ROD 050712

May 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Monday, 07May12

 

Mundane Monday

Another weekend has hurried by and it feels that we’ve only enjoyed just a glimpse of it.  Well to start off the week strong, here is a workout that will challenge your fitness abilities. This timed set is the ultimate in High Intensity Interval Training. For us, the couplets have always presented a challenge, but now we are performing couplets Tabata style. So today we will attack this combination of Tabata couplets

20 seconds work/10 seconds recovery for 6 rounds staying at each couplet! Take one minute rest between couplets.

  1. Reclines/Half Burpees
  2. Dynamax Overhead Wall Toss Sit-ups/Alternating Rotating Toss
  3. Dumbbell Thrusters/Sit-outs
  4. Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls/Mtn. Climbers

______________________________________________________________

Athlete ROD

This is a 20 second work /10 second recovery for 6 rounds at each station

  • Single Arm TRX Reclines (switch arm at each round)
  • Lateral Hops
  • DB Side Staggered Stance Snatches
  • Dynamax Slam and O/H toss
  • Push-ups

_________________________________________________________

Results of yesterday’s Mudmanx 

Go Maria!!

http://www.gosportz.com/results.php?eventid=8762

Individual F30 – 34

Bib Name Team Age Gen ChipTimeAG OA FO
571 Lozovskaya, Maria Next Level Performance 30 F 0:56:50.2 1 2 29
netStrt ( — ) run ( 0:56:50.2 )

 

Courtney Nash ran the Long Branch Half and course PR….1:58:18. Congratulations

Filed Under: Athlete ROD, Conditioning, Tabata Style, TRX Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 042112

April 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Saturday, 21Apr12

 

Insanity Saturday

15 seconds work/15 seconds rest for 8 minutes at each couplet. Alternate between each exercise of each couplet. Rest 1 minute between each couplet.

Lower body work

  • Kettlebell Deadlifts
  • Dynamic KB Goblet Squats

Upper body work

  • Kettlebell Rows (alternating L/R side between sets)
  • Push ups

Core work

  • Med Ball Alternating V-ups
  • Med Ball Russian Twists

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Athlete ROD

This is a 30 second work/ 15 second rest  with a 1 minute rest every 3 rounds for 9 rounds:

  • Burpee Box Jumps
  • Thrusters
  • Split jumps

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Top 10 Inflammatory Foods to Avoid Like the Plague

Stay clear of these inflammation-causing foods to instantly upgrade your health

According to the statistics from the World Health Organization, about 12.9 million people worldwide died from some form of cardiovascular disease in 2004. And each year, the World Cancer Research Fund estimated that some eight million people died from cancer. Heart disease and cancer, the deadly manifestation of chronic inflammation, are expected to remain as the leading causes of death in developed countries for many years to come.

But study after study shows that the risk of heart disease and cancer are modifiable by our lifestyle choices which include the food we choose to eat each day. With every bite that we take, we’re either balancing the pro- and anti-inflammatory compounds in the body, or tipping the scale to one end.

To shift the balance to your favor, other than incorporating more natural anti-inflammatory foods in your diet, it’s also equally important to avoid or cut down on foods which are known to promote inflammation. Here, we look at the top ten foods which set the stage for inflammatory diseases:

 

1. Sugars

  • Refined Sugar

    Pro-inflammatory Agent: Excessive sugar intake causes tooth decay and has been linked to increased risks of obesity, inflammation and chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Recently, it has also finally been proven that sugar, as well as dairy, are the causes of acne.

    Find them in: Sugar-sweetened beverages like soft drinks, fruit drinks and punches are one of the major sources of dietary sugars that many have overlooked. Do you know that drinking a can of Coke is as good as sucking ten sugar cubes? Other obvious sugar-loaded foods to avoid or at least limit include pastries, desserts, candies and snacks. And when you’re looking out for sugar in the ingredients list, note that sugar has many names: corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, golden syrup, maltose, sorghum syrup and sucrose are some of the creative names used.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: Got a sweet tooth? Opt for natural sweeteners like stevia, honey, or blackstrap molasses to flavor your beverages and foods modestly. Natural sugars found in fresh or dried fruits and fruit preserves with no added sugar are also great choices. Not only do they give you the sweetness you crave for, fruits also supply you with vitamins, antioxidants and fibers that you won’t find in sugary foods and drinks. Dates, figs, persimmons, kiwis, tangerines and various types of berries are but some of the natural healthy snacks you can sink your teeth into.

2. Common Cooking Oils

  • Common Cooking OilsPro-inflammatory Agent: Common vegetable cooking oils used in many homes and restaurants have very high omega-6 fatty acids and dismally low omega-3 fats. A diet consisting of highly imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratio promotes inflammation and breeds inflammatory diseases like heart disease and cancer.

    Find them in: Polyunsaturated vegetable oils such as grape seed, cottonseed, safflower, corn and sunflower oils. These industrial vegetable oils are also commonly used to prepare most processed foods and takeaways.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: Replace your omega-6-saturated cooking oils with macadamia oil, extra virgin olive oil, or other edible oils with a saner omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids ratio. Macadamia oil, for instance, has an almost one to one ratio of omega-6:3 fats, and it’s also rich in oleic acid, a heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acid.

3. Trans Fats

  • Trans FatsPro-inflammatory Agent: Trans fatty acids are notorious for their double whammy effect: they increase the levels of ‘bad’ cholesterol, while lowering levels of the ‘good’ cholesterol. But that’s not all they can do. They have also been found to promote inflammation, obesity and resistance to insulin, laying the ground for degenerative illnesses to take place.

