Time to get back after it!

Wow, time flies, and once you start slacking off, the inertia sets in!

I haven't blogged in far too long, and would rather not admit when my last "real" workout was.  Crossfit, 5x5, bicycling, running/walking, yoga/stretching, martial arts-you name it, I haven't been doing it!

So here's the plan: (I'm publicly putting it out there to call myself out)

Tonight: light stretching and yoga, some calisthenics
Tomorrow: stretching and yoga, more calisthenics
Sunday: first trip to the gym in far too long.

Maybe I'll get a couple more in before the table muscles get worked out on Turkey Day!

Crossfit modality is a needed change of pace

Today for the first time in a long time I did a Crossfit Workout of the Day (WOD) instead of my usual Stronglifts 5x5 workout.  I used to do Crossfit or similar workouts regularly, and like CF and what it accomplishes for functional fitness.

Today's WOD was push presses with 75 pounds, 100 reps and then 10 muscle-ups, all for time.  Since I can't to muscle-ups the substitution is 3 pull-ups and 3 dips for each muscle-ups.  Substitution number 2:  Since I didn't have a dip bar, I did 6 bench dips.  Overall it was a good hard workout that I completed in a decent time. 

I learned a couple of quick lessons today.  First, mental conditioning for different kinds of work is important and can't be overlooked.  A couple of times during the 100 push presses I re-racked the bar to immediately realize I could have done another rep or two.  Second, my body is very conditioned to lift a certain plan after doing 5x5 as my main workout for almost 2 years.  5 reps followed by 1-3 minutes rest is quite different than as many reps as can be done well, rest, do as many again, over and over!  I probably was breathing harder than if I had been running!

Time for sleep, and wondering how I'll feel when DOMS sets in!

Too much "can-do" can do you in

When I was going through Navy Dive School, we were all in very good shape, and many of my fellow students were multi-sport lettermen, collegiate varsity athletes (one even represented the US in the Pan-Am Games).  On top of that, we were all in strong mental shape, highly motivated to complete whatever the challenge was-physical, emotional, diving performance.  One saying we would often yell was "Can-Do, Master Diver" as the top Navy enlisted divers challenged us, trying to find the weakness in a future Navy Diving Officer that he would have to work with.  Mornings normally started with up to 30 minutes of calisthenics and then off for a fast 4 mile run, or, even more fun, they'd mix the run and cals together!  Nothing like running a mile or two at a fast pace (at least for me), getting dropped for 10 minutes of cals, and then off for another mile or so!  CAN DO, Master Diver!

However, many of us became walking wounded, as pushing to physical failure was expected if you couldn't do the number of whatever exercise it was-and almost all of us got to find our where our limits was!  In some cases, that limit was pushed upwards as we continued physical training, but sometimes muscles would pull or tear, joints would give out, or in one classmate's case, a disc bulged and he was out of training.  In my case, I came very close to tearing both calf muscles.  One Corpsman gave me very good advice, "Too much Can-Do, can do you in."  While the immediate case was trying to bounce back from each calf injury too quick, he also wanted to give me some wisdom.

Why to I write all this?  Well, 2 days ago I tried my usual 5x5 workout after having been tight and a bit sore for a few days.  After warming up, during set one of squats my back started to knot up.  I finished the set, stretched a bit, and tried a second set.  Although not as sharp, I could feel the knot but finished that set.  More stretching, back under the bar, and 3 reps into the third set the back isn't feeling right.  A few years ago I would have pushed through, but there is a reason for these gray hairs!  I re-racked the weight and proceeded to cool down.  While it's hard to stop a workout, too much Can-Do in a previous case like this ended up in a back spasm, which I cannot afford right now.  Instead my back is better today than it has been in almost a week, so tomorrow I'm trying the same workout.

Your last rep is life or death (really)

I hope the title of this post caught your attention.  Are you ambivalent about your last rep in a set, an exercise or a work-out?  "Well, I did a lot today, this one rep isn't that important"....

WRONG!  The last rep is life or death!  Failure to push through and get that last rep is death of your dream, your goal, your future.  Going all the way through, finishing the workout gives you the health and fitness and the life you are shooting for.  Whether it's 5x5, 3 sets of 8 or 12, tabata's or intervals, make it life or death!

