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
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The fastest, hardest one mile you'll ever run
Today's workout was all about intervals. My friends at CrossFit suggested the following workout. It turned out to be the fastest, hardest one mile I've ever run.
After a full warmup (see below)
Sprint for 20 seconds
Then rest for 40 seconds
Repeat for a total of 15 sprints. Total workout takes 15 minutes.
Do this workout at a track and start each new sprint precisely where the last one left off. I carried a stopwatch in one hand and a playing card in the other. When the stop watch hit 20 seconds I dropped the playing card and then walked back to it during my recovery period so I knew where to start the next one.
That is a total of 5 minutes of running and 10 minutes of resting.
The challenge is to go all out during the sprints and then recover hard during the rest time.
Based on the results I saw posted online I set my goal for 1 mile total over the 15 sprints. I reached 1 mile and 20 yards.
Benefits of this workout
1) Intervals are a great way to optimize your cardio workouts. It improves your bodies ability to work at a high or even anaerobic heart rate and improves your ability to recover faster from intense efforts.
2) For distance runners, running at a faster pace rather than a steady slower pace will teach your body the mechanics needed to run faster and help you improve your distance times.
3) This workout can easily be used as a benchmark workout to see how your fitness has improved over time.
Remember, all fitness levels can do this workout. If you can't sprint then run, can't run then jog, can't jog then power walk, can't power walk then walk. Just go as intensely as you can within your fitness level.
Suggested Warmup
2 sets of:
15 body weight squats
25 jumping jacks
15 supermen
15 pushups
15 walking lunges
30 second plank
After a full warmup (see below)
Sprint for 20 seconds
Then rest for 40 seconds
Repeat for a total of 15 sprints. Total workout takes 15 minutes.
Do this workout at a track and start each new sprint precisely where the last one left off. I carried a stopwatch in one hand and a playing card in the other. When the stop watch hit 20 seconds I dropped the playing card and then walked back to it during my recovery period so I knew where to start the next one.
That is a total of 5 minutes of running and 10 minutes of resting.
The challenge is to go all out during the sprints and then recover hard during the rest time.
Based on the results I saw posted online I set my goal for 1 mile total over the 15 sprints. I reached 1 mile and 20 yards.
Benefits of this workout
1) Intervals are a great way to optimize your cardio workouts. It improves your bodies ability to work at a high or even anaerobic heart rate and improves your ability to recover faster from intense efforts.
2) For distance runners, running at a faster pace rather than a steady slower pace will teach your body the mechanics needed to run faster and help you improve your distance times.
3) This workout can easily be used as a benchmark workout to see how your fitness has improved over time.
Remember, all fitness levels can do this workout. If you can't sprint then run, can't run then jog, can't jog then power walk, can't power walk then walk. Just go as intensely as you can within your fitness level.
Suggested Warmup
2 sets of:
15 body weight squats
25 jumping jacks
15 supermen
15 pushups
15 walking lunges
30 second plank
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Can you really get a good workout in 5 minutes?
Monday was crazy busy for me. Starting with an adult boot camp at 5:45am and ending with my last one-on-one session at 8pm with all sorts of sessions and meetings in between, I literally had 10 minutes to get in a workout. But you can't really get a workout done in 10 minutes so why bother, right?
Wrong.
I warmed up for 5 minutes with body weight squats, lunges, jumping jacks and jump ropes. 2 rounds of about 30 seconds each just to get my blood flowing, muscles warm (not hard on a 90+ degree day) and lungs open. Then I hit it hard.
Here is the workout I did:
3 rounds of:
100lbs barbell ground to overhead - start with the weight on the ground and end with it overhead using any method you choose (snatch, clean and press, clean and jerk, squat/reverse curl/press, etc)
200 yard shuttle sprint (50 yards out, back, out and back)
5 minutes and 15 seconds.
Is this really an effective workout? Really, what can be accomplished in 5 minutes?
Yes, it is a great workout. Here's why:
1) Something is always better than nothing. Raising your heart rate and contracting your muscles will always have a health benefit over not using them.
2) The exercises chosen utilize all of your muscles. As a general rule, the more joints moving during an exercise the better that exercise is. Multiple joint exercises are called compound exercises. Moving a weight from the ground to overhead requires movement at your ankle, knee, hip, shoulder and elbow joints. You can't get more compound than that. Compound exercises are the most efficient for getting a total body workout. Use them frequently and definitely when you have limited time.