    Find them in: Deep fried foods, fast foods, commercial baked goods and those prepared with partially hydrogenated oil, margarine and vegetable shortening. Note that items that list 0g trans fats on the label may still contain some amount of this toxic fats. This is because in the US, the government allows items containing less than 0.5g of trans fats to be declared as trans-fat free. Commercially prepared peanut butter is one good example. Your best bet is to read the ingredients list and make sure partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening is not used.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: Look for alternative products that contain no trans fats, or don’t have partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening in the ingredients list. When in doubt, assume that all commercially prepared foods contain trans fats unless stated otherwise.

4. Dairy Products

  • Dairy ProductsPro-inflammatory Agent: As much as 60% of the world’s population can’t digest milk. In fact, researchers think that being able to digest milk beyond infancy is abnormal, rather than the other way round. Milk is also a common allergen that can trigger inflammatory responses, such as stomach distress, constipation, diarrhea, skin rashes, acne, hives and breathing difficulties, in susceptible people.

    Find them in: Milk and dairy products are as pervasive as foods containing partially hydrogenated oil or omega-3-deficient vegetable oil. Apart from obvious milk products like butter and cheese, foods with hidden dairy content include breads, cookies, crackers, cakes, cream sauces and boxed cereals. Scanning the ingredients list is still the safest way to suss out milk.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: Kefir and unsweetened yogurt are acceptable in moderation for those who are not allergic to milk. They are easier on the stomach as the lactose and proteins in the milk have been broken down by beneficial bacteria and/or yeasts.

5. Feedlot-Raised Meat

  • Feedlot-Raised MeatPro-inflammatory Agent: Commercially produced meats are feed with grains like soy beans and corns, a diet that’s high in inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids but low in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. Due to the small and tight living environment, these animals also gain excess fat and end up with high saturated fats. Worse, to make them grow faster and prevent them from getting sick, they are also injected with hormones and fed with antibiotics. The result is one piece of meat which you and I shouldn’t be eating.

    Find them in: Unless otherwise stated, most, if not all, beef, pork and poultry you can find in the supermarkets and restaurants come from feedlot farms.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: Organic, free-range animalsthat fed on their natural diet like grasses instead of grains and hormones contain more omega-3 fats. Having more room to roam freely, they are also leaner and contain less saturated fats.

6. Red Meat & Processed Meat

  • Red Meat and Processed MeatPro-inflammatory Agent: Researchers at theUniversity of California San Diego School of Medicinefound that red meat contains a molecule that humans don’t naturally produce called Neu5Gc. After ingesting this compound, the body develops anti-Neu5Gc antibodies – an immune response that may trigger chronic inflammatory response. And low-grade simmering inflammation that won’t go away has been linked to cancer and heart disease.

    The link between processed meat consumption and cancer is even stronger. In the 2007 report by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, processed meat has been stated as a convincing cause of cancers of the colon and rectum, and possibly esophagus and lung cancer too. Processed meat includes animal product that has been smoked, cured, salted or chemically preserved.

    Find them in: Common red meats are beef, lamb and pork, while processed meat include hams, sausages and salami.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: You don’t need to avoid red meat totally, though the same thing can’t be said for processed meat. No amount of processed meat is safe. Replace the bulk of your red meat with organic vegetables, poultry and fish, and relegate red meat to a weekly treat. When you do eat red meat, remember to choose lean cuts and preferably, that of grass-fed animals.

7. Alcohol

  • AlcoholPro-inflammatory Agent: Regular high consumption of alcohol has been known to cause irritation and inflammation of the esophagus, larynx (voice box) and liver. Over time, the chronic inflammation promotes tumor to grow and gives rise to cancer at the sites of repeated irritation.

    Find them in: Beers, ciders, liquors, liqueurs, and wines.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: A refreshing and thirst-quenching glass of pure, filtered water, anyone? :) How about a cup of anti-aging and anti-inflammatory jasmine green tea? If you find the idea of swapping ethanol for water or tea implausible, at least limit your consumption to no more than one drink a day.

8. Refined Grains

  • Refined GrainsPro-inflammatory Agent: A lot of the grains we eat nowadays are refined. They are devoid of fiber and vitamin B compared to unpolished and unrefined grains that still have the bran, germ and the aleurone layer intact. This makes refined grains as good as refined sugars, which are practically empty calories. And like refined sugars, refined grains have a higher glycemic index than unprocessed grains and when they are consistently consumed, can hasten the onset of degenerative diseases like cancer and coronary disease.

    Find them in: Refined grains and products made out of them are almost everywhere. The common ones are: white rice, white flour, white bread, noodles, pasta, biscuits and pastries. To make things worse, many products with refined grains undergo further processing to enhance their taste and look, and are often loaded with excess sugar, salt, artificial flavors and/or partially hydrogenated oil in the process. A prime example is boxed cereals which contain substantial amounts of added sugar and flavorings.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: Go for minimally processed grains if you are not gluten intolerant or allergic to grains. If you’re an avid bread or pastry maker, invest in a grain mill to produce your own flour. It will be much fresher than the stale one found in stores. When buying cereals or other products made from grains, don’t take the words on the packaging for granted. Just because the box says whole grains, it doesn’t mean the grains inside are 100% intact. The problem is due to a lack of an internationally accepted definition for the word ‘whole grain’. When in doubt, if it doesn’t look close to its natural state, don’t buy.

9. Artificial Food Additives

  • Artificial Food AdditivesPro-inflammatory Agent: Some artificial food additives like aspartame and monosodium glutamate (MSG) reportedly trigger inflammatory responses, especially in people who are already suffering from inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

    Find them in: Only packaged foods contain artificial food additives. If you need to buy them, read the labels carefully and weigh your risks. If you order Chinese takeaways, make sure you’ve the option to ask for no MSG. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: Besides limiting the consumption of processed foods, use anti-inflammatory herbs, spices or natural sweeteners to add flavor to your dishes instead of relying on food additives.