Updated-Diet part two-eat lots of natural stuff

Update:  Amazed at how hard this is in most restaurants, even after years of talk about America's obesity crisis!  Just back from a week of traveling and was struck about how bad my diet got in a hurry and how "big" everyone was.

Sorry this post has taken so long, but let's get going, since a healthy diet is hard to explain and this post is going to be long.

How should we eat?  We should eat foods as close to the way God made them, in the great variety He made them, seasoned with herbs that are natural and limit salt, sugar and anything processed.

Done.  Could I go on with lots of details and suggestions?  Of course, (hey, I'm from Mississippi, home of writers like Faulkner, Welty and Grisham, who must have been paid by the word!) but it really is that simple.  Lots of fresh colorful vegetables, fresh lean meats-even wild game/fish, whole breads with minimal processing, and variety, and you generally have a healthy diet.  While I don't follow them strictly, the kosher dietary laws work out to a large variety of foods, and if you look at where it was "applied" you see an abundance of olive trees-one of the healthiest oils possible for cooking and seasoning.

So go eat from the abundant variety God provided, watch those portion sizes, and be healthy!

The purposes of food

Did you know there are three "uses" of food?  God created food to have at least three uses by us but we have corrupted or abuse them like all things after the Fall.  To be truly healthy we have to get back to the real uses of food and minimize our misuse of food.

The first use of food is as Fuel.  Our body primarily uses glycogen as fuel, both for our cells and our brain.  I'll leave the exact chemistry to others, but our bodies can convert carbohydrates, fats and protein into glycogen to keep us alive.  It is easiest to convert carbohydrates into the form of glycogen we need since it is already sugars, and fat is a very well designed "glycogen storage device" (see Covert Bailey's books, for example).  In extremis, the body breaks down protein to keep glycogen headed to the brain.  The problem here is our body stores excess calories (fuel) both when we are not stressed, and as a survival mechanism (at least at first) when we cut calories too far.

The second use of food is as building blocks.  This is primarily proteins, but we also have to have fats for certain bodily functions.  These building blocks come from the food we eat, even if our body breaks food down and re-synthesizes what we need.  This is where extremely low protein or low fat diets have a harmful effect-our body can't replenish itself.  We must balance our fuel needs with our building block needs to ensure we get the right amount of calories and the right types of calories.

The third use for food is the pleasure and satisfaction of eating.  We eat with almost all our senses.  The feel of a ripe piece of fruit compared to a spoiled one, the satisfying "crunch" when biting into an apple or a carrot stick, the smells of food, and the great variety of tastes-all part of the correct enjoyment of food.  But we fall into two opposite extremes-eating mindlessly and not appreciating it's taste, textures and smells, or becoming addicted to tastes, and eating excessively beyond what we need for health.

In most cases, everything we need to be healthy exists in fresh, quality foods.  Supplementation is not required for most people with the exception of a quality multi-vitamin, mainly as cheap nutritional insurance.  Meals over the day or two should mix fuel needs with building block needs and should be eaten consciously, enjoying the tastes, smells, sounds and feel of good food.

Om nom nom nom....

Diet, part one

It's been awhile, and an e-mail request from my Pastor motivated me to get back to posting.  Yes-I'm my Pastor's personal trainer, while he's my spiritual trainer!

Diet-"Die with a T" as Garfield used to say, will be the topic of the next few posts.  I'll try to get them posted up over the weekend so I don't lose momentum and you don't lose interest.  Our diet and how we should eat is one of the reasons this blog is titled "Creation Fitness".  I am a staunch creationist, and believe God created this world with great wisdom and design.  He created all the world, and created us to be in this world.  What is here physically is good for us to use and enjoy, and we are to be stewards of the physical world.  I am not a "Gnostic" at all (but I love gnocchi, so maybe I'm a "Gnocchist")  Just as I believe we are most fit and healthy when we use our bodies in all the ways they were created to be used, we are healthiest when we eat the foods God created, not some laboratory, and in the great variety God gave us.

So starting at the beginning, here are two verses from Genesis that will be the basis for the next few posts:

1:29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

9:3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 

Time to go use that body God created for me to use in full body compound movements, but that's a whole other topic!


