Keeping it moving: The top 6 alternative running races

"Nature's Arena has a way of humbling and energizing us." Scott Jurek

We are always looking to up the ante especially in sports. The current health and fitness renaissance has shown us the old standards of workload are only the floor not the ceiling.  The arrival of Crossfit proved that workload could be and should be expanded. This has started to spill over into traditional endurance events changing there landscape as well. No pin intended. I am talking specifically about alternative or adventure races like Warrior Dash, Tough Mudder, Spartan Race, Run for you lives, Men’s health Urbanalathon and the Merrell Down & Dirty obstacle race.  Lets look at the races in no particular order:

Warrior Dash is a 5k obstacle course race, with 17 obstacles. The obstacles include Muddy Mayhem, Warrior Roast, Cliff Hanger, Trenches, Barracade Breakdown, Cargo Climb, Great Warrior Wall, Giant Cliffhanger, Deadlift Drifter, Hard Rain, Leaders Ledge, Mortimers Crossing, Mud Mounds, Petrifying Plunge, Road Rage, Storming Normandy and Vicious Valley. Your prize for finishing the race is a turkey leg and a cold beer. The proceeds from the Warrior Dash go for a good cause the St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital.  There are dashes being held around the country at different times of the year.

http://www.warriordash.com

Tough Mudder events are hardcore 10-12 mile obstacle courses designed by British Special Forces. They test you strength, stamina, mental grit and camaraderie, it is said only 78% of the entrants finish. It has raised over $5 million for the Wounded Warrior Project. It has 24 obstacles Arctic Enema, Bale Bonds, Berlin Walls, Boa Constrictor, Cliffhanger, Devils Beard, Dirty Ballerina, Dong Dangler, Electric Eel, Electroshock Therapy, Everest, Fire Walker, Funky Monkey, Greased Lightning, Hanging Tough, Hold Your Wood, Kiss of Mud, Mud Mile, Spiders Web, Trench Warfare, Twinkle Toes, Underwater Tunnels and Walk the Plank. Once you cross the finish line you get the Tough Mudder headband, a high five and a Dos Equis beer.

http://toughmudder.com

Spartan Race is a series of obstacle races in varying distances ranging from 1 mile to a full marathon. This is the breakdown Spartan Sprint 3 plus miles, Super Spartan is 8 plus miles, Spartan Beast is 12 plus miles, and the Ultra Beast is 26 miles one of two marathon courses with Mudderthon. You get a finisher medal, race shirt and a post race party. The obstacles include Fire Jump, Barbed wire crawl, Over under tough, Spear throw, Wall Climb, Object carry, Herculean hoist, Tryolean traverse, Traversal wall, Slippery wall, Gladiator arena, and the Hobie hop. The Spartan Races are held worldwide.

http://www.spartanrace.com/

Run for your Lives is another 5K obstacle course for the Zombie set. You will not only encounter these obstacles the Blood Pit, Smokehouse and the Maze. But you will need to outrun the zombies! After or if you finish you have the Apocalypse Party, that has food , music, vendors and games. They have partnered with a charitable organization the Kennedy Krieger foundation for kids battling brain injuries and disorders. 

http://www.runforyourlives.com

Men’s Health Urbanathlon is a three city series of events comprised of 9.1 to 11 mile endurance races that incorporate city landmarks and urban obstacle courses set on the streets of the tree largest cities in the U.S. The obstacles may include Barricades or Fence Crawl, Tires or Police Barricades, Monkey Bars, Over Under and Thru, Cargo Net Crawl, Stair Climb, Hurdles, a Stadium Stair Climb and the Finish Sequence.  Post race is a festival with DJ sets, food and drink and tons of stuff from sponsors. The charity they work with is the Challenged Athletes Foundation. They are held in Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

http://www.menshealth.com/fitness/urbanathlon-2013

Merrell Down and Dirty Obstacle Course is an obstacle course race of different distances, They have a 10K and a 5K. The obstacles include Slippery Mountain and Inflatable, Trailer Climb & Log Leap, Monkey Cross, Sand Bag Carry & Balance Beams, High, Low, 5 foot ladder Walls, Marine Hurdles and Cargo Net Climb, Low Crawl and Tunnels, Mud Pit & Water Crossings as well as Tires & Push Ups. They work with Operation Gratitude who send care packages to the U.S. Military who are deployed overseas, to their children left behind and to Veterans, First Responders, Wounded Warriors and their Care givers. This race is held all over the country as well. 

 http://www.downanddirtymudrun.com

I have one more race for you to consider this one is not a adventure race like the above named events. It is the granddaddy of all Ultra Races the Western States Endurance Run.  It is a 100 mile raced that spurred on the sport of ultra distance trail running in the U.S. It came from a horse race when Gordy Ainsleigh’s horse came up lame in 1974, he decided to run the entire course through the Sierra Nevad Mountans himself. It is now noted as the Boston Marathon of Trail running, attracting the best trail runners from around the world. Past champions have included 5 time winner Scott Jurek. 