10. <Fill in the blank>

  • Allergic FoodPro-inflammatory Agent: Why is this blank? Because it is meant for you to fill in with the food that you’re sensitive to. Many people are sensitive to certain food but are totally unaware about it. Unlike food allergy in which symptoms usually come fast and fiery, symptoms caused by food intolerance take a longer time to manifest. And when they do appear, they are often brushed off as common minor ailments such as tiredness and headaches. But repeated, long-term exposure to food that irritates can cause inflammation and lead to chronic diseases.

    Find them in: Common food allergens are gluten, milk, nuts, eggs and nightshade vegetables. Contrary to common belief, it is possible to develop an allergy to the foods that you eat often.

    Inflammation-dousing Substitute: If you suspect that a particular food may be responsible for your food intolerant response, try avoiding it completely for about two weeks and monitor your reaction. At the end of the abstinence period, re-introduce the food back into your diet. If you’re in fact incompatible with it, you should be able to notice the difference in how you feel easily.

     

Filed Under: Athlete ROD, Conditioning, Couplets Tagged With: , ,

ROD 031412

March 14, 2012 By 1 Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 14Mar12

 

Over the Hump Wednesday

  • 30/30/30 work/work/rest
  • 25/25/25
  • 20/20/20
  • 15/15/15

Of the following movements:

  • Jumping Pullups / Ball Slams / rest
  • Wall Ball / Wall Passes to Squat Thrusts / rest
  • Rower / Rower / rest
  • KB Front Squats / Wall Squat holds Squeezing MB bet. knees / rest
  • Band Swimmers / MB Thrusters / rest

The timer will be set for 7 rounds total with 4 different settings.

____________________________________________________________________

Happiness: Taking the Bull by the Horns

By Bret Contreras, March 10, 2012

One of the best things that you can do for others is take good care of yourself. Chances are your loved-ones care deeply about your health and well-being, and therefore it pleases them to see you happy. When you realize that you are responsible for your actions, your thoughts, and your attitude, your pathway to happiness becomes evident. In this two-part series I’m going to teach you a little bit about happiness. Being happier will make you a better friend, family member, partner, teacher, coach, therapist, trainer, or lifting partner. Part I will focus on the research and quotes, and part II will discuss the specific steps that I’ve taken to reclaim my happiness.

What Does the Research Say About Happiness?

It’s a bit strange consulting the literature regarding happiness. Let’s be honest – anyone performing a search on PubMed for the term “happiness” probably isn’t very happy. Indeed, several months ago I came to the realization that I wasn’t very happy, and my first step was to learn a bit about happiness through PubMed. Below is a summary of my understanding of what is currently known in the research on the topic of happiness.

What are Happiness and Well-Being?

Well-being or happiness requires at least two crucial ingredients: positive affect or pleasure (hedonia) and a sense of meaningfulness or engagement in life (eudaimonia). Happiness is a composite of life satisfaction, coping resources, and positive emotions. Dr. Martin Seligman, one of the foremost experts on the topic of happiness, confesses that years back his definition of happiness was too narrow; resting primarily upon three legs – positive emotion, engagement, and meaning, with the overall goal as increased life-satisfaction. Now he believes that the overall goal is improved well-being, and has added positive relationships and accomplishment to the mix.

There are two primary aspects of well-being; emotional well-being and life-evaluation. Emotional well-being has to do with the emotional qualities involved in everyday life – the frequency and intensity of experiences of joy, stress, sadness, anger, and affection that make someone’s life pleasant or unpleasant. Life evaluation has to do with the thoughts that people have about their lives when they think about it.

Hedonic Adaptation

A year after most lottery winners win the lottery, they’re right back to their previous level of happiness and no happier than ordinary people. For this reason researchers have proposed that we have a baseline level of happiness and that it’s difficult to permanently elevate it. Recent research elucidates the challenges of staying happier; the gains in well-being following a positive life change are typically eroded via two processes. First, a bottom-up process whereby individuals receive declining positive emotions from the positive life change over time, and second, a top-down process whereby individuals quickly aspire to gain even more positivity.

The U-Shaped Curve of Happiness over the Life-Cycle

For the most part, happiness follows a U-shaped curve over the life-cycle, with happiness reaching a minimum during middle age (30-40 yrs old) and being higher during adolescence and advanced years (peaks during teens and seventies). This is related to the stress involved in the responsibilities of marriage, child rearing, career decisions, and financial dilemmas. Moreover, the U-shape is more pronounced in males than it is in females. Probably related is the fact that marital happiness follows a similar U-shaped curve.

The Shifting Meaning of Happiness over a Lifetime

Younger people tend to associate happiness with excitement, but as they age, they tend to associate happiness with peacefulness. This change seems to be driven by a change in focus from the future to the present as people age. This has many effects such as purchasing behavior and methods utilized to increase one’s happiness.

Why are Happy People Happier than their Less-Happy Counterparts?

Happy people become more satisfied in life because they develop resources for living well, not simply because they feel better. They also experience more frequent positive “in the moment” emotions, which increases resiliency and life satisfaction. This suggests that experiencing frequent spikes of joy and satisfaction throughout the day is at least as beneficial as simply having a good outlook in life.

Improvers of Life Evaluation

Having sufficient income to meet your basic needs, maintain a suitable standard of living, and have ownership of conveniences increase one’s evaluation of his life, as does increasing one’s education. Material prosperity is much more related to life evaluation than it is to emotional well-being.

Improvers of Emotional Well-Being

Meeting psychological needs, being in good health, caring for others, experiencing adequate social interaction, learning, having autonomy, using one’s skills, receiving respect, and being able to count on others in an emergency improve positive feelings about one’s life. Psychosocial prosperity is much more related to well-being and positive thoughts than it is to life evaluation.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

This is a bit ambiguous in the research as the literature shows complex and conflicting results on money and happiness. Income appears play a role in happiness, but one study showed that there’s a ceiling at $75,000, meaning that increasing income past this level does not improve emotional well-being. Life-evaluation continues to rise with increased income well-over six-figure salaries, but increased income doesn’t lead to greater happiness, it doesn’t relieve unhappiness, and it doesn’t reduce stress.

