It's been a great year

As it is the last day of 2011, I want to thank everyone that I have worked with throughout the past year.

This year I attended great courses in both Canada and the United States and have been able to use this new knowledge to help improve the quality of the services offered to my clients.

I look forward to another great year in 2012.

All the best in health and fitness.

CrossFit Level 1: Is it worth it?

This past weekend I completed the CrossFit Level 1 course held at L'usine CrossFit in Montreal.

I have been on the fence for a number of years about this CrossFit course, but finally decided to give it a go.

Yes, there are elements that I like about CrossFit.

1. It is athletic based and incorporates body weight training, as well as weightlifting.

2. It incorporates a lot of interval training, and does not adhere to long steady state aerobic work as the foundation of its programming.

But the thing that I have always questioned about CrossFit is how the structure of some workouts just doesn't seem to make sense.

Specifically, doing Olympic lifts for high repetitions and/or for time.  That just seems to be a recipe for disaster because form will break down, and may lead to injury.

But overall, I came out of the course with a new appreciation for CrossFit.

Sure, there are things I don't agree with, but I don't think you should ever agree with any training philosophy completely.  There is always room for interpretation and improvement.

The team that came to Montreal  to instruct the course were very knowledgeable and did a super job.

The $1000 for the two days was well worth it.

Most importantly, what I took from the course is that CrossFit is what you make of it.

There is a framework, but workouts can vary greatly from trainer to trainer.

If you are thinking about trying out the CrossFit level 1, I recommend it.

You will definitely come out of the two days with more training knowledge that you can apply to yourself, or to the people you train.  

Why use a glute ham raise?

Athlete365 finally has a glute ham raise.

I was holding off on getting one until we move into a bigger location (spring 2012), but the need was too great.

Glute ham raises (some call them glute ham developers) are the best way to target the hamstrings through a full range of motion.

Before getting this piece of equipment I had clients doing a lot of RDLs, Single Leg RDLs, Good Mornings, and Poor man glute hams.  They are all great exercises, but glute ham raises are the most effective in my opinion.

Maybe you are asking why is targeting the hamstrings so important?

Weak hamstrings and underdeveloped glutes (butt muscles) are the big reason why people have low back issues.

Therefore, strengthening both areas with glute ham raises is a sure way to reduce or get rid of low back issues.

Besides correcting low back pain, glute ham raises are a must-do exercise for athletes. Making the glutes and hamstrings stronger will reduce chances of hamstring injury, and will make athletes stronger and faster.

Is Intermittent Fasting for You?

I read an article yesterday about intermittent fasting and I must say it has sparked my interest.

What is it?

Basically, you do not eat for extended periods of time.

12 to 24 hours of no calories.  Longer if you want to try it out, although I do not recommend it.

The info that I read came from an e-book by Dr. John Beradi.  

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

But isn't going without food for an extended period of time a sure way to slow your metabolism?

Isn't eating small meals every 3-4 hours the best way to keep your metabolism moving?

Give the e-book a quick scan and search the internet for others sources on intermittent fasting and you may find this is something that may work for you.

It looks like incorporating some sort of fasting into your schedule (once per week, once per month, alternating days) may be a good for your overall health.

The benefits do not just seem to be in fat loss.

Reduced blood pressure, increased metabolism (post fast), reduced inflammation, increased growth hormone release, and improved appetite control may also be spin-offs.

But who knows if it is legitimate.

When it comes to diet you really just have to find what works for you.

Of course, fasting will help you drop weight.  You are taking in less calories than you are expending, so  eventually you will have to start losing weight.

But the trick is to lose fat and not muscle.

If it is something that could be done safely then I can see how it could possibly have benefits.

I am not recommending that you start fasting.

This post is for information purposes only.

Ring Push-ups

Rings are a very versatile piece of equipment and they are quite inexpensive.  A set will cost you around $80.

Here is a good demo of ring push-ups from a box.

Start with your feet on the floor and then progress to a box or bench once you are comfortable.

You can then make it more challenging if you like by performing them with a weighted vest.

How to Build a Garage Gym Rogue Style - video link

This video ties in well with my previous post.

Fitness gifts that get results

Since the Christmas shopping frenzy is in full swing, I thought I would give my recommendations for fitness gifts.

As you go through the list you will see it is not equipment that you will see in most homes.

That being said, most fitness equipment in homes (treadmills, stationary bikes, bowflexes, etc.) just end up being a clothes hanger anyway.

Why buy one piece of equipment for $4,000?  It really only does one thing.

With the items listed below, you will get lots of variety, which means you won't get bored, which means you have a greater chance of sticking with your training, and which means a greater chance of success.

I created the list with three ranges, depending on the space you have available.

All equipment listed is available through Rogue Fitness.

I am a big fan of their stuff.  It is well priced, high quality, and can take a beating.