I wrote this so that you can see what is out there. We all need challenges from time to time and running regular races is not for everyone nor is working out in a gym. At times you will need to change it up. Now you have some examples of how to do that. The great things about these events are they are social, have a charity partner and don’t take themselves to seriously.  Please read and share this blog. 

Black Gold Coffee the Untold Story

What noise?

Wait what is that noise? A car horn in the jungle…. Shit that’s the alarm! Turn it off ! Feet move and turn it off. Alarm off then bathroom then hit the coffee maker. Many of us  start the day with a cup of coffee, not feeling truly awake until we get our java fix. Coffee is not just the morning pick me up, it can be both good and bad for your health, it has a social aspect and it will help get you through the day. It is also big business the total number of daily U.S. coffee drinkers is around 100 million, the total amount of money spent importing coffee to the U.S. per year is $4 billion dollars. The total amount of coffee the average coffee drinker consumes in a day is about 3.1 9 ounce cups, with about 65% of the people drinking it in the morning.  Wake up get that K cup, cup of Sanka or the pot of joe rolling, we are looking at other black gold.

 I was at presentation for a 30 day body transformation a friend of mine was giving, part of the transformation is a Detox. In the Detox you are allowed no caffeine, definitely no coffee. A gentlemen from the audience was interested but he could not cope without his coffee, he was drinking about two pots a day. I was shocked two pots is a staggering amount of coffee and over an extended period of time it can have a deleterious affect on many systems in the body. This kicked the wheels into motion that maybe we need to look at the healthy benefits and drawbacks of drinking coffee.What exactly is coffee? Coffee is a brewed beverage made from the roasted seeds of a shrub classified Coffea, which has two distinct types of beans Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora. Coffea Arabica is descended from the original coffee trees in Ethiopia, they produce a fine, mild aromatic coffee. This makes up about 70% of the worlds coffee production and often fetch the highest prices. They are costly to cultivate and the trees are more disease prone than robusta and require additional attention. The beans are flatter and more elongated than robusta with less caffeine. Coffea Canephora or Robusta is grown primarily in Central and Western Africa, as well as Southeast Asia and Brazil. The robusta bean is slightly smaller and rounder than the arabica bean. The robusta tree is heartier, more disease and

parasite resistant, this makes it easier and cheaper to cultivate. Compared with arabica, robusta beans produce a coffee which has a distinctive taste and about 50-60% more caffeine. Robusta is used in blends and in instant coffees.

The origin of coffee is under some speculation one has the Yemenite Sufi mystic Ghothul akbar Nooruddin Abu al-Hasa al-Shadili, was traveling through Ethiopia. He observed birds with an unusual vitality he discovered they were eating berries, he tried them and experienced the same vitality. The other legend attribute the discovery to Sheik Abou’l Hasan Schadheli’s disciple, Omar. According to an ancient transcript Omar who was known to heal people with prayer, was exiled from Mocha to a desert cave near Ousad. He was  starving when he ate berries off of a shrub he found them bitter he roasted but they became hard. He boiled them, drank the liquid finding a miracle drug he was asked to return and made a saint. We also have the legend of Kaldi a goat herder who noticed his goats becoming so spirited they were unable to sleep. He reported this to the abbot of the local monastery  who made a drink with the berries, and noticed he could remain in prayer for hours without rest. The abbot shared this with the other monks word began to spread moving to the Arabian Peninsula then the rest of the world. The Arabs were the first to cultivate and trade coffee, by the fifteenth century coffee was being grown in the Yemeni district of Arabia. By the sixteenth century it was known as Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. This was the dawn of the first coffee houses, become centers of culture where people

would watch performers, listen to music, play chess and discuss the news of the day. They had been referred to as the “Schools of the Wise.”. Coffee made its way to Europe by the seventeenth century, and its popularity was spreading across the continent. The clergy initially condemned coffee, the controversy reached the Vatican causing Pope Clement VIII to intervene. He tasted it, liked it and  gave coffee the papal approval . By the mid-seventeenth century, there were over 300 coffee houses in London; people of similar interest’s merchants, shippers, brokers, and artists frequented them. Many business grew out of these specialty coffee houses, Lloyds of London, for example came into existence at the Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House.  It reached the New World in the mid-1600’s brought to New Amsterdam, the majority of the people preferred tea. Until the Boston Tea party, when America would switch its allegiance. Given the demands for coffee the need for supply rose. The Arabs tried to keep their monopoly of cultivation, the Dutch were able to cultivate coffee on the island of Java currently Indonesia. They expanded to the islands of Sumatra and Celebes. Francsiso De Mello Palheta who was sent by the emperor to French Guiana to obtain coffee seedlings brought coffee to Brazil. The French were not willing to share and Palheta was unsuccessful. The French Governors wife truck by his charm and good looks  presented him with a bouquet of flowers that had coffee seeds in the bottom. Its safe to say that coffee has spread worldwide being cultivated in Columbia, Kona, Ethiopia, Brazil and Southeast Asia