 

Two-fer today, and witnessed an impressive deadlift Pr

One of the base gyms I frequent is going through a renovation and at first I thought it was closed.  Actually it has been relocated, and is now crammed into 1/2 the basketball court.  When I got there, a sailor already had an "eight pack" (405 pounds) loaded on the bar from the squat rack.  So I warmed up and asked to work in when he got to a decent weight.  YEAH RIGHT!  I went right to overhead presses but still kept an eye out for his lifts.  While a bit younger, he was moving 405 pretty easily at a bodyweight around 210.  Then he added 2 more 45s.  Quick math-getting close to 500 here, which isn't too common especially on that base.   He adds the 5 pounds to even it up and makes the lift!

So while I'm happy with how my workout went, still got a way to go.  The two-fer is related to the remodel-since the locker room is closed, the base pool locker room is doing double duty.  I haven't swum laps in too long, so I decided to swim a quarter mile.  Wow-I am out of shape'for swimming!  To think I averaged about 2 miles a week for years is humbling!

Getting back into the swing of things

After taking a couple of weeks off, and some lighter workouts last week, this week I started another rotation of Stronglifts 5x5.  I dropped the poundages, but between starting lifting again and a whole slew of medical/dental work, I am sore!  It's a good sore, and I'm ready to get back in the gym tomorrow for workout "B" (squats, presses, and 1x5 deadlifts).  It will be good to see how presses and DLs go-I was pretty close to grip failure on DLs but have dropped about one-third in weight, and presses are heading back up close to my traditional stall area.

Guess what else I did this evening?  I went for a run-walk, my first in a long time.  Don't tell anyone!  Running is probably my least favorite aerobic exercise, but makes the most difference when time or equipment (like a pool) is limited.  I'm sure I looked bad but fortunately after a few minutes things started coming back.  Still the slowest Navy diver ever!

Have a good and active weekend-

Another article-resistance exercise helps early cognitive loss

Another good article today!  This one from the N.Y. Times:

http://news.yahoo.com/pumping-iron-prevent-dementia-204624299--abc-news-health.html

The article talks around the cardiovascular benefit to the aerobic group and glosses right over the "balance and tone" group.  I say, why not have a variety of all of them?

But it's good to see research starting to point out that resistance training is important even into our 80's.

Article link: Taking fitness plateaus from failure to feedback

Just ran across this-it's a pretty good read, isn't hyping the supplement or the workout device (i.e. junk) of the day, and quickly talks about variety and cycling workout types and structure.  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Taking fitness plateaus from failure to feedback

Another "tabata" today

Currently away from my usual gyms, so throwing a few tabata's at my body to keep some work going.  I think I will do tabata squats but need to settle on a number.  8-10 may be too few (although 80 total) but I also don't want to be so sore that by Monday I can't get back in a squat rack.  15x8 would be 120....

What I don't need to do is go to a Crossfit website or youtube and feed the competitive juices!

Update: Finally did this yesterday, did 10 per "tabata" (is that even right?) for 80 total plus a few warming up.  Feeling it (and the window seat on a 4+ hour flight) today!

Tabata push-ups for 4 minutes-fun fun fun

I haven't done a 4 minute tabata workout of any type in a while.  Since reading and writing about it earlier this week and not having as easy access to a weight room this trip, I decided to knock out a quick 4 minute push-up workout.  Before you get any wrong ideas, I only did 8 push-ups per interval, so it wasn't that many total.

I remembered the cardio-vascular aspect from earlier Tabata workouts but not fully.  Wow, can just a few exercises done quickly get the heart AND the muscles going!  5 minutes of work (counting a few warm up push-ups definitely has me awake now.

Have a great day, whatever your workout is-even an important rest day!

You say "tabata", I say "tabata" too

Here's a fun and effective workout with high intensity and some variants that could keep you interested for a long time without the usual 1 set of 12 on each machine, three circuits boredom, or overly complicated and too much work split body part workouts: TABATA's!

