HIIT Playlist

Music is a big part of my life and fitness is my career. Naturally the two are connected. I rarely take requests for music in my classes because I need  music that I enjoy to keep me motivated so that I can motive. I like it fast and I like it loud!

Someone asked me the other day if I would throw some Katie Perry in the mix.

I looked at her like:

Then she was all "What?? That's good music!" and I was all:

Then she was all "Well it's good to workout to..." and I was like:

A good playlist can mean the difference between a good workout and a great workout.
Here the playlist I've been using at HIIT class for the past few weeks.

Here I Come: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKRTtplc_98

Spiral Staircase: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VtRM9HgTjI

Sleep Now in the Fire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w211KOQ5BMI

Decent Days and Nights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfJMqUN0FCE 

Apple Tree: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9u_zhBL5x4

Dead Wrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoYi9ympj_I

Stand and Deliver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzT4m6fJ7jo

If your Going Through Hell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_ulRwXIzbo

Neon Jesus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfsKEdsmU7Y

Happy Training!!

Tuff Mudder

I did the Tuff Mudder a couple weeks ago with one of my clients and a dude we know from the gym. It's a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces. It's basically all the stuff you've got to do in Basic Training. Wall climbs, low crawls, partner carries, a little swimming, and lots of running.

 BTW, I was in the ARMY. I don't think I've mentioned that yet on this blog.

At the beginning I was indifferent about the whole thing. I approached it the same way I do all events. Which is knowing I'm probably in better shape than 90% of all the participants. Right away I was looking around, sizing everyone up, wondering who my competition would be. It was about what I expected. Lotsa frat boys, a bunch of military types, everyone in pretty decent shape 18- 40ish dudes mostly. 

When you've worked in the fitness industry as long as I have you develop an eye for physiques. You can usually tell right away who trains properly. 

1st. I picked out all the runners, swimmers, and cyclists. Long lean bodies, not a lot of muscle."These people" I thought "are gonna have a hard time climbing walls, pulling themselves up ropes, and carrying weight." Sure enough at the 1st wall all the people having the hardest time pulling and pushing themselves up and over were the endurance athletes.

2nd. I noticed the gym rats. Huge arms, legs, and chests. Not as lean as they could be. I thought "These are gonna be the ones suckin' wind on the hills and long run stretches. Sure enough, all the guys doubled over on the side of the roads were the meat heads.

3rd. The young heads. 18-25 ish dudes who look like they're in decent shape. (Mostly because they're 18-25) "These guys" I thought "have no idea what they're in for." Sure enough, littered along the whole course were young dudes puking, laid out, screaming with ab, calf, and leg cramps.

4th. I noticed the people I considered my competition. Long, lean, muscular, well trained bodies. The kind of body you get from years of cross-training, lifting, swimming, running, martial arts, etc.. These were men and women 27- 37ish, and looked GREAT! Sure enough the same faces I sized up at the start were the ones breezing through the run, killing the obstacles, and charging the hills (right along side me)...ahem

I'm sure this all sounds like hubris, but my point is that the road to ultimate fitness is varied. You've got to do EVERYTHING! 

Olympic lifting: For brute strength and power.

Martial arts: (I'm partial to capoeira) for balance, flexibility and coordination.

Isolation lifting: To strengthen your weak points and fine tune your physique. 

Cross training: Because you never know when you'll need to bear-crawl up or down a muddy hill. 

Running: Lots of it!

And lawd help me! even Yoga.

Unfortunately there's nothing that will prepare you for crawling on your belly, in water up to your chin, in the dark, being shocked by electrodes :)

All in all Tuff Mudder was an amazingly fun time! It was well put together, bloody well run, and all for a great cause! http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5FFRmXFmjYs

I'm putting a team together to do it again next year. 

Who's with me?!

Vegan Pesto Veggie Pasta

I've been on a no soy kick for about a month now. It's been tricky making meals without my go-to, quick source of protein (tofu), but it feels better knowing I'm eating food closer to the way it comes in nature.

