www.GutCheckFitness.com Battling the Holiday Bulge

It’s that wonderful time of the year again. A time for friends and family to get together to eat, drink and make merry. Now there’s nothing wrong with this, just be careful that you don’t over do it or you’ll start off the New Year looking like the Stay-Puff Marshmallow Man! Here’s a couple of my favorite tips that might help you out during the next couple weeks.

Exercise in the morning. We all know how easy it is to avoid exercising during the holidays. It’s easy to make the excuse, “Oh, I want to spend more time with my family and friends.” Who doesn’t? When I’m home, I try getting up a little earlier than everyone else and go for a jog or hit the gym. Get it out of the way. That you won’t put it off during the day. You really feel so much better the rest of the day after a little morning sweat. It’s also a good way of cleansing the system from the over indulging the day before.

Bring a back-up supply of healthy options. How do we avoid over-eating and filling up on all those goodies? This is very difficult. I grew up on a farm and my mother can cook. Unfortunately most dishes are made with old-fashioned Crisco. The good stuff. To avoid over-indulging as much as I possible, I go shopping for myself even before I get home. I like to stop by the store and buy fruits, veggies and lean meats. I know I will not find a lot of this at my parents. When I’m sitting at home and the urge strikes to munch, it’s nice to know that I have some healthy alternatives. It’s not a 100% guaranteed, but hey, every little bit helps in the battle of the bulge.

I hope that everyone has a very Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!

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www.GutCheckFitness.com Strength training at any level

When most people think of strength training they tend to primarily think of huge muscled shaven men all oiled up in their underwear standing on a stage. This of course is incorrect. The above mentioned, bodybuilding, does utilize strength training but itself is a sport not a form of the exercise. Some other popular sports that incorporate primarily strength training are weightlifting, power lifting & strongman competitions but all sports can benefit from it for instance, football, swimming to even running.

Well, then what exactly is strength training and can I benefit from it? Strength training by definition is the use of contraction to muscular resistance to build the strength, anaerobic endurance and size of skeletal muscles. There are many different methods of strength training, the most common being the use of gravity (through weight stacks, plates or dumbbells) or elastic/hydraulic resistance respectively to oppose muscle contraction. Some of the benefits of strength training include increased muscle, tendon and ligament strength, bone density, flexibility, tone, metabolic rate and postural support. Can you benefit? Of course, anyone can benefit from positive of effects of strength training if performed properly in a safe environment.

I have been strength training since the age of 14 and continue to today at 39. It’s like an old friend to me. It was there at age 14 to give me self confidence, to help my football performance and to become one of the strongest teenage power lifters in the state of IL at that time. It’s still with me today to help keep me healthy while running 100 mile ultras and to compete in national Strongman competitions. Trust me, it is just as important as eating right, doing cardio and will help you maintain great health. Here are just a few suggestions for beginners, intermediates or even the advanced that I’ve learned over the past 25 years.

Beginners – I strongly recommend that if you’ve never lifted weights that you get professional help to get you on your way safely and correctly. I do not mean just some big guy in the gym, but an actual fitness professional that holds a degree in the field or has a reputable certification. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the various forms of strength training. For instance, I still switch it up from using my own bodyweight, to dumbbells, machines, free weights and to even atlas stones and tires. Don’t be intimidated by anyone or anything. This is your chance to get to know your body and have fun with it.

Intermediates- You’ve been lifting for awhile, possibly hit a plateau or just looking for a change. You’ve got the base now really experiment. You may currently incorporate machines and free weights into your workout so now start playing with sets and reps. For instance, some workouts I’ll do the old school workout of 3 sets x 10 reps, the next might be 2 sets x 15 reps and then to really add some flavor, I’ll do my Millennium Workout which utilizes 1 set of 25 – 50 reps to equal 1000 total reps. Also, look into the sports of weightlifting, power lifting or strongman. They can be a lot of fun and help keep you motivated and driven.

