You've probably seen people in the gym who sit at the stationary bike, ride for 30 minutes or so, all the while reading a book or magazine. One of my favorite quotes from Tom Holland's book Beat The Gym is "If You Can Read During Cardio, It Is Too Easy." Spending the time to get a workout in is essential, but you have you want to make sure the time counts. When you do a cardio exercise or weight lifting, it is important to work at an intensity that challenges you. When it comes to cardio, doing high intensity intervals are great challenge. You might try the Tabata interval cycle of 20 seconds of hard running/riding with 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 rounds. Another option is Fartlek Training, which is a less structured interval training involving running fast and slower at varying intervals for as long or as far as you like. For weight lifting, the rule of thumb is that if you can do more than 15 reps at proper form with a weight, then the weight is too light. If … [Read more...]
Hard Core Playground Workout
In case you haven't heard of The November Project, it's an "open source" fitness program featured in a lot of major cities around the US, built around the idea of a group of people getting together in open spaces to workout together, while cheering and motivating one another on. They have been featured in a series of article on NPR that caught my eye, which provides a playground workout for every level of fitness. The latest one is a hardcore gonzo playground workout for those in really good shape who want a challenge. I plan to try this one over the weekend. … [Read more...]
Think fun when exercising and you’ll eat less later
For me, Saturdays are my "fun" work out day, where I go to the gym and just do different exercises that I might not do during the week. Usually it is something that involves plyometrics, body weight, or functional movement - things like Box Jumps, Kettle Bell Swings, Jacob's Ladder, and TRX. Now this might not sound like fun to most people, but I look at as a way to try different moves and challenge myself. Usually, I end up doing stuff like this: I thought about this because of this study that shows by thinking of exercise as fun, you will end up eating less. It seems that if we think of it as a "workout" we feel like we can get away with rewarding ourselves by over eating or eating junk. If you think of it as a fun activity, you'll be less inclined to over eat. This weekend, try to do something you consider fun for your exercise. Shoot hoops, talk a scenic walk, go for a hike - just do something that gets you moving for 30 minutes. You'll enjoy yourself, get in a … [Read more...]
How to Train for an Obstacle Course Race
This is a repost from my previous blog about how I trained for an Obstacle Course Race Having completed my first obstacle course race (OCR), I have a better idea of what type of training you need to perform well. Even though I was happy with my finish, I know I could have done better. I now have a goal to beat for next year's Superhero Scramble. Here is a training program I designed, which I would start 5-6 weeks out from the event. In each of the weight training sessions, rest no more than 1 minute between sets. Always make sure to warm up properly before starting. Monday Back Squat - 3 sets of 10 at 80% One Rep Max Dumbbell Walking Lunge - 3 sets of 10 lunges each leg Deadlifts - 3 sets of 10 at 80% One Rep Max Straight Leg Deadlifts - 3 sets of 10 at 75% One Rep Max Stability Ball Hamstring Curls - 3 sets of 15 Bodyweight Calf Raise - 3 sets of 30 Raised Calf Farmer's Walk - 3 sets to fatigue Plank - 3 sets at 1 minute hold Russian V Twist - 3 sets of … [Read more...]
3 Benefits of Variation In Your Workout
These last few weeks I've been nursing an injury as well as had to travel for work. This has forced me out of my normal training cycle, which if I'm honest had gotten stale. Instead of running and playing soccer for cardio I've switched to Tabata intervals with battle ropes, bike riding, and even Jacob's Ladder. Instead of free weights, I've been doing body weight exercises and using elastic bands for resistance training. The interesting thing to me is that no matter how fit I think I am, when I switch up my training it exposes how much work I have to do. For example, I could run 3 to 5 miles with no issue and still have something left in the tank, but 4 minutes of Tabata can leave me sucking wind! Similarly, I've been benching heavier weight in an effort to set a new one rep max, but trying to do more than 20 push ups at a clip leaves me on the floor. It's been a good reminder to me of the need to switch up your workout routine from time to time. If you've been doing the same … [Read more...]