ROD 092611

September 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Back to our Winter schedule

Evening Classes Monday – Thursday 7pm & 8pm  

Saturday Morning 9am

All other times remain the same.

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ROD

Monday, 26Sept11

 

Monday Makeover

This is a timed set of 30 sec work/ 15 second rest for 7 rounds non-stop

  • Push-ups
  • Knees to elbows
  • Wall ball shots
  • Box jumps

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“We train our athletes today, the way others won’t,
So they can do tommorrow what others can’t.”

Athlete’s ROW

Warm up: Perform 2 rounds

  • Medball chops
  • MB Triple threats (hip raises)
  • 15 Straight lying leg raises
  • MB Squat & push
  •   3 cycles of mini band walks
  •   5 reps forward – lateral – rotational - lunges w/ medball overhead
  •   3 sets skipping
  •   3 sets of lateral shuttles
  •   2 sets butt touch

Perform 2-3rounds

20 sec work / 10 sec rest for 6 rounds (stay on exercise for 6 rounds) w/ 1 min rest between rounds

  • Reclines
  • Med ball Slams
  • Pushups
  • Sit-ups
  • Burpees
  • DB single leg (foot on box (5r/5l)
Filed Under: Conditioning, Dumbbell Training, Fat Burner, High Intensity Interval Training, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 092111

September 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 21Sept11

Today’s 10 am class will be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. Friday’s class will go on as scheduled. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Walk in Wolf’s Pond Park

6 Rounds: 1 minute rest between rounds

30 work/10 rest intervals moving non-stop from station to station:

  • Reclines
  • Burpees
  • Kettlebell swings
  • Mtn Climbers
  • Double handed dumbbell snatches
  • DB Hang squat cleans

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The 9 Epiphanies That Shifted My Perspective Forever

Over the years I’ve learned dozens of little tricks and insights for making life more fulfilling. They’ve added up to a significant improvement in the ease and quality of my day-to-day life. But the major breakthroughs have come from a handful of insights that completely rocked my world and redefined reality forever.

The world now seems to be a completely different one than the one I lived in about ten years ago, when I started looking into the mechanics of quality of life. It wasn’t the world (and its people) that changed really, it was how I thought of it.

Maybe you’ve had some of  the same insights. Or maybe you’re about to.

 1. You are not your mind.

The first time I heard somebody say that,  I didn’t like the sound of it one bit. What else could I be? I had taken for granted that the mental chatter in my head was the central “me” that all the experiences in my life were happening to.

I see quite clearly now that life is nothing but passing experiences, and my thoughts are just one more category of things I experience. Thoughts are no more fundamental than smells, sights and sounds. Like any experience, they arise in my awareness, they have a certain texture, and then they give way to something else.

If you can observe your thoughts just like you can observe other objects, who’s doing the observing? Don’t answer too quickly. This question, and its unspeakable answer, are at the center of all the great religions and spiritual traditions.

 2. Life unfolds only in moments.

Of course! I once called this the most important thing I ever learned. Nobody has ever experienced anything that wasn’t part of a single moment unfolding. That means life’s only challenge is dealing with the single moment you are having right now. Before I recognized this, I was constantly trying to solve my entire life — battling problems that weren’t actually happening. Anyone can summon the resolve to deal with a single, present moment, as long as they are truly aware that it’s their only point of contact with life, and therefore there is nothing else one can do that can possibly be useful. Nobody can deal with the past or future, because, both only exist as thoughts, in the present. But we can kill ourselves trying.

3. Quality of life is determined by how you deal with your moments, not which moments happen and which don’t.

I now consider this truth to be Happiness 101, but it’s amazing how tempting it still is to grasp at control of every circumstance to try to make sure I get exactly what I want. To encounter an undesirable situation and work with it willingly is the mark of a wise and happy person. Imagine getting a flat tire, falling ill at a bad time, or knocking something over and breaking it — and suffering nothing from it. There is nothing to fear if you agree with yourself to deal willingly with adversity whenever it does show up. That is how to make life better. The typical, low-leverage method is to hope that you eventually accumulate power over your circumstances so that you can get what you want more often. There’s an excellent line in a Modest Mouse song, celebrating this side-effect of wisdom: As life gets longer, awful feels softer.