Invented by a Japanese doctor (you guessed it, Dr. Tabata) you do an exercise for 20 seconds and then rest 10 seconds.  Here's where all the variety comes in.  You can do a full body circuit, moving from upper body to lower body to abs to the back then the chest until you have enough, you can do sets (one easy way is 8 rounds-4 minutes, which starts feeling like eternity!), or you can just throw in one tabata after a workout.  This is really effective when you have to get ready for a physical fitness test (say the Navy's) and you need to focus on a certain exercise.  A number of us have used this to max the push-ups and curl-ups on the Navy PRT, and I'm confident it would work on just about any exercise.  When doing multiple sets of the same exercise, the goal is to start with a number that is easy the first set but hold that number all the way to set 8!  Yeah, have fun!

Tabata timers are available all over the net, or just use your watch.

And thanks to Sandra over at Sandradoeslife on wordpress for reminding me how great these are.

Finally-Part 4 of a well "balanced" workout plan!

How many of you liked to roller skate, skateboard and ride bicycles (even unicycles!) as a kid?  How about walk along the curb, the top of a retaining wall, or maybe stand on tree branches high above the ground?  How about now?  Do you ever find yourself walking along the sidewalk, and actually walk right on the curb?  Did you roller blade with your kids, or sit or stand nearby, safely but boringly on both feet?

One of the major causes of injuries as we age are simple falls caused by losing our balance.  While sometimes these are unavoidable, researchers found that these falls occur more often because people stop "working" on their balance as they "grow up".  But did any of us work on our balance as kids, or did we just do activities that made us better at balancing our body?  My church had a long retaining wall that ran alongside a large playing field-at the time it was probably a couple of hundred feet long.  While part of it was really high (maybe 10-12 feet) at the street end it was only about two feet high.  Progressing down the wall from first holding your parent's hand, to walking most of it, to standing atop the tallest part was a rite of passage for many of the youth of the church.  While the Elders never joined us up on the wall, some of them probably had walked it in their day, and had grandsons (and some granddaughters) "working" on their balance up on it.

While that wall is long gone, the point is we need to incorporate activities that make us balance our bodies, working both the muscles that help us keep our balance, but also the automatic nervous system feedback loops.  To be honest, this can be as easy as shifting our weight while standing, just to get a feel for feeling our position in space again.  Progressing to standing on one foot is low impact, and then the sky is the limit.  I have friends in their 40s that still walk on their hands and do one handed hand stands!  You don't have to go that far, but I mention it to say what is possible.

Thanks for your patience for me to get this fourth installmant posted.

Time for a check-up/Max lifts day

At the end of January, I started the Stronglifts 5x5 lifting program.  I have used this basic but solid program two other times, including last year.  About September I used work travel as an excuse, and ended up "taking four months off"!  In order to "practice what I preach" I realized I had to get back in the gym.  After a few "fun" workouts (one that left me sore for over a week, but that's another story) I started the SL 5x5 program 10 weeks ago.  Mehdi has you start with just the bar so you master form first-a very good practice.  You add weight every workout, so it gets tougher but you also see results.

Well, today I did my 10 week benchmark testing.  While my numbers aren't huge and today was only a check-up on my way to a larger goal, I'm pleased to report I am already within 10% of where I was in September, and that was over two rotations of the log sheet/training plan I use.  My squat and deadlift were ahead of where I wanted them to be by now, and my bench press was relatively easy for the target weight.

So in closing, remember what our goals have to be: Measurable challenging and with a commitment, so here is mine:  Do a 1000 total pound powerlifting series (squat, bench press and deadlift) by December 31st, 2012.  Today I was just below 700 pounds, so I still have some work to do but I'm on my way!

STtrreeettcchH ah feels so much better!

OK, long enough delay on talking briefly about our third component, stretching and flexibility.  This component, while often seen as a warm-up or cool down, is just as important as strength and cardio-vascular training.  Stretching helps maintain the range of motion of our limbs, helps our circulation, and just plain makes us feel better.  While age and injuries can impact our flexibility, consistent stretching can restore much of this range of motion.

