Wednesday, 18Jan12

 BODY  SLAMMER

Perform the following exercises for time:

25 Squats

25 NLP Push-ups

25 Renegade row (no push-up)

25 Sit-ups

50 Squats

50 NLP Push-ups

50 Renegade rows (no push-up)

50 Sit-ups

75 Squats

75 NLP Push-ups

75 Renegade rows (no push up)

75 Sit-ups

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Drink Less Water?

Question:

I always hear that I should be drinking eight glasses of water a day, but it takes a lot of unnatural effort to get close to that. Is it just me? What’s your take on the water rule?

Answer:

As you know by now, my job is to question Conventional Wisdom. One of the classic health paradigms I’ve always had a problem with is the blanket recommendation by the general health community that we all should be consuming copious amounts of water. It just doesn’t make sense to me and it never has. Face it, Grok did NOT walk around with a canteen or an Evian bottle affixed to his loincloth. He and the Grok family thought Nalgene was the name of the tribe across the valley and they never owned a sippy cup with which to gulp down mass quantities of H20. Day after day it was a drop here and a mouthful there – if a source of water other than a dewy leaf was even available. Since Grok and his cadre probably didn’t spend too much time hanging around the water hole. (All those predators you know…) 8 glasses of water a day is unlikely a physiological necessity, not to mention an evolutionarily relevant model. Grok obtained most of his water directly from the food he ate, and I believe that we probably should, too.

I don’t get thirsty very often. I rarely drink so much as a single glass of water during my normal daily routine. When I was a runner, and later as a triathlete, I would go out for long runs or rides without much water – if any at all. Sure I’d drink a bit to recover lost sweat when I returned home, but if I was riding for less than two hours, or unless it was unusually hot, I didn’t even put a water bottle on my bike. Even today when we take a break playing Ultimate Frisbee on hot Sunday afternoons, I have to force myself to drink sometimes when I might just as easily skip the water altogether. Meanwhile, I see people at the gym with 2-gallon bottles of Arrowhead, fully intent on polishing them off before dinner, thirsty or not. So, am I flaunting conventional wisdom at my own peril? Or am I just doing what comes naturally to a Primal being?

Years ago someone put forth the idea that we all needed to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Perhaps it came from a series of studies in the 1940s after which the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine opined that the “RDA” for water should be roughly 1 ml per calorie consumed. At their recommended 2000 calories a day, that worked out to 2 liters a day, or roughly 8 eight-ounce glasses. Lost in the translation somewhere was an important caveat that much – if not most – of the water we required could actually be obtained from the foods we eat. In other words, it simply was not necessary to actually drink 8 glasses a day. And since the recommended diet at the time included substantial portions of water-sopping grains, maybe that initial recommendation was too high for someone eschewing grains altogether. (On a related note people will tend to drink more if the beverage is flavored. And, guess, what: carbohydrates (particularly sweet tastes) encourage increased fluid intake. So, it’s useful to ask if the hankering is real thirst or a flavor related craving.)

Nevertheless, over the years, this hydration mandate has become burned into the health consciousness of most people. It appears that nearly every health guru (except yours truly) hammers on this point. Food doesn’t seem to count at all anymore. Eight means eight. And forget including coffee, tea, soft drinks or beer because Conventional Wisdom says that these are diuretics and therefore only increase your requirement for pure water. Of course, that’s wrong, because coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages do actually add to water intake rather than detract from it. Alcohol and caffeine only become significantly diuretic in very large and otherwise dangerous amounts. But I really wonder if all that extra water – however you take it in – is necessary or even healthy if you are already consuming lots of vegetables and other healthy Primal Blueprint food. The average person is said to obtain 20% of his/her water from foods throughout the day. If the bulk of your diet is vegetables and fruit, this percentage is assuredly higher.

Contrary to what your neighbor might advise you, there is no evidence that drinking eight or more glasses prevents constipation, kidney stones, bladder cancer, urinary tract infections or that it guarantees you’ll have clear skin and a toxic-free liver. Yet these are often cited as the main reasons to drink so much. And forget the so-called hyper-hydration properties of “clustered water,” “ionized super waters,” “penta-water” and the rest of the scam-waters, about which I have blogged in past posts. Water is water is water.