A few nights ago I realized that I hadn't eaten pasta in a while. Not for any reason in particular. I just kinda forgot about it. 

Most people think pasta isn't vegan. Well, most of the time you can buy any kind of pasta from anywhere and it'll be vegan. Some pastas (not many) uses eggs, so you'll have to take a second to read labels.

Technically pasta is a processed food, but everything else is fresh, and or raw so I let it slide. Plus I love how full I feel after a pasta dish.

Here's all you need:

* Broccoli

*4 medium sized Portobello Mushrooms

*2 yellow peppers

*3 cups Penne Pasta

*6 table spoons Pine nuts

*4 cups Fresh Basil

*4 cloves Fresh Garlic

*1 lemon (3 table spoons)

*1/4 cup Nutritional yeast

*6 table spoons olive oil (extra virgin if you're fancy. My palate isn't sophisticated enough to tell the difference) 

*1 cup Sun dried tomatoes

*WINE!!! 

                             Pesto Sauce: I totally jacked this recipe. Check it out HERE

1. Put basil, garlic, pine nuts, salt, lemon in a food processor. Process until everything is combined and has a finely ground consistency.

2. Add olive oil and nutritional yeast and continue to process until you get a creamy sauce

The Rest:

1.Prep 3 cups of Penne pasta. Do you really need me to tell you how to do that??

2. Toss the Chopped the yellow Peppers, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and broccoli in a saute pan with a 1/4 cup of water and 3 table spoons of olive oil. Blanch until the water cooks of (30 secs-1 minute), then pan sear for (30 sec- 1 minute)

3. Top a bed of pasta with your veggies, top the veggies with your pesto sauce, top the sauce with pan seared pine nuts, and GRUB!

4. Drink the wine. ALL OF IT!  (I drink 2-Buck Chuck with my pinky in the air 'cause i'm classy)

No Soy?? No Doy!!!

Had a crazy day of training yesterday: 11 mile run, 3 mile run, 1 hour of Capoeira, 1 hour weight session. By the time dinner rolled around I was HANGRY!

I've been on a no soy kick for the past few weeks. I read some pretty scary stuff in Men's Health Magazine about its effects on men's testosterone levels: http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/soys-negative-effects (I ain't goin' out like that)

My body needed lots of protein to recover and I'm not eating Tofu anymore. This meal is 100% dairy and soy free, and vegan obviously.  Here's what I had:

Quinoa, Lentils and Guacamole.

Quinoa: I use Quinoa instead of rice. It's got 2x the protein and 1/3 the carbs. Preps the same as rice. Takes about 10 minutes.

Lentils: Tons of protein and they cook up quick. I salted the water, add a little olive oil and 3 cloves of garlic. Takes about as long to prep as a pot of thick pasta. Check the health benefits: http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-5488/7-Health-Benefits-of-Lentils.html

Guacamole: Hass Avocado, Garlic, Roma Tomatoes, orange (I use orange instead of lemon cause I'm cool like that) Mash it up with a fork, and grub.

Raw Kale Salad:

 1 chopped head of Kale, 2 shredded carrots, 1 chopped red bell pepper

Tahini, Lemon, Garlic sauce:

4 lrg spoonfuls Tahini, 2 squeezed lemons, 2 chopped garlic cloves, equal parts water/ Tahini, salt to taste. A small food processor works best.

I made a bed of Quinoa, dropped a large spoonful of Lentils in the middle, topped it with Guacamole and Daiya cheese, then surrounded the whole thing with Raw Kale salad.

 The whole thing took about  an hour (I had a little help) I went to bed with a full belly and woke up in the morning turbo charged for my 5 mile group hill run.

Bon appetit and Happy Training!

Consistency, Accountability, and the Secret to Weight Loss

con·sist·en·cy  [kuh n-sis-tuh n-see] noun
1. steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc...

ac·count·a·bil·i·ty   [uh-koun-tuh-bil-i-tee]  noun
1. the state of being accountable, liable, or answerable.

                                                                                                               The Secret to Weight Loss:

AND THAT'S IT!

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!