What are the healthy benefits to coffee? In 2005 Dr. Frank Hu, MD. MPH., PhD nutrition and  an  epidemiology professor at the Harvard School of Public Health reviewed 9 studies on coffee and type 2 diabetes. They found that more that people those who said they drank more than six or seven cups daily were 35% less likely to have type 2 diabetes than people who drank less than two cups per day. The people who drank 4-6 cups per day had a 28% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. An Australian study recently noted that they found a 7% drop in the odds of having type 2 diabetes for every additional cup of coffee drunk daily. Dr. Hu believes what keeps the diabetes at bay is a combination of the antioxidants in coffee, the minerals magnesium and chromium. The minerals help the body use insulin which controls blood sugar. The body loses its ability to  use insulin and regulate blood sugar with diabetes. It is believed that coffees potential effect in type 2 diabetes may help in reducing heart disease and stroke. Coffee has been linked to lower risks for heart rhythm disturbances in men and women, and a lower risk for strokes in women. In a study of 130,000 Kaiser Permanente plan members who drank 1-3 cups of coffee per day were 20% less likely to be hospitalized for abnormal heart rhythms than non drinkers. A 2009 study of nurses enrolled in the long term Nurses Health Study showed a 20% lower risk of stroke in those who reported drinking two or more cups of coffee daily compared to women who drank less coffee or none at all. The benefits in regards to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases the data has been consistent: higher consumption of coffee is associated with decreased Parkinson’s.  Dr. Hu notes the result is due to the caffeine but it is unclear how it works. A 2009 study from Finland and Sweden showed that out of 1,400 people followed for 10 years, who drank 3-5 cups of coffee daily we 65% less likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s disease compared to non-drinkers.  Now the drawbacks of coffee, decaffeinated coffee has long thought by researchers to increase cholesterol and an increase in heart disease.  People who went from regular coffee to decaffeinated coffee were found to have increased their levels of low-density lipo-protein, the so-called bad cholesterol at an average of 7%. A Stanford University study of 188 healthy middle-aged coffee drinkers had the volunteers drink 3-6 cups of coffee per day of one of three groups. The volunteers had their cholesterol levels checked, noting the levels remained the same when they drank regular coffee or gave it up. However, it rose 7% when they switched to decaf. The caffeine in coffee triggers the pituitary gland to secrete a hormone that triggers the glands to produce adrenalin. Once the adrenalin high wears off you feel fatigue, irritable, can have headaches, and feel confused. Caffeine puts us in a fight or flight state, if you remain in this caffeinated state for a prolonged period you can enter adrenal fatigue. Over the years, it will take more and more coffee to get the same result, some people can drink up to half a dozen or more cups and barely stay awake. That is adrenal depletion. One of the other hazards of coffee is the toxins depending on where you get your coffee. Is the coffee fair trade? Is it sprayed? What kind of roast is it? Most of us are drinking coffee that were sprayed with pesticides; unfortunately, it is one of the most sprayed products out there. What is worse is it has no protection, so you ingest the chemicals in the spray as well. The other toxic element in coffee is the by-product of the dark roasts acrylamide, which is a carcinogen aside from being very toxic. Acrylamide is a naturally occurring by-product of the cooking process that forms naturally in a wide variety of foods when they are heated or cooked. Acrylamide has been present in the human diet since we began cooking with fire; in 2002 a group of Swedish scientists presented research that detected acrylamide in some baked and fried foods. Fair trade or organic coffee with a light roast is preferred to a sprayed brand. Coffee in moderation would be fine, given the antioxidants and other reported health benefits. Tomorrow we will be looking the phenomenon of adventure racing, revealing the top six races. As always please read and share this blog.

14 Minutes

 "If you want to achieve a high goal, you're going to have to take some chances." Alberto Salazar

Alberto Salazar an American running legend of the 1980s, he is known as the mastermind of the Oregon running project where he coaches some of the worlds best runners. His running history includes U.S. track records of 13:11.93 for 5,000 m and 27:25.61 for 10,000 m done within a month. He also won the New York Marathon three times and was involved in the 1982  Boston Marathon known as the duel in the sun with Dick Beardsley. This is an autobiography that covers Alberto’s life, his triumphs and failures but the recurring themes are faith, discipline, hard work and irrepressible will.

