Day 9 - Adjust Your Lifestyle

Today's blog is a little bit of a personal update for me, but also a lesson to some of you on how you need to adjust your lifestyle from time to time to meet your health and fitness needs.

Some of you may know that my wife and I had our first-born (a boy) back on December 6th 2011. Today marks my wonderful wife's first day back to work. Well, we call it work because she works long hours and gets paid, but it could also be considered school as she is a few short months away from completing her PhD in Microbiology.

Anywho, while she is off finishing her education (I am beyond proud of her by the way!), I have been given an absolutely amazing opportunity to take some parental leave from work for the next 4 months to stay at home with my son (he's the one in the picture above).

Now, I consider myself to be one of the luckiest fellas in the world right now because of this fantastic opportunity that I have been given, but there is definitely a slight change in my lifestyle and priorities in the coming months.

The way my weekdays used to be structured would go something like this:

6am - Alarm goes off

6-7am - Have coffee while watching the news, spending time with my son

7-8:30ish am - Workout

8:30ish - 9am - Shower, dress, breakfast

9am - onward - Work

The change that comes into play here is that my wife now needs to be out of the house by 6:30-7am. So, what that means is that I like to have my workout done by then so that I can watch, feed, change, and entertain my son. For those of you who have/had kids, you know how it actually is like a full-time job!

So, instead of throwing my hands up in the air and saying, "That's it, I quit!" I now wake up at 5am, have a quick cup of coffee, and into my home gym to do my workout starting at 5:30am. If the workout runs a bit past 6:30am, then my boy sits in his monkey bouncer where he gets a perfect opportunity to smile and laugh at his old man sweating and working out like a madman!

I choose to wake up even earlier than what I am used to for a few reasons. One, watching young children can be tough, and they don't necessarily follow a regimented schedule every day where I know that at 2pm I can do my workout, for example. Two, this way, I like to get my workout done and out of the way so that no matter what comes up during the rest of the day, I know that my workout has been done and completed.

There are many of you out there reading this that may even wake up earlier than me, or some of you may stay up to impossible hours of the night to do your workouts. What I say to you is congratulations, keep on going! On the other hand, for those of you who let 'life stuff' get in the way of achieving your goals, I think you may need to reassess your reasons for motivation in life. I certainly know why I make the time to workout as hard as I do!

Quote of the day:

"Difficulties mastered are opportunities won."
~Winston Churchill

Day 8 - Exercise Myth

 

If I want to lose weight, I should do more cardio exercise. MYTH. 

Cardiovascular exercise is fantastic for your brain, circulatory system, and can burn calories. However, strength training raises resting metabolic rates for hours after a tough workout so you continue to burn calories long after you have left the gym!

What does 'Resting Metabolic Rate' mean? Your body is burning calories at all hours of the day. Processes in your body require energy to complete. These processes can include replacing/repairing tissue, digesting food, thinking, breathing, etc.

Unfortunately, most people seem to have 2 different training styles stuck in their head; cardio and resistance training. Why can't you combine them? Many people feel as though to burn calories and do "cardio", they should hop on the treadmill or elliptical, get their heart rate up to a respectable level and then keep it there for an extended period of time.

This is a common fallacy because unless you are training for a marathon, there is absolutely no need to keep an elevated heart rate for an extended period of time. Instead, why not add some total-body resistance work into your training and perform exercises in circuit (moving from one body part to the next with little to no break) so that you never stop moving. That way, you are working your muscles, but also getting "cardio" work at the same time. Remember, cardiovascular exercise means that you have an elevated heart rate, your body doesn't care if that's achieved from running or pushups!

Not only that, but oftentimes when individuals are 'doing cardio', they elevate their heart rate about mid-way to their max heart rate, then keep it there for an extended period of time, but never really pushing themselves to their max effort. By doing high-intensity interval exercises, your heart rate is climbing and falling multiple times throughout a workout which has been shown to be far more beneficial to overall health than steady-state cardiovascular exercise.

Quote of the day:

"Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still."
~Chinese Proverb

Day 7 - Routine Maintenance

Last week, I had to fork over some cash to have some work done to my car. A few hundred dollars later and the sucker is back up and running, but not without a hit to my wallet - which I HATE!

Cars to me, are such bad investments. They require so much time and maintenance, yet often times, they will break down for no reason at all.

I know what you're thinking, and you are right, there isn't a whole lot different between the cars that we drive and our bodies sometimes. Both require maintenance and care, and both can break down over time, sometimes for no reason at all. The only difference between the two, however, is that cars (for the most part) can be replaced.

Think about it. No matter how much you love your car, it will more than likely not last as long as you do. Also, think of all of the time and effort that goes into making sure it runs smoothly to take your butt to work, shopping, vacation, etc.

The sad part in all of this is that I know of many people that seem to spend more time, energy, and money on maintaining their car/home/job, etc. while neglecting their health. Some people make sure their vehicle gets all of its regular maintenance done. When they hear a questionable rattling sound, or some other 'quirk' that their vehicle may have picked up, they rush their car in to get it 'checked out'. They make sure it always has fuel - some people even make sure they always use premium. The oil has to be changed every few months or 'x' number of miles. When their is a ding, scratch, or dent, they get it buffed out and fixed, because heaven for bid a rust patch starts to spread!

This is as simple as it comes, your body is the only one you have, so you should make your health and fitness your primary full-time job to focus on what you are eating and how you are exercising. Period! These same people that spend all of their time and energy on their vehicles, then hop into their car and speed down to the local burger shack to get a triple bacon cheeseburger. Either that, or they are the ones who complain that, "healthy food is more expensive than fast food".