Having low income has been shown to exacerbate the emotional pains associated with divorce, illness, and loneliness.  Affluent and disadvantaged populations do indeed experience greater symptoms of depression, but this isn’t solely related to low income as the relationships with poor health, physical disability, and social isolation factor in considerably as well. Low income is associated with both low life evaluation and low emotional well-being. But increased income isn’t the only solution as high income buys life satisfaction but not happiness.

Thinking about time rather than money improves happiness. When you focus on time, you end up spending more time with friends and family and less time working, which makes you happier. However, when you focus on money, you end up working more and socializing less, which does not improve happiness.

Wealthier individuals do not savor (the ability to enhance and prolong) positive emotional experiences and they receive less total enjoyment from various experiences, and this outweighs the positive effects of their increased income. Access to the best things in life may actually undercut one’s ability to enjoy life’s small pleasures.

In terms of employment, being paid by the hour increases happiness as it promotes an economic evaluation of time-use. Non-hourly working counterparts aren’t quite as happy. Rank income, not absolute income, plays a role in life satisfaction. This means that increasing your income won’t make you happier if everyone else’s income is raised proportionately – what will make you happier is if your increase in income places you at a higher rank amongst your peers.

Factors Important for Improved Quality of Life

Good relationships with both the close world (self, partners, friends) and the distant world are important for possessing a superior quality of life, as is having a good overall view of life. Possessions, money, status, and work aren’t important to global quality of life or self-assessed health. Self-perceived physical health, self-perceived mental health, and satisfaction with health are much more important for quality of life. What one sees, evaluates, and experiences what he has, his level of consciousness, and his attitude toward life and others; not what one actually has, are the factors that are truly important for improved quality of life.

A general perception exists that meaning in life and happiness are essential to the concept of a good life, with money being relatively unimportant.

Spending Money on Others is More Important for Happiness than Spending Money on One’s Self

Research shows that how people spend their money is at least as important as how much money they earn. Specifically, spending a greater percentage of one’s income on others leads to greater happiness and buying someone something increases happiness more so than buying something for yourself.

Consensus

We all have our moments of unhappiness, loneliness, sorrow, and depression. However certain people experience these feelings much less often than others. Moreover, certain people are simply happier and more fulfilled than others and this doesn’t appear to have much to do with material goods or high achievement, but rather a good outlook on life and high quality relationships. Past a certain point, money won’t buy you happiness. And though comfort is nice, it can make a person bored which is why we need to continue to challenge ourselves. Yet it’s important to understand that continuous conquests won’t make much of a difference in our happiness; we need to be content with what we have and appreciate our relationships.

There’s a definite genetic component to happiness, but happiness is also highly dependent on thoughts. Little things like smiling, mindless meditation, and noticing what you’re grateful for can make a big difference in your quality of life. Finally, no matter how hard it is, it is imperative that you forgive people.

When I learned that positive thinking and healthy thoughts cause structural changes in the brain (just like resistance training does in the muscles), and that money isn’t the secret to happiness, I started focusing on more fruitful aspects of happiness which allowed me to make excellent decisions related to my well-being. I’ll elaborate on this in Part II. I’ll conclude Part I by providing some quotes on happiness.

Happiness Quotes

The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature. ~ Marcus Aurelius

Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. ~ Aristotle

So much sadness exists in the world that we are all under obligation to contribute as much joy as lies within our powers. ~ John Sutherland Bonnell

Success is getting what you want, happiness is wanting what you get. ~ Dave Gardner

The happiest people seem to be those who have no particular reason for being so except that they are so. ~ William Ralph Inge

Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same. ~Francesca Reigler

The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your reach. ~ Lin Yutang

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes. ~ Charles R. Swindoll

 

Filed Under: Conditioning, Couplets, Kettlebell Tagged With: , ,

ROD 022912

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 29Feb12

 

Leap Of Faith….

Trust us, if the following movements are performed with power and quickness you will need your Central Nervous Sytem (CNS) rebooted.

8 rounds of 20 seconds work /10 seconds rest at each couplet

One minute rest between rounds.

 

Couplet #1

  • Kettlebell high pulls
  • Ropes Gone Wild

Couplet #2

  • Box jumps
  • Dumbbell Push Press

Couplet#3

  • Shuttle run (“I said run not walk”)
  • KB Rows (alt l/r at each round)

_____________________________________________________________

A leap year consists of 366 days, as opposed to a common year, which has 365 days.

Why do we need Leap Years?

Leap Years are needed to keep our calendar in alignment with the Earth’s revolutions around the sun.

It takes the Earth approximately 365.242199 days – or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds (a tropical year)– to circle once around the Sun.

How do we calculate Leap Years?

In the Gregorian calendar 3 criteria must be met to be a leap year:

?The year is evenly divisible by 4;

?If the year can be evenly divided by 100, it is NOT a leap year, unless;

?The year is also evenly divisible by 400. Then it is a leap year.

This means that 2000 and 2400 are leap years, while 1800, 1900, 2100, 2200, 2300 and 2500 are NOT leap years.

The year 2000 was somewhat special as it was the first instance when the third criterion was used in most parts of the world since the transition from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar

Who invented Leap Years?

Julius Caesar introduced Leap Years in the Roman empire over 2000 years ago, but the Julian calendar had only one rule: any year evenly divisible by 4 would be a leap year. This lead to way too many leap years, but didn’t get corrected until the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar more than 1500 years later.

 

 

Filed Under: Couplets, Dumbbell Training, Kettlebell Tagged With:

ROD 021512

February 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 15Feb12

 

Concord Couplets

30 seconds on/30 seconds of rest of the 1st exercise, followed by the 2nd exercise in the section. Continue for 4 rounds then move to the next couplet until you are done!

