Whatever YOU want: Just be Active

For so many people, motivation is by far the most difficult part about staying or getting back in shape. We always hear things like, "I hate running," "I don't like lifting," "the gym is so intimidating," and "I'm not built for that." Like ol' Benjamin Franklin  said, “he that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else.”   And lets face the facts, no matter what you tell yourself, the excuse has nothing to do with the activity, but everything to do with your unwillingness to make an effort to try. To try something new, to try something you are scared to do, to try and find something you would like to do. These are un-rational fears that we make up in our own minds to cover up the laziness and weakness we are afraid to see in ourselves.

I'm not saying that you have to force yourself to do something you hate. I've said it before and I'll say it again, find something that makes you happy and stick to it, because being happier and healthier is the goal. Most of us, and certainly no one reading this, is a professional athlete. That means we don't have to "train." You aren't training to be competitive, you're living to be happier.

Being in shape and healthy doesn't mean you have to go and avoid awkward eye contact in the gym everyday in fear that someone is judging you. Find something that you truly enjoy, something that you can do that doesn't even seem like working out. If you find something like that, something that will keep you active and happy almost everyday, that's all you need to do.

If you aren't one for working out, but maybe you like being outside, perhaps walking the dog, make an effort to hop on your computer for a couple minutes and find a new place to go. A State Park to go hiking in, a trail you never knew about, maybe you just like looking at houses and you can just walk around different neighborhoods dreaming of your next home. I'm trying to say that it really doesn't matter. The difference between, staying the way you are, and living a long, fulfilling, healthy life is staying active (and eating healthy).  Plus, you could and probably will save thousands and thousands of dollars in doctor visits and medications.

Stop making excuses and start living better today, not tomorrow. "Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today."

Sprint Workout # who knows anymore

Alright people it's been a while since I posted a true workout so here we go!

Like every workout, begin with a proper warm-up consisting of dynamic stretches. Feel free to make up your own or spend more time on tight and sore muscles, but here's what I do...

• Jog a half mile. First 1/4 mile at whatever slow speed is comfortable. Second 1/4 mile, pick up the speed just a little bit to somewhere around, or just over, your mile pace.
• Designate a distance of about 15 yards to do your dynamic stretches in.
• High knees; Butt kicks; A-skip; B-skip; Lunges (down and back); light skip; power skip for height; Toy soldiers; Grapevine squats. Remember to take your time through each of these. They are not meant to get you tired.
• 100yrd slow run. 100yrd progressive increase (50% max speed to 50yrds, 80% to finish)....x2

Workout: Pyramid
Take the below sprint workout at whatever pace you like. But pick your goal times prior to the workout and reset your watch during the walking phases. They should be done at roughly 95% max speed. Close to max but not killing yourself after the first sprint.

• Sprint 100m............walk 100m
• Sprint 100m............walk 100m
• Sprint 200m............walk 200m
• Sprint 200m............walk 200m
• Sprint 400m............walk 400m
• Sprint 400m............walk 400m
• Sprint 200m............walk 200m
• Sprint 200m............walk 200m
• Sprint 100m............walk 100m
• Sprint 100m............walk 100m

Done! No need for more that is one hell of a workout. Stretch out, foam roll, drink your protein shake and rest up for tomorrow.

Have Fun: Be Creative

I feel like I don't talk about enjoying your workouts and your lifestyle nearly enough. Always so focused on writing informative posts and workouts I get distracted by all the information, programing, and scheduling, causing me to forget the real reason I made this blog, and the main reason I workout. It's fun!

Don't forget it! Maybe write your goals down somewhere, stick it to your fridge so you see it from time to time, but don't ever forget the overall goal. Happiness! Isn't that, after all, the reason we workout. Whether it is because we enjoy working out and being active, or maybe so that we look and feel better, making us more confident and happier people.

Remember to have fun with your workouts along the way. So many people get caught up in goals and progression, often time thinking that being miserable is the only way to success. Not at all. Don't beat yourself down during your workouts. It will only make them harder, less fun, and greatly increase the odds that you'll give up and never reach your goals. Or perhaps you'll make it there and then just stop working out because you found it so horrible.

There are ways to make your workouts fun. There are ways to live a high calorie burning lifestyle while spending minimal amounts of time in the gym. But you have to figure it out for yourself. Everyone is different and what is a great idea for a fun active lifestyle to one person might sound terrible idea to another.

Schedule activities! Get a group of friends or a friend and schedule active things to do. Go kick a soccer ball around for old times sake. Or make up obstacle courses on playgrounds. Get online and look up parks nearby to go hiking in. Try new things! Maybe rock climbing would be a fun new experience for you an a friend. The possibly are endless if you aren't afraid to look. Living an active lifestyle like this could easily be the difference between losing your belly for good or losing your belly and getting it back.

Start Foam Rolling!

I have to start this post by regrettably admitting that my girlfriend was right, yet again. Aren't they always? She has been trying to get me to start foam rolling for literally a year and a half....sorry? I, of course, never listened until I was motivated by injury. I experienced what I believe to be soreness and sharp pains along the outside of my left leg. After talking to some friends and doing some online research I determined that it was pain radiating from my IT-band, likely due to either partial tearing or inflammation. Next step of course was to get this fixed up, I had races coming up and couldn't afford the setback. Turns out that IT-band is a common place for injuries amongst runners, but it is also fairly difficult to stretch out. The best way to stretch it out is with a foam roller.

Why a foam roller?
Foam rolling essentially replicates a deep tissue massage. It lengthen and stretches out muscles and tendons which increases blood flood and breaks up any scar tissue build up. Which in turn, makes for faster recovery, less soreness later, and of course injury prevention, as I found out too late...thanks to my hard head.