When it comes down to it, I think certain people need to focus on setting their priorities straight. Sure, I hate the fact that I have to shell out a few hundo to fix my car, however, when I leave the grocery story and see how much I spent on foods to fuel my body, I don't even bat an eye!

Quote of the day:

"Diligence is the mother of good luck."

~American Proverb

Day 6 - Muscular Endurance and Athletic Performance

Below is a question I was asked recently regarding muscular endurance:

Question (paraphrasing):
"I was wondering what you thought of muscle endurance in which the value of very high rep (20-30) sets. Probably too much of an over-simplification on my part, but it seems like very high rep sets are more conducive to performance?"

Muscle endurance can be a great asset for certain athletes such as those that compete in endurance events where your primary energy source is aerobic in nature (eg. marathon runners). Do not confuse this with
other sports that may seem to be "aerobic" such as hockey, basketball, or even soccer. These sports and others similar to these actually consist of many different bouts of fast, powerful actions (anaerobic power). For that reason, to increase performance in MOST sports, power andspeed training should be the cornerstone of training.

Having said all of that, every athlete should include some sort of endurance training at some point in their
training periodization. Now when this falls into your actual training regimen, depends on what type of sport or event you will be competing in. Let me give you a few examples.

Every muscle in your body has a specific ratio of type 1 (aerobic), to type 2 (anaerobic) muscle fibers that is determined by genetics. This ratio will not change, however, you can train type 2 fibers to become MORE
aerobic in nature. The trade off for that is that they lose a bit of strength/power.

If you are an athlete that wants to train your muscles to be more powerful/strong, you can first train your muscle fibers to be more aerobic which makes them more efficient. When I say more efficient, I mean they are better at oxygen transport, utilization, waste removal, etc. this can benefit you when you then start to hit the heavy weights because your muscles will recover quicker so you can train more efficiently.

On the flip side of that coin, MMA fighters for example would want to first train their muscles to be strong and powerful but then have endurance properties because of the number of punches/kicks they could potentially throw in a fight.

I have actually experienced an example of this with myself recently. I am coming off of my mass phase, where I increased my muscular size and strength, so I have no problems picking up my son. However, my muscles aren't very 'endurance' trained, so my arms start burning after holding him for a pretty short amount of time.

By focusing on power and strength training, an individual's performance increase would be noticeable in the speed/quickness department. If an athlete would want to increase their performance so that they could race after a puck in hockey, for example, their training should focus on speed and power which would allow them to blow by the opposing player.

On the flip side of the coin, if their endurance lacks, then after a couple of 'sprints', their legs would be toast and they wouldn't be able to skate as fast towards the end of the game. That is where training structure and proper periodization come into play. Ideally, you want to have an even balance between performance (powerful, strong, explosive actions), combined with endurance (ability to perform for longer periods of time) to have the best of both worlds, and then vary each asset depending on your sport.

A defensive line in football, for example, would want to be VERY strong/powerful, but they dont need as much endurance because the plays are so short and they have long rest periods at times between plays.

Quote of the day:

"He who conquers others is strong. He who conquers himself is mighty."
~Lao Tzu

Day 5 - Sustainable Living

I feel like I sound like a broken record lately, but I can't help but harp on some major psychological problems that many people face these days when it comes to healthy living.

There is an obesity epidemic sweeping across western society (and the world) that is only growing at a faster and faster rate these days, with many people either stuck in a rut not knowing how to help themselves, or even worse, finally deciding to fix the situation. What? Why is someone who wants to change their health/lifestyle a bad thing? We as a society are sending the wrong messages.

I have touched on this topic before, the fact that we center our views on success as monumental body transformations rather than sustainable healthy living. Let's face it, as much as it should be the motivating factor for people, losing weight at a safe pace, and changing the fundamental factors associated with the reason for weight gain in the first place, is not 'interesting' to most, it requires too much effort, and most importantly (arguable), it does not make for good TV.

Sure, we could get into a debate over why people gain weight to begin with, and whether it's their fault or other factors involved. But the key thing I want to discuss today is how individuals need to make long-term sustainable changes to their lives in order to make permanent steps forward.

Coming back to the, "I'm sounding like a broken record" thing again, I feel too many people are too lazy to make sustainable changes, are just looking for the quickest, easiest fix going. Case in point, I read recently that "Nose Tube Feeding" practices are increasing in popularity, especially amongst women about to get married. What is that you ask? Well, it is a procedure where a feeding tube is inserted into one's nose, in order to directly 'feed' nutrients to your stomach. This is an extremely dangerous procedure, but the risks seem to be dispelled because of the want or need to restrict calories, and drop those last few 'glamor pounds' before the big day. I could go on about this topic, but others have done some well writing on this topic already.

Also, a new study published in JCEM has found that individuals dropping weight at an extremely fast rate (as seen on shows like the Biggest Loser), can develop what is known as "Metabolic Slowing" or "Metabolic Adaptation". This seems to be similar to a blog I wrote in the past regarding "Set Point Theory" whereas an individuals' metabolisms may actually slow due to losing extreme amounts of weight over a short period of time. This 'slowing' of their metabolisms lead to individuals gaining back most, if not, all of the weight that they lost originally!

Regardless of what your health, fitness, or weight loss goals are, if there is one thing that I have learned over the years, is that healthy, sustainable goals take time. You can not treat your body like a tool where you can simply 'flip' a switch, or take a magic pill, or follow some crazy procedure to make things 'better' overnight. You may see short-term success, but the human body is a marvelously complex organism that requires time, effort, and patience to fully understand it. If you put in the time and effort to make long-term, sustainable changes to your lifestyle, such as exercise and a proper diet, then your body will thank you in return!

