Plyometrics

Plyometrics (Plyo) is one of the best ways to develop explosive power. I've been using Plyo techniques in my training since high school. My track and field coach introduced me to it to develope more power for  my Shot put and Discus events.

 I work Plyo drills into my HIIT classes and personal training sessions fairly regularly. They will help increase your vertical  jump, boost your sprint capacity, strengthen joints ligaments and muscles, and shake up your workout.

As with any high intensity movements you should do a thorough warm-up, be free of any pre-existing contraindications and always train under the supervision of a trainer. These movements are high impact. If you have issues with your knees, ankles, shoulders or lower back Plyo training may not be for you.

                                                                                                     Weighted Squat Jumps

This movement works the same muscles as regular squats. The difference is that during squats your reps are slow, and there is a controlled contraction of your glutes and quads. With Plyo squats you contract your muscles fast and actually leave the ground. This teaches your muscles to adapt to a new way of movement that will improve your performance in all areas of sports and fitness.

Choose a weight that will allow you to do a 1 minute set with proper form, leaving the ground with each rep. Repeat 3x. You can perform your reps standing in place or travel forward with each jump.

I have clients who are in and out of town all the time either on business or vacation. I tell them "Came back fat and your ass is mine!" Or something equally as crude.

 Travel can throw off your training schedule, cause your progress to back-slide, and kill your motivation. Your diet suffers and many times there's no access to a gym.

Here are a few Plyo drills you can do when you're on the road with no equipment and just a little space.

                                                                   

                                                                                                                Frog Jumps

Lock your hands behind your head. Keeping your chin and chest up, squat as low as you can then jump as high as you can. Hit the ground with your knees bent and repeat. Push yourself to do a 1 minute set without stopping. Repeat 3x

             

                                                                                                                Clappers

Lower your chest to the ground, push off as fast and hard as you can, clap you hands, hit the ground, repeat. Do 3 sets to failure. If you really want to challenge yourself, clap as many times as you can before you hit the ground. As you get stronger you'll be able to get more claps in. Its a fun way to track your progress.

 Ahem... I'm up to 7 claps

                                                                                                               Full Body Clappers

Once you've gotten strong enough, challenge yourself to push your entire body off the ground, clap your hands, hit the ground. repeat.

Do 3 sets to failure.

"Pffft, that's too hard, I'll never be able to do that."

      Here's 6 year old Rylan bangin' 'em out!

Your excuses are now invalid!

Happy Training!

D.O.M.S.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (D.O.M.S.) can make a softy out of the toughest of us. 

It's the pain and stiffness felt 24 to 72 hours after a tough workout. It can last from 2-6 days and can be extremely uncomfortable.  Not to be confused with acute muscle soreness.

If you have not worked out for a while D.O.M.S. is unavoidable. You can ease your way back into training by using lighter weights for your 1st few sessions, but there will still be soreness.

When clients come to me for personal training or group fitness classes after not training for a while they are always enthusiastic and motivated. They give 100% and leave feeling like a boss. They'll say "Oh man, that was great! I'll see you in 2 days!" 

It's all I can do not to laugh maniacally knowing whats in store.

I compose myself and say "Now, you're gonna be good and sore for the next few days. Don't let that discourage you." 2 days later they show up with a different look on their face...

The bad news is there's no way to avoid D.O.M.S. Pop some ibuprofen and suck it up!

The good news is after a couple weeks of regular training the soreness is nowhere near as bad. 

HAPPY TRAINING!

Abs!

Everyone wants abs. Here's the hard truth. WE ALL HAVE THEM, but if you are fat you'll never see them! 

Do all the crunches, sit-ups, leg lifts, bicycles, trunk twists, and body curls you like. Your abs won't show through layers and layers of body fat. That's not to say you're wasting your time. Having a strong, well trained core will help with your posture, stability, and performance in everything from sports to everyday activities. That said, this blog is about getting a 6 pack.

Abs (abdominals) is the name given to the group of muscles that form the trunk of your body.

Here are the exercises that will make your abs pop:

Straight legged hanging leg lifts:

Not for the timid. You'll definitely have to work your way up to this one. I've been doing it for years and can still only get 12- 13 reps. Do 3-4 sets to failure.  There's nothing better for building those hard to reach lower abs.