So how much stretching and when should we do it?  Well, like anything, you can overdo stretching, both by doing too much too soon, and by forcing your body past its current limits and tearing or straining something.  Stretching is best done after you are sufficiently warmed up by easy activity, and haven't been in one position too long-like just waking up, sitting at a desk or driving too long.  Sitting at a desk is a whole topic to itself, but if you find yourself sitting most the day and night, you definitely need to stretch!  Light activity such as walking, a few deep knee bends (remember those?) and working the joints you will stretch in one plane of motion at a time without a load all help.  Then a few basic stretches held for a few easy breaths each really work wonders.  Bob Anderson's "Stretching" is probably the all time classic (Disclosure:  I am now an Amazon Affiliate and the link at the bottom helps, but you can find the book all kinds of places!).  I also found the stretches I learned from yoga tapes and classes and my Tae Kwon Do classes all help my flexibility.  Ironically, a Navy physical health assessment showed me I was losing flexibility in my 30s, so I worked at it and when I retired I had too good a range of motion-something like 99 percentile despite neck and shoulder injuries over the years....not that I'm complaining!

Remember, easy does it with stretching-find a few ones that work your problem area and build up to daily stretching and you will soon feel and notice the difference!

We interrupt this blog....

I will post part 3, stretching of the four components of a well-rounded (hey, can't keep saying "balance" until that post!) workout plan to give a link to my FB friend Sandra's blog.  She put up a great post on her recent visit to her dietician that really makes some great points, so here's a link to it:  http://sandradoeslife.wordpress.com/2012/04/07/the-dietitian-and-the-magic-weight-loss-pill/

Sandra, thanks for letting me link to your blog, and it's great to see your motivation to make some real changes in your life!  Really good stuff, and it's going to be awesome seeing you get fit and healthy!

I'll be back later to talk stretching and flexibility.  Have a great day and a great workout!

Cardio training-component number two

Today’s topic is the second component of a complete fitness plan: CARDIO.  Cardio is training that makes your heart more efficient.  Since the heart is a muscle it can be conditioned and strengthened, making us healthier and creating a reserve before we get “winded”.  Cardio training also helps in our breathing rhythm, can help your sleep, and has a side benefit of assisting in building muscular endurance.

There are many ways to get your cardio training, and many we don’t even call “exercise”!  Depending on the intensity level, some house work/yard work, dancing, skating and other activities can have a cardio-vascular benefit (there, I said it!).  So let’s talk about intensity.  There are many formulas and calculators out there, including some like laboratory VO2 Max testing that get very complex.  The most basic is that cardio work is generally done above 60% of your max heart rate over time-not just a minute or two.  To figure our max heart rate, the rule of thumb is to subtract your age from 220.  You then multiply this number by .6 to get a heart rate you should try to achieve to get basic cardio fitness.  You then take your pulse either on your wrist or neck or you can buy an inexpensive heart rate monitor.  (Shameless plug here-follow the links to Performance and Bike Nashbar to check some out!)

The other easy check for basic cardio training is the “talk test”.  If you can carry on a conversation in short sentences you are at about the right level.  You shouldn’t be gasping for air, but you also shouldn’t be able to read this post out loud non-stop! 

This is basic low-intensity training.  To benefit from any cardio training, you have to perform it 3-4 times a week, but the good news is you start seeing gains in 10-14 days in most cases, especially when starting out.  Any activity counts toward that 3-4 times a week when done at enough intensity and long enough, so you don’t have to do just one sport or activity.  That said, finding an activity you enjoy and can commit to really pays off.  My Mom for example walked with friends to control her high blood pressure-for over 20 years!  She successfully kept it in check and maintains a vibrant productive life.  If you are just starting out, build up slowly-as we train our heart and lungs, we also have to make sure our joints and muscles can handle the new activity.  After a long break from running, I started run/walking just a mile (humility training as well!) but within about 9 months was able to complete a half-marathon.

Later I will discuss specific types of training, like intervals, event training (say you are targeting a 5K/10K or century bike ride), and mixing cardio with muscular endurance training.

A fun exercise with exercise, and a big sale from Performance Bicycles

I'll post info on cardio, stretching and balance work later this week and this weekend, but wanted to share something I remembered that is fun to do with your weightlifting before moving on.  Hopefully you keep some kind of log of your workouts, anything from a notebook, a spreadsheet, online or now one of the many apps that help track your progress.  Whether you are lifting for maximal strength or muscular endurance a fun thing to do is add up the total weight lifted and compare it to everyday objects.  Say you are working on muscular endurance today and do "thrusters" with just the bar.  Quite humbled compared to folks who didn't scale the workout, you decide to total up your lifting anyway.  Say the WOD included 10 thrusters as part of 5 rounds.  Well, just by lifting the bar, you lifted over ONE TON!  Depending on how much you lift, think in terms of cars, trucks, planes, your house.....ok, if you lift enough in a workout to say you lifted your house, maybe I need to read your blog!

