Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Swim, Bike, Run, Swim, Bike, Run
Swim, bike, run...is this the extent of your workout?
If you are a triathlete or endurance athlete these three modes of exercise probably define most of your workout.
Most triathlete hold up the elite of their sport as the best athletes in the world. After all, they can run uber miles, swim for an hour and bike endlessly. Who could be more fit than Chris McCormack, Normann Stadler and Michellie Jones, the most recent winners of the storied Kona Ironman?
On the flip side, power lifters and NFL lineman are lifting 300+ lbs of weight and building muscles on top of their muscles. Aren't they the most fit?
I strongly argue that neither the Ironman winner or the NFL lineman are the fittest in the world. The elite triathletes are notably weak when it comes to moving any weight around and, as NFL All-Pro lineman Albert Haynesworth proved during training camp this year when he couldn't run a 1/2 mile, NFL lineman don't have endurance.
If your workout consists of swim, bike, run, swim, bike, run, you need to change it up....even if you are training for an event.
Total fitness comes from a balance of speed, endurance, strength, flexibility, stamina, balance, coordination, power, and agility. The athlete that achieves this or at least regularly works toward it will have more complete fitness.
This training involves total body, functional weight lifting, body weight exercises for muscular control and endurance, traditional cardio exercises done as fast-paced intervals and more.
If your in need of a boost to your fitness program. If you want to be faster on your bike or in your run. If you want to beat people at everything, not just your specialty event, then contact me to discuss using my Interval Strength Training program to get results.
If you are a triathlete or endurance athlete these three modes of exercise probably define most of your workout.
Most triathlete hold up the elite of their sport as the best athletes in the world. After all, they can run uber miles, swim for an hour and bike endlessly. Who could be more fit than Chris McCormack, Normann Stadler and Michellie Jones, the most recent winners of the storied Kona Ironman?
On the flip side, power lifters and NFL lineman are lifting 300+ lbs of weight and building muscles on top of their muscles. Aren't they the most fit?
I strongly argue that neither the Ironman winner or the NFL lineman are the fittest in the world. The elite triathletes are notably weak when it comes to moving any weight around and, as NFL All-Pro lineman Albert Haynesworth proved during training camp this year when he couldn't run a 1/2 mile, NFL lineman don't have endurance.
If your workout consists of swim, bike, run, swim, bike, run, you need to change it up....even if you are training for an event.
Total fitness comes from a balance of speed, endurance, strength, flexibility, stamina, balance, coordination, power, and agility. The athlete that achieves this or at least regularly works toward it will have more complete fitness.
This training involves total body, functional weight lifting, body weight exercises for muscular control and endurance, traditional cardio exercises done as fast-paced intervals and more.
If your in need of a boost to your fitness program. If you want to be faster on your bike or in your run. If you want to beat people at everything, not just your specialty event, then contact me to discuss using my Interval Strength Training program to get results.
We're here to work
This past weekend two of my favorite clients finished their first 100-mile bike ride. We call that a "Century Ride." 100-miles on a bike is impressive for anyone, but slightly more impressive for this husband and wife team.
You see, she just turned 60 years old and he is clinging to 59 for a few more weeks. (He reminds her about the difference in that first number about every 5 minutes!)
They are not hardcore triathletes or longtime athletic competitors. They are parents, home owners and have careers. They get aches and pains, overcome obstacles, and sometimes do more than they should. But THEY GET IT!!
For the three years we've worked together their mantra has been "we're here to work." He had a long day at the office, her shoulder is nagging, they both did a long ride the day before. All of those possible excuses present themselves every week. But they stick to their world view...."we're here to work."
And work they do. We meet once a week at 8pm to do a total body workout that includes short cardio intervals, lots of full body exercises, dumbbells, medicine balls, TRX straps, etc. They want to leave feeling like they made a difference in their health. They want to be faster on the bike, strong for their kayak, and feel good about themselves.
Do you think you will be able to do a 100-mile bike ride when you reach 60? If not, start doing something about it now. Contact me for a complimentary fitness consultation and a fitness assessment. Let's see where you are with your fitness and get you moving more.
Remember my Elevation Boot Camp in Chalfont runs M/W/F at 5:45am and M/Tu/Th at 6:15pm. Come out and get the first week of classes for free.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
NASM - Certified Personal Trainer
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
You see, she just turned 60 years old and he is clinging to 59 for a few more weeks. (He reminds her about the difference in that first number about every 5 minutes!)
They are not hardcore triathletes or longtime athletic competitors. They are parents, home owners and have careers. They get aches and pains, overcome obstacles, and sometimes do more than they should. But THEY GET IT!!
For the three years we've worked together their mantra has been "we're here to work." He had a long day at the office, her shoulder is nagging, they both did a long ride the day before. All of those possible excuses present themselves every week. But they stick to their world view...."we're here to work."