On the other hand, there are some possible health consequences of overdoing this hydration thing. Chronic over-consumption of water can cause the relative concentration of important electrolytes in the blood to drop, a condition called hyponatremia (Wikipedia), which in turn forces water out of the bloodstream and into cells, causing them to swell. Not a big deal for a muscle cell, but catastrophic when it’s a brain cell and there’s no extra space to expand into. Each year we read about people in endurance contests who sweat profusely, overcompensate by replacing the water but not the salts and wind up with cerebral edema. Last year a woman died in a radio-sponsored “water drinking contest,” drinking only about two gallons in a short period of time. Of course, those are extreme examples, but I do have several readers who have shared with me their intent on getting “100 ounces a day”, and I have to advise them to cut way back.

(The following contains my own personal hypotheses. I would love to see some research done in these areas. If anyone is aware of any please drop me a line.)

Conventional Wisdom suggests that drinking water with your meals is fine – even recommended. But I suspect that some heretofore undiagnosed digestive issues may arise when people drink significant amounts of water or other fluids with their meals. The digestive process starts with, and depends on, a very acidic environment in the stomach (a pH of 1 to 2 ideally). That highly acidic environment also controls the timing of when the stomach empties. When you drink lots of fluid at a meal, you are substantially diluting the stomach acid and diminishing its ability to effectively digest your food. I would guess that many cases of GERD, gas, stomach upset and other common complaints might be addressed simply by NOT drinking so much water throughout the day and refraining entirely from drinking while eating. (Except maybe a little wine, which, having a pH closer to stomach acid has been shown to aid in digestion) This might also explain why some proteins that only break down under optimum acid conditions pass into the intestines only partially digested and thus might be recognized by the immune system as “foreign invaders”, setting up some immune response that gets diagnosed as a food allergy.

Furthermore, unbeknownst to many people, the stomach is one of the first lines of defense in your immune system. Bacteria and yeast that are regularly consumed along with your food can be quickly and easily dispensed with in a very acidic stomach, preventing what might otherwise become a short term bout of food poisoning or a possible longer term GI tract infection. Dilute all your meals with water, however, and the pH rises enough to possibly allow those same bacteria to pass through to the intestines where all hell can break loose. Literally.

Even cold and flu viruses that permeate the air around us are generally rendered harmless when they reach a normally acidic stomach, (after being breathed in and drained with mucous into the stomach). Drinking a ton of water all day long just might disarm that security measure as well.

So how much water does a person need? I think this question exemplifies our tendency to over-think many aspects of our health and well-being. I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions that animals seem to get along just fine on their own instinct. Do we really think we evolved any differently? Thirst is a physiological instinct that is there for a reason. Still, the makers of this bogus rule also tell us that the thirst instinct comes “too late”: we’re already on our way to dehydration once we get to that point! This is where the paleo-perspective comes in handy. Has our “defective” thirst instinct been leading us wrong – for tens of millions of years? I think you know where I stand on this one. So if you actually feel thirsty, by all means have a drink. For anyone interested in a little history of the rule (and confirmation that thirst doesn’t signal dehydration), check this (PDF) out.

Our individual need for water depends on numerous factors. Activity level, body size, environment (humidity level and altitude, most significantly), quality of health, age, and pregnancy/breastfeeding impose the most legitimate variations. In general, we want to replace the fluids we lose in a day, and intensive activity (with its accompanying sweat) will increase the amount of fluid we need. (For prolonged, intensive exercise and/or significant water intake, it’s essential to balance salt/electrolytes with water.) The drier our climate, the more water we tend to lose, but unless you’re sitting out in the blazing sun for hours at a time, it doesn’t make a huge difference. Altitude, because of the body’s more laborious breathing, can increase our need. Those who are ill can require more, depending on their condition and any treatments they’re receiving. (People with kidney disease, kidney stones, a history of bladder cancer, or a tendency for urinary tract infections are usually advised to drink more.) Women who are pregnant or nursing definitely need to drink more. Finally, I mention age not because older men and women necessarily need more water. In fact, if they’re more sedentary, they probably need less. However, some research has shown that as we age our thirst instinct may not be quite as sharp as it used to be.

For most of us, however, we can safely rely on that brain stem of ours to tell us when it’s time to belly up to the drinking fountain.

One final word on water intake:

Bottled water is a joke. If you don’t trust your tap, get a simple Reverse Osmosis filtering system.

Read more: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

This mornings 10am class has been canceled due to circumstances  beyond our control. Sorry for the inconvienence.

We are adding more morning classes starting next week…. working through the bugs. The new morning schedule will be out soon.

TY

 ROD

Wednesday, 09Nov11

•    5 Burpees
• 10 Kettlebell snatches 
• 15 Mountain climbers
• 20 Kettlebell swings / newbies will perform 20 KB Deadlifts

 This is a NLP favorite and a benchmark workout.

