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April 2009	Page 1 of 1

Why all the Cardio? Publish On 04-10-2009 , 12:04 PM Here is a great video that shows why doing to much cardio is not needed on order to change your body. Proper nutrition, and higher intensity interval workouts for conditioning and strength. Now, not all cardio is bad, it's just that, it should not be the only thing you do. Vary your workouts and activities. Find enjoyment in what you do. Why hate doing something and waste your precious time. Eat right, train smart. Here's a few more thoughts and facts: If I were to ask people what results they would like to get out of their workouts, the number 1 answer is “losing weight or to get thinner”. As I stated in my January article, I see the same thing going on in gyms and fitness centers, people doing the same workouts, month after month, year after year. The amazing thing is they look the same aesthetically or sometimes worse. I was just talking with someone in the gym this morning and they stated that they “hate” cardio, and I asked them, than why are you doing it? Life is too short to hate your workouts. It seems like everyone does it because everyone else is or they do not know any better. Now I not saying that performing Aerobic work is wrong, that’s not what I’m saying. What I’m saying is there is a better way and it’s good to mix up your workouts or routines and why dread doing anything? The typical program people follow is 30-60 minutes of continuous aerobic activity, 3-5 days per week. There are volumes of research out there that tells us that this is not a good approach to take when you are seeking to improve on results overtime and looking to loss the “fat”. Out of all of the scientific research out there I would like to share a few from an article that hit the head on this subject from Charles Poliquin, a world renowned strength coach of Professional and Olympic athletes as well as thousands of non-athletes. Continuous aerobic work plateaus after 8 weeks of training, so anything more is counter productive. Now that is certainly an “eye opener” considering what most people do. Aerobic training worsens power locally and systematically, in other words, it makes you slower. If you are an athlete or a “weekend warrior” who likes to participate in athletic events or team sports that require speed, agility and jumping ability, it is the last thing you would want from your cardiovascular training program. The more lower body aerobic work you do, the more your vertical jump worsens. The more aerobic upper body work you do, the more your medicine ball throws worsen. If you are doing anything athletic, you want to train specifically for the demands of that sport or activity. A sprinter would not train like a long distance runner and vise-versa. Aerobic training increases adrenal stress which can make you fatter and produce other undesirable health consequences. According to Dr. James Wilson (author of “Adrenal Fatigue- The 21^st Century Stress Syndrome’) “normally functioning adrenal glands secrete minute, yet precise and balanced, amounts of steroid hormones”. When one does too much continuous aerobic exercise, the adrenal glands are stressed in a way that can upset this delicate balance which could lead to adrenal fatigue. Other symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue are; tiredness, arthritis, anxiety, depression, reduced memory, insomnia and with respect to this article; the inability to lose weight. These are just a few of the facts that I wanted to share with you. I will cover a couple more in next month’s article. So what should you be doing instead if you want to sculpt your body, burn fat, get lean, etc, try skipping the “cardio” and focus on proper nutrition, total-body multi-muscle resistance training and Interval training (covered in my January Article) which will improve both your aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Look to build “everyday” strength and fitness like; the ability to carry groceries or children, or climb stairs as fast as possible and playing with your kids without getting out of breath. Save time and get more health benefits than the “Dreaded Cardio”. Continuous aerobic work is basically exercise induced castration”.- Poliquin Tell me what you think... Comments (0)
Condtioning Routine for You Publish On 04-11-2009 , 7:35 PM Here's an example of some conditioning work you can do with little to no equipment that I demonstrated in my last video. You don't always have to 30/45/60 minutes doing cardio. Remember, be patient and go at your fitness level. Do this routine 2-3 times per week, increase your time by 5-10 seconds each week. Do other activites on the alternate days. Get out and play with your kids, go to the park, hang on the monkey bars, swing on the swing for 1 minute as hard as you can, race them to an object the park, make it a game. Let your body adapt. If you are exercising for the first time or haven't done so in awhile, please consult your physican before you start. Have fun! Comments (1)
Four Abdominal Exercises for you Publish On 04-24-2009 , 8:09 AM I pulled this video out of my archives. With summer right around the corner, we want to look the best we can in our bathing suites. Here are four abdominal exercises you can perform no matter your fitness level. 1) Side Plank 2) Stability Ball Rollout 3) Birddog 4) Full Body Mountain climbers If you are a beginner, perform 1 set of this circuit 2-3 times per week. Intermediate or Advanced perform 2 to 3 sets of this circuit 2-3 times per week. Rest 1 minute after you complete the circuit and repeat. REMEMBER: You cannot out exercise poor nutrtition. Check out my last blog on, "Why all the Cardio". A great video demonstration! You can add more reps and sets each week as you perform each movement with good form and as you get stronger. Good Luck and have fun! If you have any questions, please comment below, and I will be more than happy to respond. Here's a great Quote I received the other day, that I thought you would enjoy. I'm sure many of us can relate to this at one point in time in our lives. Just keep working hard and believe in yourself and your dreams. Don't give up. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY in FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS Chapter One I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost . . . I can't get my bearings But it's not my fault!!!!!! It takes forever to find a way out. Chapter Two I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place. But, it's still not my fault!! And it still takes a long time to get out. Chapter Three I walk down the same street There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I fall in anyway . . . it's a habit. However, now my eyes are open and I know where I am. I take 100% responsibility for where I am and I get out immediately. Chapter Four I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around the hole. Chapter Five I walk down a different street! "The difference between being in a rut and being in a grave is the depth of the hole and you can still pull yourself out of a rut." Unknown Comments (0)