4. Most of life is imaginary.

Human beings have a habit of compulsive thinking that is so pervasive that we lose sight of the fact that we are nearly always thinking. Most of what we interact with is not the world itself, but our beliefs about it, our expectations of it, and our personal interests in it. We have a very difficult time observing something without confusing it with the thoughts we have about it, and so the bulk of what we experience in life is imaginary things. As Mark Twain said: “I’ve been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” The best treatment I’ve found? Cultivating mindfulness.

5. Human beings have evolved to suffer, and we are better at suffering than anything else.

Yikes. It doesn’t sound like a very liberating discovery. I used to believe that if I was suffering it meant that there was something wrong with me — that I was doing life “wrong.” Suffering is completely human and completely normal, and there is a very good reason for its existence. Life’s persistent background hum of “this isn’t quite okay, I need to improve this,” coupled with occasional intense flashes of horror and adrenaline are what kept human beings alive for millions of years. This urge to change or escape the present moment drives nearly all of our behavior. It’s a simple and ruthless survival mechanism which works exceedingly well for keeping us alive, but it has a horrific side effect: human beings suffer greatly by their very nature. This, for me, redefined every one of life’s problems as some tendril of the human condition. As grim as it sounds, this insight is liberating because it means: 1) that suffering does not necessarily mean my life is going wrong, 2) that the ball is always in my court, so the degree to which I suffer is ultimately up to me, and 3) that all problems have the same cause and the same solution.

 6. Emotions exist to make us biased.

This discovery was a complete 180 from my old understanding of emotions. I used to think my emotions were reliable indicators of the state of my life — of whether I’m on the right track or not. Your passing emotional states can’t be trusted for measuring your self-worth or your position in life, but they are great at teaching you what it is you can’t let go of. The trouble is that emotions make us both more biased and more forceful at the same time. Another survival mechanism with nasty side-effects.

7. All people operate from the same two motivations: to fulfill their desires and to escape their suffering.

Learning this allowed me to finally make sense of how people can hurt each other so badly. The best explanation I had before this was that some people are just bad. What a cop-out. No matter what kind of behavior other people exhibit, they are acting in the most effective way they are capable of (at that moment) to fulfill a desire or to relieve their suffering. These are motives we can all understand; we only vary in method, and the methods each of us has at our disposal depend on our upbringing and our experiences in life, as well as our state of consciousness. Some methods are skillful and helpful to others, others are unskillful and destructive, and almost all destructive behavior is unconscious. So there is no good and evil, only smart and dumb (or wise and foolish.) Understanding this completely shook my long-held notions of morality and justice.

 8. Beliefs are nothing to be proud of.

Believing something is not an accomplishment. I grew up thinking that beliefs are something to be proud of, but they’re really nothing but opinions one refuses to reconsider. Beliefs are easy. The stronger your beliefs are, the less open you are to growth and wisdom, because “strength of belief” is only the intensity with which you resist questioning yourself. As soon as you are proud of a belief, as soon as you think it adds something to who you are, then you’ve made it a part of your ego. Listen to any “die-hard” conservative or liberal talk about their deepest beliefs and you are listening to somebody who will never hear what you say on any matter that matters to them — unless you believe the same. It is gratifying to speak forcefully, it is gratifying to be agreed with, and this high is what the die-hards are chasing. Wherever there is a belief, there is a closed door. Take on the beliefs that stand up to your most honest, humble scrutiny, and never be afraid to lose them.

 9. Objectivity is subjective.

Life is a subjective experience and that cannot be escaped. Every experience I have comes through my own, personal, unsharable viewpoint. There can be no peer reviews of my direct experience, no real corroboration. This has some major implications for how I live my life. The most immediate one is that I realize I must trust my own personal experience, because nobody else has this angle, and I only have this angle. Another is that I feel more wonder for the world around me, knowing that any “objective” understanding I claim to have of the world is built entirely from scratch, by me. What I do build depends on the books I’ve read, the people I’ve met, and the experiences I’ve had. It means I will never see the world quite like anyone else, which means I will never live in quite the same world as anyone else — and therefore I mustn’t let outside observers be the authority on who I am or what life is really like for me. Subjectivity is primary experience — it is real life, and objectivity is something each of us builds on top of it in our minds, privately, in order to explain it all. This truth has world-shattering implications for the roles of religion and science in the lives of those who grasp it.