Oblique leg lifts:

Another of my favorite high rep drills. Do as many reps as you can then switch sides and do the same # of reps on the opposite side. Repeat 3x.  Nothing sexier on a men or woman that a well formed set of obliques. You'll get that "V" that starts right above your hip bones and runs all the way down to your money maker. 

le *nice*

Trunk twists (I call them Cherry pickers):

A high rep exercise. It'll take a little while to get the balance right. Once you get it, lift your feet off the ground and go to work. Challenge yourself to do as may reps as you can before you stop. Anything from 20 - 100 reps. Push yourself to muscle failure for 3-5 sets.

Cable crunch (body curl):

Low rep exercise. Pick a weight that will allow you to do between 15-20 reps. Pack on the weight, your abs are stronger that you think. I can do the stack at most gyms. These will make your upper abs really pop. 

These and many other exercises will give you a strong well developed set of abs that start just below your chest, run all the way down to your business, and wrap all the way around both sides of your trunk.

BUT !!!

If you want all your hard work to show you've gotta burn off all your extra body fat. 

Do your cario. Lots and lots of cardio!

HAPPY TRAINING!

The Plateau

Okay, you've been working out for a year. For the 1st 3-4 months you saw awesome gains. You leaned up and packed on muscle.  For the last 6 months you've been doing the same exercises and training just as hard but your progress has stopped. You my friend have hit your plateau.

Our bodies are great at adapting to stress. Say your chest routine is: Incline barbell press, flat barbell press, and dips. The 1st time you do that routine you're super sore for the next few days. The next time chest day rolls around you do the same routine. Again the next time and the next. After a month or so you're not getting sore, your pumps just aren't there, and you're not putting on any size. This is because by now your pecs know exactly whats expected of them. They have adapted and know that they don't need to grow any more.
If you make a few little changes to your routine it'll shock your muscles into breaking through your plateau.
Try this: Start with flat dumbbells instead of incline, incline dumbbell flys instead of flat bench, and decline beach press instead of dips. You'll notice your pumps are back, you'll be sore again, and you'll start seeing gains again. After a while though, the plateau will come back. That's when it's time to change up the routine again! This applies to all area of fitness.

You've got to keep your workouts new and fresh. I always say "Your workouts should be like snow flakes. Never the same one twice." This will keep you excited about training, keep the gains coming, and prevent repetitive stress injuries (RSI)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_strain_injury .

So you run everyday. Great! Gotta be sure to keep your joints and ligaments healthy. Try cross training in the gym for a month. When you get back on the road all the areas that take a beating when you run will be well rested and stronger

So you lift every day. Awesome! Gotta be sure you don't sleep on the cardio. Try cycle/ run training for a month. You'll lean out a bit, and when you get back into the gym all the pings and pangs in your elbows, shoulders, and knees will be significantly better.

If this seem like too much to remember, find a trainer who knows what the hell he's talking about (I know a guy) to keep you motivated and moving in the right direction.

Showing up is not enough

So you bought a few boot camp or personal training sessions. Good for you! You've taken the 1st step. Now the hard work begins.

I take my career as a personal trainer deadly serious. I ask nothing less than 100% from all my clients 100% of the time, and I promise to always give 100% back. If you come to one of my classes or PT sessions expecting anything less than the hardest workout you've ever done you have hired the wrong guy.

Showing up is not enough! You must push your body as far as it will take you on every set, every rep, ALWAYS! (obviously being sure to always use proper form and taking any contraindications into consideration)

So you can squat 100 lbs for a minute then run a suicide. Good for you! Slap on another 10 lbs for the next set and do it again! 

If you do a set of swing throughs with with a 20 lb kettle bell, run a 100 yard sprint, get back and have enough wind to chat with your buddy about work or whatever, YOU HAVE NOT PUSHED HARD ENOUGH!!!  Up to the next weight and run harder!

We are social creatures. Getting together in groups and talking smack about whatever is just what we do. But for 1 hour a day all  I ask is that you put that crap on the back burner and train as hard as you can.

It will suck, you might puke, you may want to quit. DON'T!!! 

You WILL get stronger. You WILL get faster. You WILL get leaner. You Will get better.

