Should I Run? Part II
May 28, 2010 by danny · 2 Comments
In part I I gave you my thoughts on “distance” running (20 minutes or more of non-stop running/jogging). If you recall, I mentioned that I would prefer that you more evenly spread the stress throughout your body. And that running is very, very repetitive – the same joints take on the same amount of stress in the same fashion throughout your thousands of steps at each running session. Again, this greatly increases your chance of getting a stress fracture as well as other injuries. Below you will see a couple examples of ways to mix your cardio up while sparing your joints in order keep you healthy in your attempt to reach your fat loss and/or conditioning goals.
This first circuit is very “joint friendly.” It is low impact and is great for anyone, especially those that have quite a bit of fat to lose (again, because the low impact nature of these movements, as opposed to running). In this circuit we have body weight squats, followed by hand walks on a step, and finally kettlebell swings. As you can see, the knees take on a bit of stress with the squats, the wrists and shoulders take on a bit of stress with the hand walks, and the low back takes on a little stress with the kettlebell swings. We have some, but not a ton of stress getting distributed all over the body. This is much more conducive to long term joint health.
The 3 exercises in this video are step ups with knee drive, medicine ball slams, and split squat jumps. For the overweight individual the first two exercises are great as they are low impact. I would not use the split squat jumps for someone needing to drop quite a few pounds. For everyone else, all of the exercises from both videos are great.
So, if you are looking for a more fun, joint friendly way to get your cardio in, please consider incorporating fast paced, circuit style cardio. And remember, if you LOVE running, I’m not asking you to stop altogether. I’m just asking you to consider my points as to why it would be smart to incorporate some “different” kinds of cardio. So, reduce (or completely eliminate) the repetitive stress that long(er) running brings, and have some fun doing it!
Should I Run?
May 25, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
To run or not to run, that is the question. Running/jogging is something people having been doing for years and years. And I believe it is something that people looking to drop a few pounds will continue to do ’til the end of time. But, is running the best way to “get in shape” and lose weight? Is it even a good way at all? While reading my thoughts below, please don’t think I am biased towards the weight room and power/strength activities due to the fact that I am a strength coach. If anything, my natural bias would be towards distance running as I grew up in a house where my dad was a cross country coach. And one of my brothers is currently the head cross country coach at a high school. I’ve completely thought about both sides of the discussion – running is the best way EVER to lose some weight; and running is a crap form of cardio for weight loss. I’m not saying I have all answers, but again, I’ve put a ton of thought into this over the years, worked with a ton of clients and talked with many other coaches in this field about this topic. So, if at the end of this you disagree with me, that is fine. All I ask is that you read with an open mind and consider my thoughts when making up your mind whether or not you should put much time into running to accomplish your goals. For the sake of this post, I’m talking about a distance that takes 20 minutes or more of non-stop running.
Different “Types” of People
Running For Sports – (Remember, throughout this piece I am speaking of going out on runs/jogs that last 20 minutes or more, non-stop) For most sports, I think running is a bad idea. What sport do you know that involves 20 + minutes of non-stop running? I can think of cross country. If I think hard enough I may be able to come up with a couple more. But most sports involve quick bursts followed by a brief rest. i.e. player sprints all out for 10-15 seconds, the ball goes out of bounds, he/she takes a break, the ball is thrown in bounds and this is repeated throughout the course of the game. For cross country, heck yeah you need to get your distance running in. If you compete in cross country, make sure you run distance, but also make sure you incorporate sprints and weight lifting. If all you do is run long distance at a slower than race pace, you’ll become good at running slow. Not good! Here is a great read from strength coach Eric Cressey for cross country (or those that are out of high school and enjoy competing in road races) runners and coaches talking about the importance of resistance training for runners.
The Person Looking to Drop Some LBS. – I think I first heard this quote from Strength Coach Mike Boyle; “Don’t run to get fit, get fit to run.” In other words, if you have weight to lose, and you decide, “hey, I think I am going to start running on Wednesday,” then you are probably not making a wise decision. Any form of cardio we decide to do is going to cause stress to our joints. But some forms of cardio will cause more than others. And for a person that is a bit heavier, running will cause a high amount of stress to the joints. It will also increase the chance of stress fractures and all kinds of other problems. Not only that, but running is VERY repetitive. I believe it is estimated that running one mile takes about 2000 steps. Go out and run 3 miles, two times per week and we’re talking about 12,000 steps in the same fashion… you are basically an injury waiting to happen. In this case, I’d suggest lower impact activities like using the Airdyne Bike.