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Conditioning, Dumbbell Training, High Intensity Interval Training, Kettlebell, Spartan Preparedness, Training Tagged With: , , , ,

ROD 091911

September 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Monday, 19Sept11

 

Monday-Monday

40 seconds work/20 seconds rest x 5 rounds. No rest period.

  • Reclines
  • Bear crawl foward/backward (length of gym)
  • DB Snatch (L heavy)
  • DB Snatch (R heavy)
  • Kettlebell swings

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Athletes ROW (Routine of the Week)
Warm-up
Always start with the Med-Ball chops/hip/leg raises/core work
6 reps of foward – lateral – transverse (rear)  lunges
2 rounds of Band walks
2 rounds of Skips
2 rounds of Butt kickers
Pre – Routine
20 Squats
20 Jump lunges
10 Jump squats
10 Burpees
Then proceed to instruct the KB swing…If time permits, do the ROD
purple-#542dd2
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Filed Under: Conditioning, Dumbbell Training, High Intensity Interval Training, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , ,

ROD091711

September 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

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.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Boot Camp Training, Conditioning, Fat Burner, High Intensity Interval Training, Muscle Endurance, Spartan Preparedness Tagged With: , , , ,

ROD 083111

August 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 31Aug11

 Hit The Lights

Starter

3 rounds of:  30 sec work / 15 sec rest

  • Mtn Climbers
  • Push ups
  • Walkouts
  • Diamond leg sit-ups

Strength Session:

Lets go heavy Please…no more than 2 mins for set-up, then…
3 rounds of: 20 sec of work 10 rest… stay on each one for 3 rounds then move on

  • Goblet squats
  • Jumping Pull ups
  • DB push press
  • Kettlebell swings
  • Box jumps

Finisher:

20/10 x 4 rounds of this couplet (4 minute set)

  • Slam ball
  • Burpees

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Learn to Love Exercise

How to stay motivated? Make exercise meaningful, rather than just another to-do item.

       By Jay Kimiecik
You want to get in shape. Maybe you’ve made yet another New Year’s resolution to do it. So what’s stopping you? You’ve probably read about the long-term benefits of exercise: disease reduction, longevity, weight  loss. But as anyone who has tried — and failed — to adopt a regular fitness routine realizes, knowing that exercise will benefit you in the  distant future isn’t the best motivation. People who successfully maintain a workout regimen learn to shift their focus from distant, external outcomes like losing weight to positive, internal experiences in the here and now. They become what I call “intrinsic exercisers.” And you can become one, too.The philosophyof intrinsic exercise is my own, but it is based on years of scientific research that I have synthesized to create a whole new way of thinking about fitness. A seminal paper on intrinsic motivation by Robert White, Ph.D., for example, was published in the Psychological Review back in 1959. Other parts of the theory are derived from the groundbreaking work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Ph.D., on the  concept of flow. Numerous studies on motivation and physical activity  have been published since then, but people remain unaware of their findings. So I have reworked and unified this research to create a more complete picture — the theory of the intrinsic exerciser.

The core concept behind intrinsic exercise is to exercise for its  own sake. Because if you don’t get something out of every single run or spinning class you take, you won’t keep doing it. You will need to achieve four specific mental states to develop a mind-set powerful enough  to motivate you to exercise — and like it — under any life condition.  They are: personal meaning orientation, mastery, inner synergy and  flow.

Personal meaning orientation helps you find exercise rewarding in and of itself. How? First, you use exercise to explore who you are.  Intrinsic exercisers articulate why they are working out and what they hope to get from it. Only when exercise becomes personally meaningful will you be motivated to do it regularly.

Next, you learn to monitor improvements in your own performance, a concept known as mastery. Intrinsic exercisers focus on challenging themselves and meeting personal goals, like lifting five more pounds, instead of comparing themselves with other people, which can be frustrating and intimidating.  A mastery focus keeps you motivated.