3) Short workouts done at high intensity (repeat....high intensity) will improve your anaerobic conditioning. You know when you're in a rush and forget something at the office and the elevator is taking too long? You have to run up 4 flights of stairs and you're out of breath at the top. You are likely using your anaerobic system. Your body is operating in oxygen deficit. It can only do so for a short period but the more you train in your anaerobic zone the longer you can sustain a high intensity effort.
4) The workout establishes a benchmark for you to try and beat the next time. I recorded my time so that when I do that workout next I have a time to shoot for. Always try to better your best on benchmark workouts.
Here is another suggestion for a short workout. Use the Tabata method. Choose an exercise. I suggest body weight squats, lunges, pushups, pullups, situps or running sprints. Perform as many of that exercise as you can in 20 seconds then rest for 10 seconds (just 10 seconds) and repeat that sequence 10 times. That is a 5 minute workout. Remember, when doing the exercise don't sacrifice form for speed but do focus on doing as many reps as possible. I can hold at 21 body weight squats for 10 rounds. I can start at 24 pushups but my numbers tail off as the rounds get higher.
I guarantee you will feel a Tabata workout the next day.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
http://www.activepersonalfitness.com/
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
Wrong.
I warmed up for 5 minutes with body weight squats, lunges, jumping jacks and jump ropes. 2 rounds of about 30 seconds each just to get my blood flowing, muscles warm (not hard on a 90+ degree day) and lungs open. Then I hit it hard.
Here is the workout I did:
3 rounds of:
100lbs barbell ground to overhead - start with the weight on the ground and end with it overhead using any method you choose (snatch, clean and press, clean and jerk, squat/reverse curl/press, etc)
200 yard shuttle sprint (50 yards out, back, out and back)
5 minutes and 15 seconds.
Is this really an effective workout? Really, what can be accomplished in 5 minutes?
Yes, it is a great workout. Here's why:
1) Something is always better than nothing. Raising your heart rate and contracting your muscles will always have a health benefit over not using them.
2) The exercises chosen utilize all of your muscles. As a general rule, the more joints moving during an exercise the better that exercise is. Multiple joint exercises are called compound exercises. Moving a weight from the ground to overhead requires movement at your ankle, knee, hip, shoulder and elbow joints. You can't get more compound than that. Compound exercises are the most efficient for getting a total body workout. Use them frequently and definitely when you have limited time.
3) Short workouts done at high intensity (repeat....high intensity) will improve your anaerobic conditioning. You know when you're in a rush and forget something at the office and the elevator is taking too long? You have to run up 4 flights of stairs and you're out of breath at the top. You are likely using your anaerobic system. Your body is operating in oxygen deficit. It can only do so for a short period but the more you train in your anaerobic zone the longer you can sustain a high intensity effort.
4) The workout establishes a benchmark for you to try and beat the next time. I recorded my time so that when I do that workout next I have a time to shoot for. Always try to better your best on benchmark workouts.
Here is another suggestion for a short workout. Use the Tabata method. Choose an exercise. I suggest body weight squats, lunges, pushups, pullups, situps or running sprints. Perform as many of that exercise as you can in 20 seconds then rest for 10 seconds (just 10 seconds) and repeat that sequence 10 times. That is a 5 minute workout. Remember, when doing the exercise don't sacrifice form for speed but do focus on doing as many reps as possible. I can hold at 21 body weight squats for 10 rounds. I can start at 24 pushups but my numbers tail off as the rounds get higher.
I guarantee you will feel a Tabata workout the next day.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
http://www.activepersonalfitness.com/
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Childhood Obesity: A Matter of National Security?
On Tuesday morning I was part of a group of wellness professionals from Central Bucks who were tapped to spearhead childrens' health programs for Congressman Patrick Murphy's district. The group included fitness trainers, nurses, nutritionists, school administrators, chefs, community leaders, etc.
Among the points made at the beginning of the meeting by Rep. Murphy was that physical fitness readiness is one of the leading reasons for rejecting military recruits and that the percentage of recruits rejected for not meeting military fitness and weight standards is soaring dramatically along with our childhood obesity problem.
So we have young people who want to join the military but they are too overweight or too out of shape or both.
This issue is close to the Congressman's heart as he is a member of the House Committee on Armed Services and was the first Iraqi War veteran elected to the House.