Couplet 1

  • KB Swings
  • Mt Climbers

Couplet 2

  • Barbell push press
  • Battling ropes (member on each end kneeling)

Couplet 3

  • Jumping Pullups
  • Slam Ball

In couplet #2 these battling ropes are a true battle. There will be a member on each end of the rope in a kneeling position. They will make waves and battle each other for dominate waves. This should be good!! If there is an uneven amount of members, for the battle everyone will take turns at soloing.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Power to the Push-Ups

In an age where everyone cares greatly about their bench press, something very important has been forgotten. It’s a little minuscule workout that is everything—the push-up.

Last year, I worked with a high school football team, and I saw something very scary—kids who could bench 250–300 lbs but couldn’t perform a single push-up! The importance of push-ups has completely gone out the window, and I have no idea why or how. If you’re an athlete and you can’t hold your body in a plank position, yet you can bench 300 lbs, you aren’t strong at all. I would go as far as to say you’re a “weak bastard.” I don’t care how much you weigh. You should be able to do a single, perfect, push-up or get the hell out of my face with what you bench press. This is day one stuff!

I’m going to lay it out for you right here. You can practice in your backyards, garages, and living rooms so that you don’t embarrass yourself in public.

How a push-up should look
Your body should be tight and flat, not curved up or with your low back swayed down like an old horse. You should be in a straight line as if you were laying on the floor. You should be able to pinch a silver dollar between your butt cheeks. Tighten it up! (I know you’re a tight ass about your bench form, so do the same here big man!)

Your hands should grip the floor. Don’t push the floor away from you but hold on to it like you’re holding on to your last remaining shred of dignity. Keep your elbows tight to your sides. Save the chicken wings for the bar. You’ve failed when you can’t keep your body straight and tight. Here at NLP we like to do a variation that has worked for many. Lower yourself totally to the ground, in a controlled manner, don’t go totally limp, push off as a single unit, don’t peel yourself up from the ground, into the plank position, repeat. Very effective especially for you ladies who want to improve their upper body strength.

Here’s a simple progression:

Step 1: Grab a bench, chair, truck tail gate, or whatever. I don’t give a crap. Just get your shoulder elevated because you can’t support your body weight yet. Do three sets. The first two sets should be to submaximal effort (leave two or three in the tank). For the last set, perform as many as possible. Do this every other day or throw it in after your bench press on your upper body day(s).

Step 2: Congratulations! You can do 25 elevated push-ups now—in a row! So get rid of the elevation and start working on performing a push-up on a flat surface. Once you can get 25 in a row on a flat surface, take some of your bad ass bench chains, throw them around your neck, and weight your push-ups.

If you go flat and can’t get three repetitions, go to half of your old elevation. Wash, rinse, and repeat step one.

Step 3: Challenge your friends who can’t do push-ups and bury their asses. Impress the ladies! Ladies impress the men!

___________________________________________________________________________

 

Filed Under: Barbell Training, Conditioning, Couplets, High Intensity Interval Training, Kettlebell Tagged With: ,

ROD 120911

December 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Friday, 09Dec11

 

Kettlebell Couplets

Work / rest ratio 20/10 work for 6 minutes at each couplet with a 1 minute rest in between each set of couplets.

  • Battling ropes
  • KB cleans  1 round R / 1 round L

1 minute rest

  • KB goblet squats
  • H2H KB swings

1 minute rest

  • KB strict presses (3 rds R / 3 rds L)
  • KB high pulls

Go Heavy!!!

____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Filed Under: Battling Ropes, Couplets Tagged With: ,

ROD 112311

November 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Wednesday, 23Nov11

 ONLY ONE EVENING CLASS TONIGHT AT 7:30PM

 

Conditioning Couplets

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

Couplets

  • Reclines/Ball Slams
  • Kettlebell swings/Mountain climbers
  • Kettlebell high pulls/ D-ball 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.

_____________________________________________________________________

I just started exercising…why am I gaining weight?

By Paige Waehner

Question: I just started exercising…why am I gaining weight?
Answer: If you’ve noticed your weight going up after starting an exercise program, don’t panic!  It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing anything wrong, nor does it mean you’re going in the wrong direction.  There can be some obvious and not-so-obvious reasons you’re gaining weight.Your first step is to determine if what you’re gaining is actually fat or muscle.  Muscle is more dense than fat, but it takes up less space…if you gain muscle, your scale weight may go up even as you’re slimming down.  Rather than just using a scale to measure your progress, you can get your body fat tested on a regular basis to get a better idea of what you’re gaining and/or losing.  If that isn’t an option, you can take measurements at different areas of the body…if you’re losing inches, you’re on the right track.If you’ve measured yourself in different ways and realized you are gaining fat, take some time to go through the following possibilities – you may need to make some small changes in your diet to see better results.

1.  Eating too many calories.  It may seem obvious, but eating more calories than you burn causes weight gain.  What some people don’t realize is that, after they start exercising, they may start eating more without being aware of it.  Most people think they’re eating a healthy, low-calorie diet but, unless you’re keeping a detailed food journal, you just don’t know how many calories you’re really eating.  Most people are surprised when they start keeping a journal and adding up the calories–it almost always turns out to be more than they thought.  Before you quit exercising, take a week to keep a food journal.  Add up your calories to get a sense of exactly what you’re eating…if it’s too much, you can start to make some changes in your diet to reduce your calories.  And try to avoid the mindset that says you can eat whatever you want since you’re doing all this great exercise…to lose weight, you still need to monitor your calories.

2.  Not eating enough calories. It may seem counterintuitive, but eating too little can actually stall your efforts to lose fat.  As Cathy Leman, a registered dietician and creator of NutriFit! says, “…if there is a severe restriction in calories, the body may counteract this reduction by slowing down its metabolism.”  Be sure you’re eating enough calories to sustain your body if you’ve increased your activity.

