Workout Log For Saturday July 9, 2011

Today I had a big sprint day planned. Unfortunately the field condition from the over night storm in the Boston North Shore area did not make sprints a wise option. So I had to tweek the workout by adding more jump roping. Also, a Facebook friend and Certified Turbulence Trainer, Mike Whitfield, had some very interesting 'metabolic finishers' posted on his website to add to one's workout so I chose the Bur-pee/Chin-up 'metabolic finisher'. But I had to tweek this as well because of the sprints I had to omit. So instead of counting down from 8 to 7 to 6 and so on I just kept going when I got down to 5 and started from 8 and cut the rest from 40secs to 30secs. I also want to get the chin-up count closer to 100 which is the minimum I do during a workout session that includes them. I'm sure with the sprints in the program I would have not needed to tweek it, especially with those 'puke inducing' bur-pees added in there. I will attempt to get the sprints in tomorow with tire throwing. But anyway here is the workout I performed today.

Location: Salem Commons, Salem, Ma.

Warm-up

7 x 100 Jump Rope

AFS-TRX Resistance/Jump Rope 3x:

1 x 10 Hand Stand Push-ups

2 x 100 Jump Rope

1 x 20 Jump Squats

1 x 10 Single Leg Atomic Push-ups

2 x 100 Jump Rope

1 x 10 Superman Planks

1 x 10 Single Arm Bicep curls per arm

2 x 100 Jump Rope

1 x 30 Alternating Jumping Lunge (this REALLY get the heart rate up)

Added Bonus

4 x 100 Jump Rope

Metabolic Finisher courtesy of Mike Whitfield of Crank Training

Burpee/Chin-up

Countdown From 8 40 secs rest

Check out Mike's website for more details:

http://cranktraining.com/

Cool Down Stretch

Some core & flexibility training this evening.

P.S. Oh and to my other Facebook buddy over at Shrivers Fitness Kris Buxenbaum, whose stability & flexibility training is some of the BEST I've seen, I nailed the standing balance on the physio ball today.

4th of July Weekend Workouts

Even though I said I would reward myself over the 4th of July weekend celebration, that did not excuse me from my work-horse weekend workouts

All workouts this weekend took place a the lovely Salem Commons. Saturday was tire throwing day and this usually catches quite a curious crowd. On Saturday there were a lot of tourist and I was asked five times was I a boxer. I am often ask if I'm a boxer or UFC fighter but 5 times was the most in one day. Another ask was I getting ready for NFL season in Sept. I had to laugh my ass off at that one because if they look closely at the grey hair slightly underneath my bandanna they would see I was old enough to be most of those NFL players' father.Not to mention at 5' 7" I don't see NFL on me unless my name is Darrell Greene. But I guess they are thinking what other kind of nut would be throwing a tire 150 meter across a field. The work ethic is just hard coded in my DNA that's all. Anyway, here are my workouts for Saturday, Sunday, & Monday Fourth of July Weekend 2011.

Saturday July 2nd, 2011

Warm-up:

5 x 100 jump rope reps

Dynamic stretching upper/lower body

The following circuit completed 4x

Bar Work

20 pull-ups

10 inverted tucks

10-15 knee up kick outs

2x 100 jump rope

TRX

1 x 10 Y-T combo rows

1 x 10 Bicep curls

1 x 10 Tricep extensions

1 x 10 Superman planks

Agility Ladder Drills (34 ft up & back total 68ft) This is distance is a real challenge

Icky shuffle

In-Out double leg slalom

Lateral Shuffle

300 yard over head tire throw (for circuit 1)

300 yard tire power clean (for circuit 2)

300 yd over head/power clean combo (for circuits 3 & 4)

1 x 20 Overhead tire squat jack push press

Cool Down:

5 x 100 jump rope

Static stretch

Sunday July 3rd, 2011

Warm-up

5 x 100 jump rope

TRX lunges

TRX sprinter starts

TRX lateral lunges

Hamstring kicks

High knees

Mummy kicks

Walking quad stretch

Hamstring stretch

Agility ladder drills (34 ft up and down 3 exercises same from Sat.)

