 

” Champions know that their success is inevitable and that the best way to forecast the future is not to follow the benchmark but to create it.”

Don’t miss your chance at participating in the High Rock Challenge on April 24th. It’s going to be a sell out and there are only a few slots left. This is exactly what you train for when you do the ROD’s. Two of our members, Darren & Mike, are HighRock veterans and are excited to participate in this years event. “I know that the high intensity interval training, that we’ve done at Nxt Level Perfomance, are going to improve our times, maybe even cut it in half placing us in the top 50 contestant’s”, says Darren. With all the different types of training modalities, preperation for any challenge is what we do best at Nxt Level. Well, Darren, from all of us at Nxt Level, we want to wish you & Mike the best. Just remember these three things…3,2,1…go

Foam Rolling?

A decade ago strength and conditioning coaches, athletic trainers, and physical therapists would have looked quizzically at a thirty six inch long round piece of foam and wondered “What is that for?”. Today nearly every athletic training room and most strength conditioning facilities contain an array of foam rollers in different lengths and consistencies. Continue reading…

Functional Training Station

Check out the video introducing the newest in functional training. This station has it all, tiered pull-up bars and anchors for Climbing ropes, Rings, AirFit Trainers. Specially designed holders for resistance bands, training ropes, and ground rotational trainers. I wish I would have had this station when I worked at the YMCA.

Filed Under: Conditioning, Fat Burner, High Intensity Interval Training, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , , , ,

ROD 032510

March 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Thursday, 25Mar10

 

Tabata Boxing

A timed 2 min of WORK at each station.  The last 30 seconds of each station everyone will do a movement called out by the trainer such as burpees, mini push-ups, V’s…… 

No rest between stations. We want 100% maximium effort from all the participants

  • Ring push-ups
  • B-A-G
  • Burpees  
  • KB bottoms up curls & press 12K men/ 8k women
  • B-A-G
  • Hit Mitt w Juan
  • Sit-ups
  • B-A-G
  • Keg overhead presses
  • KB swings
  • B-A-G

 

Do Not confuse this as high intensity interval training!!

Walking is not exercise, not even if you’re old or severely out of shape. Walking is like breathing. You HAVE to do it every day and you do, do it every day to get from A to B. It’s our normal existence. And who really thinks that swinging around 2 lbs will make them lose weight? Self denial is potent anti-medicine and cures nothing! Glad ya’ll are reading this – for you have found a better way!  Nxt Level Performance H.I.I.T. Training!!

 

 

What Food Cravings Mean and How To Control Them

Is this what happens when “The Crave” hits?

Craving: an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing

 We’ve all been there. You have a sudden, intense urge to eat something sweet or salty. It’s never broccoli. It’s probably not a salad. It’s nearly always chocolate. Or french fries.  Or ice cream. Or pretzels. Potato chips. You name it…if it’s unhealthy, there’s probably been a time when you just had to have it. Where do these cravings come from and how can you keep them at bay without devouring the entire pumpkin pie?

 
 
 
 
 It’s What You Crave

The big thing to note about a craving is that it’s not just a desire to eat. It’s not mere hunger. A craving is for a very specific food and nothing else will satisfy your need. When your stomach is growling and you’re famished, any food will do. When your brain is saying “I NEED THIS!,” only that particular food will work. Or will it?

A sharp, intense craving typically means that your body is lacking in some essential nutrient. It may be a particular vitamin or mineral or if you’re having a hypoglycemic response to a high-sugar meal, it may be glucose that your body demands. Here’s a list of commonly craved foods, many you may crave at some point in time, and what they may be saying about your nutritional status. Even better, here are much more healthful foods that will shore up those nutritional deficiencies.

Control Your Cravings

Crave This? You Need This… So Eat This.
Chocolate Magnesium Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Bread Nitrogen High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans
Alcohol, recreational drugs Protein Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts
Salty Foods Chloride Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt
Coffee or tea Phosphorus Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes

The complete list is here at 2nd Wind Body Science. What you’ll notice by looking over the list is that the very foods that serve as healthful stand-ins for the craved foods are invariably Real Foods. Organ meats, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seafood, red meat, legumes, and a couple mentions of grain (which I’ll let slide). Nearly everything on the list that you should be eating is unprocessed.

Controlling Your Cravings

It’s funny, I no longer find myself having cravings for sweet and salty snacks for the most part (unless I have a couple drinks too many, then it’s anybody’s game). In fact, if I eat too much junk, I find myself going “I just want a big ol’ salad to get back on track.” As evidenced by the list above, a big part of controlling food cravings is eating a nutrient-rich, Real Foods diet. As we’ve seen, cravings are often the result of the body’s desire for specific vitamins and minerals. So it follows logically that a diet full of the necessary vitamins and minerals is going to knock down most cravings.