OK, on to the big sale, and how you can help me out.  Notice the text Performance ad over there--->  While it highlights a jersey sale, other items are on sale, and if you need bicycle accessories, parts or even a new bike, click on the link and you will go to the Performance website.  In the name of full disclosure, I get a commission for sales through blog, and am donating half of my commissions between now and May 5th to CMA's Run for the Son.  Performance is running a bonus promotion, so your purchases may actually help twice!  Thanks, and have good workouts!

Strength Training-component 1 of 4

Let's start breaking down each of the four components of a balanced fitness plan with strength training.  All four are important, and there is no real reason I started here.  Unless you have a specific goal/target, each is important and yields benefits towards wellness and health.

Strength training benefits us both in our daily activities and long-term, but unfortunately has gotten a bad wrap.  For fear of become "muscle bound" or "bulky", many people either don't lift weights, or lift such small amounts there is little benefit.  The benefits from lifting weights only accrues when enough weight is lifted enough times to challenge our muscles and make them grow.  They will grow, but the huge muscles you see on bodybuilders (of both sexes) and professional wrestlers generally come from steroids use to support the heavy training they do.  Most of us won't reach anywhere near that size-there is a genetic cap on how much muscle humans can carry without medical supplementation.  Strength training also benefits our bone density-important as we get older, and we all do!

Strength training has two outcomes, which are slightly contradictory but can be achieved with thoughtful planning.  Pure muscular strength and muscular endurance can both be built, but by different types of workouts.  Unfortunately, the "3 sets of 12 on each machine" workout really doesn't do either while trying to do both.  Muscular strength is built, well, quite simply, by "picking heavy stuff up, making it heavier and picking it up again".  That is way oversimplified, but true.  The idea is to lift ever heavier weights in low reps (usually no more than 3-5, sometimes heavy singles) focusing on good form.  The advantage is fairly rapid strength gains can be made by the novice, and consistent gains by the more expereinced lifter.  Some plans include Stronglifts 5x5, Smolov, the Texas Method, or comment and I can point you at some.

The other type of strength workout is for muscular endurance.  Here, our goal is not to lift a maximum amount, but to lift a certain amount repeatedly for a long time.  Instead of building raw one rep maximal power, these workouts focus on functional strength over longer time perios.  This is very beneficial for military and law enforcement personnel, and first responders.  These workouts have recently been popularized by Crossfit, TRX and P90X but have been around as long as military boot camps with recruits getting "mashed" or "slain" and then running an obstacle course have existed.  Anything from body weight (via calisthenics) to light weights to unique objects (Kettlebells, medicine balls, sand bags) are used in fairly fast-paced workouts with reps many of us don't want to count! 

One word of caution:  "Scaling" is no joke in both pure muscular strength training and muscular endurance training!  First, starting lighter than you think you can lift allows you to build good form, achieve postive reinforcement/motivation, and also minimize soreness.  Secondly, there will always be someone stronger than you, and trying to keep up too soon leads to extreme soreness all the time, and often injury, which instead of helping our fitness, ends up hurting it.

Tomorrow I have a SL 5x5 workout on top of lots of physical work this week, so I guess I'm mixing both.  I look forward to reading your comments on what works for you.

The Four Components of Fitness and Health

Do you know there are four types of work-outs to ensure you are fit and healthy?  Most people think there are two, a few think there are three, but there are actually four.  And no, this isn't "diet and exercise", this is the exercise part of that equation.  You probably are already thinking of the first two, getting close on the third, but maybe are stumped, so here goes!

First, the two that most everyone is screaming in their head: Strength training and cardio.  Those are the old stand-by's and most programs are based on one or the other, or sometimes both.  The third type is actually lumped in with your "warm-up" and occasionally a cool down (Got it now? Good). Yes, stretching and flexibility work is actually an important third component, and isn't just part of the other two.