Quote of the day:

"It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."

~Theodore Roosevelt

Sources:

Photo - http://www.femalefatlossoverforty.com/blog/2010/08/11/10-weight-loss-mistakes/

http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/04/church-booked-check-flowers-check.html

http://www.weightymatters.ca/2012/04/biggest-loser-destroys-participants.html

Day 4 - Think Like an Athlete

Think like an athlete! Athletes don’t exercise and workout just for the sake of exercising, they train with a goal in mind. It helps them stay focused and determined on their success.

Too many 'Average Joes' allow their workout programs to become stale because of sheer monotony or lack of interest. This can lead to a lack of results. In order to look and perform like an athlete, you should have the mindset of one.

First of all, set goals for yourself based on a timeline. Whether it is to 'look good' for a special event, or to be at your physical peak by a specific date, goals should be structured on a specific timeline. Athletes, for example, aim to 'peak' in performance by the beginning of their sport's season, 'maintain' during the season, and then taper in intensity to recover in the off season.

Next, don't be afraid of taking a bit of time off. Now when I say take some time 'off', that does not mean that you should sit on your butt and do nothing all day - although you could - I just mean to take a step back every once in a while from the intensity of your regular workout regimen.

You can still stay active, healthy, and fit without the need to do heart-thumping cardio, or slinging weights around like it's your job. Go for hikes, play with your kids/dog in the park, try some seasonal sports (skating, skiing, swimming, etc.), you know, 'fun' stuff.

By taking a step back every once in a while, you not only give your body a chance to recover and repair, but you also allow your mind to re-focus on upcoming goals. This can be a tremendous tool to allow yourself to build up momentum for what's to come next. Also, because you are not working as hard to burn calories and punish your body, it can allow you some time to focus on other important factors to achieving your goals like perfecting your diet.

Sure, your calorie expenditure may not be as much as it is when you are working out hard, but that is fine, try eating less, and making every calorie count!

Once you feel you are refreshed and ready to get 'back to the grind', you can then begin to focus your thoughts on making the most out of every single workout you do. This is the time to focus on your periodized schedule and make the most gains to your health and fitness.

By thinking like an athlete, you will want to schedule times of less-intense exercise, times of 'maintenance' exercise, but then also focus on the times of intense exercise. Athletes know that that is the time to shine, and push yourself hard.

When it is time for you to push yourself, you want to be as mentally, and physically engaged for your workouts as possible. Create a mindset or goal-oriented atmosphere for yourself where you will strive to achieve and perform as hard as you possibly can. This is the time to win those mental battles where you do not allow your body to try and trick you into thinking that the pain is too much. This is the time to push yourself to your brink. That is where you get results!

Quote of the day:
"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time."
~Thomas Edison

Sources:

Photo - http://www.tommattesportsmarketing.com/Celebrity-Athlete-Marketing.html

Day 3 - Success

I see success stories every single day. Time and time again, you see a new video, blog, or story online or in the news showcasing the tremendous body transformation an individual has completed. Shows on television such as "Biggest Loser" or "Extreme Makeover" and the hordes of others like it display these success stories all the time.

I think it is a remarkable story every time I see someone who has lost a lot of weight and get fit and healthy. Now as you read the rest of this blog, do not get the impression that I am trying to underplay these scenarios, because I am not. As I said, any time someone makes that big of a lifestyle change to improve themselves for the better is good in my books, but they are not the only success stories out there.

I think these types of success stories are so popular due to their immediate shock value. You are usually shown an image of an individual prior to their change, and then the remarkable transformation they have completed with a shot of them after they have lost all of their weight. These are very powerful images that display success in a very real, shocking way.

This is probably the way things should continue as well, especially considering the overwhelming statistics on obesity, some people need that 'shock' value they see in the media, to know that they too can go from one extreme to the other (albeit with months/years of intense dedication mind you).

On the other hand, there are those individuals (like myself) who may be trudging along winning the little battles, but staying focused and determined regardless of whether or not they see large body transformations. I would like to applaud you! These are the individuals who have stayed active their entire lives, eating a well-balanced diet and maintained their weight. Or, there are others who are just naturally thin, and although they may not have led the 'healthiest' of lifestyles up until now (see "skinny-fat"), but have now turned the corner to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Let me elaborate. Just because you don't drop '100 pounds in 6 months' from diet and exercise does not mean that you should not be proud of yourself or of your accomplishment(s). Sure, you may notice smaller changes, such as the way you feel, or the lowering of your resting heart rate, but these aren't benefits that are showcased and broadcasted to the world. Because of this, our family, friends and co-workers may not realize just how "successful" you are in your journey to be a happier, healthier person.

On the other hand, let me remind you that there is only one person (maybe others such as your spouse, kids, etc.) that your success should mean the most to - and that is YOU. Regardless if you need to drop 100 pounds, or if you just wish to train for a triathlon, remember that you are a success if you create a plan for yourself and stick with it! Create goals for yourself and don't give up until you reach that point!

Sure, all we ever see in the media is the 100-pound weight-loss success stories, and that is great! If you don't have that much weight to lose, don't think of yourself as any less successful though!

Quote of the day:
"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities, and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."
~Harry Truman

Sources:
Photo: http://lucylcellucci.net/2012/01/01/success/

Day 2 - Small Changes Add Up!

 

“I'll Just Burn it off at the Gym.”

Many people grossly over-estimate how many calories they actually burn during a workout. Everybody has heard someone say (while reaching for that second helping of dessert), "Oh, I'll just burn it off later when I am (insert weak excuse for an exercise here)." 