"That was the hardest workout I've ever done. I wish I hadn't" 

said no one ever.

Isolation training vs full body training

I'd like to preface this blog by saying that if you are up and at the gym good for you! Keep it up!

That said, I spend my days in and out of gyms, fitness classes, training clients and working out myself.

Nothing frustrates me more than watching people waste their time on ineffectual workouts. Sometimes they're on their own, but many times they are with a trainer! And i'm like...

I was at the gym today watching an overweight, 25ish women (with a trainer) go through a lack luster, dead eyed, boring workout.

They did standing dumbbell curls with 10 pounders, lateral dumbbell flys with what looked like 3 lb dumbbells,  and a series of other isolation lifts with weight that was way too light.

I wanted to run over and say HEY!!! Put that woman on the treadmill for 10 minutes then get her ass over to the SQUAT RACK!!!

Imagine your body is a huge block of rough granite. You want to sculpt it into a work of art RIGHT!?!

Well isolation exercises are sand paper. 

Squats, dead lifts, push-ups, and sprints are a hammer and chisel.

If you are one of the lucky few who are naturally lean and muscular then isolation, toning, and finishing exercises are fine. For the rest of us, hard cardio and full body movements that incorporate multiple muscle groups are a must. 

Squats work all the major and stabilizing muscles of your lower body.

 Do 5 heavy sets of squats to failure and you'll feel like you've just run a 5k

Dead lifts work all the same muscle as squats as well as your lats and traps

Push-ups work all the muscles of your upper body (directly and indirectly)

and finally, sprints are by far the ultimate fat burner

Running is great. Putting in the miles every week is great for your heart, body and mind. I run ON THE REG!

But how many over weight people do you know who run half and full marathons? I know plenty!

But I've never met an over weight sprinter.

The key to getting the most out of a sprint is to give 100 percent! Otherwise you're just running.

I incorporate these exercises and many, many more into my own work outs as well as my clients. They will get you where you want to be.

 Once you've gotten long and lean then maybe you can sand in the mirror at the gym and watch yourself do dumbbell curls.

Running

DO IT!!!

Dat Ass

Nothing looks better on a woman or a man then a well trained, tight behind. 

Here are a few of my favorite exercises that will help you achieve that elusive  "Onion Booty" (A butt that makes men cry)

1) Squats: Hands down squats are the best way to shape your butt. Be sure you have a spotter, and spend a little time with a trainer to teach you proper form. Choose a weight that allows you to do 10-15 reps. Do 3-5 sets to failure (as many reps as you can perform with proper form)

2) Lunges: Walking lunges are my second go-to drill for glute training. Find an open space in your gym, or go outdoors. Choose a weight that will allow you to perform a 90 second set with proper form. do 3-5 sets

3) Cycling/ spin: Hitting the weights will help shape and grow your glutes. If you want all your hard work to show you've gotta hit the cardio hard and often. Spin is the best way to burn a ton of calories without the impact of running. Find a good instructor (I know a guy) with great music who will keep you motivated for an hour

4) Capoeira: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capoeira Aside from the the culture, music, history, community, and fun of capoeira, it is also the perfect mix of aerobic and anaerobic movements that is essential  for molding a nice rotund booty. Capoeirista have the best booties around. Don't believe me? Find a class in you area and tell me i'm wrong :) Did I mention I played Capoeira for 7 years...ahem

 Go online and find a Capoeira class in your area. You will not regret it!

Product Placement

I eat whole raw foods as often as possible, but there are some products I use every once in a while to keep my and Penny's meals fun and tasty. A five year old can only eat so much quinoa before they revolt.

 Here are a few product worth giving a try:

Milk: http://www.8thcontinent.com/

Tofu: http://www.mytraderjoeslist.com/2009/11/high-protein-super-firm-tofu.html
Soy Chorizo: http://www.cooktj.com/index.php?q=product/soy-chorizo
Cheese: http://www.daiyafoods.com/
Sausage: http://www.fieldroast.com/

 There are also several vegan restaurant around San Diego that we  frequent:

1) Anyone who knows me knows that I get out  to Peoples Organic food Coop in OB http://obpeoplesfood.coop/  every chance I get. They've got the best vegan breakfast buffet: Biscuits and gravy, Tofu scramble, tempeh sausage, tons of fresh fruits, and crazy salads. Soooo good.