  

The book is broken down into four different sections, the prologue, three main chapters and the epilogue. The prologue where our hero goes in depth about his white light experience or lack thereof, noting his new WR of being dead for 14 minutes. Looking at the events surrounding that time with the perspective of a man who has been given a reprieve from deaths call. A man of faith who tells his story in the hopes that he can help the people who are like him. The people who find their passion, find where they shine, and are looking to accomplish something great. Their passion is all consuming bordering on an obsession, the obsession in most runners hearts. In the first chapter you are introduced to the Patriarch of the family, detailing his involvement in the Cuban revolution.   He was looking for justice like so many other young Cubans at the time, he left the island 9 years later disillusioned. The reason they left was his faith and the Castro regime turning its back on the Catholic Church, which was an institution in the Salazar family. He was also involved in one of the attempts to overthrow Castro, but the U.S. government nixed the operation before it began. He turned his attention to providing for his family, the double betrayal he felt in his heart was the fueled Alberto’s competitive spirit.  Alberto and his brothers loved sports his brothers loved running, football and baseball. He found his home in running, he talks about one episode the Falmouth race in 1978 where he almost dies. A strong theme in the book is his brushes with death, even dying for 14 minutes and coming back. The fact that 20 years ago if you went into cardiac arrest you were gone. His brother Ricardo was a runner for Navy and his coach would send Alberto workouts from an Olympic teammate. Ricardo planted the seed in his brain if your a serious runner you will go to the University of Oregon, the home of Bill Bowerman and Steve Prefontaine. The workouts paid off after a couple of successful track seasons he ended up training with the Greater Boston Track club. He was training with world class runners like Bill Rodgers who Alberto watched win the Boston Marathon. This caused it all to click with Alberto, he progressed rapidly. We follow his track career from High School, to college to the New York City

Marathon. After his disappointment with the U.S. boycott of the 1980 Olympics, he was invited by Fred Lebow, to compete in the New York City Marathon. A race that had been dominated the last four years by his old training partner Bill Rodgers. Alberto went on to win the NYC marathon over the next three years setting the course and world record while continuing to win.  He also had a legendary Boston Marathon with Dick Beardsley named the duel in the sun.  In 1982 these two men were in each others pockets throughout the last nine miles of the race leaving the other runners behind, fighting one another off. Little did they know the cost of that legendary race, Beardsley spiraled into drug addiction and Salazar was never really the same. The toll it took on his immune system, sending him into depression. He did have one more win in him the Comrades race an 87 km race in South Africa his winning time in 1994 was 6:41:23. The rebounded with his faith and by taking prozac to get him out of the depression. He took a job with Nike as a representative, but it was not enough for him. Feeling he had more to offer he became a coach of the Nike Oregon Project he has worked with Alan Webb, Mo Farah, Galen Rupp, Adam goucher, Kara Goucher, Dan Browne, Amy Yoder Beglet, Dathan Ritzenhein and Mary Cain. 

The real story is his final victory not over death. In finding his purpose in life, the ability to look back at his mistakes and guide the next generation. Renewing his commitment to his faith, his family and his mission. Yes, at time Alberto may come off as arrogant. I believe you need a little arrogance to reach the stratosphere in any competitive endeavor.  

Why are we still fat?

America is in the midst of an epidemic, an epidemic we seem to be taking some steps to cure and keep we failing. The epidemic is obesity in a survey done in 2009-2010 35.7% of U.S. adults were obese, 16.9% of U.S children were noted to be obese. The prevalence of obesity was higher among adolescents than among preschool-aged children. The prevalence of obesity was higher among boys than girls (18.6% of boys and 15.0% of girls were obese).  In 2008, medical costs associated with obesity were estimated at $147 billion; the medical costs of someone who is obese is $1429.00 higher than those of normal weight. In 2010, there were 12 states with an obesity prevalence of 30%. In the last two or three years there has been growth in group fitness classes, boxing gym memberships, personal training industry as well the explosion of Crossfit. The annual revenue of the U.S. weight loss industry is a staggering $20 billion dollars, 108 million people are on diets in the U.S, it is of note dieters will make four to five attempts per year. The number of people who have had bariatric surgery since 2009 is 220,000, the average cost of the surgery is $11,500 to $26,000.00.  Enough stats it is time to look at; Why we are still fat?

Lets start with defining what obesity is exactly, then we can look as some of the contributing factors. Obesity is defined as the body mass index was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared, rounded to one decimal place. Obesity in adults id defined as a BMI greater than or equal to 30. The definition of obesity for children is not directly comparable with definition for adults. Obesity in children was defined as a BMI greater than or equal to the age and sex specific 95th percentiles of the 2000 cdc growth charts. There has been some debate over the use of the BMI calculation, some nutritionists would rather look at your bodyfat percentage. But for the most part unless your an anomaly the BMI is sufficient for our purposes today. Here is a link to a BMI calculator:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm

I have had many discussions with my nutritionist on this subject, from those discussions is where this article arose. The first thing that needs to be said is that all of the “diets” work, in that you will lose the weight. Just follow the program this goes for weight training, boxing, MMA follow it to the letter and it works. Problems start when you go off the reservation or when you mix and match. I am sorry but you are not smarter than the engineer of the diet or program, they have been carefully mapped out step by step by people with experience. In this example we are looking at a meal plan the golden rule is if it is not on the paper you don’t eat it. Compliance with the program is of the utmost importance. I had a friend start a meal plan similar to one I had used with success, we meet for Sunday football games at a bar. He is eating a plate the size of 13 in Apple Macbook of Mussels fra diablo, told me he read on the internet unlimited mussels. I know the nutritionist he was working with and this was not the case. he strayed from the program and put on weight.  The other example of people making this same mistake are people who used meal replacement bars in a previous meal plan. But their current meal plan does not call for them and they keep eating them, meal replacement bars can have anywhere from 300 calories to 600 calories. One other area we should look at is what is the goal? If your trying to lose weight is your program, supplementation, and meal plan all a match. It does not matter what the goal is, if the plan in place is not appropriate. You are banging your head against the wall. Step back and look at what your doing, and write it all down. You will never remember where you were or how you got to where you are without a map.

Ok so lets say you have been a good boy or girl, you lost x number of pounds  you look great, feel great. Unfortunately you have no maintenance plan,  developed no plans to handle difficult situations. You put a little weight back on, get a little lazy in the gym. Maybe you went to your friends wedding and your not watching as much. The next thing you know you gained the weight back and 20 extra pounds. Then you take the weight off again. This is YO YO dieting, many people go through a seasonal yo-yo dieting skinny in the summer fat in the winter. Whatever the cause of the back and forth its not healthy either way, you would be healthier if you stayed obese. The National Weight Control Registry project has found that the respondents had maintained a 67 pound weight loss for five years and between 12 and 14 percent had maintained a loss of more than 100 pounds. This goes against the 1959 New York Hospital Study. What is telling is that one of Registries respondents noted that you need a balanced approach eating a balanced diet of salad, fish, vegetable burgers fruit and a little desert. As well as exercise every day, whether its to a tape, jogging, riding a bike or jumping rope. She attributing her success to changing her lifestyle, and making healthy choices. 

In previous articles we looked at the dangers environmental toxins their affect on us. In a recent study BPA or Bisphenol A has been linked to obesity and insulin resistance. The study measured BPA levels in 3390 adults older than 40 from the Songnan Community in Shangai. The highest levels of BPA were associate with both an obese BMI and waist circumference and higher concentrations of insulin in the blood. What’s more troubling is study published in PLOS One that shows BPA is linked to obesity in puberty-age girls. Researchers found that in girls between 9 and 2 years old a higher than average level of BPA was associated with twice the risk of having a bodyweight in the top 10th percentile for girls of their age in the same population. The sample size used was 1,326 male and female children in grades 4 to 12 at three Shanghai schools. BPA is used to make plastics and other materials such as cash register receipts. It is known as an endocrine disruptor with estrogenic properties. The head of the study Dr. Li noted that with children and adolescents BPA is likely to enter the body primarily in the ingestion of food and liquids. He also noted that "Girls in the midst of puberty may be more sensitive to the impacts of BPA on their energy balance and fat metabolism”. The easiest way is to avoid BPA is to store your food in glass containers and don’t microwave food in plastic containers. 

Show me your friends and I will show you who you. Your community helps to create your mindset, if you surround yourself with people with a positive attitude that exude self confidence. This will help in committing yourself to great things as well. You will have to look at your life who is around and answer some tough questions. Which way am I going? Are the people who are around me helping me to achieve my goals? Is my current  situation optimal for my goals and dreams? Am I getting the most out of myself?  Most people do not want to do this. We need to surround ourselves for success in all phases of life. 

Why are we still fat? The answer is actually education or miseducation. It is the lack of knowledge about proper exercise, nutrition and environmental factors. Obesity is a multi-layered problem, it comes down to a commitment to a lifestyle change. It is diet and exercise, will power, environmental factors, discipline and really community. Most of us get tunnel vision and focus on one area, and don’t pay attention to the complete picture. We all need to take part in an effort to reduce obesity and educate people on the right food choices.  This coming week we have a book review,a mystery subject and the Friday list. Please read and share this blog!

 

Strapped Up 6 reasons to use the TRX suspension trainer

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, We must do.” Bruce Lee

 A couple of weeks ago we looked at kettlebells, today we are looking at another one of my favorite pieces of fitness equipment  the TRX suspension trainer. The who what trainer? The TRX suspension trainer was developed by a Navy SEAL so that he and his team could maintain a high level of training while deployed. It was made out of pieces of PVC and a Parachute rigging, but is truly an ingenious bit of engineering. It’s training using your bodyweight to develop flexibility, balance, strength and core stability all at the same time. 