As a side note, remember that foam rolling is a compliment to warming up and proper static stretches, not a replacement. It is recommend to foam roll after a workout to lengthen the tight muscles and speed up recovery.

Don't roll your eyes at this suggestion as I did for very long time. Get on this now, before you get injured, not after. It only takes 10 minutes.

Here is an article by Men's Health that explains foam rolling even more: http://www.menshealth.com/best-life/foam-rolling

Here is great link that describes everything foam rolling, including how to do it: http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/ss/FoamRoller.htm

Purchase of foam roller - $40, not having to admit to my girlfriend that she was right - priceless

If only.

Pull-up workout

Like everything else, make sure you are properly warmed up before this workout.

This workout consists of two different exercises separated by a 10sec break. The first exercise is 4 pull-ups done as: 1 regular pull-up, 1 L-pull-up , 1 regular pull-up. and 1 L-pull-up. Then take a 10 sec break. Then start the second exercise: 1 regular pull-up, 1 clap pull-up, 1 regular pull-up, 1 clap pull-up. Then a 10 sec break and repeat exercise 1. Continue this for 12 sets, or however many you can do whether it's more or less.

The Point
The point of this workout is to work a variety of different muscle types utilized during pull-ups and to also allow your muscle to fill up with  lactic acid during the 10sec break, making the exercises more difficult as you try to fight off the never ending pump.

Form
Maintain good form throughout the entire workout. Meaning no half pull-ups or kipping pull-ups. An L-pull-up should be done with your legs held directly out in front of you with no bend in the knees. For exercise one, try not to bend your knees at all; you do your regular pull-ups then bring your legs straight out in front of you as apposed to bringing your knees up first. For the second exercise remember to maintain control. The two clapping pull-ups are going to make you want to do the other two regular pull-ups fast. Don't do this, stay controlled.

The Breakdown
1) -Exercise 1: 1 regular, 1 L, 1 regular, 1 L
10sec break
2) -Exercise 2: 1 regular, 1 clap, 1 regular, 1 clap
10sec break
3) -Exercise 1
10sec break
4) -Exercise 2
10sec break
5) -Exercise 1
10sec break
6) -Exercise 2
Continue until you finish 12 sets, or whenever you get pumped.

Make it Easier
If you need to make this workout easier just alter some of the exercises. Instead of L-pull-ups, you can do bent knee pull-ups. And instead of clapping pull-ups slide your hands in on the second pull-up and slide them out on the fourth pull-up.

Don't Over Do It!
If you are maxing out on a workout like this be sure to allow your arms a sufficient rest period before engaging in similar activities to allow for muscle growth, and to prevent injuries and tendonitis.

"Distance" Interval Run

I have talked about the benefits of interval training instead of distance running before. Better for burning fat, better for building muscle, and less impact than distance. "Yeah, yeah, yeah" you say, "but I still need to prepare for my half marathon." Interval training still works! The point of doing interval style workouts is to keep your heart-rate up the entire time and your lungs rarely get a chance to fully recover. Trust me, you can be more than prepared for a half marathon by never running more than a half mile in one stretch.

Perhaps you enjoy distance running, not only for the health benefits, but just because you like being outside and seeing different things on your run. You can still do an interval style workout while out on your "distance" run.

Here's some workouts I would recommend when doing your distance run. Do these for as long and far as you like.

1. Walk for 1min, jog for 1min, fast run for 1min (about 75% max speed)....repeat.

2. Walk for 30sec, jog for 30sec, fast run for 30sec (about 75% max speed)....repeat.

3. Walk for 30sec, jog for 1min, fast run for 30sec (about 75% max speed)....repeat.

4. Walk for 1min, sprint for 1min....repeat.

More circuit style distance runs:

1. Jog for 1min, sprint for 30sec, stop and do 10 scissor lunges and 10 push-ups....repeat.

2. Walk for 30sec, sprint for 1min, walk for 30sec, 15 body-weight squats, 10 push-ups....repeat.


As you can see, they are all similar. The point is to allow your muscles enough time to oxygenate and recover without letting your heart-rate return to normal.

Make up your own and start having fun with "distance."

How in shape are you? Master your bodyweight

Attempting to determine how "in shape" you are is a weird and tricky objective. After all, what does it mean to be "in shape?" Are all professional athletes "in shape" even though a world strong man probably can't run a 7min mile? Being "in shape" really depends on your goals, but for most normal people mastering your body should be the first step before attempting to tackle any other fitness goes.

Bodyweight Before Weights:
Achieving a mastery over your own weight is not only important for measuring your fitness level, but it is also very important in preventing injury. If you cannot do a bodyweight squat with perfect 90 degree form and a locked out back, do not get under a barbell and risk injury. Start your fitness goals by first achieving your bodyweight goals.

Where to Start:
If you are a true beginner and are looking for a place to start grab a friend or a mirror and work at first being able to do 10 perfect push-ups and 10 perfect bodyweight squats. Why a mirror or a friend? So often, especially with beginners, people see others doing exercises and attempt them, either not knowing proper form or not realizing what they look like when attempting certain exercises. Having a mirror or a friend will help you correct your form early on so that doing them incorrectly does not become a habit or muscle memory, making it significantly harder to fix later.

Doing exercises correctly is important, not only to prevent injury, but also to get the most out of your workouts. If you spend three weeks at the gym, I bet you want to see three weeks of results. Don't waste your time, get a friend or a mirror and make sure that you are doing exercises and lifts correctly.

Remember, even if you've been working out for a long time, occasionally it can be a good idea to reassess your form to make sure nothing has changed over time.