2) Another spot I hit up is Sipz http://www.sipz.com/. They do vegan sushi everyday after 5pm. They get really creative with the ingredients to make it look like real sushi: Yams instead if salmon, etc...very good. 

3) When I want something good and heavy i'll drop by Veg-n-out http://www.vegnout.com/ Their vegan chili cheese burger is THE BUSINESS! They serve everything with an organic side salad (different every time)or huge potato wedges.

 Every time we go to one of these places I tell Penny "Now you know this is sometimes food right? We don't eat this all the time" She says "Yes. I know, I know" Then begs me to go back for the next 4 days.

Body Type

Genetics play a huge role in what our bodies will look like. There's no getting around that. Some of us are just naturally leaner and more muscular. The rest of us have to work for it. Some of us have to work incredibly hard just to maintain what is considered an average body.

We come in all different shapes and sizes. 

The one thing we all have in common is that with training we can all burn fat,

 and we can all pack on muscle.

 Checkout this blog and take the test http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

"I'm big boned." Sure, but you can still get ripped!

"My mom and dad were obese." Fine, there's your motivation!

"I want a body like Michael Phelps." Not gonna happen. I can help you get to your optimal body size.

"I want a 6 pack." Okay. Cardio, cardio, cardio. You've gotta burn off the Jelly to see the beef.

"Look at her. I bet she doesn't even eat." Sure, or maybe she PUTS IN WORK!

"Real women have curves." Yeah, CURVES not back fat.

There are no tricks people!

All the bullshit advertisements for diet pills, machines, and short term diet plans are there for one reason, TO TAKE YOUR MONEY!

  It's simple, exercise A LOT!, eat proper potions of fresh, raw, lean, unprocessed food, and you will become the best possible you. 

This is no quick fix diet, no body wrap solution, no cleanse. It is a lifestyle that you  choose and maintain for as long as you live! It's not easy, but what worth having ever is?

On a personal note

                    Damn, That was some good ass soul food! Mamma made some bomb ass ribs!

  Yo, lemme git a loosie from you bra

Nah man, I ain't tryin to hit the gym today. I got mad brew in the fridge and some girlies comin' over

Obviously health is a human issue. It covers all races, religions, colors, and sexes. 

 As a personal trainer I come across people from all walks of life. Some looking to loose weigh, put on muscle, prepare for a races, get training tips, Some just looking for a little motivation, but all trying to get better.

The one thing  I've noticed in my 4 years in the health and fitness industry  that has bothered me the most is that they are almost 100% of the time NOT BLACK

Lets start with some statistics.

Heart disease: http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=3018

        Obesity:  http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=6456

             diabetes:  http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=3017

Being black comes with so many obstacles already. These health issues are huge in the black community and they are all totally preventable.

Look at your kids. Pick them up, look them in the eyes and say "I'll be dead in 15 years because I don't take care if myself" They'll probably say "Well duh, take care of yourself daddy" You'll think "I'm so busy with work. I've got that meeting, my brothers in town, its my buddy's birthday, oh, there's a wedding this weekend, its too cold, its too hot, ill start next week, at the new year I promise, I had a hard day."

 Before you know it 15 years have gone buy and you're laying in a hospital bed after your 3rd bypass telling your kids how much you love them. And then you are DEAD.

Recently my mom came to town for my Nieces wedding. She noticed pain in her leg but chose to ignore it. Turned out it was a blocked major artery and her entire leg had to be removed after several surgeries. This was the result of a lifetime of smoking, not exercising and eating what ever the hell she wanted.

I come from a muli racial family (we consider ourselves black.) When i was young smoking, drinking, and soul/ Italian food was the norm. A big ass plate of lasagna and a glass of kool-aid was considered a good hearty meal. My parents and siblings ate that way, so i ate that way and never thought anything of it. My brothers and I were always active with sports and martial arts (not so much my sisters) but nutrition was never really talked about. It wasn't until my sophomore year in high school when I started reading Muscle and Fitness magazine http://www.muscleandfitness.com/ that i realized how big a role nutrition plays in health

All it takes is a spark. YOU decide to make your health a priority, YOU decide to buy the right food, YOU decide to put down the remote and go for a walk and your friends and family will follow.