Truth is, even the craziest of fitness nuts only burn, at most, 30% of their daily calories by working out each day. Most of the calories we burn on a day to day basis comes from doing things like digesting food, thinking, breathing, repairing a cut to your leg/face from shaving, etc. This is known as our resting metabolic rate, which means you are even burning calories reading this blog right now! There are other daily activities can also contribute to our daily caloric expenditure that are known as non-exercise activity thermo-genesis (N.E.A.T.) such as walking up the stairs, walking your dog, having sex, etc.

I know what you may be thinking, "Hell, I don't need to exercise then!" Keep in mind that exercise causes a whole list of benefits too long to list in this blog, so I highly recommend you continue (or start) to exercise 5-6 days a week. Not only that, but a properly designed strength and conditioning program consisting of cardio and resistance training will raise your resting metabolic rate, mentioned earlier, so that the rest of the day when you are not exercising, you will burn more calories than the average person.

The best scenario in this case would be to exercise often, but to also make small changes in your lifestyle that can result in bigger changes over the long-haul. For example, if you live or work in a multi-storey building, take the stairs more often than the elevator. Park at the back of the parking lot when shopping to force you to walk a bit further, etc.

Exercise can only take you so far. Diet choices and other small lifestyle changes add up over time to create a healthier you!

Quote of the day:

"Never look back unless you are planning to go that way."

~ Henry David Thoreau

Sources:

Photo - http://www.zmescience.com/science/biology/sexual-sweat-is-recognized-as-novel-by-the-brain/

365 Days for a 'Better You' - Day 1 - The Beginning!

This is an idea that I have been thinking about and mulling over for a while now, so today I am finally getting organized and getting started with day 1!

To be honest, I was originally inspired to do something like this by "1000 Awesome Things". For those of you who have never heard of this blog, the writer wrote a new blog every week day, counting down 1000 'awesome' things we all enjoy in life. These things that are so awesome can be widely varied, but the main theme is looking for things to enjoy and smile at every day. "The finer things in life".

I spend a lot of time reading, especially health and fitness related stories and items. For the past several years, I have archived small pieces of advice, tips, 'tricks', and snippets of information that can help not only myself, but many of you in your life-long journey to becoming/staying a happier, healthier person.

Today marks the first day, of what is initially being planned as, 365 consecutive days of blogging health and fitness-related information for my readers. My goal is to post a new blog every single day for this next year. Now sometimes life happens, and circumstances arise when I just simply will not be able to make it to a computer to post my daily blog, but in those rare circumstances, I will then double-up the next day. Either way, you will have 365 new blogs by April 21st, 2013!

Some days will be short little snippets of information. Some days will be long drawn-out stories. There may be days touching on interesting research studies being published in the news, other days will simply be about my own personal journey staying fit. Either way, I am sure there will be something every one of you will be able to learn and take with you, to help you along!

Oh, and one other thing. For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you should know already that I really enjoy motivational and inspirational quotes. Well, at this time next year, you will also have 365 of my favorite quotes to keep you motivated as I will post a new quote every day!

So, without further ado, Day 1:

Develop momentum first, then worry about maintaining that momentum later. Most people begin their health and fitness journey with lofty expectations/goals. Instead, make small goals for yourself and stick with it. For example, say to yourself, “I am going to go exercise for 10 minutes at 6:00 am tomorrow morning!” The length of time you exercise is not the important part here, the important part is that you commit to yourself and go and actually do it.

Research shows that we build momentum by winning 'small battles' first. It creates a positive influence on the brain and allows us to feel accomplished right from the get-go.

As you get on a schedule for yourself, then you can worry about lengthening the time of you workouts or increase the level of intensity.

Quote of the day:
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

~ Herman Cain

Mass Phase Final Results

***FINAL RESULTS VIDEO HERE ***

Well, my 9 weeks of building mass is complete. I have to admit that I am quite happy with my final results (video above). I set out with a few personal goals. I wanted to try and stay as regimented with my diet as possible, lift as heavy as possible with good form (to avoid injury), and to put on some weight while gaining some strength. All of my goals were met - except for a few small nagging injuries picked up just from the sheer forces my body was put under.

I still learned a few things along the way, not only about my own body, but also about what to value with health and fitness. I would definitely consider myself a 'hardgainer' with a body type somewhere between an ectomorph and a mesomorph. I have always been quite active and athletic growing up, so that, coupled with the fact that I have a smaller body type, creates difficulties for me in gaining any significant mass.

My diet was quite spot-on, hitting anywhere from 3500-4000 calories, 6 days a week. I was right around the 30% protein every day as well. Now I will mention that in order to hit my protein numbers, I was supplementing with protein shakes on a very consistent basis, while trying to use wholesome dietary sources as much as possible.

I do not want any of these things to sound like excuses, as I feel like I still put on some mass, as I intended to do, but there are some things to learn from my own little experiment these past few weeks. First of all, I was attempting to build mass by using my own home gym. Research tells me, which I knew going into this, that in order to build significant amounts of body mass, I should incorporate more large-muscle and multi-joint exercises into my program (heavy squats, deadlifts, bench press, snatches, etc.).

Also, I aimed to cut down on my activity level the best I could, so that my gains would not be hindered by doing too much cardio for example, but I still played hockey outside of my 6-day-a-week workout schedule.

One thing that ended up being one of my biggest successes through all of this, was my strength gains that I achieved. I continually pushed my 'numbers' as best I could through every workout, increasing either repetitions or resistance (weight) in order to promote muscular growth. My gains in strength will now help me with my future plans and training for the coming months.