3.  Not giving your body time to respond.  Just because you start exercising doesn’t always mean your body will respond to that immediately.  As Cathy Leman puts it, “…in some instances the body needs to sort of “recalibrate”‘ itself. Increased activity and new eating habits (taking in more or  less calories) require the body to make adjustments.”  Cathy recommends that you give yourself several weeks or months for your body to respond to what you’re doing.

4.  Rule out any medical conditions. While thyroid problems are rare, they can definitely make weight loss difficult.  There can also be medications you’re taking that could affect your body’s ability to lose weight.  If you feel your food intake is reasonable and you’ve given your body enough time to see results and haven’t seen any (or are seeing unexplainable weight gain) see your doctor to rule any other causes.

5.  You’re gaining muscle faster than you’re losing fat.  If it seems that you’re getting bigger after you’ve started a weight training routine, it may be because you aren’t losing body fat as fast as you’re building muscle, which is a problem some people experience when they start exercising. Genetics could also be playing a role here…some people put on muscle more easily than others.  If that’s the case for you, don’t stop training!  Instead, you might simply adjust your program to make sure you’re getting enough cardio exercise to promote weight loss and focus your strength training workouts on muscular endurance by keeping the reps between 12-16.

Whatever the cause of your weight gain, don’t give up on exercise.  It’s not only your ticket to weight loss, it’s also important for your health.

 

Filed Under: Conditioning, Couplets, Kettlebell, Power & Strength Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 092711

September 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Tuesday, 27Sept11

 

Conditioning Couplets

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

Couplets

  • Jumping pullups/Burpees
  • Kettlebell swings/Mountain climbers
  • Kettlebell high pulls/ D-ball 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.

___________________________________________________________________________

What Causes Low Sperm Motility

Sperm motility basically means improving the quality of the sperm cells in the semen.  Due to the not so healthy lifestyles we lead in the 21st century, various different kinds of infertility issues plague men. Low sperm count is a fairly common condition, even among young men these days but it is by no means the only facet of men’s infertility. There are various aspects for which we use the blanket term ‘infertility disorders’ and low sperm motility is one of them.

What is Sperm Motility?

It is not enough to just have the required quantity of sperms or spermatozoa in the semen to have a successful pregnancy. In fact, the quality of the sperm matters just as much or may be more than the quantity. If you have plenty of sperm but they are all weak and immobile then they will all be useless when it comes to fertilizing the egg. If there are two things a sperm requires more than anything else then it is energy to undertake the difficult voyage in the female reproductive  tract and motility or the ability to ‘swim’ under unfavourable conditions.  So that is what we mean when we talk about increasing sperm motility.

Why is Sperm Motility in some men Low?

It has enough and more reasons.

·         Firstly our lifestyle which is hectic. Most of the young professionals today feel that they are overworked and don’t even have time to pay attention to their fitness and nutritional needs.

·         As we have little time and do little or no exercises at all, it is quite natural that we pile on fat by just sitting in front of the computer screens. To counter that problem, we go on crash diets and skip eating essential nutrients like to increase sperm motility.

·         Stress is the root of almost all our problems these days. Your mental and emotional health impacts your overall health and that includes sexual health too.

·         Steroids which are hormones given in the form of medicines can slow down the sperms by making them unhealthy. So if you have been prescribed steroid for any ailment in the recent past then you need to be aware of it. Always read the constitution of the medicines that you take because they have far reaching consequences on your body, often without your knowledge.

·         Tobacco has been proven to be a leading cause for men’s infertility issues particularly with respect to sperm motility. It has been found out from research that persistent use of tobacco gives birth to abnormally shaped sperms that cannot swim well and don’t stand a chance to mate with the egg.

Use these good health tips for men to understand what sperm motility means for your chances of becoming dad and make those necessary lifestyle changes to enjoy the bliss of father.

 

 

Filed Under: Couplets, Dumbbell Training, Fat Burner, High Intensity Interval Training, Muscle Endurance, Tabata Style Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 052311

May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Monday, 23May11

 

Monday Mayhem

15 seconds work/15 seconds rest for 8 minutes at each couplet. Alternate between each exercise of each couplet.

Lower body work

  • Kettlebell swings
  • Goblet squats

Upper body work

  • Kettlebell rows (alternating sides between sets)
  • Push ups 

Core work

  • Med ball shin taps
  • Med ball russian twists

_______________________________________________________________

Sitting All Day: Worse For You Than You Might Think

Posted By Dr Mercola
Even if you exercise regularly, it might not be enough to counteract the effects of too much sitting.

Many people have sedentary jobs and also engage in sedentary leisure activities after work, with the result that a lot more time is spent sitting than moving. A study calculated how much time a group of men spent sitting during an average day, and found that those who sat during the day were substantially more likely to die of heart disease.

According to NPR:

“Specifically … men who reported more than 23 hours a week of sedentary activity had a 64 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than those who reported less than 11 hours a week of sedentary activity. And many of these men routinely exercised … [S]cientists are just beginning to learn about the risks of a mostly sedentary day.”

Sources:

 

As you likely know and understand I am a major proponent of exercise and believe it is absolutely essential if you are going to achieve any level of high-level health and wellness.

Exercise has been a lifelong passion of mine and I have been regularly exercising since 1968, over 43 years and counting now and I don’t ever plan on stopping till I exit this world.

It has been a journey as the first 25 years of my journey I am certain I caused some harm by overly focusing on aerobics and not understanding high-quality nutrition integration with exercise. Fortunately, I have learned much in the last ten years from some really amazing pioneers that has radically improved my health and hopefully many will seek to apply it to their own fitness programs.

What Did the Researchers Find?