So let's look at the current situation. Mission: Readiness, a a D.C.-based organization of retired generals, admirals, and civilian military leaders released a report earlier this year entitled "Too Fat to Fight." The group reports more than 27 percent of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24—that's more than 9 million young men and women—are too overweight to join the military.
What does it mean to be too overweight to join? The military has defined standards for weight, body fat percentage, and a physical fitness test for all new recruits. Below are links to the standards. Here are some examples.
A 5'8" male between the ages of 21-27 can weigh up to 170lbs.
A 5'5" female between the ages of 21-27 can weigh 145lbs.
A 22-26 year old male must be able to do 31 military pushups.
A 22-26 year old female must be able to do 11 military pushups.
A 22-26 year old male must be able to run 2-miles in 17:30.
A 22-26 year old female must be able to run 2-miles in 20:36.
Most of my Boot Campers, all of whom are well beyond that age range (sorry, but that's the fact, Jack), can complete those standards. But 27% of our kids cannot.
Take a look at the links below and see if you have what it takes to get into the military.
Weight and body fat standards
Physical fitness test standards
Be well,
Paul
Among the points made at the beginning of the meeting by Rep. Murphy was that physical fitness readiness is one of the leading reasons for rejecting military recruits and that the percentage of recruits rejected for not meeting military fitness and weight standards is soaring dramatically along with our childhood obesity problem.
So we have young people who want to join the military but they are too overweight or too out of shape or both.
This issue is close to the Congressman's heart as he is a member of the House Committee on Armed Services and was the first Iraqi War veteran elected to the House.
So let's look at the current situation. Mission: Readiness, a a D.C.-based organization of retired generals, admirals, and civilian military leaders released a report earlier this year entitled "Too Fat to Fight." The group reports more than 27 percent of Americans between the ages of 17 and 24—that's more than 9 million young men and women—are too overweight to join the military.
What does it mean to be too overweight to join? The military has defined standards for weight, body fat percentage, and a physical fitness test for all new recruits. Below are links to the standards. Here are some examples.
A 5'8" male between the ages of 21-27 can weigh up to 170lbs.
A 5'5" female between the ages of 21-27 can weigh 145lbs.
A 22-26 year old male must be able to do 31 military pushups.
A 22-26 year old female must be able to do 11 military pushups.
A 22-26 year old male must be able to run 2-miles in 17:30.
A 22-26 year old female must be able to run 2-miles in 20:36.
Most of my Boot Campers, all of whom are well beyond that age range (sorry, but that's the fact, Jack), can complete those standards. But 27% of our kids cannot.
Take a look at the links below and see if you have what it takes to get into the military.
Weight and body fat standards
Physical fitness test standards
Be well,
Paul
Monday, August 2, 2010
How to get your kids fit for life
Tomorrow morning I will be part of a small group of wellness professionals meeting with Congressmen Patrick Murphy (D-PA). The meeting was setup to discuss ways to implement wellness initiatives for children in the Congressman's district. As you know, First Lady Michelle Obama is championing the fight against childhood obesity. This initiative created the Let's Move program.
Tomorrow we are talking about how to implement community-based healthy kids programs. I intend to work hard with my colleagues to create a meaningful difference in the way kids in Central Bucks County think about fitness and nutrition. What are some things you can do to improve your child's health and wellness? Here are a few suggestions:
1) Be a role fitness model. Kids will follow your example. If you make exercise a regular part of your day, talk about it openly (brag about it even), and involve your kids you will see that they take on some of those traits.
Two examples, one of my clients needs to get a walk/jog into her regular routine but works full time and has two pre-K children. So she gets one in the stoller and her son on his bike and off they go for 20-30 minutes. It is healthy for her and gets them to understand how important fitness is to their health. Another friend of mine brings her pre-K daughter to the gym regularly but before putting her in the gym's day care she takes her to the Spinning room and out to the fitness floor so she sees where mommy is going. This routine will stick with her.
Check out my article from an issue of the Bucks County Womens' Journal for more about being a fitness role model.
2) Be a Nutrtion Role Model. Make your food choices a part of the daily discussion around the house. It is ok to say, "should I have a bowl of grapes or should I have ice cream?" and let everyone know you are choosing grapes. If they see that you choose healthy over harmful it will become part of who they are.