Personal meaning orientation and mastery connect you to your workouts. Inner synergy and flow help you stay connected.

As business guru Stephen Covey once explained, we all have four basic needs–physical, mental, social and spiritual. Inner synergy refers to their integration. By linking exercise to every other area of your life, you’ll want to keep doing it. For example, you can use exercise to practice concentration or to socialize by meeting a friend for a jog. Physical activity can also be a way to explore your own spirituality: Running in a charity marathon or simply taking a walk outdoors, for example, can help you meditate on the natural world and forces beyond yourself.

Perhaps the best way to stay intrinsically motivated during     exercise is to reach “flow,” an optimal psychological state involving total absorption in — and connection to — an activity. Consider it     psychology’s version of “the Zone.” If you can reach it, you’ll want to exercise again and again to attain that positive state of mind.

Flow is all about staying in the moment. Father of flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has outlined several strategies for finding flow in physical activity. I have adapted some specifically to help you become an intrinsic exerciser:

Set clear goals. With flow, it’s not achieving an endpoint that’s     important; it’s the process of achieving. But without a clear, specific goal for every exercise session, it is difficult to concentrate on your actions and avoid distractions.

Tune in to feedback. Learn to gauge feedback that the mind and body provide during exercise. Staying aware of your progress during your workout keeps you connected to what your body is doing and how it’s feeling.

Balance perceived challenge and skill. If you’re not being challenged, you will become bored and quit. This typically happens after beginners have been exercising for a few weeks and the novelty begins to wear off. You must create new challenges for yourself, setting goals that make you work harder physically, changing the focus of goals from social to spiritual, anything that will up the ante. If you are challenging yourself beyond your skill level, you will also become frustrated and,  again, avoid exercise. In this case, you must set more realistic goals.

If you really want to exercise regularly for the rest of your life, you need to start working from the inside out. As you begin to exercise for the inner rewards of the activity itself, you will find yourself     going to the gym because you want to, not because you have to.

 

Filed Under: Bodyweight, Conditioning, Dumbbell Training, Fat Burner, High Intensity Interval Training Tagged With: , , , , , ,

ROD 082311

August 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Tuesday, 23Aug11

 

“Fight Gone Bad, Biotch”

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We are doing 3 rounds of this. The stations are:

  1. Wall-ball: 10 (w), 15 (m) pound ball, 10 ft target.
  2. Sumo deadlift high-pull, 24k (m), 16k (w)
  3. Box Jump: 20″ box
  4. Push-press: 50 pound Barbell
  5. Burpees

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate,” the member must move to next station immediately.

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Here are some of the pics from last weeks workout in Wolf’s Pond Park by FLINT!

  Pushups on the KB

   Dedication!!

    Drive to Thrive!!

    Determination!!

WTF is Sean doing. He’s suppose to be recovering. He just had surgery. Hello anyone home up there in his brain. GO HOME!!

Filed Under: Conditioning, Fat Burner, High Intensity Interval Training, Kettlebell, Muscle Endurance, Ready For Anything Tagged With: , , , ,

ROD 071311

July 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 13Jul11

 

 Wack-a-doo Wednesday

30 sec. work / 15 sec. rest  for 5 rounds with 1 min rest in between rounds.

  • TRX plank saws
  • KB Deadlifts
  • KB row & catch
  • Box jumps
  • MB Supermans 
  • DB single leg squats ( place 1 leg on a box, DB in hands & a long stance so knee doesn’t go over toe when squatting on single leg – perform squats)

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 The importance of sleep on your health is confirmed.

The importance of sleep especially non rem cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, over 50 million people in America suffer from some deprivation on a regular basis. Virtually everyone will have some mild case of insomnia during the course of any year.

Anyone who has a problem with  deprivation is susceptible to a number of conditions directly related to not getting enough. Some of these include

  • cancer
  • obesity
  • heart attacks
  • diabetes
  • or strokes.

The fact is, more than 65 diseases can be directly traced to effect of deprivation. In this light the importance of sleep starts to become obvious.