Sprint workout

4 150m sprints

6 60m sprints

6 40m sprints

Agility ladder drills performed after every 2 sprints

TRX balanced lunge 20 each side

TRX split squats 10 each side

Cool down

5 x 100 jump rope

static stretch

Monday July 4th, 2011

AFS -TRX/Calisthenics Circuit

Warm-up (the usual for me)

5 x 100 jump rope

Dynamic stretching

Circuit 3x:

20 pull-ups

10 inverted tucks

10 knee raise kick-outs

1 x 100 jump rope

1 x 10 TRX chest press

1 x 10 TRX suspended deep fly

1 x 20 suspended one-leg push-ups

2 x 100 jump rope

Cool Down:

TRX assisted static stretching

TRX Essentials: Strength

AFS-TRX Agility Workout

My Workout Log for Tuesday 6-28-2010

Location: The National Mall, Washington DC

Warm-up:

½ Mile run/walk

Dynamic stretching

34 ft Agility ladder drills (up and back):

2 x In/Out

2 x Icky Shuffle

2 x High Knees

2 x Lateral in-out

(Drill was repeated after every 2 TRX exercises performed)

TRX circuit repeat twice:

1 x 20 Balanced Lunge (10 each leg)

1 x 10 single armed bicep curl (each arm)

1 x 10 singled leg squat (10 each leg)

X-Y rows to failure

TRX assisted Static stretch cool down

My Weekend Workout for Saturday 6-25-2011

My Workout Log for Saturday 6-25-2011

Location: North Shore YMCA, Beverly, Ma

Warm-up:

5 x100 Jump Rope reps

5 minute TRX assisted dynamic stretching

Leg Circuit performed 3x:

1 x 10 Split Squats (10 ea leg)

1 x 20 Plyo-box jumps

1 x 20 TRX Plyo-Sprinter Stance

1 x 10 Single legged deadlift (TRX/Kettlebell)

2 x 100 Jump Rope reps

TRX Metabolic Circuit 2x:

1 x 20 Burpees

Suspended chest press to failure

1 x 20 lateral lunge

Single armed curls to failure

1 x10 atomic push-ups

1 x 10 Hamstring curl

Single armed chest press to failure

2 x 100 jump ropes

Shoulders/ Back Circuit 3x:

1 x 10 cable raises

1 x 10 resistance band lateral raises

1 x 20 pull-ups

2 x 100 Jump rope

10 minutes heavy bag

5 x 100 jump rope reps

Static stretch cool down

Workout fuel:

Pre-workout: Whey protein shake, 1000mg L-Arginine

During: water, 20 oz G-2 low cal

Post-workout- 16 oz chocolate milk immediately after cool-down. 40 min later Avocado/Protein Shake. 2Hrs after workout 2 eggs & 1 egg white with grits.

TRX Suspension Training

Suspension training is one of the most popular trends in the health and fitness industry right now. TRX is probably one of the names your are hearing lately when it comes to suspension trainers. I personally LOVE suspension training and has become an integral part of my training regime. I use both the TRX by fitness anywhere and the Universal Strength Apparatus (USA) by Bodyweight Culture. I will do a side by side comparison of both of these devices in a later blog entry. I highly recommend both. The TRX is very portable while the USA allows for pull-ups, dips, and climbs. The TRX is very popular with pro athletes and strength and conditioning specialists. Check out the video below.




Click here to find out more info about the TRX

Using the Winter Weather To Burn Calories

So the winter has dumped snow in your area and you cannot go for that bike ride or that morning jog. Or if your like me can't really go to the track or run stadium steps. In some extreme cases you may not be able to get to your local gym because of the street conditions. With some of us the first thing we are inclined to do at the signs of a snow storm is we bum rush the local super markets to load up on 'comfort food' (a sweet angelic way of saying CRAP in my opinion) and sit in front of the TV. Okay one day you deserve at least that face it we are all human. But lets not use the weather as an excuse to get off of our fitness game. The die hards know what I am talking about. For those who live in areas where they are accustomed to getting lots and lots of snow are well aware of the calorie blasting activities  available to you especially if you live near places that provide a wide range of winter related sports.

But for those of us in the urban and suburban areas may not have access to the physical or monetary resources required by the winter sports. You still need to get out and get active and here are some ideas

1. Hiking. This is by far my most favorite activity during a winter storm especially in a relatively hilly suburban area. You can burn an unbelievable amount of calories just walking in the snow at a moderate pace. I did more than a 3 mile walk today and I managed to keep my heart rate in the optimal zone for my age. It was an amazing workout. I walked around town just running errands and to the coffee shop.
All you need is a good pair of boots, and dress warm. And to make it more challenging for myself I strapped on my backpack with my laptop, some fruit, and 2 liters of water.

2. Sleighing. If you have children this workout is fun and efficient. You can pick up any inexpensive sleigh from your local toy store or sporting goods store. Pulling and pushing the kids is great upper and lower body workout. Sleighing can provide you both  a decent cardio and resistance workout.

3. Shoveling snow. This can be very hardcore and intense so be careful and pace yourself. Shoveling snow burns massive calories and sends your heart rate soaring. When I shovel snow and I need to get in a good workout I not only shovel my areas but I may shovel several of my neighbors areas and even the local public bus stops. That's right get that workout in and be a good Samaritan at the same time. Shoveling snow can be a total body workout (upper, lower, & core)

4. Lastly, if you are gonna just sit at home then take a few minutes and use a core stability ball. Sit on it, do some crunches, or any balancing exercises. These balls can be purchased for less $20. Do a few circuits and throw some pushups, lunges, squats, and jumping jacks in the mix for 20 to 30 minutes.