The Already Fit Person – For the person that is lean, and in good shape (although that is very subjective), I still don’t like the idea of long(er) steady state running a whole lot. The exception is the person that truly loves running. He/she gets a whole lot of joy out of it and looks forward to his/her weekly (or even daily) running sessions. However, from the people I’ve talked to and worked with, the majority (read: not ALL) of people run because they think this is the best, or only option of cardio for fat loss – rather than running because they truly enjoy it. Hey, we only live one life, and who and am to take away one of your loves in life?!? But for those of you that are reading this that fit in the category of; “I hate going out for long runs but I’ve always done it because I thought I was supposed to in order to lose weight,” you’re in luck. Like I’ve been alluding to, there are other forms of cardio that have you losing just as much, if not more fat, while sparing your joints.
Even if you fit in the, “I love running camp,” I highly suggest you mix it up and do NOT just do long(er) steady state runs for your cardio. Think of the example I gave above… 12,000 steps per week (and something tells me that if you love to run, you are probably running more than 2 times per week, and more than 3 miles per pop. If that is the case, you are taking WAY more than 12,000 joint pounding, repetitve steps per week). If you love it, my suggestion is to still do it, but reduce the amount considerably. Maybe one day is a 6 mile run. The second day you do some interval sprints (yes, your joints still take a pounding with sprints, but if you do ten 50-meter sprints, think about how much you reduce the total amount of steps you take).
And on the 3rd day, you mix up the form of cardio you are going to perform. This is my favorite way, because you more evenly distribute the force throughout your body, greatly reducing the force placed on a joint(s). In part II of “Should I Run,” I will go over a few examples of how to make cardio more fun (at least myself and the majority of my clients say it is more fun 
). And more importantly, ways to make cardio more joint friendly.
Conclusion
As you can see, besides a few exceptions (cross country runners and those that truly love it) I’m not a big fan of steady state running/jogging. In my opinion, the risk:reward ratio is way out of whack for the majority of people. As Memorial Day Weekend, and hot summer days approach, I KNOW the #1 goal for most people is to lean out and look good at those pool parties. If you dread running as a form a cardio, you are not alone. Be sure to check back later this week for some “fun,” very effective alternatives. Beach-ready bodies, here we come – no excuses! 
Lebron James to the Bulls?!?
May 18, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you follow basketball at all, you’re well aware of the fact that Lebron James may be leaving Cleveland. Maybe you are like me and already a little sick of it. Kind of like all of the Brett Farve talk every off-season. Each summer I think, “JUST MAKE UP YOUR MIND BRETT! AND ESPN, STOP TALKING ABOUT IT EVERY OTHER SECOND!!!” Unfortunately, I see the same thing happening with King James. Since their season has only been done for about a week, I’m not quite all Lebroned-out just yet. Also, there is a lot of talk that the Chicago Bulls are in the running to get him. Being the BIG Bulls fan that I am, of course I am very interested in his decision. So, before I get too sick of the Lebron talk, I thought I’d make a post covering my thoughts on how much (or little?) I want him to be a Bull.
Do I Want Lebron in Chicago?
Of course I do. What, do you think I’m crazy? But, I am gonna delve a little deeper into the matter by changing the question up… How badly do I want Lebron to be a Bull? My answer may surprise you - while the idea of Lebron wearing a Bulls jersey excites me, it seems I’m not as pumped about the idea as many of my fellow Bulls fans. I mean, about 5 times a day I receive a picture message on my phone from my brothers that looks like this…
I love their enthusiasm, I really do! But I afraid he may not be what they (my brothers and MANY others) think he is. Here’s a scenario that I think lets you know how I feel; I win the lotto and am told over the phone that I will have a 1 million dollar check delivered to my door in 3 days. But when they come to drop off the check, the check is for 250 k, and not the original million that they told me I won (in my fake story, there are no such things as taxes. So no, the reduced money has nothing to do with taxes being taken out, just go with it…). I would be like, “WHAT! This is not what I thought I was getting. But I’ll still take it because I am now $250,000 richer than I was last week at this time!” To me, Lebron represents the $250,000. The Bulls (or any team that gets him) are going to a lot richer (better), but not as rich as they thought they would be when they first signed him.
Why DO I Feel This Way?