Now that I was able to put on a bit of mass, and gain a pretty substantial amount of strength, I look forward to my upcoming P90X2/Asylum hybrid, where I can now take my strength gains and apply them to a desired goal (Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder).

This is where I feel I truly excel - competing. From the time I begin my hybrid on Wednesday April 25th, until I cross the finish line at Tough Mudder on Sunday August 19th, I will be competing. Sure, it is nice to lift some heavy weights and try and look all ripped and muscular, but I have been an athlete my entire life, and competing is what I like to do. I will be keeping everyone informed on how I am doing along the way!

Warrior Training Revised

***SCHEDULE ALTERTED ONCE AGAIN, CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST MODIFICATIONS***

About a month ago, I posted my Warrior Training blog that detailed my plans to get ready for Warrior Dash in July. Well, things just got serious!

I am not discounting the Warrior Dash, as I had a great time last year, and will still participate this year, but to be honest, when I finished the race last year, I couldn't help but get the feeling that I needed more of a challenge.

Introducing (for those of you who haven't heard of it before) - Tough Mudder:

Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces to test your all around strength, stamina, mental grit, and camaraderie. With the most innovative courses, half a million inspiring participants, and more than $2 million dollars raised for the Wounded Warrior Project, Tough Mudder is the premier adventure challenge series in the world.

I have been interested in Tough Mudder for quite some time now, as it piqued my interest a while back, unfortunately, there wasn't an event being held close enough to me. Well, 2012 has brought Tough Mudder to Toronto (well, actually it is in Barrie, about an hour and a half north of Toronto) which is about an hour drive for me!

I will be competing on Sunday August 19th, 2012. My training schedule has been adjusted slightly from when I originally posted it, with a few weeks worth of training added on. There is essentially 4 full weeks between the time I run Warrior Dash to the time I run Tough Mudder, which will allow me to build on my Warrior Dash training, and take things up a notch so that I can be in tip-top shape for Tough Mudder.

A couple other things, I decided to add an extra day of stretching/recovery to my Phase 3 of my current Warrior Training in order to give my body sufficient recovery between workouts. Also, I will be completing the Insanity Asylum Fit Test before prior to, and following my training schedule to gauge my progress. Here I will be measuring my fitness numbers as well as a few other factors (weight, resting heart rate, etc.)

The Training Schedule:

Phase 1
3 weeks
Wednesday April 25th - Tuesday May 15th 2012

Day 1 - X2 Balance & Power
Day 2 - Asylum Speed & Agility and Relief
Day 3 - Asylum Strength
Day 4 - X2 Core
Day 5 - Insanity Pure Cardio
Day 6 - AM: X2 Total Body and X2 Ab Ripper - PM: Hockey
Day 7 - Off/Recovery

Recovery/Transition Week
1 week
Wednesday May 16th - Tuesday May 22nd 2012

Day 1 - Asylum Back to Core and One on One 20/12 Abs
Day 2 - Insanity Max Recovery
Day 3 - One on One Road Warrior
Day 4 - Yoga
Day 5 - Asylum Overtime and X2 Ab Ripper
Day 6 - AM: Insanity Cardio Recovery - PM: Hockey
Day 7 - Off/Recovery

Phase 2
4 weeks - alternating
Wednesday May 23rd - Tuesday June 19th 2012

Week 1/3
Day 1 - X2 Chest, Back & Balance
Day 2 - Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit
Day 3 - P90X+ Abs/Core Plus and Insanity Cardio Abs
Day 4 - One on One Shoulders & Arms MC2
Day 5 - Yoga and X2 Ab Ripper
Day 6 - AM: X2 Base & Back - PM: Hockey
Day 7 - Off/Recovery

Weeks 2/4
Day 1 - X2 V Sculpt
Day 2 - Asylum Vertical Plyo and Relief
Day 3 - One on One Killer Abs and 20/12 Abs
Day 4 - One on One UBX
Day 5 - Yoga and X2 Ab Ripper
Day 6 - AM: X2 Base & Back - PM: Hockey
Day 7 - Off/Recovery

Recovery/Transition Week
1 week
Wednesday June 20th - Tuesday June 26th 2012

Day 1 - Asylum Back to Core and One on One 20/12 Abs
Day 2 - Insanity Max Recovery
Day 3 - One on One Road Warrior
Day 4 - Yoga
Day 5 - Asylum Overtime and X2 Ab Ripper
Day 6 - AM: Insanity Cardio Recovery - PM: Hockey
Day 7 - Off/Recovery

Phase 3
3 weeks
Wednesday June 27th - Tuesday July 17th 2012

Day 1 - X2 P.A.P. Lower
Day 2 - Asylum Speed & Agility and Relief
Day 3 - X2 P.A.P. Upper
Day 4 - Yoga/Relief
Day 5 - Run Training
Day 6 - AM: Asylum Vertical Plyo and Overtime - PM: Hockey
Day 7 - Off/Recovery

July 21 - Warrior Dash
22 - Off/Recovery
23 - AM: Asylum Speed & Agility, PM: Hockey
24 - Asylum Game Day
25 - Relief/Yoga
26 - Asylum Strength
27 - Asylum Vertical Plyo
28 - 10km Run
29 - X2 Total Body
30 - Asylum Speed & Agility
31 - Asylum Strength

August 1 - Asylum Game Day and Overtime
2 - Relief/Yoga
3 - Asylum Strength
4 - 15km Run
5 - Asylum Vertical Plyo and Relief
6 - Asylum Back to Core
7 - Asylum Speed & Agility
8 - Asylum Strength
9 - Asylum Game Day and Overtime
10 - Yoga/Relief
11 - 5.5km Run
12 - Asylum Speed & Agility and Relief
13 - Asylum Final Fit Test
14 - Light Run
15-18 - Yoga/Relief

August 19 - Tough Mudder!