The fourth component of a balanced and effective workout plan, that will help you lead a well-balanced life with balance in all your activities is BALANCE!  As we age, we stop doing all those fun things we did as kids that helped us work on balance and body control-riding bicycles, skating/skateboards, walking on narrow curbs/walls etc., climbing, handstands.  We don't keep track of subtle changes in our body, or in our ability to closely control it due to modern life.  We all hear the stories of falls and spills that result in broken bones, and often these never heal, becoming chronic, life altering injuries.

So there are the four components of a well structured and balanced workout plan.  I know my current plan is short on cardio, and a little short on balance work.  I'll address each of the four with some ideas and tips over the next few days.

Created fitness, my friends!

Heading to the gym with a distinct goal for this workout

Good morning!  About to head to the gym, with the goal of doing 5x5 squats with my body weight loaded on the bar.  This will be the first time since September, and the Strongslifts 5x5 workout poundages are starting to get up to where their tough.  But that's the point-increasing stress on muscles=stronger muscles and bones.

Update:  GREAT WORKOUT!  Got all my squats-5x5 with 190# at a body weight of 189!  Then bench press with the right weight (loaded bar wrong last workout) went up easy, and rows were quick and done.  After warm-up sets, was in the gym 35 minutes.  Gotta love streamlined effective workouts!

"Losing weight" or losing fat?

Yesterday we talked about goals, and one reason "losing weight" isn't a good goal from the viewpoint of goal setting.  Now I want to talk about why it is actually possible to gain weight but become more healthy, stronger, and look better!

One problem I saw over and over again in the Navy weight loss program is that overweight and obese sailors would actually gain weight their first few weeks on the program.  They would measure (Taping out, as we called it) at a higher bodyfat.  Many of them had been making changes in their diet, working out daily with our fitness coaches, but at least according to the Navy, falling further out of standards!  "What is going on?", many of us thought.  Well, a couple of things were going on, but the main one was they were already building dense muscle and losing fat out of their neck, a double whammy.  When you first begin doing calisthenics or resistance training, your body quickly adjusts to the stress, and muscles begin to grow.  At the same time, fat will burn off from the places it was deposited last-generally the face, neck and hands/forearms. 

Have you seen this picture before?  Or have you ever seen the 5 pound fat blobs at a doctor's office, a dietician's office or a health fair?  Another "experiment" I would recommend is going to the grocery store and comparing 20% fat ground beef (if you can even find it anymore) with 7% fat, and see how much smaller the 7% packages are for the same weight. 

This is why only weighing yourself or using BMI isn't a good indicator.  Is a 6'/205 pound man  muscular and powerful, or fat?  How about a 5'5"/130 pound woman?  There is no way to tell, and depending on your fitness level and body composition, you may actually find yourself gaining weight but losing fat.  With a healthy perspective, adding the mirror check is critical, and getting periodic body composition tests done also helps.  Remember, we are after losing fat and gaining some muscle (how much is dependent on body type and goals!).  But imagine the change in your body if you replaced 5 pounds of fat with much smaller, denser muscle!  You'd still weigh the same, but what a difference.

Note:  Body image issues are real, and very damaging.  If you have trouble looking in a mirror and seeing the actual image, or have other struggles in this area, please seek professional medical help.  I have seen it destroy friends' physical and emotional health, and these illnesses are growing among men now as well.  I know enough to know I realize diseases like anorexia and bulimia are very insidious, and please please seek more professional help than this blog if you are dealing with them.

Quick update-more later

Notice the links over there to the right?  Why would I put Bike Nashbar and Performance links right next to each other?  Well, for those who are long-time bicyclists you may already know this, but over time there has been a consolidation in the big bicycling shops.  The old funky Bike Nashbar catalogs are long gone, and the same parent company owns Performance and Bike Nashbar.  What's more, for those who are from Southern California, Supergo was bought out by Performance as well.

I have bought clothes and accessories from all three, and can recommend either company.  There is some difference in the gear, but you should be able to find items that meet your needs and your budget.  If you are needing bicycle parts or accessories, I'd appreciate the click through's!

What are your goals?