At this point in his career, he is lacking that “it,” that so many people talk about. He doesn’t smell blood like some of the people that we all compare him to. You know, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Larry Bird etc. (And yes, I do put D. Wade in this category as I’ve seen him take over many a game. And on the biggest stage – against the Mavericks in the finals a few years back – actually, he took that whole series over!) I mean, I watched MJ play in some huge games and ended up saying; “Michael didn’t have his best game today. His shots weren’t falling, and he turned the ball over a couple times when they needed a bucket.” But I have never, ever, ever, ever, said, “Jordan didn’t show up today. Where was he? It was like he just disappeared!”
With Lebron, I have said that, and on more than one occasion. I’ve seen him shy away instead of take over the game and WANT IT so bad that it looked like his life depended on it… like appeared to be the case EVERY TIME Michael took the floor, and every time Kobe takes the floor.
Another thing that bothers me about Lebron, is that he seems to find a way to always make it about himself. When the media asked him about his future after the Celticts knocked them out of the playoffs it looked like he couldn’t wait to address the questions. I would have much rather seen him say something like; “I don’t know what the future holds, but right now I’m not going to worry about that. I need to be here for my teammates. We just lost a very disappointing series and it’s very hard on all of us.” But he choose to sit up on the podium and let us know that “he and his team are weighing all of the their options, blah, blah, blah.” C’mon Lebron, at least lie to us and make us think you and your teammates are hurting from the loss, and that that is all that matters right now.
Wrap Up
Above I mentioned that whatever team he goes to will be getting a “disappointing” $250,000. Maybe the scenario should have gone more like this; “Danny, here is a check for 250 k. Once you prove to me that you REALLY WANT IT, and that you are willing to do ANYTHING for it, I’ll be delivering the rest of your money to you. And I do think you’ll get there soon. Right now though, I’m not sure where where your priorites are, and I’m not sure how much it truly means to you.”
The worse case scenario is Lebron making me (the Bulls) a whole lot richer (better), with a good chance of making me a millionaire (championship ring) down the line. So, I think it is fair to say that I’d take Lebron with open arms. It’s just that at this point, my arms are not as wide open as other people’s are.
Are Your Knees Always Sore?
May 17, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Knee pain is a very common problem. Especially for those that are in their 30s and 40s (although I know plenty of 20-somethings with sore knees as well). During my last couple years of playing competitive basketball, my knees were always hurting. And the first two or three years (especially after playing pick-up games) it was even worse. I told myself; I know, I know, I need to stretch more. This every once in awhile stretching thing is not good enough. So I finally made a point to stretch every day. But, it didn’t help! Why? All I would do is stretch my hamstrings because some doctor told me to do that about 10 years earlier. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of people out there that need to stretch their hammies (including your truly), but this doesn’t do a whole lot to address sore knees. Fast forward a few years (and a TON of reading later), and I now better understand how to make my (and your) knees feel better. While I am no knee expert (I’ll leave to guys like Mike Robertson), I feel confident that if you integrate the below tips, your knees will be thanking you in a big way!
This is in no way the end-all-be-all of “knee tips” for healthy knees. But I thought I’d include a few simple tips that you can incorporate today, to get your knee(s) feeling better.
Tips For To Make Your Knees Love You
1) Stretch Your Quads
As I mentioned above, all the hamstring stretching in the world isn’t going to do a whole lot when trying to address sore knees. When I started stretching my quads (more specifically – my rectus femoris), I started feeling considerably better.
2) Get Your Soft Tissue Work In
If you’ve been reading this website for awhile now, this is probably the 311th time you’ve heard my mention the importance of soft tissue work. Foam rolling your IT-Band, and your vastus lateralis (outside part of your quads) will do wonders for your knees. Breaking up the knots in your glutes will also help. And if you are feeling really tough, using a lacrosse ball for your glutes and TFL is even better!
You can purchase your roller here at performbetter. I NEVER do a leg workout or play basketball without first getting some soft tissue work in. Make sure you do the same – this means before you go golfing; before your slow pitch softball games; before your wii bowling tourney; etc. etc.
Oh, and rolling afterwards and on “off” days would be smart too.
3) Improve Hip Mobility/Flexibility
Mike Robertson and Eric Cressey have done a great job of teaching us about the importance of improving hip mobility. Before each activity, make sure you do some dynamic movement that help make your hips more mobile. A couple of good drills…
Working on flexibility of the hips/glutes is also smart. A couple examples…
I usually perform these static stretches post-workout and on “off” days.
4) Activate Your Glutes
I mentioned above that I always perform soft tissue work before my leg workouts. Another thing I always do, is perform some kind of “glute activation” drill. A drill like X-Band Walks are perfect here. Sometimes when I am demonstrating how to squat to a new client, my knees are achy just by using the 45-pound bar. But, if I perform X-Band walks before demonstrating, the pain is completely gone. X-Band walks will help to get the glute max and posterior fibers of the glute medius firing. This will take tension off of the knees.