3) Pack Your Child's Lunch. School food is dreadful. Terrible, pre-packaged, processed, microwaved gunk that they call eggs, pizza and cheeseburgers. Thankfully, many schools have gotten rid of their soda machines but there is so much work to be done on school menus. Don't have time? Yeah, your parents probably didn't either but most of my generation went to school with a bagged lunch. Include some lean meat, fruit, yogurt and a healthy drink and they will not only get better nutrition, they will be more alert for class.
4) Let Your Children Try Different Activities. Kids don't need to "be a future star" to enjoy multiple sports/activities. It is not just organized sports that give you exercise, let them play in the pool (supervised, of course), take a hike in the park, rent a canoe or kayak or paddle boat, play frisbee or tag. Just MOVE!! In addition, try some of the more traditional and less traditional sports, baseball and soccer are popular but how about skateboarding or BMX riding. All movement counts.
Off to see the Congressman,
Paul
Tomorrow we are talking about how to implement community-based healthy kids programs. I intend to work hard with my colleagues to create a meaningful difference in the way kids in Central Bucks County think about fitness and nutrition. What are some things you can do to improve your child's health and wellness? Here are a few suggestions:
1) Be a role fitness model. Kids will follow your example. If you make exercise a regular part of your day, talk about it openly (brag about it even), and involve your kids you will see that they take on some of those traits.
Two examples, one of my clients needs to get a walk/jog into her regular routine but works full time and has two pre-K children. So she gets one in the stoller and her son on his bike and off they go for 20-30 minutes. It is healthy for her and gets them to understand how important fitness is to their health. Another friend of mine brings her pre-K daughter to the gym regularly but before putting her in the gym's day care she takes her to the Spinning room and out to the fitness floor so she sees where mommy is going. This routine will stick with her.
Check out my article from an issue of the Bucks County Womens' Journal for more about being a fitness role model.
2) Be a Nutrtion Role Model. Make your food choices a part of the daily discussion around the house. It is ok to say, "should I have a bowl of grapes or should I have ice cream?" and let everyone know you are choosing grapes. If they see that you choose healthy over harmful it will become part of who they are.
3) Pack Your Child's Lunch. School food is dreadful. Terrible, pre-packaged, processed, microwaved gunk that they call eggs, pizza and cheeseburgers. Thankfully, many schools have gotten rid of their soda machines but there is so much work to be done on school menus. Don't have time? Yeah, your parents probably didn't either but most of my generation went to school with a bagged lunch. Include some lean meat, fruit, yogurt and a healthy drink and they will not only get better nutrition, they will be more alert for class.
4) Let Your Children Try Different Activities. Kids don't need to "be a future star" to enjoy multiple sports/activities. It is not just organized sports that give you exercise, let them play in the pool (supervised, of course), take a hike in the park, rent a canoe or kayak or paddle boat, play frisbee or tag. Just MOVE!! In addition, try some of the more traditional and less traditional sports, baseball and soccer are popular but how about skateboarding or BMX riding. All movement counts.
Off to see the Congressman,
Paul
Thursday, July 15, 2010
The Importance for Standardized Testing
Yikes, standardized tests. Those two words draw out a few possible reactions from most people.
Those of you who are 40ish like me cringe at the thought of filling those bubbles with your number 2 pencils in middle school. Admit it, you had a rule, when in doubt go with B.
For others, the thought of standardized testing gets your blood boiling. You may believe that standardized tests improve student and teacher performance and they are necessary for the future of our education system. Or, conversely, you may believe standardized tests drive the wrong behavior and that our kids are better off learning how to learn rather than learning how to pass a test.
Trust me, I'm not jumping into that debate.
For the purposes of this article, standardized testing is good...for your fitness.
Yesterday I did one of my benchmark workouts. A workout that I do every 3-6 weeks to see my fitness improvements. I was ecstatic. For this particular workout I made a 10% improvement over my last attempt. That's huge!!
What this test showed me was that my commitment to 5 workouts per week (4 of them are 30 minutes or less) over the last two months is paying off. My results rarely show up on the scale and body fat percentages are an inexact science. I need personalized fitness tests to tell me if I am improving my fitness.
When I begin working with a client we do a series of benchmark tests (weight, body fat, measurements, core strength, flexibility, cardio capacity and basic strength). Every 4-6 weeks we revisit these tests. Everyone should do these basic tests and track their progress.