Here’s a trick that has been proven in a study to improve willpower: take a picture. This article by Douglas Robb of Health Habits shows that dieters taking pictures are less likely to overeat.

One volunteer told the researchers: ‘I had to think more carefully about what I was going to eat because I had to take a picture of it. ‘I was less likely to have a jumbo bag of M&Ms. It curbed my choices. It didn’t alter them completely but who wants to take a photo of a jumbo bag of M&Ms?’ Another volunteer said the photo diaries actually improved the quality of his diet.

Personally, stick with just eating a high-quality diet that keeps me from needing to worry much about willpower.

Do you have specific foods that you crave? How do you deal with your cravings?

Filed Under: Boxing, Conditioning, Fat Burner, Heavy Day, Muscle Endurance, Power & Strength Tagged With: , , , ,

ROD 032410

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 24Mar10

 

7 sets of 10 with a heavy bell!!!

For time: do 7  rounds of 10 reps of each movement.

Focus on technique, and use a heavy bell!
  1. Kettlebell swings
  2. 1 kettlebell racked squat
  3. Push ups
  4. Reclines
  5. Knees to chest

 

Acute lower back pain

Severe low back pain usually comes on suddenly and caused by a minor movement such as bending over. The pain may increase over a couple of hours as inflammation develops. The pain is usually in the lumbar area of the spine but can radiate into the buttocks.

What can be done for severe or acute lower back pain?

  • Get into a position of least pain. Suitable positions may be lying on the back (supine), on the front (prone) or on the side. Whatever the most comfortable position for the patient is best.
  • If it hurts dont do it. Avoid movements or positions that make the pain worse.
  • Bed rest may help but not for more than two days as resting for too long can make back injuries worse. Often movement is needed after the initial pain and inflammation has gone.
  • Taping the lower back can relieve pain and give support, as can use of a specialist back support belt or back brace.
  • The doctor may prescribe NSAID’s (non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs) to relieve pain and muscle spasm.
  • Electrotherapy can be used to relieve pain. For example TENS (electrical stimulation) or magnetic field therapy or ultrasound therapy may be helpful.
  • Avoid sitting in the same position for long periods of time.
  • Very light massage techniques may help reduce pain.
  • Use of an inversion table to apply gentle traction may also help relieve symptoms.

Once the severe back pain symptoms have gone then the patient is usually treated as if having mild to moderate back pain and more intensive treatments can be started.

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Mild or moderate lower back pain

Mild or moderate lower back pain is the type of pain that would be associated with chronic or long term back problems. Longer term back pain is usually caused initially by an injury, usually to the joints in the back but over time other structures in particular soft tissue such as muscles contribute to the pain.

Muscles will tighten up in response to a back injury and if left they can tighten, weaken or adaptively shorten causing changes in posture or movement which then also make the condition worse

Symptoms

  • An aching pain that may be constant or come and go.
  • Pain may be on either side, both sides or in the middle. A common complaint is that the pain is in a band all the way across the lower back.
  • There may be pain in the buttocks or hamstrings as well.
  • A reduced range of motion.
  • The ‘slump test’ may increase pain or show restricted movement.
  • Tenderness over the spinus processes.
  • Hypomobility (lower than normal mobility) in one or more of the intervertibral segments.
  • Muscle spasms in the lower back and buttocks.

Treatment

  • Identify possible causes including:
    • Hyperlordosis (increased curve in the lower back)
    • Scoliosis (an S shaped spine)
    • Poor posture while sitting.
    • Poor posture while standing.
    • Pelvic instability.
    • Bad lifting techniques.
    • Sleeping in a bed that offers poor support.
  • Reduce pain and inflammation through ice, NSAID’s, electrotherapy and rest.
  • Restore full range of movement.
  • Increase flexibility and strength.
  • Return to full sports specific fitness.
  
Lower Back pain

 
   

   

 

 
   

 

 
   

 

 
   

 

 
 

 
Because there are so many causes of back pain and so many back pain conditions and injuries no single treatment programme is going to work for everyone. Some methods may work best for some people, most would benefit from a combination of treatment methods and approaches.It is often possible to make a diagnosis for patients with the following conditions:

  • Fractures through direct trauma. There is often soft tissue injury associated with this kind of injury also.
  • Nerve route compression with pain radiating down a specific part of the leg.
  • Spondylolysthesis or stress fracture of the pars interarticularis.
  • Spinal canal stenosis (more usually seen in older athletes).