Do Compression Garments Enhance Active Recovery?

A new study out of Australia believes that they do! 

Abstract
Lovell, DI, Mason, DG, Delphinus, EM, and McLellan, CP. Do compression garments enhance the active recovery process after high-intensity running? J Strength Cond Res 25(12): 3264-3268, 2011-This study examined the effect of wearing waist-to-ankle compression garments (CGs) on active recovery after moderate- and high-intensity submaximal treadmill running. Twenty-five male semiprofessional rugby league players performed two 30-minute treadmill runs comprising of six 5-minute stages at 6 km·h, 10 km·h, approximately 85% VO(2)max, 6 km·h as a recovery stage followed by approximately 85% VO(2)max and 6 km·h wearing either CGs or regular running shorts in a randomized counterbalanced order with each person acting as his own control. All stages were followed by 30 seconds of rest during which a blood sample was collected to determine blood pH and blood lactate concentration [La]. Expired gases and heart rate (HR) were measured during the submaximal treadmill tests to determine metabolic variables with the average of the last 2 minutes used for data analysis. The HR and [La] were lower (p ≤ 0.05) after the first and second 6 km·h recovery bouts when wearing CGs compared with when wearing running shorts. The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) was higher and [La] lower (p ≤ 0.05) after the 10 km·h stage, and only RER was higher after both 85% VO(2)max stages when wearing CGs compared with when wearing running shorts. There was no difference in blood pH at any exercise stage when wearing the CGs and running shorts. The results of this study indicate that the wearing of CGs may augment the active recovery process in reducing [La] and HR after high-intensity exercise but not effect blood pH. The ability to reduce [La] and HR has important consequences for many sports that are intermittent in nature and consist of repeated bouts of high-intensity exercise interspersed with periods of low-intensity exercise or recovery.

If you watch any professional sports, you may have noticed a rise in athletes using compression garments during competition. For years, many athletes would use these pieces of clothing to help either return from injury or try and prevent injury, although more and more studies are now showing their potential benefits.

The link that I posted above, details a study that was done testing rugby players and their recovery abilities from submaximal running. The key role that the compression garments play, is that they assist in recovery, which can be of great interest to athletes, especially those that participate in sports that are high-intensity interval work in nature.

Researchers believe that the compression garments aid recovery in two different ways, which were tested for, and found to be true, during their study. Firstly, by keeping your limbs (legs were used in this study) under constant compression, it increases or maintains venous blood pressure, allowing for a more efficient blood return to the heart. This allows for a more efficient removal of cellular waste products such as lactate, as well as helping sustain blood pH levels. Secondly, although related to the first point, since the venous blood return is kept under consistent pressure throughout the limbs, the heart does not need to work as hard during recovery processes.

Just a quick biology lesson for those of you who may not know, your blood is pumped to your muscles carrying a wide variety of essential materials and nutrients via your heart through your arteries. Once the blood reaches its cellular destination, and completes its nutrient exchange, it then needs to return to the heart to complete the process all over again, not to mention expel the waste products. The blood returns to the hearts through your veins, although this is not always a passive process. What I mean by that, is that your muscles actually need to assist the blood to return in many cases, especially in your lower limbs.

Think of the blood that has traveled all the way down to your calves for example, each one of those blood cells then needs to combat gravity in order to return back to your heart. Muscle contractions by your calves, for example, help 'squeeze' the blood back up through the veins and back to the heart.

By wearing compression clothing, this process can become much more efficient and the blood is returned to the heart in a quicker, more efficient manner. And the more blood your heart is pumping, and has access to, the more you will be able to 'push' during a workout or competition.

I have used compression shorts for years while playing soccer and running, but it has been more of a *ahem* support issue, and I have used a compression shirt from time to time during upper body workouts, but this study will definitely lead me to want to use them both more often, especially for competitions.

Sources:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22082795
Photo - http://boristerzic.blogspot.ca/2012/03/skins-compression-clothing.html

Amazing Athleticism

Not sure if any of you have heard of Damien Walters, but I have watched quite a few of his youtube videos in the past. I have posted his 2011 video showreel below of some of his feats, but you can definitely find more on him on youtube if you are interested.

He is no doubt a very talented person, and can perform stunts that many of us cannot (and should not) do. However, I find his videos to be extremely motivating. Not in the fact that I want to go jump off the side of a building, but motivation to know just some of the things the human body is capable of!

More on Damien from wiki:

Walters participated in four Trampoline World Championships. In 2003 he was one of four members of the British team winning the World Title in the team competition.[1][2] In the years 2001 and 2007 he ranked 4th with the team. He also finished 5th in singles competition in 2003 and 2005. In addition he won the European Title with the British team in 2006, just after he was placed 2nd in team and 8th in the singles competition two years earlier.[3]

Since 2007 Walters has not participated in further tournaments and has focused on his other projects, mainly his career as a stuntman. He also appeared, however, in a number of television commercials and has performed in acrobatic shows.[4] Walters has had the role of stunt double or stunt performer in the films: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Ninja Assassin, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Eagle, Steven Spielberg's I Am Number Four, Blitz, Colombiana, and Captain America: The First Avenger. In Kick-Ass, he was credited as both a stunt double and assistant fight coordinator. He will also appear in the films Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and 47 Ronin.

