Transformation Training and Fitness

Here is the video that accompanies this week’s Fit Tip of the Week.  If you haven’t seen it, you can visit TTF-TV.com to check out.

Perform each exercise in this circuit for 15 seconds.  Rest 5 seconds and move to the next exercise.  Each circuit will take 1 minute and 40 seconds.  Peform 3-6 rounds depending on your level of fitness and time constraints.

Exercise 1 – Plank variation,  Exercise 2 – Superman variation, Exercise 3 – Cross Mountain Climber, Exercise 4 – Left side plank variation, Exerise 5 – Right side plank variation.

Enjoy!

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This week on TTF-TV, we were asked what would be the best thing to eat about an hour before a workout.  If you haven’t seen this week’s episode, you can watch it here.

As promised here are some of our favorite pre-workout snacks.  Remember, the key is to find something that provides you with enough energy to give you a good workout but not too much food that it will make you feel sluggish.

Keep in mind that foods high in simple sugars like candy bars and sodas are not a good idea.  These types of foods spell trouble about half-way through your workout.

One more thing, before to drink plenty of “high quality H20″ (Read in your best Adam Sandler  “Waterboy” voice).  20 oz. of water an hour before working out will help you maximize your efforts.

Our Favorites

1.  Oatmeal with Fruit – If you workout in the morning a great meal is to combine some cooked oatmeal with fruit.  I like raisins on my oatmeal, however bananas, blueberries and other types of berries will do the trick.

2.  Trail Mix – An assortment of nuts with raisins or dried fruit is a nice mix of protein, carbs and fats.  Watch your serving size but it’s a great combination.

3.  Energy bars – There are some good protein bars out there but watch the ingredients.  Many of these bars are filled with junk ingredients that aren’t good for you.  Megan enjoys the Clif bars because they try to stay more organic and natural.  You can check out the clif bars by clicking here.

4.  An apple and a handful of almonds – Any type of nut will work but almonds are our favorites.

5.  Prograde Workout - There are lots of pre/post workout drinks on the market.  Although we aren’t huge into the supplement world and prefer people eat real food and not manufactured products, sometimes it’s easier to grab a quick shake than make oatmeal.  We’ve found that Prograde offers a nice mixture of organic ingredients and  are easily made.  You can check out the Prograde line of products here.

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Remember being a kid in the summer? It seemed like those days would last forever! I remember being outside running and playing, jumping, climbing and having a great time.(These were the days before playstation and Xbox)

Little did I know but 30 years later, I’d find out that the best way to stay in shape, or get back into shape is to be like a kid again. The body is meant to run, climb, jump, crawl, push and move. These types of moves can build strength, endurance, power and burn fat like crazy.

The other night we were at my parent’s house in the backyard and my son reminded me what it’s like to be a kid again. Check him out in a spontaneous bear crawl.

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For years trainers and coaches have been telling athletes and clients to get a good stretch in before the workout. So we’ve sat and stretched our hamstrings and quads. We did the butterfly and the runner’s stretch. You all know the drill.

Several years ago, some research came out that showed this type of static stretching was not only uselss before a workout, it actually reduced performance and increased the risk of injury. That’s right…..REDUCED performance, INCREASED the risk of injury.

If you are still stretching before your workouts, Stop it! Save the stretching for after the workout during your cool down.

We’ve been using different dynamic warm-ups for years. These pre-workout routines have been shown to INCREASE performance and DECREASE the risk of injury. What’s a dynamic warm-up? It’s a movement specific warm-up designed to get your body moving. Check out the video below to see some of our athletes getting ready to go!

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Some of you may know that I am a bit of a music junkie. I love music. It’s a good thing because working in a gym most of my life has allowed me to hear a lot of different tunes through the years.

There’s a classic song from the 1980s by Rockwell called, “Some body’s Watching Me” Anybody that knows anything about music knows that this song was a hit because Michael Jackson was singing the hook, “I always feel like, some body’s watching me”, and not so much because of Rockwell’s ability.

Anyway, I was reminded of this song today as I was playing with my son. He has began the stage in life where he is mimicking everything I do. We were using sidewalk chalk and as I took my foot to brush away some dirt, he did the same thing. It’s kind of funny to watch him copy me (except when he asks for his phone because he needs to do work and send somebody a message at 10pm at night, I have to be better about that)

However, Lucas is constantly watching me and I have to ask myself the question, What am I teaching him? What am I teaching him about life? About my attitude? About my priorities? About this world? From a fitness perspective it begs the question, “What am I teaching him about the importance of health? About exercise? About nutrition? Rest? Balanced living? Determination? Dedication? Laziness? The list could go on and on. You see it’s not what I say to my kids that they’ll remember, it’s what they see me do.

So let me ask you two questions. 1. Who is watching you? 2. What are you teaching them? It may not be your children watching you but it may be your co-workers, your neighbors, your wife. Regardless of who it is important to continually ask yourself if you are conveying the kinds of messages that you want others to know about you.

For example, it would be hard for me to tell my son, or my clients, that rest and proper nutrition are extremely important to living a productive life and at the same time drink soda and junk food all the time just to make myself feel better from the 4 hours of sleep that I get nightly. It doesn’t add up and actions always speak louder than words.

This week take a look at your life and see which your speaking louder with, your actions or your words?

If it helps, go ahead and download the Rockwell song on itunes….I’m sure he could use the money.

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Check out the video below of Superbowl Champion Drew Brees working out on the TRX. Make no mistake, suspension training works. With the trx you’ll get stronger, leaner, and more athletic. Don’t take my word for it, check out the video below:

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Occassionally someone will ask me why do I work out? What’s my goal? Well, you are looking at the answer in the picture above. They are counting on me! You see I figured out a long time ago that to work out just to look better (although a good goal) does a disservice to the rewards of fitness.

Why do I work out? Because I’m a father, husband, business owner, friend, son and brother. I know that when I take the time to keep my body in shape, I have the energy to play with my kids at night. I have the confidence to be a good husband. I can literally feel the difference in my attitude when I’m being consistent and disciplined in my fitness approach. And I’m not just talking about physical fitness. I’ve found that you need to pursue fitness in your intellectual, emotional and spiritual lives as well.

So there you have it. I work out because I need to and everyone around me needs me to. Fitness is like the miracle drug and I try to take it as much as I can. You see the 30 minutes of sweating, heart pounding and muscles burning is well worth the rewards in the other 23.5 hours a day.

Do me a favor and take a look at why you work out and let me know. Feel free to post it in the comments section below

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Workout Worldwide was a huge success as we had 26 friends show up to take part in the fundraiser for the American Heart Association We had a great time, got a great workout and enjoyed some good food to follow. Check out the video below to see WW in action.

A big thank you goes out to Benefit Connections for being a sponsor of the event. I really appreciate all of your help!

No word yet on if a World Record was set by the event. I’ll keep you posted.

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