Goal setting, and the discipline to pursue long-term goals, is a dying art.  As the old saying goes, "If you aim for nothing, you're sure to hit it".  So let's talk about goals for a few minutes.  What are your goals?  Obviously you have some health and fitness goals, or you wouldn't be reading this blog.  So what goals did you set?  Are they something like, "Lose weight and get in shape"?  "Look better at my High School reunion/child's wedding/insert big event here"?  I hate to break it to you, but those aren't goals, or at least well developed ones.  And anyway, as one friend jokes, round is a shape, so if your goal is to "get in shape".....

To be effective a goal must be defined and have two key components, and one recommended, super secret, near fail-safe component.  The two required components are:
Defined and measurable
Time limited

So what does this look like?  Let's start with the old stand-by "lose weight and get in shape".  First we have to define what this means, and what it means to you.  Do you really want to lose weight, or fat?  Do you need to lose a few pounds to look and feel better, or do you need to lose serious weight that is killing you?  And what does get in shape mean to you?  Walk/run a 5K, an Olympic distance triathlon, fit in a certain pair of "skinny jeans"?  All are valid and a better defined and measurable goal might be:

"I will lose 10 pounds of fat and run a 5K in July"
"I will gain strength and muscle while losing fat and squat my bodyweight by August"
"I will complete a century bicycle ride in 2012"

And what is the super secret recommendation to make your goal a success?  Put your goal out there with a high-risk, public commitment!  Find a positive friend, tell them your goal, see if they want to participate with you, but definitely hold you to it.  This has been one of my secrets, and "forcing mechanisms" for a variety of goals over the past years, and I know it will work for you!

Comments?  Or post your goals for us to encourage you!

Who motivates you? In my case, an 85 year old man

Before we discuss some of the practical tips and techniques, I want to talk about motivation and role models, and my personal favorite.  Why do you want to be fit, and get healthy?  Who do you look up to that is strong, vibrant, full of "vim and vigor" and capable of meeting life head on?

My role model and motivator is Caleb from the Old Testament in the Bible.  He was one of the 12 spies who spied out the Promised Land in Numbers 13 (he's named in verse 6) and was the only other one besides Joshua to urge the Children of Israel to go up and conquer the land.  Well, Chapter 14 tells a sad story-and Caleb almost gets killed for being positive and trusting!  Fast forward to Joshua 14, where we catch up with Caleb again.  It's been over 40 years, and Caleb is now in his eighties.  What he says has always challenged me. 

"Then the people of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the LORD said to Moses the man of God in Kadesh-barnea concerning you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land, and I brought him word again as it was in my heart. But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the LORD my God. And Moses swore on that day, saying, ‘Surely the land on which your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance for you and your children forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.’ And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, just as he said, these forty-five years since the time that the LORD spoke this word to Moses, while Israel walked in the wilderness. And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming. So now give me this hill country of which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day how the Anakim were there, with great fortified cities. It may be that the LORD will be with me, and I shall drive them out just as the LORD said.”
(Joshua 14:6-12 ESV)

I will admit some credit has to be given to God for honoring Caleb's trust in him, but I am also confident Caleb did not spend the 40 years in the desert riding on his donkey and getting fat on all the manna and quail he could eat.  I will bet you he was one of the men training the generations born in the desert for the conquest to come, and maintained his strength and preparedness.  BTW if you don't know, Anakim were giants-Goliath and his brothers were some of the last ones.

Good night-time to get some sleep, tomorrow's lifts will be challenging, but necessary for the giants I am to fight in 40 years!

New-another fitness blog, just what the world needs!

After getting my biker blog up and running, I've started a health and fitness blog.  I do a bit of informal personal training and coaching, and want to capture my ideas and open them up to comment/critique.  After growing up playing a number of different sports and over 20 years of fairly consistent physical training as a Navy Diver/EOD tech, hanging out with near professional level athletes and getting to know many full-time personal trainers, I want to give back and help others achieve optimal health and fitness.

My core value and concept in my personal training is that God created our bodies and this world to work together well.  Often we make fitness and health too complicated.  While I will expand on the concept in later posts, here's one sentence to get you started:  Eat foods as close to how God made them as possible, and use/train your body as close to the full range of motion and capacity God gave you.

Have a great day, and a great workout!