Small space (under 100 sq. feet):

Kettlebells (12kg, 16kg, 20kg, 24kg)
C2 Rower
Rings or Pull-up rig

Medium Space (100-200 square feet):

Kettlebells (12kg, 16kg, 20kg, 24kg)
Squat rack (with pull-up bar)
Olympic bar
Bumper plates
Skipping rope

Large space (200 or more square feet):


Kettlebells (12kg, 16kg, 20kg, 24kg)
Squat rack (with pull-up bar)
Olympic bar
Bumper plates
Glute ham developer
C2 Rower
Skipping rope
D-Ball
Plyo Box

From the items listed you could spend anywhere from a couple hundred bucks to $5,000.

It all comes down to the space you have available and your budget.

Rogue Fitness also has a variety of packages listed on their website that may be more of what you are looking for.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Have a great Christmas!      

CrossFit Games 2012 anyone?

The best way to stay committed to anything in life is to have a goal in mind.

Education, business, life, or fitness. The same principles apply.

Set your goal(s) and start working.

Since 2012 is almost here I have toyed with the idea of finding individuals in the Kanata area who would be interested in beginning the qualification for the CrossFit Games.

Even if you do not get past stage one, the whole purpose of this would be to set a goal and work towards it.

It beats the heck out of the generic "get in shape" New Year's resolution.

By committing to participate in stage one of the qualification for the CrossFit Games, which takes place from February 22nd to March 25th, you will have something to train for through January and February.

From my experience, 99% of resolutions are sputtering or finished by the third week of January.

Are you interested?

Get more details: http://games.crossfit.com/features/get-ready-2012    

Multi-joint and you're done

In a recent post I wrote about Minimum Effective Dose and how to apply it to your training.

Simply put, do just enough to get the desired hormonal response, and your workout is done.

If you are a regular reader to Athlete365, you know that I do not spend a lot of time working out these days.

I do it consistently, but workouts rarely last more than 40 minutes.  On average, they are more likely to be around 30 minutes.

Today was a strength day so here was my workout.

1. Trap Bar Deadlift: 4 x 4 (excluding two warm-up sets)
2. Pull-ups: 3 x 8

That's it.

It took me about 20 minutes to complete and it covered all of the bases for a strength workout.

I really only had 20 minutes to fit into a workout, so it was either this, or just an excuse for not having the time to workout.

The deadlift, a staple multi-joint exercise, recruits a lot of muscles through the legs and upper body.  The best part is that it is done in just one movement.

Pull-ups are excellent for upper body strength. What better way to strengthen your upper body than pulling your own body weight.

So I was able to work most of my body with just two movements.

Will 20 minute workouts like this make me stronger than if I worked out for 40-50 minutes?

Maybe.  Maybe not.  It all comes down to the exercises you are doing and what type of training program you are following.

The key with this type of workout is that you get the most bang for your buck in a short period of time.

'Like' Athlete365 on Facebook

I finally set up an Athlete365 page on Facebook.

If you would like to receive updates through Facebook then please "Like" us.

Have a great day.  

Minimum Effective Dose

I first heard the term, minimum effective dose, in early 2011 when I picked up a copy of The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss..

What is it?

Ferriss defines it as "the smallest dose that is needed to produce a desired outcome".

Whether you are looking to get stronger, leaner, or faster, you need to look at what you are doing in terms of hormonal response.

If a high-intensity interval workout only lasts 10 minutes, but it accomplishes the desired hormonal release to stimulate fat loss, then why do more?  

If a strength workout consisting of dead-lifts, overhead presses, and pull-ups lasts 25 minutes, but provides the hormonal response needed for strength gains, then why do more?

More often than not, we think of exercise in terms of length, rather than the desired outcome.

If I workout for 60 minutes, rather than 30 minutes, then clearly I am going to benefit more.

Actually, no.

If you try to push past the desired hormonal response for most workouts, then you will end up over-training over the long term, and this will cause a hormonal response that will not give you the desired outcome.

If the body is in an over-trained state for a long enough period, then the body releases too much cortisol (stress hormone) and this causes fatigue and fat tissue retention.

I only need to look back at my time in track and bobsleigh to understand the concept of minimum effective dose.

For example, a workout may have only consisted of three or four maximum speed sprints for 50 metres, but there was no need to do more.

If you tried to add more sprints, you would only make yourself slower.

Also, it would take you longer to recover fully from the workout.

This concept applies to all other types of physical training.

Do just enough and you will see progress.

Do too much and you will go backwards.

But how do you know if you are working hard enough to stimulate the desired hormonal response?

It comes down to training experience and knowing your body.

You want to push yourself, but you do not want to over-train.

A basic guideline I would recommend would be to do three higher intensity workouts per week.

For example, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Each workout (including a 5-10 minute warm-up) would last no more than 40 minutes.

On days between, and weekends, you would rest and do lower intensity activities like walking, foam rolling, and stretching.

Do this for 6 weeks and see how you progress.

The key is to listen to your body and give yourself adequate recovery between workouts.

Allow your hormones to do what you want them to do.

Understand your cravings - article link

CRAZY Cravings: How do cookies, pizza, etc. know your name??