Well there is enough to get you started so there are no excuses, at least no weather related excuses, to let your conditioning decline during a winter storm. At least try to offset some of that 'comfort food' that you know we all will consume during this time.

Celebrity Who Used P90X

Last year P90x was one of the hottest home fitness programs around. Turns out this program was quite popular amongst the fitness conscious Hollywood stars as well some pro athletes. P90x was utilized by the likes of Pink, Usher, Ashton Kutcher,Taylor Lautner and the New Moon cast as well as pro athletes such as champions Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens and Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics. I came across this article thru one of my contacts in the health and fitness industry and I thought it would be a great idea to share it with you. I used P90x myself and experience fantastic results. I continue to incorporate elements from P90x and Insanity to maintain my fitness level. While P90x is one of the more popular programs, Beachbody offers several other quality programs that I see where users are seeing significant results. Listed below is the article excerpt on celebrities who have used the P90x program.

P90X: Hottest Celebrity Workout Product of 2009

by NATE on JANUARY 1, 2010

in FITNESS NEWS, WORKOUT PRODUCTS

P90X was perhaps the most popular workoutprogram in 2009.  Celebrities love the at-home workout system developed by trainer Tony Hortonthat operates on the principle of muscle confusion.  The  program comes with 12 DVDs and a diet plan to follow for 90 days.The program consists of three different phases to prevent plateauing.   The program not only includes a variety of fat-burning and muscle-building exercises, but also includes plyometrics, kenpo, yoga, core training, and stretching. It will help burn fat, build muscle, and increase cardio fitness. P90X is the  best-selling workout product out there and it is well worth the price. With this workout, you will definitely get you the celebrity results you’ve always wanted… That is, if you can stick with it.

Some celebrity P90x users:

• Pink appears on the cover of Women’s Health and tells the mag: “Usually, I wake up and do an hour of cardio, then an hour of P90X or yoga, then a half-hour of warm-up [during show rehearsal]. I do that six days a week.” Did I mention she had just had a baby four weeks earlier?
• Taylor Lautner and other New Moon cast members used P90X to get ready for theirs roles in the latest flick in the Twilight series.
• Other known celebrity users include singer Sheryl Crow, 90210 star Jenny Garth, Philadelphia Eagles kicker David Akers, Atlanta Braves outfielder Matt Diaz, Without a Trace actress Poppy Montgomery, actress Demi Moore, her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, Usher, Ewan McGregor, Bryce Dallas Howard, Joey Fatone, and Jason Scheff.
• Some athletes who use P90x include Emmitt Smith (former RB for the Dallas Cowboys), Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens), Donovan McNabb (QB Washington Redskins), Brian Westbrook (RB Philadelphia Eagles), Brett Favre (QB Minnesota Vikings), Kelly Slater (surfer), Barry Zito (pitcher, San Francisco Giants), Brian Wilson (pitcher, San Francisco Giants), Jo-Jo Reyes (pitcher, Atlanta Braves), Kenny Smith (former Guard for the Houston Rockets; TNT analyst), Ray Allen (Boston Celtics), and Baron Davis (Los Angeles Clippers).
• Even Congressmen Paul Ryan (R – Wisconsin) and Health Schuler (D – North Carolina) have gotten in on the action.

If these P90X celebrities can make the time to workout with P90X, so can you!


Article Source: http://www.thecelebrityworkout.com/2010/01/p90x-celebrity-fitness-product/
 You can contact me about P90X and other Beachbody products at this link: http://www.beachbodycoach.com/afsfitness

I found this superb article on one of my favorite cardio/warm-up exercises and the benefits of it. I am as some of you who know me a fan of the old school exercises and it does not get any more old school or classic as jump roping. This exercise does so much for total body conditioning.