A normal sleep cycle is considered to be 7 ½ hours to 8 ¾ hours for anyone under 65 years of age. Older people tend to get less on average due to their relative lack of activity compared to those younger. Because of this the importance of sleepto them is still valid, but they just need less of it.

People with normal cycles fall asleep in less than 15 minutes, and generally stay asleep all night for the most part. The quality of the it should be one of minimal movement and deep. Dreams are generally pleasant or mundane. For those with these normal cycles, life is probably satisfactory and a good diet is being followed.

Sadly, most people do not understand that they have a problem if they are not getting enough.

They fail to understand the importance of sleep and the effects on their health and quality of life.

Consult your spouse. Your spouse knows how sound or restless you are. Ask them if you are indeed restless.

Two things that are indicative of  deprivation are excessive hunger and fatigue. Hunger is a sign of poor rest if you are not very hungry when you first get up in the morning or you are very hungry in the evening when you get home. A deep sleeper will be really hungry right at the time of waking and the desire to eat and snack all evening will not be extreme. In terms of the overweight, the importance of sleep can mean the difference of being normal weight or heading into obesity.

Fatigue is the next certain indicator for needing more rest. If you wake up tired and remain tired through the whole day, you are suffering fatigue. You may dose off or find it hard to concentrate. This could obviously jeopardize your career.

We have the ability to use insight. When we need to solve a problem, we can draw from past observances and knowledge to find solutions. Nature magazine tested this and its link to how much slp you get. What they found was that people who were well rested with normal cycles outperformed those who were deprived of adequate rest by a factor or 2 to 1 in puzzle solving. This was a well constructed study that verified the importance of sleep.

Deprivation ultimately leads to dementia or sometimes death. Taking supplements such as Omega 3 fatty acids, DHA, Vitamin B12 and maintaining normal cholesterol levels above 200 can help stave off dementia. But without adequate rest, nothing will stop permanent damage to the brain. It is essential you fix whatever is hindering normal rest. The importance of sleep not only effects your quality of life today, but has a drastic effect on you when you become elderly.

 

Filed Under: Conditioning, Dumbbell Training, High Intensity Interval Training, Kettlebell, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 070911

July 8, 2011 By 3 Comments

ROD

Saturday, 09Jul11

 

Saturday Slammer (NEW)

Round one – AMRAP in 10 minutes

10 NLP push-ups
20 180? Jumps on Stepper
30 Air squats

Rest two minutes, then…

Round two – AMRAP in 10 minutes

10 Sumo Squat Jumps
20 Mountain Climbers
30 S/L Donkey kicks 15r/15L

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These Five Foods May Cause Problems VERY Similar to Wheat…

 

Posted By Dr. Mercola | July 05 2011

While eliminating wheat from your diet is an excellent and necessary step for improving health, it may not be alone sufficient, especially in those with serious health challenges.

According to a series of articles on the website Green Med Info, there are other foods in the Western diet that have properties similar to wheat, because they contain “chitin binding lectins”, which are similar to wheat lectin (WGA). 

Chitins are long polymers of n-acetyl-glucosamine, the primary binding target of wheat lectin. Wheat lectin and chitin-binding lectin are therefore functionally identical. Chitin-binding lectin containing foods include:

  • Potato
  • Tomato
  • Barley
  • Rye
  • Rice

Additionally, sprouted grains, which are typically considered to be healthful fare can also be problematic for a couple of different reasons. Not only do sprouted whole wheat contain the highest amounts of wheat lectin, sprouted grains also contain benzoxazinoids (BAs)—a surprisingly toxic component!

Even a modest reduction in consumption of these types of carbohydrate-rich foods may promote loss of deep belly fat. This could help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease, as excess visceral fat (intra-abdominal fat) raises the risk of these diseases.

According to Eurekalert:

“… [S]ubjects who consumed [a] moderately carb-restricted diet had 11 percent less deep abdominal fat than those who ate the standard diet … [S]ubjects on both diets lost weight. However, the moderately carb-restricted diet promoted a 4 percent greater loss of total body fat”.