It's when we get past the beginner stage with my clients that we start to add personalized benchmark tests. In boot camp we do these every 6 weeks. Below are some of the tests we do regularly in boot camp:
- Maximum number of pushups (elbows come to a 90 degree bend and no more than 3 seconds of rest between pushups)
- 100 box jumps (10" step) as fast as possible (two foot jump or step up and down)
- Maximum number of jump ropes in 2 minutes
- 40 - 10foot side-to-side shuffles as fast as possible.
How to perform your standardized tests
The most important thing about the test is that it must involve a repeatable exercise done with a specifically measurable range of motion. If you choose to do squats, put a chair behind you and make sure your butt hits the chair on each repetition. If your butt doesn't hit the chair then the rep doesn't count. Similarly with the pushups listed above. If your elbows don't hit a 90 degree bend then the rep doesn't count.
Secondly, the exercise must be done for a defined number of reps or a defined period of time. If you choose to do jump ropes make sure you pick a number or jumps or do as many as you can in a given period of time.
Thirdly, choose tests that measure all aspects of your fitness. Your tests should involve exercises that measure your cardio capacity, maximum strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and core strength.
Lastly, perform these tests as part of your regular workout at various times. Don't set aside special days and don't do any specific preparation for them. In other words, don't rest for two days beforehand or change your routine in any way prior to your tests. Just make them a normal part of your routine.
Here are the benchmark tests that I use to measure my progress regularly.
CrossFit's Fight Gone Bad: 5 exercises done for 1 minute each with a continuously running clock. I move from one exercise to the next without stopping the clock, performing as many reps as possible in the minute. After getting through the 5 exercises I rest for one minute then repeat the 5 exercise set two more times. Grand total is 17 minutes. The exercises:
- Toss a 20 lb medicine ball up to hit a 10 foot target
- Sumo deadlift with an upright row using a 75lb barbell
- 20" box jumps
- 75 lb overhead push press
- Row for one minute
I count the total reps for the first 4 exercises and the total calories on the row to get my total score for each round then add them up for a grand total.
Maximum weight deadlift, back squat and overhead press: Deadlift increasing amounts of weight until I hit my maximum using good form. Do the same for back squat and overhead press.
Tabata pushups and squats: Do as many pushups as possible in 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. Repeat that for 5 rounds and add up your total number of pushups. Do the same for squats.
Run 5K as fast as possible
Filthy Fifties:
50 reps of 12 exercises done as fast as possible with good form
Box jumps, 24 inch box
Jumping pull-ups
Kettlebell swings, 35 lb kettlebell or dumbbell
Walking Lunges, 50 steps
Hanging straight leg raises
Push presses, 45 pounds
Back extensions
Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
Burpees
Double unders jump ropes
Your tests should reflect your current fitness level and should be made more difficult the more fit you get. Fight Gone Bad and Filthy Fifties are a real struggle for me but they are getting better.
If you need assistance with assessing your current fitness level or if you would like help setting up regular tests for yourself please contact me at the number below.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
Those of you who are 40ish like me cringe at the thought of filling those bubbles with your number 2 pencils in middle school. Admit it, you had a rule, when in doubt go with B.
For others, the thought of standardized testing gets your blood boiling. You may believe that standardized tests improve student and teacher performance and they are necessary for the future of our education system. Or, conversely, you may believe standardized tests drive the wrong behavior and that our kids are better off learning how to learn rather than learning how to pass a test.
Trust me, I'm not jumping into that debate.
For the purposes of this article, standardized testing is good...for your fitness.
Yesterday I did one of my benchmark workouts. A workout that I do every 3-6 weeks to see my fitness improvements. I was ecstatic. For this particular workout I made a 10% improvement over my last attempt. That's huge!!
What this test showed me was that my commitment to 5 workouts per week (4 of them are 30 minutes or less) over the last two months is paying off. My results rarely show up on the scale and body fat percentages are an inexact science. I need personalized fitness tests to tell me if I am improving my fitness.
When I begin working with a client we do a series of benchmark tests (weight, body fat, measurements, core strength, flexibility, cardio capacity and basic strength). Every 4-6 weeks we revisit these tests. Everyone should do these basic tests and track their progress.