Advanced – Ok, you are the guys and girls that have been hitting it for years. Probably played a sport in high school or college and still like to get after it. Hey, I’m right there with ya. I love it too, but even we get bored or hit plateaus. Try really mixing it up with db’s, free weights, machines and especially try some strongman toys, like atlas stones, tires and even sandbags. Its loads of fun and a great workout. Also, if you’ve never put your strength to the test, give it a try; you have nothing to lose and only a good time to gain. You can find Strongman competitions at http://www.nastrongmaninc.com/index.asp and Power lifting events at http://wvuspf.com/ I still compete in both and love it. Oh, and my 135lb wife even joins me. It’s great family fun.

Strength training should be an important part of your fitness program. Anyone of just about any age can benefit from the positive effects of lifting weights. It’s also important to help keep our bodies, joints and bones strong as we age. The most important thing to remember is to have fun with it. Don’t’ be afraid to experiment with during modes of strength training or to attempt the various sports that utilize it. Like Arnold said, “I’m here to pump – you up!

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www.GutCheckFitness.com Spring Workouts ? no more hibernating!

It’s that wonderful time of year again when the flowers start blooming, the days are warmer and many of us look into the mirror wondering how to lose that winter layer and where to even begin. Have no fear my former hibernating friends I have some quick, easy and fun suggestions to help get you out the door and into fighting shape come summer time.
First, become your own Drill Sergeant. When I joined the Army I was 80lbs overweight and in terrible shape. My “friendly” Drill Instructor was not only able to help me lose that extra 80 but an additional 20 more pounds. How? Tough love! He used it on me, I use in on myself and now you’re gonna use on yourself. This means accountability. No more oversleeping or skipping workouts for happy hour. You’re going to make a plan to get into shape and stick with it. If you fail to plan you plan to fail. I tell my clients at Gut Check Fitness “Don’t focus on the scales. Focus on getting healthy and fit and the weight loss will happen. Let weight loss be a by-product and incredible shape be your goal.
Second, keep it simple. What I mean is you don’t have to go purchase some fancy exercise gizmo or join an expensive health club, use what’s available. The oldest and most effective workout program in the world is the military Boot Camp style. You can make it as easy or hard as you want. Start out with basic calisthenics. My favorites are pull-ups or modified pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, dips, lunges and squats to begin with. Where you begin depends upon your fitness level. Beginners may start with 2-3 sets of 10-15 reps, more advanced can do 20-25 reps and for all my HOO-RAHS out there, I like to do a descending pyramid from 50-40-30-20-10. Is it tough, yes. Does it work, yes! I recommend doing your calisthenics circuit 2-3 days per week, like M-W-F for instance. Tip; to make this more challenging and obtain better results, add a pair of 10-20lb dumbbells to your routine or I like to use what’s available, like rocks, bricks, logs, etc. It keeps it fun and definitely makes neighbors wonder what the heck you’re up to.
Third, Change up your cardio. Weight lifting and calisthenics help build muscle and the cardio really helps ya get rid of the unwanted fat. Unfortunately most people are guilty of going out the door and doing the same old run or ride every day at the same old pace. Guess what? They see the same old results! You’ve gotta change it up and do what I call, “shock your body.” A couple of my favorite additions to the workout program to really spice it up is to add hill or stair repeats and speed work. These two alone will definitely shock your freshly unhibernated body. Go to your favorite hill or stairs then run or ride up them for 3 or 4 times or for about 15-45 minutes. Next workout, hit your local track or street for some speed work, either run distance or time, for example 400 m repeats or for 1-2 minutes. Again, depends on your fitness level and how hard you want to work. I recommend some form of cardio most days of the week, generally at least four or five. Here’s my schedule, Monday – off, Tuesday – hills/stairs, Wednesday – easy trail day, Thursday – speed workout, Friday – cross training, Saturday – Gut Check Fitness Workout & Sunday – mountain biking with my friends. Every couple weeks I change it up. You do the same. Change can definitely be good when it comes to getting more fit. Remember, the road to getting fit and healthy should be a fun ride. Find things that you enjoy to do, whether it be swimming, cycling, running or surfing then go for it. Now’s the time to get out there, to try new things and get into the best shape of your life and “that’s an order private!

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