Lets look at the 6 reason to use the TRX suspension trainer 

1. It leaves you with no excuses it can be set up anywhere. Say your traveling and the hotel has no gym, just bring one of the anchor points and your good to go. No excuses Navy SEALS used while taking incoming fire. You can use it in Dayton or Buffalo when your on a seminar or in Miami on vacation. 
2. It can deliver a fast effective total body workout. When you use the TRX there is no transition period you adjust the length or the handles and your move on to the next movement. Its no problem to go from a leg movement to shoulders to back to biceps one after the other. Going from a power movement to flexibility movement to an explosive movement. 
3. Training with the TRX will increase your muscular endurance. This occurs as your are training with resistance, increasing your flexibility, and range of motion. All the while you re increasing your cardiovascular activity. This hits the markers for increasing muscular endurance.
4. Simply put it builds a rock solid core. The TRX is all core, remember core is ball and socket joint to ball and socket joint. When your moving using the TRX you are battling  gravity, using your core for anti-rotation. You couple that with the fact you really can’t muscle your way through, it makes you really work that core. 
5. It can be used by anyone from senior citizens, professional athletes like Drew Brees, UFC fighter Frankie Edgar as well as Olympic and Collegiate athletes to regular people . It can be used in a rehabilitation program with a physical therapist or chiropractor. They can be found in most of the major gym chains. 
6. You set the resistance with your own bodyweight. This can be changed from rep to rep or set to set, its only a matter of moving your hands or feet. Machines that cost thousands of dollars cannot offer the functionality or performance you will get with the TRX. The truth is its up to the person who is designing the program. No excuses. 

Drew Brees and Todd Durkin

We have explored the six reasons to use the TRX suspension trainer. As with all things this is a tool in your box that should be used in a complete program. Its versatile enough to be used in different phases of a program for various people.  If your interested in training with a certified TRX trainer please contact me. I offer a different levels of instruction. Sunday we will be looking at “Why are we still fat? 

As always please read and share this blog. 

The epitome of Core Power.

Don't flame out. A practical guide to Recovery.

How do you feel after your workouts? Do you feel refreshed? Are you losing leanness in spite of increased exercise? Do you lift heavy or running hard every day? Ok let me guess you feel restless, in the mornings your heart is beating fast than normal, your joints hurt and you keep getting sick. You have won the overtraining lottery! The topic today is recovery; we will look at what happens when you work out, and proper recovery protocols. This topic came about due to a conversation with a friend who does many boot camp classes. She was asking what happens when you work out physiologically. I asked what is your plan for post workout recovery? No answer was forthcoming. If your into fitness you want results, if your are a trainer or physio or a chiro your living depends upon results. You will get the most bang for your buck in results with a proper nutrition and recovery plan. The recovery plan needs to be tailored to work in line with your workouts and goals. If this is not the case your banging your head against the wall, lets avoid the headaches and blood in your eyes. I read somewhere that people should spend more time to plan the perfect meal plan not the perfect workout. Recovery is multifaceted it include nutrition, adequate sleep, supplementation and scheduled days off. 

So what happens when we workout, practice or train? Muscle growth occurs whenever the rate of muscle protein synthesis is greater than the rate of muscle protein. Both the synthesis and breakdown of proteins are controlled by complimentary cellular mechanisms. Resistance exercise can profoundly stimulate muscle cell hypertrophy and the gain in strength. A single bout of exercise stimulates protein synthesis within the 2-4 hours after the workout, which may remain elevated for up to 24 hours. The studies show that men and women respond to resistance training similarly. Due to gender differences in body size, body composition and hormone levels, gender will have varying effects on the extent of hypertrophy on can attain. It is of note that individuals  with more muscle mass will have greater changes in muscle mass. Resistance exercise improves the connective tissue surrounding the muscle being beneficial for injury prevention and in physical rehab therapy. We have two different muscle fiber types, Type 1 are slow twitch or slow oxidative fibers or red fibers. The type 2 muscle fibers are white and are called the fast twitch or fast glycolytic fibers. In this fiber is a subdivision type 2 a fast-oxidative glycolytic and the 2 b fast-glycolitic fibers. The soleus a calf muscle involved in posture and gait contains 25-40% more type 1 fibers, the triceps has 10-30% more type 2 fibers than the other arm muscles. The proportions and types of muscle fibers varies between adults. The energy from all physical activity comes from the conversion of high energy phosphates ADP to lower energy phosphates ATP. We produce ATP through three metabolic pathways, which pathway we uses to produce ATP is dependent on the amount of energy needed and how quickly we need it. The three pathways are:

ATP-CP  Anaerobic System indicated to be high intensity short duration work consisting of 10 seconds of activity like heavy weight lifting. Fuels used creatine phosphate and stored ATP.

Glycolysis  Anaerobic System indicated to be moderate to high intensity moderate duration activities lasting 30-50 seconds of activity such as a set of 8-12 repetitions. Fuels used blood glucose, muscle and liver glycogen.

Oxidative Aerobic System lower intensity longer duration activities greater than 2 minutes. Walking on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes.  Fuels used blood glucose, muscle and liver glycogen, adipose and intramuscular fat.