 

Yesterday, I discussed how wheat can deteriorate your mental health, and I mentioned that even sprouted wheat can contribute to poor health. I’ll delve into this a bit more in just a moment, but first, let’s review the health effects of some other non-wheat grains. As it turns out, wheat is not the only grain that can wreak havoc on your health.

Non-Wheat Grains May Be Just as Bad as Wheat…

If you have celiac disease (gluten intolerance), it’s absolutely imperative to avoid all kinds of gluten—primarily wheat. But did you know that other non-wheat grains, and even some vegetables, such as tomato, may be problematic as well? Yes, there are a number of other foods with very similar properties to wheat! The following foods contain “chitin binding lectins”, which are similar to wheat lectin (WGA):

  • Potato
  • Tomato
  • Barley
  • Rye
  • Rice

“Chitins” are long polymers of n-acetyl-glucosamine, the primary binding target of wheat lectin. Wheat lectin and “chitin-binding lectin” are therefore functionally identical. This is probably news to most people, and could be an important tidbit for anyone struggling with celiac disease, or any other gastrointestinal issues.

Be Careful if You Have Insulin Resistance

About 85 percent of the people in the population have insulin resistance, and eating any grains, even healthy organic unprocessed ones can be a problem. How do you know if you have insulin resistance?

There are two ways.

You can measure your fasting insulin level. It should be under 3. It is relatively inexpensive and I believe most people should have it done The higher it is, the worse your insulin resistance. If you want to forgo the hassle of a blood test then you can use clinical conditions as a gauge. If you have any of the following four conditions you most likely have insulin resistance

  • Overweight
  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • High cholesterol

I have explained this information for many years, but now we have new scientific research documenting that grains have other problems that are appear to be unrelated to insulin resistance, and I will review them below.

Sprouted Grains—Perhaps Not as Healthful as You’ve Been Told

The sprouts of grains such as wheat, maize, and rye are increasingly being consumed as health foods, and are also used for the production of dietary supplements. However, sprouted wheat actually contains the highest amounts of wheat lectin (WGA)—which is responsible for many of wheat’s ill health effects! And that’s not all. These sprouts (wheat, maize and rye) also contain benzoxazinoids (BAs). Benzoxazinoids are part of the plants’ defense system against pests, and are actually toxic components…

A study from 2007, published in the journal Cancer Letters, investigated the mutagenic activities of the two most abundant BA’s in these sprouted grains. Both types of BA were found be mutagens, meaning capable of altering genetic material, and both were also found to be aneugenic, meaning they affect cell division and lead to aneuploidy, an incorrect number of chromosomes.

“This is an interesting observation as it is assumed that aneuploidy is a key event in cancer induction and at present no other aneugenic plant-derived substances of dietary relevance are known,” the authors wrote.

Now, I think it may be risky to claim that sprouted grains are outright toxic when ingested. That’s probably not exactly the case. There may be mitigating factors involved, as there often are when you’re dealing with a whole food.

Bread Consumption and Cancer

That said, bread (grain) consumption in general has been shown to increase your risk of cancer… For example, an Italian study published in 2007 found “a significant direct trend in risk” between bread consumption and renal cell carcinoma. Compared to those with the lowest consumption, those with the highest bread consumption nearly doubled their risk of this type of kidney cancer.

Pasta and rice consumption increased the risk by almost 30 percent.

Although that study didn’t specify the disease mechanism at play, it’s a well-known fact that excessive grain consumption leads to insulin resistance—sooner or later—and that insulin resistance is the primary underlying factor of most chronic disease, including cancer. My feeling is that you start to dramatically increase your risk for cancer once your fasting blood sugar rises above 100. The higher your blood sugar level, the higher your risk of cancer. As for your insulin; your fasting insulin level should, ideally, be below 3, as mentioned earlier.

Aside from cancer, all those daily bowls of cereal and sandwiches also amount to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. A study published just last year found that women who eat a lot of foods high in blood sugar-spiking carbohydrates, such as white bread and rice, double their risk of heart disease.

This is because, when you eat more carbohydrates than your body can use, the excess energy is converted to unhealthy fats by your liver which push your cholesterol ratios in the wrong direction. This process occurs to help your body maintain blood sugar control in the short-term, however it will likely increase triglyceride concentrations, which in turn increases your risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s unfortunate that so many physicians are still clueless about insulin’s influence on cancer and heart disease, but that doesn’t mean you have to be!