The research linking too much sitting with increased risks of disease and premature death is quite eye-opening:

  • Men who were sedentary for more than 23 hours a week had a 64 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease than those who were sedentary less than 11 hours a week, according to a 2010 study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
  • A study of more than 17,000 Canadians found that the mortality risk from all causes was 1.54 times higher among people who spent most of their day sitting compared to those who sat infrequently.
  • Sitting time is a predictor of weight gain, according to a study of Australian women, even after accounting for calories consumed and leisure time physical activity, such as exercise time.
  • The risk of metabolic syndrome rises in a dose-dependent manner depending on your “screen time” (the amount of time you spend watching TV or using a computer). Physical activity had only a minimal impact on the relationship between screen time and metabolic syndrome.
  • People who use a computer for 11 hours or more a week, or watch TV for 21 hours or more a week, are more likely to be obese than those who use a computer or watch TV for 5 hours a week or less.

An editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine also highlighted much of the recent evidence linking too much sitting with biomarkers of metabolic health. They reported research showing sitting time correlates with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other prevalent chronic health problems.

The “Active Couch Potato” Effect

Perhaps most potentially disconcerting about the health risks of sitting is that exercise does not appear to be enough to counteract its negative effects. This makes sense, really, as how could one hour of activity make up for 15 hours of sedentary ones (plus eight hours of sleep)?

Writing in a British Journal of Sports Medicine editorial, researchers state:

“Even if people meet the current recommendation of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days each week, there may be significant adverse metabolic and health effects from prolonged sitting — the activity that dominates most people’s remaining “non-exercise” waking hours.”

In other words, even if you’re fairly physically active, riding your bike to work or hitting the gym four or five days a week — you may still succumb to the effects of too much sitting if the majority of your day is spent behind a desk or on the couch.

Researchers have dubbed this phenomenon the “active couch potato effect.”

As written in the journal Exercise and Sports Science Reviews:

“We further examined relationships of TV time with continuous metabolic risk in men and women who reported at least 150 [minutes per week] of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity — the generally accepted public health guidelines for health-enhancing physical activity.

Among these healthy physically active adults, significant detrimental dose-response associations of TV time were observed with waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and 2-h plasma glucose in both men and women, as well as fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, and HDL cholesterol in women only.

This observation — the Active Couch Potato phenomenon — is important.

The particular metabolic consequences of time spent watching TV are adverse, even among those considered to be sufficiently physically active to reduce their chronic disease risk. This finding reinforces the potential importance of the deleterious health consequences of prolonged sitting time, which may be independent of the protective effect of regular moderate-intensity physical activity.”

Can Too Much Sitting Drastically Increase Your Risk of Disease?

That is one of the reasons why I was intrigued with this study, but I am not convinced in the conclusion they reach and suspect more of it is related to the lack of optimal exercise than the actual act of sitting.

It is my belief that we all require some level of high-intensity exercise training, like the High Intensity Interval Training about twice a week or so and if we fail to incorporate this into our exercise program there will be negative health consequences. Since it is likely that far less than 5% of the population engages in this activity it is no surprise that this association was found.

Obviously there was not a group in this study that was compared using this form of exercise as it is not widely practiced or even appreciated among most researchers as different from traditional cardio type exercises.

Sitting is not intrinsically harmful — except when done incorrectly for long periods on a consistent basis. Your body simply wasn’t meant to be sedentary and numerous metabolic and other body processes are negatively impacted by long periods of inactivity.

So I simply do not accept the conclusions of these researchers, as everything I know and understand about exercise and health does not align with their controversial findings.

What Can You do to Reduce Your Sitting Time?

Having expressed my disagreement with this study there are still many changes you can make to minimize the impact of too much sitting. Clearly sitting is not something most of our ancient ancestors did so doing too much of it is likely to lead to problems. Unfortunately, most of us, including me, spend the majority of our day sitting.

One of the things I do to compensate for this is to spend about one hour or more every night lying on the floor doing an Egoscue exercise called the tower, which I reviewed in a recent article. It is a powerful simple structural movement that helps to realign my body posture and helps to radically compensate for the structural DE compensation that occurs as a result of sitting too much.

Simple Egoscue Exercises to Try Out

Following are four examples of Egoscue exercises that you can also use to help compensate for some of the damage caused by excess sitting. For more information about Egoscue, visit Egoscue.com or PatchFitness.com. You can also email painfree@egoscue.com with questions.

Foot Circles & Point Flexes

Foot Circles and Joint Flexes
  1. Lie on your back with one leg extended and the other leg bent and pulled up toward your chest
  2. Clasp your hands behind the bent knee
  3. Keep the foot on the floor pointed straight up toward the ceiling
  4. Circle the lifted foot outward for the indicated number or repetitions, then reverse direction for the same number of reps
  5. For the point/flexes, bring the toes back toward the shin to flex, then reverse the direction to point the foot forward for the indicated number of reps
  6. Switch legs and repeat
  7. Repeat 40 times in each direction

Frog (2 minutes)

Frog
  1. Lie on your back with your arms at your side, palms up, and hands relaxed
  2. Place the soles of your feet together
  3. Relax your upper back and hips

Static Extension Position (2 Minutes)

    Static Extension Position (2 Minutes)
  1. Start down on the floor on your hands and knees with your major joints aligned (i.e. shoulders directly above elbows and wrists, hips directly above knees)
    • Hands should be placed shoulder width apart, palms flat with fingers pointed straight ahead
    • Arms must remain straight, elbows locked
  2. Walk your hands about 6 inches forward and then move your upper body forward so that your shoulders are again above your hands but now your hips are forward of your knees about 6 inches
  3. Relax your low back allowing it to arch with the movement coming from the tilt of your pelvis
  4. Collapse your shoulder blades together and drop your head down
    • Your shoulders should be directly above your hands
    • If your low back begins to hurt, back your hips up toward your knees; this will make the exercise a bit easier
  5. Hold as directed on your menu