Tips for Hardgainers

I would consider myself a "hardgainer". A hardgainer is someone who struggles to put on mass - fat or muscle. I spent many years as a teenager struggling to try and put on weight. Recently, I have received many e-mails and messages from individuals who would also be considered hardgainers and are looking for advice to put on muscle. Below is a list that I have compiled of tips and tricks, but also things to watch out for if you are looking to put on some mass.

1. Increase Your Calories

This is probably one of the biggest problems many people face when trying to put on mass. If you struggle to keep your weight up, chances are, you have an extremely fast metabolism, and/or you lead an extremely active lifestyle.

I suggest searching online to find a good estimate of your "resting metabolic rate" and then adding calories on top of that every day in order to build mass and gain weight.

2. Lift Heavy!

Some workouts may have you aiming for high repetitions with low resistance. This may give you a short-term "pumped" feeling because your muscles will be engorged with blood, but that is only temporary. Instead, you will want to be moving some pretty heavy weights/resistance in order to properly promote muscle growth.

Hypertrophy (muscle cell growth) occurs best in the 6-12 repetition range, although if you can hit 12 reps on an exercise, you are best to increase your resistance next time around.

3. Forget About Muscle Confusion

By designing your workout regimen to change from day-to-day is smart as you want to allow proper recovery for your muscles being worked. If you work your chest and back on Monday, you certainly should not work them again until at least Wednesday. Having said that, do not get too crazy with the idea that more "muscle confusion" must be better. Sure, you may have sore muscles more often as you are attacking them in different ways constantly, but muscles grow and adapt based on repetition.


Your workout weeks should be the same for 3-6 weeks in order for your muscles to adapt and grow to the stimulus being applied to them. You may not get as sore in weeks 2, 3, or 4 as you were in week 1, but don't think that that means you aren't improving!

4. Progressive Overload

Related to #3, you need to continually challenge and stimulate your muscles to grow. Each and every workout that you do (assuming you recover properly) will stimulate growth and repair so that your muscles return bigger and stronger than they were before, so you should therefore increase your workload the following week. By increasing either your resistance or number of reps (staying within the 6-12 rule) you will continue to 'overload' your muscles every time.

5. Don't Waste Too Much Time/Money on Supplements

I use supplements because they are convenient, but the truth is, whole foods are ALWAYS a better option. If you can, spend your money on cuts of lean meats/fish and eat, eat, eat. Protein supplements and bars are fine in a pinch, but can oftentimes give you plenty of other undesirable ingredients.

6. Use Your Large Muscles

Many bodybuilders use concentration exercises that work on individual muscles at a time. They do this because they can get plenty of "help" from the *ahem* "products" that they take to pack on muscle where and when they need it. Most bodybuilders also have the affinity to build muscle from superior genetics, so forget about that. If you wish to build some serious muscle, you need to work your large muscle groups to increase testosterone production. These include: your back (use chinups/pullups), chest (pushups, chest presses), shoulders (overhead presses), legs and glutes (squats, lunges).

7. Set Realistic Goals

Without the help of anabolic "aids" many of us will never achieve body-building-type success that some may strive for. Instead of setting goals that may be too far-fetched, focus on goals that are attainable - be realistic.

8. Extra Weight to Carry

For those athletes out there, remember that putting on mass means that you just have all of that extra weight to lug around as well! Adding mass can be beneficial to some athletes (linebackers, wrestlers, etc.) but weight gain may not be desirable for all. Athletes that rely on speed and agility for success (soccer, basketball, hockey) should focus their goals on speed, performance, and strength rather than size that you can maximize your performance without having to lug all of that extra weight around.

Think for Yourself...

Today's blog post is not entirely health and fitness related, but in a way it is, as it involves how we all approach diet and lifestyle in our everyday lives.

Due to the immense wealth of knowledge that is available to us in today's society, we are constantly inundated with information. One would be lead to believe that the worldwide sharing of information through mediums such as the internet, television, printed media, etc. can help enlighten us all, unfortunately, this information can become very confusing to most individuals.

Another downside to this constant stream of 'news' is that many people often feel very overwhelmed with all of the information presented to them on a day-to-day basis. I believe this has lead to many of us trying to cover as many topics at once, rather than fully learning and immersing oneself into a single topic of interest to fully understand and grasp the entire picture.

Mass media can be partly to blame for this, as every news site tries to concoct the 'catchiest' headline possible to grab your attention. Social media is no different, however, as oftentimes individuals need to try and get their point or story across in a limited number of characters. This causes many of us to formulate and present a personal opinion on a subject, usually after reading just the headline of an article or news story!

Once a story hits social media sites, it can spread like wildfire (trending or viral), and in many cases, people begin to formulate opinions based on who and how many "likes" a story has received rather than, you know, reading the story for themselves. I think this is a problem we face in society as a whole and this spread of quick-read, opinion-forming has to stop!

Here is an example of how this relates to diet and lifestyle. A recent headline, "Regular Chocolate Eaters are Thinner" would lead you to believe that if you aren't already eating chocolate on a consistent basis, then you better start because chocolate is the *new* wonder food!

Truth of the matter is, in this study, 975 men and women aged 20-85 were taking part in a food frequency questionnaire for a study on statin drugs. One of the questions on the questionnaire asked how often they consumed chocolate. The answers to these questions were then compared to the participants' BMI and low-and-behold, they jumped to the conclusion that the individuals who consumed chocolate on a regular basis, generally had lower BMIs.

Now any individual with a brain in their head and the ability to think for themselves (and actually read the study) would be able to come to the realization that maybe, just maybe, there are other factors at play here besides the amount of chocolate these folks consumed. Maybe most of the participants in this study are much better at moderating their sweets intake. Maybe a bunch of participants lied on the study. Maybe there are other factors involved here such as the rest of their diet and/or exercise program.