It's when we get past the beginner stage with my clients that we start to add personalized benchmark tests. In boot camp we do these every 6 weeks. Below are some of the tests we do regularly in boot camp:
- Maximum number of pushups (elbows come to a 90 degree bend and no more than 3 seconds of rest between pushups)
- 100 box jumps (10" step) as fast as possible (two foot jump or step up and down)
- Maximum number of jump ropes in 2 minutes
- 40 - 10foot side-to-side shuffles as fast as possible.
How to perform your standardized tests
The most important thing about the test is that it must involve a repeatable exercise done with a specifically measurable range of motion. If you choose to do squats, put a chair behind you and make sure your butt hits the chair on each repetition. If your butt doesn't hit the chair then the rep doesn't count. Similarly with the pushups listed above. If your elbows don't hit a 90 degree bend then the rep doesn't count.
Secondly, the exercise must be done for a defined number of reps or a defined period of time. If you choose to do jump ropes make sure you pick a number or jumps or do as many as you can in a given period of time.
Thirdly, choose tests that measure all aspects of your fitness. Your tests should involve exercises that measure your cardio capacity, maximum strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and core strength.
Lastly, perform these tests as part of your regular workout at various times. Don't set aside special days and don't do any specific preparation for them. In other words, don't rest for two days beforehand or change your routine in any way prior to your tests. Just make them a normal part of your routine.
Here are the benchmark tests that I use to measure my progress regularly.
CrossFit's Fight Gone Bad: 5 exercises done for 1 minute each with a continuously running clock. I move from one exercise to the next without stopping the clock, performing as many reps as possible in the minute. After getting through the 5 exercises I rest for one minute then repeat the 5 exercise set two more times. Grand total is 17 minutes. The exercises:
- Toss a 20 lb medicine ball up to hit a 10 foot target
- Sumo deadlift with an upright row using a 75lb barbell
- 20" box jumps
- 75 lb overhead push press
- Row for one minute
I count the total reps for the first 4 exercises and the total calories on the row to get my total score for each round then add them up for a grand total.
Maximum weight deadlift, back squat and overhead press: Deadlift increasing amounts of weight until I hit my maximum using good form. Do the same for back squat and overhead press.
Tabata pushups and squats: Do as many pushups as possible in 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. Repeat that for 5 rounds and add up your total number of pushups. Do the same for squats.
Run 5K as fast as possible
Filthy Fifties:
50 reps of 12 exercises done as fast as possible with good form
Box jumps, 24 inch box
Jumping pull-ups
Kettlebell swings, 35 lb kettlebell or dumbbell
Walking Lunges, 50 steps
Hanging straight leg raises
Push presses, 45 pounds
Back extensions
Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
Burpees
Double unders jump ropes
Your tests should reflect your current fitness level and should be made more difficult the more fit you get. Fight Gone Bad and Filthy Fifties are a real struggle for me but they are getting better.
If you need assistance with assessing your current fitness level or if you would like help setting up regular tests for yourself please contact me at the number below.
Be well,
Paul
Paul Dziewisz
Active Personal Fitness
www.ActivePersonalFitness.com
267.626.7478
"You give us the effort...we'll get you the results."
Monday, July 5, 2010
More on my marathon training
My training plan for the Philly Marathon in November has gotten some significant criticism from friends and clients. I think it is time for me to publish what I have done over the two weeks of training so far and also reiterate why I am choosing a less traditional training methodology.
Let's start with the two key reasons why I am not running long distances 3-4 times a week like a traditional training plan requires.
First, I don't love running. Traditional plans are extremely running intensive. Runner's World magazine provides a standard 4-month training plan for "beginners". The total amount of running over the 4 months is 347 miles. That is the equivilent of 13+ marathons. That is for beginners.
They recommend an intermediate plan of 5 runs per week with a range of total mileage between 562 and 610 miles and with 4 straight weeks of 45+ miles of running. If you love running, by all means, have at it!!!
If not, my plan calls for a approximately 300 miles of running in 5+ months of training. No week will cover more than 30 miles of running and my focus is on building up the leg stamina for the long runs. Each weekend includes a long run, beginning at 10 miles in late June and building up to 22 miles in late October.
The second reason I am constructing a less-traditional plan is that I don't like what endurance training does to my overall fitness. I work with many triathletes and distance runners. They simply are not as strong as I want to be. I refuse to sacrifice overall strength and function to be able to do a marathon. My plan calls for a lot of continued strength training and power workouts to improve my leg, hip, lower back, core and upper body strength to help prevent overuse injuries.