The above conditions are thought to account for less than 10% of lower back pain. Back pain can be categorised into severe or acute low back pain and mild to moderate low back pain. Most people have mild or moderate low back pain.
Filed Under: Bodyweight, Conditioning, Fat Burner, High Intensity Interval Training, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , , , , ,

ROD 032310

March 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Tuesday, 23Mar10

 

Metabolic Tuesday

30 second couplets w/15 seconds between, four rounds with 1 minute between rounds. Complete each couplet for 4 rounds before moving on.

  • KB swings
  • reclines
  • pushups
  • sandbag front squat
  • burpees
  • kettlebell highpull
  • rower or bike
  • db push press
  • walking lunge
  • sit ups/toss
  • MB russian twist

 

The Illusion of Fitness: Lies We Want to Believe

   The fitness industry is full of lies we want to believe. 

   The promotion of old wives tales as fact is the cornerstone and hallmark of the typical product or supplement campaign: Using this just 10 minutes a day can give you flat abs, or taking this will help you lose 30 pounds in 30 days.

Affronting common sense, brilliant marketers leverage media to spin these yarns to a captive audience that wish they fit into their high school jeans and looked like the woman on the ab saucer. The seemingly too good to be true simply is, yet otherwise smart people are prone to buying into the hype and accepting falsehoods as truth.

According to a report published by the Federal Trade Commission, Americans invest more than $30 billion a year in weight loss products and services. We spend hard-earned money on pills to make us thinner, contraptions to “tone and sculpt” and, in some well-intentioned instances, gym memberships to get fit. Lots and lots of money is being spent, while all the while, simple logic shows us that old-fashioned exercise that doesn’t require a TV or juice bar, and a moderate diet, are the magic bullet we’re seeking.

The power supporting the lies and gimmicks that are the foundation for a multi-million dollar industry: We, the general public, really want to believe the lies because we really don’t want to work hard.

Since the industrial revolution, technology has pulled people from the fields and hard, manual labor and inserted them in to the office cubical. Innovation has impacted even the most minute manual chores: We move leaves with a blower instead of a rake and sit down to mow our often postage-size lawns. Technology has created an attention deficit populous who prefer sound bites to analysis and 60-second meals to home-cooked.

This “easy way” attitude has carried over into our own health and fitness. We look for ways to look like the cover of Vogue or GQ without the effort. We want to pop a pill or drink a “shake” and lose our love handles. We want to sit in front of the TV and squeeze, pull or crunch our rolls, flaps and jiggles away.

In our most ambitious moments, we let ourselves believe that fitness is accomplished in 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week, on the elliptical machine… in front of the TV. We embrace this minimum prescription for fitness, working as little as we have to, yet expect that taking the easy way will deliver real, measurable results.

The latest infomercial selling a product that burns fat, tones muscle and will make you popular sells a million units while a set of good old boring dumb bells sits in the closet or is used as a door stop.

The truth isn’t marketing spin or hype: We have to work hard if we want to achieve the fitness we value and desire. We have to get off of the couch, pick up the dumb bells, and move our bodies. We have to actually work as part of working out.

What is an effective workout? An effective workout increases your work capacity. Effective workouts increase you ability to lift, move and recover.   An effective workout is functional: The movements are multi-joint and multi planes of movement. 

Effective workouts – workouts that really will increase your fitness, help you drop fat and increase muscle — are hard. You can’t read the newspaper, talk on your cell phone or sit down in front of the TV and achieve an effective workout.

An effective workout is intense. It should result in some gasping for breath and significant burning in the muscles. An effective workout doesn’t allow the time to be stationary long enough, or moving around so little, that you can read the Advance or People magazine. You’ll never feel like an effective workout was easy.

Anything worth accomplishing is not easy. In fact, anything of value is difficult to obtain. There’s no easy way out, but it’s worth the effort. Being fit is really hard work, but it will deliver the results you’re seeking.

   Coconut Bliss

If your like me one of the biggest temptations in my lifestyle is ice cream. Unfortunately iced cream is made from milk and sugar and any variety of artificail flavors. If your trying to follow the Paleo Diet then I knew it wasn’t the real stuff we could eat. Enter “Coconut Bliss”. They use Coconut Milk which as we all know is paleo and loaded with medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) identical to those in human breast milk. Meaning it is comparable with what nature designed for us. For sweetener they use Agave Syrup which keeps the glycemic index down. And for flavors they only use whole organic foods. It’s dairy free, soy free, gluten free, sugar free, low glycemic, and all organic & fair trade ingredients! I mean these folks thought of everything! Did I mention it tastes great? I picked some up at Wegman’s Market in Woodbridge, NJ. Below is the company’s website.

Coconut Bliss

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Conditioning, High Intensity Interval Training, Kettlebell, Muscle Endurance, Sandbagging, Tabata Style Tagged With: , , , ,
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