Got High Cholesterol or Excess Weight? Read This…

If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or are overweight, you are best served by avoiding as many sugars and grains as possible, including:

Whole organic grains Sprouted grains Wheat Spelt Millet
Amaranth Quinoa Barley Rye Rice/potatoes

 

This also includes all forms of fructose, from high fructose corn syrup, to honey and agave syrup. You may even need to be careful with fresh fruits if you have any of the health conditions just mentioned. As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day. However, for most people it would also be wise to limit your fructose from fruit to 15 grams or less, as you’re virtually guaranteed to consume “hidden” sources of fructose if you drink beverages other than water, or eat processed food. For a quick reference list of some of the most common fruits and the amount of fructose they contain.

Remember, the ONLY carbohydrates you really need are vegetable carbs. All sugar/fructose and all grains, including the “healthful” ones, will tend to raise your insulin levels, which is a detriment to your health…

Even Modest Reduction in Carbs Promotes Weight Loss

Last, but certainly not least, avoiding grains is also one of the most effective ways to help you reach and maintain a healthy weight. According to a new study, the results of which were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston on June 12, even a modest reduction in carbohydrate-rich foods can promote loss of the deep belly fat (intra-abdominal fat) that’s been linked to type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease. The study participants followed one of two diets for four months:

  1. “Standard” reduced-fat diet: 55 percent carbs / 27 percent fat / 18 percent protein
  2. Low glycemic reduced-carb diet: 43 percent carbs / 39 percent fat / 18 percent protein

According to the press release:

“… [S]ubjects who consumed [a] moderately carb-restricted diet had 11 percent less deep abdominal fat than those who ate the standard diet … [S]ubjects on both diets lost weight. However, the moderately carb-restricted diet promoted a 4 percent greater loss of total body fat.”

Research has repeatedly shown that a low-carb diet beats low-fat. Eating fat does NOT make you fat. Carbohydrates from fructose and grains do!

One of the solutions to the out-of-control obesity problem is simply to eat LESS carbs in the form of grains and fructose, and MORE healthy fats. The ideal ratio between carbs, fats and protein depends on your nutritional type. We all need some fat, but some of us need upwards of 50 percent of our diet in the form of fat, while others need as little as 10 percent. The ideal ratio depends on your nutritional type, and if you’re interested in losing weight or staying healthy, I highly recommend you find out yours, which, by the way, is now easier and less expensive than ever.

In fact, I now offer the entire nutritional typing program free of charge—so there’s really no excuse for holding off any longer!

When you begin to include more fat in your diet, be sure to focus on healthy fats like coconut oil, olive oil, animal-based fats (grass-fed meats, omega-3, and raw dairy products), nuts and seeds, and avocados. Fats from highly refined sources, like vegetable oils and trans fats, should be avoided at all costs.

One of the best benefits of learning your nutritional type is that you don’t have to worry about counting calories or fat grams. Instead you focus on eating the right proportion of carbs, fats and protein for your body. It’s a much more natural, intuitive way of eating, and you’ll know when you’ve found the right ratio for you because you’ll feel simply wonderful, which is what HEALTH is really all about.

 

Filed Under: AMRAP, Bodyweight, High Intensity Interval Training Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 070811

July 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

There will be No Class tomorrow Saturday July 8th at the gym.  Instead, we will be at Wolf’s Pond Park at 9am.  All members and Atheltes are welcome.

 

ROD

Friday, 08Jul11

 

The Friday BBQ Meltdown!

Burn off the Brat & Beers!

This should do the trick!

6 rounds of 20 seconds work/10 seconds rest 

  • Reclines 
  • DB thrusters
  • Dumbell snatches (3 rds l/r)
  • Battling ropes
  • Kettlebell swings
  • Burpees

Do this circuit style with 1:30 between each round.