The long weekend runs will be supplemented by my Interval Strength Training workouts throughout the week. To the extent that those include running they are typically short, hard, fast interval runs. But for the most part, those workouts are total body strength and high-intensity cardio workouts lasting between 20 and 40 minutes.
Here is what I have done over the last two weeks. For those of you who are new to my blog, I personally follow the CrossFit Workout of the Day with modifications away from some of the gymnastic and olympic lifting movements.
June 14th
Row 500 meters
30 body weight bench presses (done on a chest press machine)
Row 1000 meters
20 body weight bench presses
Row 2000 meters
10 body weight bench presses
June 15th
Row 2000 meters
50 Wall ball tosses with 20 lb ball
Row 1000 meters
35 Wall ball tosses with 20 lb ball
Row 500 meters
20 Wall ball tosses with 20 lb ball
June 16th and 17th - Rest Days
June 18th
10 - 100 meter sprints with 90 sec rest in between each
June 21st
5 rounds of 50 foot walking lunges with 45lb barbell overhead, and
21 burpees
June 22nd
5 rounds of:
hard 1/2 mile run, and
50 pushups
June 23rd
3 rounds of:
15 dumbbell thrusters with 2-50lb dumbbells
30 situps on the glute-ham developer
June 24th - Rest Day
June 25th
5 rounds of:
40 double under jump ropes
30 - 2' high box jumps
20 - 55lb kettlebell swings
June 26th - 10 mile run
that is just a two week overview. Notice that running is combined in with a lot of rowing and other high-intensity aerobic activities that build stamina, strength and functional movement.
Stay tuned,
Paul
Let's start with the two key reasons why I am not running long distances 3-4 times a week like a traditional training plan requires.
First, I don't love running. Traditional plans are extremely running intensive. Runner's World magazine provides a standard 4-month training plan for "beginners". The total amount of running over the 4 months is 347 miles. That is the equivilent of 13+ marathons. That is for beginners.
They recommend an intermediate plan of 5 runs per week with a range of total mileage between 562 and 610 miles and with 4 straight weeks of 45+ miles of running. If you love running, by all means, have at it!!!
If not, my plan calls for a approximately 300 miles of running in 5+ months of training. No week will cover more than 30 miles of running and my focus is on building up the leg stamina for the long runs. Each weekend includes a long run, beginning at 10 miles in late June and building up to 22 miles in late October.
The second reason I am constructing a less-traditional plan is that I don't like what endurance training does to my overall fitness. I work with many triathletes and distance runners. They simply are not as strong as I want to be. I refuse to sacrifice overall strength and function to be able to do a marathon. My plan calls for a lot of continued strength training and power workouts to improve my leg, hip, lower back, core and upper body strength to help prevent overuse injuries.
The long weekend runs will be supplemented by my Interval Strength Training workouts throughout the week. To the extent that those include running they are typically short, hard, fast interval runs. But for the most part, those workouts are total body strength and high-intensity cardio workouts lasting between 20 and 40 minutes.
Here is what I have done over the last two weeks. For those of you who are new to my blog, I personally follow the CrossFit Workout of the Day with modifications away from some of the gymnastic and olympic lifting movements.
June 14th
Row 500 meters
30 body weight bench presses (done on a chest press machine)
Row 1000 meters
20 body weight bench presses
Row 2000 meters
10 body weight bench presses
June 15th
Row 2000 meters
50 Wall ball tosses with 20 lb ball
Row 1000 meters
35 Wall ball tosses with 20 lb ball
Row 500 meters
20 Wall ball tosses with 20 lb ball
June 16th and 17th - Rest Days
June 18th
10 - 100 meter sprints with 90 sec rest in between each
June 21st
5 rounds of 50 foot walking lunges with 45lb barbell overhead, and
21 burpees
June 22nd
5 rounds of:
hard 1/2 mile run, and
50 pushups
June 23rd
3 rounds of:
15 dumbbell thrusters with 2-50lb dumbbells
30 situps on the glute-ham developer
June 24th - Rest Day
June 25th
5 rounds of:
40 double under jump ropes
30 - 2' high box jumps
20 - 55lb kettlebell swings
June 26th - 10 mile run
that is just a two week overview. Notice that running is combined in with a lot of rowing and other high-intensity aerobic activities that build stamina, strength and functional movement.
Stay tuned,
Paul
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