Once again, you can pick up these “Superbands” at performbetter.
Quick Story
A few months back one of my “older” (57 years old) clients walked into the gym and said; “Danny, my knees are killing me! There is NO WAY I am going to be able to perform any lower body movements today. Let’s just focus on upper body.” I said, not so fast. Let’s at least try a few “tricks” before giving in so easily. His reply; “it’s just not going to happen, it hurts just to stand here. But ok, I’ll humor you.” So, I had him try a body weight squat. He went down about 3 inches and immediately stopped; “they’re just too sore!” I had him roll out his IT-Band and vastus lateralis on the foam roller. And then use the lacrosse ball on his glutes and TFL. Next I told him to stand up and try another body weight squat. He went down a few inches – no pain. He went deeper and deeper until he was ass-to-grass. “Danny, what are you, like some kind of voo-doo witch doctor,” he asked? Well, I wish I was magic, but we simply used this soft tissue work to get some of those knots out. It is AMAZING how freely and pain free our body moves once we “untie” the knots in our body. We then performed some mobility drills, X-Band walks, and went onto have a great, pain-free session.
If working out, whether it be weight training, pick-up basketball games, or running around with your kids, is no longer any fun because of those achy knees, you’re now 4 simple tips closer to moving around without all that pain!
Exercise of the Week
May 10, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I usually tell trainees to make sure they use a full range of motion (ROM) with every rep of every set. But, just like with most things in life, there is a time and place to “break the rules.” Planning to do an exercise with a reduced ROM can be very smart to increase overall strength and/or hypertrophy (grow bigger). Just to be clear, I do not like the idea of reducing ROM mid-set because you are too tired to finish the set the way your started it. If form starts to break down during the set, or you can’t keep as much ROM as you did on rep #1, stop the set. But, if you go into the set with a plan to perform the entire set with partial ROM, then I’m cool with it (as long as you do this OCCASIONALLY, and NOT all the time Mr. 1/4 depth squatter).
Every guy that has ever lifted a weight has bench pressed before. Us strength coaches often joke that Monday is “National Bench Press Day” because if you walk into just about any gym in America you’ll see guys waiting in line to get their bench press in.
I’m not against the bench press per se. But I do believe the world be a better place if guys put just a touch less emphasis into their bench, and a bit more emphasis in bringing up their chicken legs. And when I say, “just a touch less emphasis into their bench,” what I really mean to say, is that I wish most guys would cut their bench work in 1/2 – AT LEAST! If you are bench pressing every week, the chances of developing a shoulder injury will increase. And this leads us to the exercise of the week. The pin press.
Pin Press
The pin press is a great variation of the bench press. The reduced ROM will help to keep your shoulders healthy. It is also a great exercise for the triceps. Your pecs and anterior delts will come into play as well. Another benefit of temporarily reducing your ROM with lifts, is that you can use more weight. This will allow your nervous system to get used to the bigger load, allowing you to use more weight when you return to full ROM pressing. In the video below I set up the pins so they put my arm at about a 90 degree angle. You can also set the pins a little higher or lower.
Now, I’m not going to ask you to stop benching forever. That would be like me asking Hubie Brown to go more than 3 minutes without making reference to a “high percentage shooter,” – just aint gonna happen. I am going to ask you however, to reduce the amount of time you spend bench pressing, and to start incorporating the pin press. Please? Now go get some horseshoe triceps…
Exercise of the Week
May 3, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
This week’s exercise of the week is the quadruped hip extension. I used to laugh at my little sister when she did these at home while following along to her Buns of Steel tape (no DVDs back then). Come to find out, this is a very good exercise that really hits the glutes. So Tootie, it looks like the joke is on me. Go ahead, laugh at me and call me names, I deserve it. 
Anyway, Strength Coach Bret Conterashas done a great job of letting us (us = those interested in achieving a better booty) in on his glute studies. Bret has been doing some experimenting – he places electrodes on different parts of the body while measuring the EMG activity in the various muscle parts. His experiment shows that the peak activation is very high in the glute medius and upper glute max while performing the quadruped hip extension. And here is how it is done…
At the top of the movement SQEEEEEEZE the glutes for a second and make sure NOT to hyperextend your lower back.