Benchmark workouts are not usually repeated often. This allows you to track your progress, while still not falling into a routine.  To track your progress, we ask that you post your completed rounds to comments on our website.  If you don’t know how to post to comments ask Donald, Chris or Juan before you leave.

Let’s get after this ROD and don’t forget to post your rounds.

If you read our article in the SI Advance and want to know more click on GETTING STARTED if you dare.

Staten Island’s Next Level Performance caters to hard-core exercisers seeking an alternative to the average gym

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The cinder block walls of Next Level Performance in Rossville are painted black, gray and red. The workout facility doesn’t have any televisions, cushy chairs, mirrors, or even exercise machines.

Here, the people are the machines as they sweat, pant and groan while performing the rigorous tasks assigned to them.

The atmosphere inside the off-the-beaten-path warehouse-turned-gym known as “the box” to those who frequent it, screams hard-core.

Danielle Senatore of Woodrow learned of the facility from her sister and boss. Told it was hard to finish the workout and that participants were even known to vomit, she wanted to find out for herself what was so terrible. She joined eight months back and now, she said, “I wouldn’t go back to a regular gym.”

That’s the reaction business partners Juan Becerra and Chris Brown wanted when they opened their facility in November 2008. With growing interest in their type of training — membership stands at around 100 adults and growing — they recently expanded to a bigger location at 115 Industrial Loop, and are looking to bring their brand of workout to Staten Island’s North Shore.

“It’s for anyone who is serious about fitness. And you don’t have to be 21 years old to be serious about fitness,” Becerra said. “You can be 45 or 55 and just want to change the way you look, way you feel and the way you move.”

“If we were able to keep everyone who came through our doors, we would be extremely successful,” he said, explaining, “The problem is people don’t want to do that much work.”

HIGH INTENSITY

The partners, along with trainer Donald Girard, use High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which involves timed sets of maximum-intensity exercise followed by short intervals of rest, which act as a recovery period.

The exercises used during group circuit training also work the entire body and involve both cardiorespiratory fitness and strength training. This, the trainers noted, is different from traditional gyms that tend to focus on just cardio machines or training isolated muscle groups.

“Basically, we’re forcing people to do a short burst of energy at maximum capacity to get the best results,” Brown explained. “It burns fat and builds muscle more quickly,” he continued. “People don’t realize that by doing these exercises, they’re also building up their endurance.”

The gym isn’t always open — the trainers have day jobs and classes are held mainly in the mornings and at night — and the workout is never the same. Each day, a Routine of the Day, or ROD, is posted on a board at the front of the class and put online in the morning.

“Muscle confusion is the key to really changing your body and getting results,” Becerra said by way of explaining why it’s important to change up the routine.

“Every once in awhile, we get a new person who says ‘it really killed me,’” Brown chimed in. “You may work out every day, but you’re probably doing the same thing over and over again and have muscle memory,” he said. “We want to make sure you’re reaching your full potential.”

Girard, who previously owned a CrossFit affiliate on the Island, noted many of the exercises reinforce functional training, which mimics real-life movements. Exercises like basic squats and deadlifts are actions people do regularly, but have more trouble with as they age and muscles become less flexible and tonic.

“We give them back the basic foundation movements,” Girard said.

FAMILY ATMOSPHERE

During a recent session, the first ROD circuit consisted of four rounds of TRX suspension training reclines, kettlebell swings, diamond sit-ups and kettlebell front squats, done for 30 seconds each with 20 seconds rest between exercises. The second circuit had kettlebell high pulls, burpees, thrusters and mountain climbers.

The atmosphere is like a boot camp, with trainers pushing participants to continue. But there’s also a sense of camaraderie.

“It’s like a family. We all work out together,” said Sean Cusick of Huguenot, who has been a member for more than a year. “It’s not like going to a regular gym where you do your routine and leave.”

Newcomers Janeth Toro and Hector Nieves were going to a different gym and decided to switch up their routine. The Tottenville couple are training to get in shape for their April wedding.

“I wanted something that would really involve cardio and was not just lifting [weights] or running on a treadmill, which gets boring,” Nieves said.

“I used to have to drag him to the gym. Now, he wants to come,” Ms. Toro said. As for herself, “I like the sense of community. It’s different than being by yourself on the elliptical.”

Thursday, 13Oct11

7 p.m.

H.I.T.T.

We will go over a series of lifts such as the Deadlift, the barbell front squat, the clean… This class is intended to put size and strength on any individual who participates.

  ”Cindy”
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats     

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8 p.m.

Ready for Anything Training!!!!!