I brought up the different energy systems as they have different caloric needs for post workout recovery.Anaerobic and Aerobic exercise affect protein and carbohydrate requirements in different ways. Exercise increases the oxidation of amino acids as well as the rate of protein turnover in lean body mass recovery. Because different types of exercise had specific effects, an individual participating in both types of exercise may need protein greater than someone involved in only one.  The rule of thumb is that within 30 minutes of finishing your training you have a protein/carbohydrate shake. The optimal breakdown is activity specific it goes as follows weight training sessions you would use a ratio of 2 to 1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, for team sports a ratio of 3 to 1, and for an endurance training session the ratio is 4 to 1. A guideline for the carbohydrates is to use organic when you can, following the fresh 15. Regarding the protein you can use whey protein. It is a high quality, complete protein with all the essential amino acids.  Whey is also the richest known source of naturally occurring branch chain amino acids, it also has the highest biological value scale for protein. It strengthens antioxidant defenses and aids in recovery from eccentric exercise faster. 

The keys for optimal recovery are rest, proper nutrition, periodization of your training program, as well as nutrition and workout logs. The problem is you lose track of your workouts and meals and days bleed together. This is the quickest route to overtraining and injury. If you feel you are overtraining start taking your pulse upon waking, take a baseline when you are not training at all for comparison. If its faster when you wake up, take a day off.  Get better sleep quality and just about everything else in your life will improve. The benefits of proper rest cannot overstated you need approximately 8-10 hours a night. I know it seems like unattainable, but it can be done with naps. One of the underrated pieces of the puzzle is periodization of your training program so that you can reach your goals. You should plan out for 3 months, 6 months and a year. Program design at that level is an art form and you should really consult a professional.

Who will you be a champion? Or a person who makes excuses?

The next article will be up on Thursday it will be a book review. The Friday list is a mystery this week so stay tuned. Please read and share this blog.

Juiced to the Gills! 6 Reasons to optimize your health with juicing and smoothies.

This topic came due to interest from one of my clients, he wanted to take a look at juicing and smoothies. In the past he tried the juice cleanses and the fasts with some success and wanted to integrate it to his meal plan to optimize his health. I am a believer in liver and hormone detoxes done under the supervision of a nutritionist with medical foods. So I am not a fan of fasting and living on juices alone, but there is merit in juicing your food and having smoothies. Juicing is the process of extracting the juice from the fresh fruits and vegetables. Juicers extract the juice from the fruits and vegetables they range in price from $50-$500.00. On the market today they have three kinds of juicers fast juicers which grinds the fruits or vegetables the puts the juice through a strainer near the back of the juicer. It produces pulp free juice quickly, but you get less juice. They also tend to heat up, this can have a deleterious affect on the nutrients in the fruits and vegetables. Slow juicers produce juice in two steps, using one or two gears. First it crushes the produce, then it presses out the juice. These types of juicers take longer to produce the juice and can be more expensive. The juice you get will tend to be thicker with more pulp. Whole food juicers will remind your of a blender, they use sharp blades at high speeds. These juicers can pulverize produce into liquid without a separate compartment for the pulp.

 Some things to remember are that juicing will not give you a complete food, it has little or no fat so you will not retain as many of the vitamins as you would say in a smoothy with some fat. Whole foods have more nutrients, and fiber because of the pulp, but the trade off is that juice has less calories. Believe it or not whole fruits are lower in carbs then juices, the carbs come from the natural sugars contained in the produce. They have been called smart carbs as they are nutrient dense and rich in fiber which will slow down the blood sugar response. So when juicing or drinking smoothies it is important to monitor the amount of sugar you are taking in.  What is a smoothy? Smoothies are blended drinks that usually contain crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or syrup, protein powder, milk, ice cream and sometimes raw eggs. Often times they will have the consistency of a milkshake. Sorry but the smoothies we will be taking about today will not contain ice cream or raw eggs.   

Onto the reason we are here, optimization of your health with juicing and smoothies. 

1. Increased energy and focus the produce in juices and smoothies are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. They protect the vasculature of the brain from free radical damage. 
   
2. Reduction in toxins and inflammation many food help reduce toxins and fight inflammation. Some you may remember as super-foods like broccoli, spinach, pineapple, papaya, blueberries, cherries, ginger, turmeric and garlic.
3. Juicing allows you to consume an optimal amount vegetables in an efficient manner. The CDC reports that almost 75% of people are not eating an adequate amount of vegetables on a daily basis. 
4. You can expand your variety of vegetables in your meal plan. When you do this you decrease your chance of developing a food allergy. 
5. Smoothies that are made with the proper combination will allow for the absorption of more nutrients. While juicing allows for the uptake of more nutrients than eating the produce. If you put in the mix a small amount of fat like coconut milk or coconut oil this allows for uptake of the most nutrients 
6. Drinking fruit and vegetable smoothies can help you reach the recommended intake of fiber. The recommended daily amount of fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men.  The soluble fiber found in produce helps slow digestion and may help control blood sugar and lower cholesterol.