I dare you to wake up tomorrow morning and go for a run before work, or sign up for a 5k race, or to try a vegan diet just for a day.

What have you got to lose?

Get Jacked Playlist

I took Saturday and Sunday off from training. So I ran a 10 miler early this am to get my cardio in before it got too hot. Then after lunch I headed to the gym to hit the weights HARD.

Today was Delts, Triceps, and calves.

When I go heavy I need to listen to music the gets me JACKED!

I'm a kid of the 80s/ 90s so I love me some angry Hip-Hop and Cock rock for lifting.

Here's my play list from today's session. You'll have to forgive me for a few of these. I lived in Florida for 2 years.

Mudvayne - "Dig"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIqbdnaPcT8

KRS-1 - "Step into a World"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcUIyscx8r0

Corrosion of Conformity - "Clean my Wounds"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvsQsao1F88

 Cypress Hill -"How I could Just Kill a Man"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d12EI3xNiqE

Drowning Pool - "Bodies"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dys-T6VA9Tw&feature=fvst

Nirvana - "Love Buzz"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLthJDXbq6Y

Nas - "Hip-Hop is Dead"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAKxjTRV6ms

Rage Against the Machine - "Sleep Now in the Fire"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w211KOQ5BMI

Wolf Mother - "New Moon Rising"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-O63P9Ecujc

K-OS - "Valhalla"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OesfcDsE69Q

Limp Biscuit - "Give Me Something to Break"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpUYjpKg9KY

Onyx - "Slam"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ADgCeYJMN4

Find whatever music gets your blood moving, crank it, and lift HARD!

The PT test

Keeping track of progress with a large group can be challenging. So once a cycle i'll have everyone take a PT test and post the results here.

I've taken the (APFT) US ARMY Physical fitness Test:  http://www.apft-standards.com/ a test I've taken more times that I can remember, and modified it slightly.

Instead of a 2 mile run, we do a 1 mile run and a 50 yard sprint. Everything else is the same.

So how do you stack up against a US ARMY soldier?

Julia 30/ mile 8:54:00/ 50 yrd 8:11/ push-up 26/ sit-up 30

Francesca 30/ mile 7:06/ 50 yrd 6:56/ push-up 40/ sit-up 49

Diane 48/ mile 7:39:00/ 50 yrd 7:30/ push-up 27/ sit-up 36

Suzanne 39/ mile 7:08:00/50 yrd 10:87/ push-up 19/ sit-up 27

Elizabeth 38/ mile 7:50:00/ 50 yrd 10:63/ push-up 26/ sit-up 32

Ellie 57/ mile 8:51:00/50 yrd 8:35 push-up 37/ sit-up 27

Peg 57/mile 8:08:00/50 yrd 9:59/ push-up 24/ sit-up 21

Becky 37/ mile 7:03:00/ 50 yrd 6:70/ push-up 35/ sit-up 35

Shannon 42/ mile 9:42:00/50 yrd 12:83/ push-up 15/ sit-up 19

Shelly 36/ mile 9:27:00/ 50yrd 7:40/ push-up 31/ sit-up 39

 

Sophie 53/ Mile 9:42:00/ 50 yrd 12:45/ push-up 22/ sit-up 29

Megan 51/ mile 8:23:00/ 50 yrd 7:94/ push-up29/ sit-up 26

Melisa 33/ mile7:08:00/ 50 yrd 9:54/ push-up 27/ sit-up 29

Robert 45/ mile 7:54:00/ 50 yrd 10:29/ push-up 25/ sit-up 18

Julia 30/ mile 8:54:00/ 50 yrd 8:11/ push-up 26/ sit-up 30

Jason 39/ mile 7:43:00/ 50 yrd 7:80/ push-up 31/ sit-up 30

Laura 33/ mile 7:24:00/ 50 yrd 6:96/ push-up 26/ sit-up 28

Danielle 39/ mile 9:03:00/ 50 yrd 10:67/ push-up 10/ sit-up 25

 

Jennifer 55/ mile 9:04:00/ 50 yrd 8:25/push-up 38/sit-up28