This class is a 1 hour ass kicking circuit that will leave you in a puddle of sweat.

Your cardiorespiratory and muscle strength will benefit from our motivational, challenging and fun circuit training set to energetic music.

Let’s see what you’ve got!!!!

Saturday, 17Sept11

Spartan Preparedness Training

Here we go again for the last time…

40/20,  That’s it!!

• Push-ups
• Mtn. Climbers
• Plank Jacks
• Plank Climbers

Run 400 meters

Then get over to the field and drag a brick 100m, perform 15 Thrusters. We run to the beach, pour sand into bucket and run to the wooden stairs. On the stairs perform stadium hops up the stairs and bear crawl down the stairs. Grab the buckets back up to the starting point n the beach, run back to the field then back pedal the cinder block to the start position and back again to the Rink

40/20, then

• Alt split jumps
• Burpees
• Tuck jumps

Run 400 meters

On ther second run to the beach, bear crawl 100 meters and perform push-ups. We run to the beach, pour sand into bucket and run to the wooden stairs. On the stairs perform stadium hops up the stairs and bear crawl down the stairs. Grab the buckets back up to the starting point on the beach, run back to the field then back pedal the cinder block to the start position and back to the rink. Tag your partner and then he/she will perform the above routine. Till the winner rises to the top. Let’s Kill this!!!! This will definately seperate the men/women from the boy’s/girl’s. 

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Senior Vice President with an American Express Gold Card

by The Finance Guido

The Finance Guido loves nothing more than when a “big dog” decides to throw his credit card down on the bar to run a tab. I become like Pavlov’s dog and start drooling over the ability to order a $7 beer. You see the Finance Guido generally drinks the cheapest beer at any bar. You can ring the bar towel into a glass so long as it only costs me two big ones. If it comes in a can, I will take two. But, when a head honcho with Managing Director potential comes strolling into the bar you can hold the Natty Light because I am drinking Stella tonight, so keep them coming.

The excitement level in the bar quickly rises when this walking disaster strolls into the bar in his Cole Haan shoes and Faconnable shirt knowing that I will be taking money out of his Nanny fund this evening. Hey, look at the bright side, his wife will actually have to wake up before noon or actually remember her kids’ names.

Logistically, you may think it is hard to take advantage of a Senior Vice President (“SVP”). You must be thinking, “SVP, sounds like an important title this guy must be smart.” But, his desire to impress overtakes his brain and before long, it is the beginning of the end. After you order the first drink the other cheap bastards (like me) can smell an open tab like a shark smelling blood or a Guido smelling Ma’s gravy on the stove. The air becomes filled with that sweet aroma of sucker and you can move in for the kill. The SVP wants everyone to see that he can afford the $125 annual fee to be the proud user of an American Express Gold Card. The ability to show off in front of a bunch of girls he couldn’t sleep with even if he looked like Antonio Sabato, Jr. is too hard to resist. When the SVP is using this card, he has a full head of non-graying hair, he has lost that FUPA (Fat Upper Penis Area) and no longer suffers from the Irish curse. Fully engaged in this transformation, the SVP is chomping at the bit to be the first to put his card down on the bar.

Soon, without fail, every skirt this side of Staten Italy has descended upon the bar to feast their eyes on this endangered species. Guidos have smartened up over the years, we no longer pay for a broad’s nails or highlights. We don’t have to anymore – our game has gotten that tight. So, when this non-Guido SVP is around, the skirts see their opportunity to take him for all he is worth. As this occurs, the Finance Guido seizes his opportunity. It is time to sneak to the edge of the bar and get the bartender’s attention to utter the greatest words in the English language, “Yeah, Nicky you can put this on that SVP’s tab, he is too stupid to realize it. Oh yeah, Nicky do me a favor buy Gina a white zinfandel on that SVP also.” By the time the SVP realizes what has happened to him, the NYPD has already set up the “Caution” tape and he is being swabbed for the Rape Kit. The poor guy has to crawl home (who I am kidding the guy probably takes a town car the ten blocks to his apartment) to his wife and two sleeping kids with a $300 receipt.

In the meantime, you are walking twenty blocks to the PATH train with the same $20 your great Aunt gave you for your Holy Communion. You don’t care if he gets divorced; you just want the free beer. So, whenever you see an SVP walk into the bar, raise a glass because that idiot is definitely going to get worked over tonight.

Thursday, 15Sept11

Ready for Anything Training!!!!!

This class is a 1 hour ass kicking circuit that will leave you in a puddle of sweat.

Your cardiorespiratory and muscle strength will benefit from our motivational, challenging and fun circuit training set to energetic music.