And work they do. We meet once a week at 8pm to do a total body workout that includes short cardio intervals, lots of full body exercises, dumbbells, medicine balls, TRX straps, etc. They want to leave feeling like they made a difference in their health. They want to be faster on the bike, strong for their kayak, and feel good about themselves.
Do you think you will be able to do a 100-mile bike ride when you reach 60? If not, start doing something about it now. Contact me for a complimentary fitness consultation and a fitness assessment. Let's see where you are with your fitness and get you moving more.
Remember my Elevation Boot Camp in Chalfont runs M/W/F at 5:45am and M/Tu/Th at 6:15pm. Come out and get the first week of classes for free.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
NASM - Certified Personal Trainer
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Constantly varied functional movements done at high intensity -- huh?
Doing constantly varied functional movements at high intensity is the key improving fitness and getting the healthy feeling and looking body you want.
Notice I said it is "the key", not "the secret". There is nothing secret about constantly varied functional movements at high intensity.
But you may not understand what I mean.
In this blog we will break each phrase down and give you a basic understanding of how to approach your exercise. Future blogs will dig deeper.
Let's start with functional movements. Functional movement has been a buzz word in fitness for the last 5 years. Functional movements are natural body movements performed on a daily basis in the course of living your life. The classic example is a squat which is an exercise that mimics sitting down into a chair and standing up from that chair. That is an activity you perform 50 times daily without thinking about it. Similarly, when you drop a pen and bend down to pick it up you are performing another functional movement, a deadlift. Learning how to perform functional movements efficiently with weight improves your ability to move on a daily basis.
What does it mean to constantly vary these functional movements? Traditional strength training programs prescribe a set of standard exercises with a fixed number of sets and repetitions performed in the same sequence with slight increases in weight over a 4-6 week period. I believe this is not optimal if you want to be fit as you face your daily life. Is there any part of your life that remains constant and unchanging over a period of 4-6 weeks? I didn't think so.
Your workouts will be more effective if they exercises, sets, repetitions, and sequences are randomized to a degree. If you could envision a PowerBall lottery machine where the numbers on the ball are replaced with a exercise and you pulled out random balls and executed those exercises as they appeared you would improve your overall fitness and prepare your body for living daily. Will talk about how the randomness can be given some structure to improve it's effectiveness in future blogs.
The results you want are driven by high intensity. How much work can you do in given period of time? The more work (weight moved) you can do in given period the high your intensity level. The intensity of your workout should be constrained only by your physical and psychological tolerance. Try to lift 40lbs over your head 100 times and you will likely hit a physical limit (you have to rest because your muscles are fatigued) or a psychological limit (oh my God I have 60 more to go!!).
Combine functional movements with constant variation and high intensity and you will achieve the level of health you want and get all the fringe benefits (lean and lovely body) that go along with it.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
NASM - Certified Personal Trainer
267.626.7478
Notice I said it is "the key", not "the secret". There is nothing secret about constantly varied functional movements at high intensity.
But you may not understand what I mean.
In this blog we will break each phrase down and give you a basic understanding of how to approach your exercise. Future blogs will dig deeper.
Let's start with functional movements. Functional movement has been a buzz word in fitness for the last 5 years. Functional movements are natural body movements performed on a daily basis in the course of living your life. The classic example is a squat which is an exercise that mimics sitting down into a chair and standing up from that chair. That is an activity you perform 50 times daily without thinking about it. Similarly, when you drop a pen and bend down to pick it up you are performing another functional movement, a deadlift. Learning how to perform functional movements efficiently with weight improves your ability to move on a daily basis.
What does it mean to constantly vary these functional movements? Traditional strength training programs prescribe a set of standard exercises with a fixed number of sets and repetitions performed in the same sequence with slight increases in weight over a 4-6 week period. I believe this is not optimal if you want to be fit as you face your daily life. Is there any part of your life that remains constant and unchanging over a period of 4-6 weeks? I didn't think so.
Your workouts will be more effective if they exercises, sets, repetitions, and sequences are randomized to a degree. If you could envision a PowerBall lottery machine where the numbers on the ball are replaced with a exercise and you pulled out random balls and executed those exercises as they appeared you would improve your overall fitness and prepare your body for living daily. Will talk about how the randomness can be given some structure to improve it's effectiveness in future blogs.
The results you want are driven by high intensity. How much work can you do in given period of time? The more work (weight moved) you can do in given period the high your intensity level. The intensity of your workout should be constrained only by your physical and psychological tolerance. Try to lift 40lbs over your head 100 times and you will likely hit a physical limit (you have to rest because your muscles are fatigued) or a psychological limit (oh my God I have 60 more to go!!).
Combine functional movements with constant variation and high intensity and you will achieve the level of health you want and get all the fringe benefits (lean and lovely body) that go along with it.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer
NASM - Certified Personal Trainer
267.626.7478
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