Getting a Sexy Butt Looks Easy
Not so fast. Simply throwing in some quadruped hip extensions is a great way to improve your butt. But it will take a lot more than this body weight exercise to maximize your bootylicious potential. I still want you to perform different squat variations (back squats, front squats etc), different single leg variations (bulgarian split squats, reverse lunges etc) aBduction variations (X-Band Walks), and hip extension variations (RDLs, glute bridge, etc). As you can see, the quadruped hip extension is an effective tool, but it is only one tool. You need to use all of the above from time-to-time to complete your tool box.
Do you want to run faster for your sport? Do you want to keep your body healthy? Do you want a much more round, shapely back side? If you answer yes to any of the above, make sure you are incorporating the quadruped hip extension into your program.
Are You Ready?
April 29, 2010 by danny · 3 Comments
Danny, how many grams of protein, carbs, and fat should I eat each day? Oh, and do you think I should be carb cycling? And when it comes to my weight training, do you think I should use the pre-fatigue or post-fatigue method?
These are the type of questions I get from people all the time. While I’m flattered that my opinion matters to them, more often than not this person is not ready to even worry about this stuff. What do I mean by this? Well, most people don’t come even close to taking care of the basics. I don’t really care if you are eating 175 grams versus 183 grams of protein per day if you not doing the following….
-supplementing with fish oil
-drinking your green tea daily
-drinking approximately half of your body weight in ounces of water per day (i.e. you weigh190 lbs so you drink ~ 95 ounces of water per day)
-preparing your meals in advance so you are never find yourself absolutely starving, which will make you more susceptible to binging. I consider myself a pretty disciplined person, but if my blood sugar is dropping fast and I’m starting to get that, “kill me know” feeling, I’m going to find myself pulling in to the nearest pizza joint yelling… GIVE ME SOME PEPPERONI, NOW!
There you go, take in about 2-3 grams (minimum) of combined DHA/EPA per day from your fish oil supplement. So, if you read the label on the back of your bottle and it says, “DHA – 200 mg; EPA – 300 mg per softgel,” then you would have to take 6 per day to get 3 grams of combined DHA/EPA (500 mg X 6 = 3000 mg, Or 3 grams).
Get at least one serving of green tea per day.
Drink mucho agua.
Prepare your meals in advance, store it in a glass container, bring it to work and eat the “leftovers” there.
4 tips that anyone can incorporate without killing themself. Just takes a little prep. Before you know it, it will become a habit and a lifestyle.
Do all of the above day-in, day-out, then we can talk about advanced training methods. And we can talk about whether or not carb-cycling would be a good choice for you. And we talk about the best game show of all time. Wait, we can talk about that even if you are not drinking green tea. The answer to that is obviously the Family Feud.
Halftime of the Nuggets/Jazz game is approaching, so I’m off to do some cooking (seriously I am, I’m not just saying that…I promise). I hope you follow these simple life-changing tips and then a few weeks later hit me up with, “Danny, I’ve been doing “extended-5s” for the past 3 weeks and my gunz are getting hyooge! If I switch over to “classic clusters” do you think the chicks will be all over me?”
Umm, I like the classic cluster, but even that training method won’t save you. Let’s start off by unrolling your pants, and go from there…
Overrated and Underrated Exercises: Part III
April 26, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Installment # 3 in this series is here. Just as I did in the previous overrated/underrated posts, I’ll start off by explaining what I mean by “overrated” and “underrated,” when it comes to exercise selection… I think Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time. BUT, if the general public was to make this statement; “You give me Michael Jordan with 4 guys off the street, and I’d take Jordan’s team in 6 games over the ‘86 Celtics.” Well, IF that was the thinking of the majority of people, then I’d have to say that even Michael Jordan is overrated! So, if one of your favorite exercises gets tossed in the overrated category, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should never perform that exercise again, and/or call me mean names. It just means that in my opinion, this particular exercise is way overused by the majority of trainees, often times at the expense of an exercise that could be a much better option.
Bulgarian Split Squats
Out of the hundreds of clients that I have trained over the years, I believe I’ve had 2, maybe 3 of them say; “We have bulgarian split squats today? Yes!” This is an exercise that is generally NOT a crowd pleaser. Why? Because they are hard. Yeah, but they are very effective. Most of us don’t spend enough time performing unilateral (one leg at a time) exercises. And bulgarian split squats are a must, if you are looking for big-bang-for-your-buck exercises. To perform them, keep your chest high, abs tight, and the weight on the heel of the down (working) leg. Do not add weight until you are able to get nice and deep (hip down to knee height) on each rep. The glutes come more into play the deeper you get. If you want a nice round, firm booty, work on getting low! Perform all reps on one leg, before switching legs. It will look something like this…
Again, not enough people are using this movement in their training, and it is as very effective exercise. Soooo …
Underrated!