Benefits of Jumping Rope

by Namita Nayyar Jumping rope is an intense and effective aerobic activity. Skipping can actually tone the muscles of the upper body (especially the deltoids and to a lesser degree the chest and upper back) as well as the lower body (especially the calves and hamstrings). It also promotes definition of abdominal muscles and reduces cellulite. As recommended by 'WF health and Fitness Experts', you can adapt moves, such as marching or running in place, from aerobics classes, while turning the rope alongside your body. Research indicates that 10 minutes of jumping rope is equal to 30 minutes of running at a 5.7 mph pace. A 150-pound person jumping 120 times per minute burns about 12 calories per minute. Rope jumping improves your coordination, speed and agility - which can vastly improve performance in other sports. Jumping rope is a plyometric workout. Thus, it is excellent for developing power, speed and endurance in your calves. Not only is it a good CV workout, but also it improves your agility, fluidity, coordination, lateral movement, explosiveness, speed, and timings. While you cannot really increase your muscles' size by jumping rope, you can (and will) increase the muscles efficiency, and because of this, many coaches employ it as a means to complement strength or weight training. Skipping also helps to improve coordination for sports such as tennis or racquetball. Rope Jumping Tips: Always use proper form and hold stretches for a minimum of 10 seconds on each side. Keep elbows in. Turn the rope with the wrist, not the whole arm. Jump only high enough to clear the rope. Land on the balls of the feet and bring the heels down for shock absorption and to rebound for the next jump". Start out by alternating jumping for one minute and resting for one minute. Sixty to seventy turns per minute is a good starting pace. Start with 10 minutes and build up to 30 minutes. Build up gradually, listen to your body and with persevere you will avoid any pitfalls and reap the plethora of benefits from a good jump-ripe workout. Always wear a good quality pair of running shoes to absorb the impact. If you are looking for fat burning, it's a good idea to perform your jump-rope workout first thing in the morning before you eat breakfast. Always allow enough time to warm up and cool down. Pay particular attention to arms, shoulders, neck, calves and hamstrings. Ms Namita Nayyar is President of www.womenfitness.net, a complete online guide for women to achieve healthy weight & optimum fitness. She is post graduate in Child Development (gold medalist) & a fitness trainer. Article Source: http://www.shapeupshop.com/articles/Cardio-Fitness/Jumping-Rope-Exercise-Benefits.html

P90X from the Perspective of People Like You and Me

Beachbody.com markets some of the best home fitness programs on the market today. I myself like P90x and Insanity simply because they incorporate old school exercises that we use to do in PE class in school. Some of those same exercises I still incorporate in my regular routines even prior to my knowledge of the P90x program or the other Beachbody products. I used P90X myself 2 years ago and got magnificent results. Now as I focus my career entirely on the fitness industry I wanted another challenge so now I am currently evaluating Shaun T's Insanity workout. I will provide my personal results at the end of 60 days.



I am sure some of you have seen the infomercials on TV for both P90X and Insanity. And they usually provide you with testimonials of users of the program. Well my goal in this post today is to provide you with some actual real everyday folks who posted their progression with P90X on Youtube. Listed here are some great transformations from the You Tube community check them out:

This one is my personal favorite because of the fact that she demonstrated some of the exercises and how she modified them which is OK because the main thing with all of these programs is that you may not be able to keep up with these fitness gurus in the beginning and you do not want to risk injury.



These are some other good ones to look at as far as seeing how they stuck with the program to get great results.

Fitness Networking For A Better And Healthier You

Fitness Networking For Newbies
By Chris Shakoor

If you are new to the world of fitness you may sometimes feel lost with the tons of products and programs available for getting into shape. Developing a sound network of friends, acquaintances, and professionals can help provide you with quality insight in this industry. Listed below are a few guidelines and suggestions for building one's personal 'fitness network':

1. Your Primary Care Physician. Do not neglect this. First of all your doctor will be happy to see that you are motivated enough to take steps to improve your health. It is highly recommended that before you engage in any exercise regime or start taking any supplement that you talk things over with your doctor and have them perform a physical to make sure you are healthy enough to take your fitness to the next level.

2. If you join a gym or fitness center I strongly recommend that you do some sessions with a personal trainer for several reasons. First, most personal trainers are people who are very passionate about what they do and truly enjoy helping others. Your personal trainer will show you proper exercise technique and demonstrate how to use the equipment within the facility to prevent injury. Some personal trainers are also very knowledgeable with supplements and can make diet recommendations to assist you with your workouts.

3. Health Food/ Wellness Store Associates. Sometimes I go to GNC or the Vitamin Shoppe and I may not spend a thing. I sometimes just go in to pick the brains of the employees. Some of the associates at theses type of stores are also very passionate about health and fitness. Some are even personal trainers or fitness instructors. Believe it or not some of them are not just there to make a sale. Some have tried the products and will give you there honest opinion on the effectiveness of certain products. I learn a lot by just listening to them and then doing my own research.

4. Online. Yes the Internet. As you can see you are reading this. With the Internet there is a vast amount of information at our finger tips. Join some fitness forums or communities like Team Beachbody, or BodyBuilding.com which are setup where you can have buddies and join discussions. Lots of good info on the many fitness community sites. Also, just about everybody I know is familiar with Facebook, Linkedin, or Twitter. All of these social networking sites have groups focused on health and fitness. Find a few and join as they are are great source of information.

5. If you know somebody at work, in your neighborhood, or meet someone at the gym who shares your interest in health and fitness, do not hesitate to mingle with them. Talk to each other get each others email addresses and if you see a good health tip pass it on. Or if you see a good fitness challenge that you think they might be interested in let them know. This is a goo way to motivate each other.

That should be enough to get you started on building a sound fitness network.