Man Up and Take On the 300!

Try this on for a super total body workout.   All you need is a pull up bar, some dumb bells and the determination to get through the workout.   If you are lacking any of these requirements feel free to join me and LS2 Pilgrim Thursday mornings at the NOSC.   The 300 goes like this:
After a brief warm-up:
10 Pull ups x2
10 wide-grip push ups x2
10 super mans x2
10 crunches x2
60 seconds of jumping jacks x2

Now you are ready to begin:   HYDRATE

This is a timed even so you can go at your own pace.   Take as much time as you need to reach 30 repetitions:
30 pull ups.
1/4 mi. run
30 wide grip push ups
1/4 mi. run
30 narrow grip push ups
1/4 mi. run
30 dips

1/4 mi. run
30 crunches
1/4 mi. run
30 knee raises on pull up bar (knees to shoulders)
1/4 mi. run
30 squats (30lb dumb bells)
1/4 mi. run
30 lunges (30lb dumb bells)
1/4 mi. run
30 shoulder presses (your choice dumb bells)
1/4 mi. run
30 bicep curls (your choice of dumb bells)
1/4 mi. run


HYDRATE:  STRETCH:   Take a cold shower and eat something good.   You deserve it.   If you made it to the finish line, you just did 300 repetitions of quality strength training and ran 2.5miles!

Fuel Your Body

Your body is a machine, fuel it right.   Google Paleo diet for an eye opening bit of info on the affects of the foods we choose to consume.   Some good grocery shopping tips are as follows:   The next time you are doing your shopping, stay away from the middle of the store.   Just shop the walls.   Most grocery store chains keep the healthiest foods lined up against the borders of their stores because they are perishable (think fruits, veggies and meats).   If it has a long shelf life, it generally is loaded with sodium and preservatives.   I should enter a 12 step program for my addiction to the wonders of chocolate and it takes every ounce of determination I have to substitue a bowl of ice cream with a bananna but hey, nothing worth achieving is easy!   If you aren't quite ready to give up the doritos and cheese dip then make a compromise, cut out the sodas and substitue with a little ice cold water.   Your kidneys will thank you for it later.   Get up, get out and GET FIT!

Interval Training: Improving Your Run Times

While adding miles to your jogging routine will do wonders for your endurance and calories spent, it will not improve your 1.5mi times without a little tweaking.   If you want to run faster, it is pretty simple; you just need to speed up your pace.   Obviously this is easier said than done but short bursts of speed runs mixed in with low intensity jogging will train your body to operate at faster speeds.   I prefer to use visual ques like "I'm going to alternate between sprinting and jogging between mailboxes, driveways, trees, signs or whatever nature provides".   In addition to incorporating sprints into your workout, hills are also an awesome challenge.   Walter Payton was famous for running up a mountain.   Thats right folks, a mountain!   Step outside of your comfort zone and up your intensity for breaking through that next plateau.

Infomercials Are For Suckers!

Pay no mind to the infomercials. If loosing weight is your goal, all you need are some basic math skills and a little determination. 1lb of fat = 3500 calories. To lose that weight you have to burn 3500 calories more than you consume. This means you need a general understanding of the caloric value of your meals and fluids (read labels) and a method for calculating how much energy you expend throughout the day (calorie counter calculators). Science says that 2lb/week is the healthy target for weight loss. This means burning 7,000 calories a week more than you consume.
Make your changes slowly. I suggest keeping your initial diet the same. Eat what you currently eat but try changing your fluids. If you are a soda drinker, cut it out, you can save yourself 240 calories/day for a 20oz coke. That equates to nearly 1/2 a lb per week before you've ever hit the gym.
To boost your calorie burn strictly through running, you need to boost your mileage or boost your intensity; your choice. Keep in mind that for every mile you run, you burn approximately 100 calories. 30 to 45min of running three times a week with some simple changes to just fluid intake can shed that weight off before you know it.

Cardio

For all of you Fit4Lifer's trying to shed body fat: don't start counting your cardio training minutes until you've passed the 20min mark. Generally speaking, after 20min, your body will switch from burning sugars to burning its fat stores. Aim for 30+ min of solid cardio work or tack your cardio training on at the end of low rest interval strength training (think cross-fit).

For you runners: Switch it up, try intervals on a track or treadmill. Sprint .10 mi. and walk .03. Repeat until you've reached 2.5mi.

Thursday WOD: The Posterior Chain, Abs

For all of you Fit4Life'rs hitting the gym today, give the Posterior Chain & Abs workout a try. The Posterior Chain is one of the least focused on groups for people to exercise but one of the most important groups for maintaining balance, stability and pulling power:
2 sets/10 reps Barbell Dead lift (light weight warm up)
3 sets/5 reps Barbell Dead lift (heavy weight)
5 sets/10 reps Romanian Dead lift
3 sets/15 reps Barbell Shrug
3 sets/15 reps Lying or seated leg curl
5 sets/10 reps plate head decline sit-up

Setting Goals

Goals are the impetus, the spark, the desire to improve. Maybe you want the mirror to look back at you and say WOW. Maybe you want that 6:00 min/mile, maybe its a 250lb bench press or a 24in' waist. Whatever it is it is the metephorical starting line. State your goals on the blog. Put yourself out there. Commit to the group and watch the positive effects of the TEAM pulling you along. Maybe you can meet me at Clyde Fant for a Saturday run, maybe another FIT4LIFE'r has a membership to your gym and you didn't even know it. State your goals and get committed. Check the site for goal oriented work out routines and local events like the Sport Spectrum 5ks. Get a buddy and GET FIT! Be sure to check out the helpful links section for a little extra umpffff.

Develop A Plan

Developing a Plan is crucial to achieving your fitness goals. FIT4LIFE'rs have the benefit of a TEAM environment full of mutual support and like minded individuals to help you break through all of your fitness barriers. This includes a comprehensive approach to being FIT4LIFE. Good nutrition, increased activity, repeated assessments will get you to the finish line. Check the blog for daily work out routines, healthy recipes, and a variety of fitness tests to gauge your success. Get ready, Get set, GET FIT!

Tracking Progress

Tracking Progress is essential if you want to measure the effectiveness of your workout plan. Why waste 3 hrs/wk running your heart out if you can achieve the same results with 1.5 hrs/wk of interval training? The only true way to know what works is to maintain a workout log and test your progress with pre planned assesments (ie. the PRT). Use the helpful links section and click on the training log link to take you to the RunnersWorld website that offers a free training log tracking tool. This thing is AWESOME. There is a reason professional atheletes review tape and mointor their training.... IT WORKS!