Nutritional epidemiology is the study of the impact of food on chronic disease, but the best we’re ever going to read are observational studies that, in turn, try to tease out what it is in our diets that are conferring risks or benefits. The only way to ever truly study particular foods would be to randomly assign tens of thousands of people to identical diets with the exception of the food in question and then follow them for years. That just isn’t going to happen.

Let me say this as well. Even if you read a research study, for example, that advocates "drinking a cup of coffee a day for a better heart" or something similar, don't stop there! In order for research to be done, researchers need to be paid. (Yes, I know, they are crazy for not working for free!) Unfortunately, sometimes a study may be funded by a certain individual, corporation, or organization that has their product/idea/platform in its best interest and will not publish their findings until they can find something that supports their cause.

In cases like that, you are better off reading and researching as much as you can. If you read a study that says "alcohol is good for you", great, keep going. Try searching for more studies just like it to see if their findings truly are legit.

At the end of the day, one of the most important things you have for yourself is your opinion. I ask you to not allow your opinion to be swayed by other individuals unless you can spend some time to research something and do your own investigation into the matter. This goes for everything in life including religion, faith, political opinion, health advice, exercise advice, etc. Wouldn't you rather base an opinion off of what you want to believe rather than what some jerk on Facebook suggested to you?

Yes, I know, I fall into this category. I am a person who uses social networking to spread my opinion about health and fitness. Having said that, I don't wish for any of you to stop here at what I have to say and think it is the only way to go. Instead, read and listen to what I have to say, then you can form your opinion with whether you agree with it or disagree with it, and look for more evidence to think for yourself. After all, tools such as the internet should be a wonderful place for all of us to educate ourselves, rather then selling ourselves short by swallowing the dogma that is shoveled at us!

Sources:
Photo - http://stayoutofschool.com/2010/06/critical-thinking-what-is-it-anyway/
http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/pressreleases/regular_chocolate_eaters_are_thinner/
http://www.livestrong.com/blog/the-5-most-dangerous-food-myths/

My Thoughts on Fasting

*Disclaimer: Please note that I am NOT a doctor so anything written in this blog is purely opinion only and should not be taken as recommendation for anyone. If at any time, you wish to investigate any of these topics in greater detail, you should speak with your doctor.*

I receive this question quite often. "What is your opinion on fasting?" I find that in our society today, almost everyone is looking for the 'quick fix'. Maybe you have a big date coming up, or a Wedding to go to and you want to look your best. Maybe your lifestyle is not what you want it to be like and you have been doing some heavy drinking every weekend and are looking to 'cleanse' your body. When it comes down to it though, why are you so concerned with trying to 'fix' week's, month's, or even year's worth of poor lifestyle choices with a quick fast?

First, we must define what exactly a 'fast' is.

What is Fasting?

From Wikipedia: Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day (24 hours), or several days. Juice fasting involves abstaining from food while deriving nutritional intake through freshly-juiced vegetables and fruits such that the body may detoxify.[1] Other fasts may be only partially restrictive, limiting particular foods or substance. The fast may also be intermittent in nature. Fasting practices may preclude sexual intercourse and other activities as well as food. 

Why Fast?

Humans have been fasting for thousands of years for a number of reasons including personal beliefs, religious beliefs, and even prior to surgical procedures. Many health reasons to fast include 'resetting' the body to aid in removing toxins from the system.

Do I Fast?

Of course I do! In a general sense of the term, we all fast. We fast every night when we go to sleep, as our bodies are not ingesting any calories. That is where we get the phrase "breakfast".

In other cases, I will go periods of time (days, weeks or months) where I remove something from my diet. I do this to not only gauge how I feel, but also because I am generally removing something from my diet that I feel I could take a break from (i.e. alcohol).

There are studies that have shown that animals that live on a caloric restriction, as well as practice in intermittent fasting (fasting every other day for example) have decreased illness and chance of death.

My Overall Opinion of Fasting

As a kid growing up, my family was always on the go. Because of this, the only time we occasionally sat down for a 'family meal' was for dinner. I was set on a schedule - because of school - where I would eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner through the week, but on weekends, I basically followed the "eat when I was hungry" plan.

Even to this day, I am pretty regimented about my meals through the week. I will fully admit, however, that I struggle to sit down and have solid meals on weekends. Saturdays are thrown off especially, as I generally don't eat until at least lunchtime. Now in all of the health and diet articles you read from various sources, one of the general rules that they almost always preach is how everyone should be eating every few hours to maintain a steady metabolism and weight.

This would be a great plan to follow if everyone was built the same and had the same activity levels, but it just isn't the case. On weekends, I may snack before bed on a Friday (gasp! snacking before bed?) but then I won't eat again until lunch or later on Saturday. That may be 12 hours or more where my body has 'fasted'. This has been the case for me for years and I don't see myself breaking this mold any time soon. I personally feel that for my own personal needs, it reminds my body that food is not always needed, or necessary to keep my energy levels up. It keeps my body guessing and also teaches it proper fat mobilization.

Having said all of that, I am not an advocate for long periods of fasting, especially at the expense of your health. Your body requires certain micro and macronutrients to survive. By eliminating everything from your diet but water, fruit, or lemon juice for an extended period of time can be dangerous. If you are to change your diet, make progressive changes that will have a sustainable, lasting effect rather than going for the 'quick fix'!

Sources:
Photo - http://survivaltek.com/?m=201003
http://www.hartnell.edu/faculty/shovde/chem23/Fatmobilization.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fasting