If you’re doing this right, you’ll be screaming for the 1:30 rest

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“Study: Dropped 28 Pounds off Their Waistlines
in 10 Weeks – Using 150mg of This*”

All they did was take 150mg of this ancient extract while maintaining the same diet and exercise level – and they shed an average of 28 pounds (the placebo group shed just 3 pounds).* Also tested in rats – dropped their caloric intake by almost half…*

Have you ever wondered why – despite all your dieting and exercise efforts – you keep gaining weight?

It becomes more challenging to keep excess inches off your abdomen as you age. Let me assure you, abdominal fat is fat you don’t want hanging around. “Belly” or abdominal fat is the fat that surrounds your organs.

Abdominal fat promotes the release of “cytokines” – cell-signaling protein molecules associated with less-than-optimal health. Belly fat can be the most difficult fat to lose, being resistant to many of the best diet and exercise programs.

Now, breakthrough research has finally discovered a way to help reduce this stubborn belly fat.*

Watch the video.

 

Filed Under: Dumbbell Training, High Intensity Interval Training, Tabata Style Tagged With: , , , , , ,

ROD 070711

July 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Thursday, 07Jul11

 

Ready for Anything Training!!!!!

This class is a ….. let’s see what you’ve got, are you Bad Ass enough, leave nothing in the tank, punch, kick, jump, run, crawl, swing ….we throw anything at you 1 hour boxing circuit . 

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

Let’s see what you’ve got!!!!

_____________________________________________________________

We would also like to congratulate  those members I did not list yesterday and who deserve recognition for running in the The Arielle Newman/Pepper Martin Memorial West Brighton 5 Mile Run.

334 Evangelia Gialouris   241  24                      F 47:30.00  9:30  (we know her as little Eva)

363 Maria Porceddu        268  44                      F 48:59.00  9:48   (we know her as little Antonella)

I wish the above listed would use the name we all know and love… thank you very much!

Congratulations !!!

________________________________________________________________

Visualize the attack

David Berenbaum's photo  

Dave Berenbaum has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism. He loves to write, but his passion is for fitness. He is also an active member of  Nxt Level Performance.

Manhattan Fitness Trends Examiner, July 1, 2011

“Free your mind and your body will follow” (Kai Greene, FLEX Magazine, “A New York State Of Mind,” May 2011). IFBB Pro Kai Greene lives by this quote and all of us should follow his lead.

It has happened to the best of us. Sometimes, it isn’t something we can control; our body just takes a complete 180. Whether you are a regular attendee or you find yourself giving the “I’m going to start going to the gym” speech, this will happen to you. Realistically, the hardest part of working out is actually getting to the gym.

It’s close to bedtime the night before of your favorite bodypart to work out and all you can think about is getting to the gym the next morning. You get a good rest, eat a good breakfast and get dressed into your “uniform.” You’re ready to go. Then something happens.

Maybe it’s in the late morning and you want to watch an episode of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” or maybe you want to catch highlights of “Sportscenter-” everybody loves the Top Ten. Or maybe you just got back from the shore and you’re still “sick.” But this is nothing new, because you’ve been through this before, right?

Wrong. This time it’s worse, because it’s the present. Every distraction, old or new, is another obstacle- and far more worse. However, you can overcome it. This brings me back to the article on Greene.

 ”The mind is everything. The mind creates the reality that you will see manifested in your life” (Greene, FLEX, May 2011). There is a difference between thinking about your workout and visualizing your workout. It doesn’t matter if you’re a male trying to put up your new max weight on the bench press, or a female trying to tone her lower body; visualize your trip to the gym, visulaize what you wish to accomplish, visualize yourself performing whatever workouts you plan on doing, and do this before you even go to sleep the night before.

Visualization is a key to succeeding, but is it the most important factor?

According to the “hip-hop preacher,” Eric Thomas, there is something more important than visualizing the attack. Everybody has goals in life; including goals in the gym. “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll succeed.” When waking up in the morning and getting in your car is no longer a second thought, you’ve overcame the most difficult task in making yourself look and feel better. As 8-time Mr. Olympia bodybuilding champion Ronnie Coleman says, “Ain’t nothin to it, but to do it.”

Filed Under: Boxing, Conditioning, High Intensity Interval Training Tagged With: , , , ,
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