Let’s see what you’ve got!!!!

Please RSVP by clicking on Class Sign Up ….. each class is limited to 13 participants.

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60 Small Ways to Improve Your Life in the Next 100 Days

Friday, 09Sept11

500

On the minute, every minute for 20 minutes perform:

3 Burpees
7 Push-Ups
15 DEEP Body Weight Squats

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Financial Advice

by The Finance Guido

Frivolous Spending Alert: Health Clubs and Personal Trainers

Last evening, the Finance Guido was strolling along the rain covered sidewalks of Hoboken, New Jersey when it happened. No, I didn’t find a quarter silly (though that would have made me happy). I made the mistake of walking past the yuppiest health club in Hoboken, a money pit called Club H Fitness. Club H Fitness is the typical yuppie cesspool where surrounding air reeks of a combination of meathead and skank (a guido paradise). To make matters worse this dump has an overpriced initiation fee and monthly dues that rival your Camaro payment.

Anyway, I was looking at the sidewalk trying to find some coins (seriously, this is another reason why I walk everywhere) and at that precise moment I was compelled to look up. The sight was unbearable, there was a line of meatheads (about five deep) staring at themselves in the mirrors (checking their form I am told). It gets better. By the same mirrors, I noticed a girl (she looked perfectly nice), but she had fallen for the “Personal Trainer Scam.”

The only thing I hate more than health clubs are health club employees (specifically, Personal Trainers). Does anybody really need a personal trainer? I could understand using a personal trainer if he/she were free of charge. However, these crooks in workout clothes are charging over $80 per hour to watch you workout.

So, let me guess this straight you have to pay for the privilege of joining this dump, then you have to pay to walk into the gym and use the equipment, then you have to pay $80 an hour to hire someone to watch you run on a treadmill or use an elliptical machine. Sign me up. I have a few grand to throw away. I once had a girlfriend who spent about $10,000 to have a personal trainer wake her up, so she could go to a few exercises an hour. I don’t even think she lost one pound that year.

Do you think our forefathers belonged to Colonial Health Clubs? Can you imagine George Washington and Thomas Jefferson spotting each other on the bench or John Adams sipping whey protein shakes with Alexander Hamilton? Our forefathers used the land for their workouts. Are people too afraid to run outside? Do you really need a conveyer belt to help you run? You pay taxes to your local school district go for a run at their track. Buy a jump rope for a couple bucks and exercise at your home. Our community parks provide ample opportunity for workouts, be inventive. Why must we flush our money down the toilet?

Most people who join Health Clubs don’t even use them. Some joined as a New Year’s resolution and others joined to boost their self esteem. You pay your membership dues and/or initiation fees and then show up a couple times a month (if that). But, you feel proud of yourself for joining. Soon, you don’t even go at all and you have paid a ton of money to belong to a Health Club full of suckers. You are smarter than that. The only way a health club is worth it is if you go every single day. That is impossible for most, so most people should not join health clubs. Even then it is probably still not worth it. You can do the same work outside or you can buy your own weights. Do you remember when Rocky Balboa fought Ivan Drago in Rocky IV? Drago was training with the top of the line equipment in this gym/lab while Rocky was chopping wood and running up snow covered mountains. Do I need to remind you who won that fight?

 If you want more advice from the Finance Guido let us know by posting to comments or FB.

Thursday, 08Sept11

Ready for Anything Training!!!!!

This class is a 1 hour ass kicking boxing circuit that will leave you in a puddle of sweat.

Your cardiorespiratory and muscle strength will benefit from our motivational, challenging and fun circuit training set to energetic music.

Let’s see what you’ve got!!!!

Please RSVP by clicking on Class Sign Up

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Events That Sabotage Your Workout (and How to Prevent Them!)

1. Going on Vacation

This week the 10am and 11am classes will be canceled.  We will resume the regular morning schedule on  Wednesday, September  14, 2011.

TY NLP

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ROD

Wednesday , 07Sept11

 Deadlift/Push-up/Jump Rope Ladder

Saturday, 09Apr11

Partner ROD

for time:

• 400M Run (As a Team)
• 50 Reclines
• 75 Wallball shots
• 50 KB Swings (2 poods)
• 75 Air Squats
• 50 Knees to Elbows
• 75 Pushups
• 50 Burpees
• 400M Run (As a Team)

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High Rock Workout

Saturday 09 Apr11

Come and get your Bad Ass Whoooooped !!!!!

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How To Kick The Sugar Habit

The Single Best Thing You Can Do For Your Health – Stop Eating Sugar