Tricep Kickbacks
The tricep kickback – an exercise that I see people performing in the gym all the time. And usually, it is a female using the 3-pound pink dumbbells. To top if off, if I was to ask her; “what are your goals?” She would probably respond; “to lose fat.” Well, with such a little movement, and with such light weight, the tricep kickback is NOT going to burn a whole lot of calories. Would I ever be ok with someone using this exercise? Acutally, yes. If you have put at least a couple of years into training and have gotten a lot bigger and stronger, then go ahead and throw in some kickbacks every once in awhile. But if you are fairly new to training, and/or have a main goal of fat loss, do yourself a favor and ditch the tricep kickback.
Definitely goes in the overrated category.
Going forward, make sure to include bulgarian split squats in your training! And ask yourself; “with my experience and my goals, are tricep kickbacks a good choice for me?” Only you can answer that, but make sure to keep my above comments in mind when making your decision. Best of luck in accomplishing your goals!
Make Your Cardio Sessions a Competition
April 21, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Raise your hand if you look forward to cardio. My hand is down. Raise your hand if you are competitive. My hand is up. Actually, my hand is WAY up in the air. The idea of competing always gets my blood flowin’. I don’t care whether it is a board game, basketball, or, “I’ll give you $5 if you can name 7 movies with Denzel Washington in them in 15 seconds or less. GO!” Now that is fun, I look forward to anything that involves competition. As a matter of fact, the majority of my day involves some kind of competition… when I drive to the gym; “over/under on how many minutes it will take me to get there?” Of course, being the model-citizen that I am, I make sure to follow the rules of the road in my attempt to “win.” Carson and I play this game quite often; “Carson, over/under on when your mom will get home?” And through experience, here is how I set the line; whatever I think the normal time would be that she would be walking through the door, I multiply times 3. So, if she is coming home from the grocery store and 15 minutes sounds about right, I set the over/under at 45 minutes. Women! What? I love y’all, but you take a long time to do schtuff.
I could go on and on with examples of things that I do throughout the day that make me not-so-normal, but I think you get the point. Back to competitive cardio…
My Day At The Field
On Sunday I decided to suck it up and head to a local field to get some conditioning work in. It is a beautiful “field turf” field with lines all over the place. My goal was to find two lines that looked like it would take me about 15-20 seconds to run. So I went with two yellow lines and gave it a try. I told myself to run at about 85% intensity on set 1, and from there I just timed how long it took me to get from one yellow line to the next. 100% would be like I was running from a hungry grizzly bear.
So, this first sprint was fast, but not quite all-out. It ended up to be a 17-second sprint. I estimate it was about 300 meters .*** I then rested twice as long on every set. So, 34 seconds of rest (a 2:1 rest:work ratio). My goal was to see how many sets I could get in before hitting the 18-second mark on any sprint. I ended up getting 8 sets at 17 seconds or less, with set #9 taking me 18 seconds. I then called it a day. And I’ll tell you what, I’m actually looking forward to my next cardio session. Not because I enjoy cardio, but because can’t wait to attempt to beat my numbers.
Bottom line, there are ways to make cardio “fun.” Making your cardio sessions a competition is the best way to make sure that you, 1) actually get your cardio in, and 2) encourage you to make progress with each session, getting you one step closer to your goals. So, get that notebook out, record your results and try to beat your numbers each and every time!
***More like 150 meters.
Recipe of the Week
April 20, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
It’s that time again. Time for a new, tasty, healthy recipe. While I usually turn to Gourmet Nutrition for great meals, today I’m going to give you one that my friend and co-worker Michelle Adams sent to me and has been using with her clients for some time now…
Turkey Meatloaf
Turkey Meatloaf Ingredients:
1 package 99% lean turkey
3/4 cup organic tomato sauce (usually use one from Trader Joe’s)
1/2 cup egg whites
1 serving Quinoa Flakes (from Whole Foods) or 1/2 cup Quick Oats
Seasoning to taste-sea salt, garlic powder, italian seasoning
Instructions right from Michelle:
Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Spray non-stick spray in a casserole dish and empty all ingredients into dish.
MICROWAVE with glass lid ajar for about 10-12 minutes.
Top with a rice based parmesean sprinkle from Whole Foods. I also like Annie’s Naturals Organic Ketchup.
Thanks Michelle!