Standing Forward Bend (2 minutes)

Standing Forward Bend (2 minutes)
  1. Stand with your feet pointing straight and hip width apart
  2. Place your palms on your low back/upper buttocks area
  3. Tilt your hips forward to place an exaggerated arch in your low back
  4. Pull your elbows and shoulder blades together and hold
  5. Now bend forward from the hips (NOT from your low back)
    • Keep the low back arched as you bend over
  6. Tighten your thighs and shift the weight into the balls of your feet
  7. Hold as directed on your menu

5 More Tips to Try …

  • Make sure you get up frequently. At least once every hour make sure you get up from your chair to stretch, march in place or take a quick stroll outside. Research shows that a larger number of breaks in sedentary time are associated with better metabolic profiles, including waist circumference and glucose metabolism. So anytime you are sitting, be sure you are breaking up the sitting time with frequent breaks.
  • Use an exercise ball for a chair or a standing workstation. Unlike sitting in a chair, sitting on an stability ball engages your core muscles and helps improve balance and flexibility. You’ll also burn a few more calories as you keep the ball level than you would otherwise. Standing rather than sitting can also be a helpful option.
  • Stay active throughout the work day. Walk around, pump out a couple minutes of squatting, do some stretching. Break up your sitting and avoid long stretches of unmitigated motionlessness.
  • Stand when you can. Whenever possible, do your work standing instead of sitting. For instance, try putting your laptop on a high counter that you can access while standing, walk around your office while you’re on the phone, and communicate with your coworkers in person instead of sending an email.
  • Cut back on your TV, video game and computer time at home. Make your leisure time as active as possible, as much as possible. Instead of lounging on the couch in the evening, play a game of hide-and-go-seek with your kids, take a yoga class, spend time cooking in the kitchen, or go for a walk around your neighborhood.

Remember, Exercise is Important

Remember to make your exercise time count by including very high-intensity sessions such as you get at NLP. You probably do this at least twice to three times a week at the least. You’ll also want to include exercises that really challenge your body intensely along with those that promote muscle strength, balance and flexibility.

Then, don’t just collapse on the couch after your workout. Challenge yourself to stay as active as possible even during your non-exercise hours to reach your highest level of health.

 

Filed Under: Conditioning, Couplets, Fat Burner, Kettlebell, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , , ,

ROD 051311

May 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

ROD

Friday, 13May11

   Good Luck everyone!!!

Couplet Friday

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

  • Jumping pullups/Push-ups
  • Ball slams/Sit outs 
  • Dumbbell thrusters/ Tactical lunges

Do 20 seconds of work at each movement in each couplet, take 20 seconds rest then continue.

Complete 8 rounds of each couplet rest 1 minute and move on … until you are fork tender.

___________________________________________________________

10 Reasons Not to Skimp on Sleep

Too busy to go to bed? Having trouble getting quality sleep once you do? Your health may be at risk

You may literally have to add it to your to-do list, but scheduling a good night’s sleep could be one of the smartest health priorities you set. It’s not just daytime drowsiness you risk when shortchanging yourself on your seven to eight hours. Possible health consequences of getting too little or poor sleep can involve the cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, and nervous systems. In addition to letting life get in the way of good sleep, between 50 and 70 million Americans suffer from a chronic sleep disorder—insomnia or sleep apnea, say—that affects daily functioning and impinges on health. Consider the research:

Click here to find out more!

1) Less may mean more. For people who sleep under seven hours a night, the fewer zzzz’s they get, the more obese they tend to be, according to a 2006 Institute of Medicine report. This may relate to the discovery that insufficient sleep appears to tip hunger hormones out of whack. Leptin, which suppresses appetite, is lowered; ghrelin, which stimulates appetite, gets a boost.

2) You’re more apt to make bad food choices. A study published this week in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine found that people with obstructive sleep apnea or other severely disordered breathing while asleep ate a diet higher in cholesterol, protein, total fat, and total saturated fat. Women were especially affected.

3) Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance, its precursor, may become more likely. A 2005 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that people getting five or fewer hours of sleep each night were 2.5 times more likely to be diabetic, while those with six hours or fewer were 1.7 times more likely.

4) The ticker is put at risk. A 2003 study found that heart attacks were 45 percent more likely in women who slept for five or fewer hours per night than in those who got more.

5) Blood pressure may increase. Obstructive sleep apnea, for example, has been associated with chronically elevated daytime blood pressure, and the more severe the disorder, the more significant the hypertension, suggests the 2006 IOM report. Obesity plays a role in both disorders, so losing weight can ease associated health risks.

6) Auto accidents rise. As stated in a 2007 report in the New England Journal of Medicine, nearly 20 percent of serious car crash injuries involve a sleepy driver—and that’s independent of alcohol use.

7) Balance is off. Older folks who have trouble getting to sleep, who wake up at night, or are drowsy during the day could be 2 to 4.5 times more likely to sustain a fall, found a 2007 study in the Journal of Gerontology.

8) You may be more prone to depression. Adults who chronically operate on fumes report more mental distress, depression, and alcohol use. Adolescents suffer, too: One survey of high school students found similarly high rates of these issues. Middle schoolers, too, report more symptoms of depression and lower self-esteem.

9) Kids may suffer more behavior problems. Research from an April issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine found that children who are plagued by insomnia, short duration of sleeping, or disordered breathing with obesity, for example, are more likely to have behavioral issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

10) Death’s doorstep may be nearer. Those who get five hours or less per night have approximately 15 percent greater risk of dying—regardless of the cause—according to three large population-based studies published in the journals Sleep and the Archives of General Psychiatry.

Filed Under: Couplets, High Intensity Interval Training, Mobility, Muscle Endurance Tagged With: , , , ,
« Older Posts