The key to optimizing your health is to have a complete meal plan that is based in whole foods (not the store), balanced and tailored for you. Someone who is very active and on the go will not need the same caloric needs as a person who is more sedentary. The suggestion is to speak with a physician or a nutritionist prior to changing your meal plan. I have put up a  links at the bottom that may be of interest to you. The recipes posted are from Health Magazine.  Please read and share this blog. Sunday we will be looking at one of the most overlooked facets of a healthy lifestyle, Recovery. 

Juice mixes

Power Gulp 

Kale , green grapes, cucumber and a granny smith apple 

Health Booster 

Apple, pears, and cherries 

Antioxidant El Jefe 

Blueberries, strawberries and mango

Immune Boost

Grapefruit, oranges and kiwis 

Detox 

Ginger, beets, carrots and apples

Joe Rogans Hulk Smash Kale Shake 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umkAPC3j3Xo

At the Table: A look at sodium

Today we are looking at sodium, and sodium chloride or table salt. Salt has been used for thousands of years in the preserving of food. It meant the elimination of dependence on seasonal foods,and allowing people to travel over great distances. Salt was difficult to obtain making it valuable, it was considered to be a form of currency. In ancient Rome the soldiers were paid in salt. The sources for salt are sea water and rock salt. The rock salt comes from beds of sedimentary evaporite minerals that result from the drying up of enclosed lakes, playas and seas. Salt is extracted from underground beds either by mining or by solution mining using water. In solution mining the salt reaches the surface as brine, which is then turned into salt crystals by evaporation. Our concern this week is the affect that high sodium has on our health. Its a risk factor for high blood pressure, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, osteoporosis, ulcers and gastric cancer, asthma. So that leaves us with one question.

What is a high sodium diet? The USDA has one number, the American heart association has a lower number for people afflicted with sodium related ailments. The average American over the age of 2 years old consumes approximately 3,400 milligrams of sodium a day. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans came out in 1995 noted the daily intake should not exceed 2,400.The American Heart Association indicates that it should be no more than 1,500 mg per day. A human being only need 200 milligrams daily to remain in good health .The New England Journal of Medicine in March 2013 highlighted the national campaigns by Finland to reduce the daily salt intake. Salt intake has dropped by 3,000 milligrams a day in men and women, this has resulted in a reduction in death rates from stroke and coronary heart disease of 75 to 80 percent. A new report in the journal Hypertension, projects that 280,000 to 500,00 lives would be save by a 40 percent reduction in sodium intake, to about 2,200 milligrams a day over 10 years. An immediate reduction to 1500 milligrams could avert between 700,000 and 1.2 million deaths in 10 years. They based these projections on computer simulations developed by research groups from U Cal San Francisco, Harvard Medical School, and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. They used three different methods to look at the benefits of sodium reduction and were surprised by the similar results. Method A used a randomized controlled clinical trial of sodium reduction among men and women followed for 10 to 15 years. Method B evaluated cardiovascular risk indirectly based on the blood pressure effects lowering sodium in coordination with drug therapy. Method C was a population study of sodium reduction and deaths resulting from cardiovascular disease stroke and all causes. This drives home the fact that we could all greatly benefit from reducing our sodium intake. 

 

Onto the question of the hour . How do I avoid excess sodium intake? We live in a great time in history, a time when we have control over our food. Many companies have come up with lower sodium alternatives, but you need to review the labels. Lower sodium may still be more sodium then is allowed with your meal plan. You will also need to read the labels when you eat something low fat, because they exchange fat for sodium. Beware of hidden sodium like in deli turkey breast which has anywhere from 450 milligrams to 1050 milligrams of sodium, canned chicken noddle soup can have anywhere from 100 milligrams to 940 milligrams of sodium. A chicken nugget has 111 milligrams of sodium, a fast food cheeseburger can have anywhere from 710 milligrams to 1690 milligrams of sodium. Another trend has cropped up is the sale of fresh poultry

in salted water, this is not marked on the nutritional labels.

Outside of reading labels, avoiding processed foods and eating a whole food based diet The other way to help yourself with sodium related issues is to use the DASH meal plans or dietary approaches to stop hypertension. The DASH sodium study blood pressure levels declined with reduced sodium intake for those who consumed either the DASH or control diet. However, blood pressure declined most for those who both consumed the DASH diet and reduced their sodium intake.

Nutrition can be a daunting topic, it seems it is always changing. What was good for you yesterday, is not good for you today. Jack Lalanne put it best when he said “If man made it, I won't eat it.” You can follow a couple of simple steps: Read the labels, look at the sodium, the fat content, serving size. If its processed try to avoid it as much as possible. Stick to the fresh fifteen. If need be use the DASH meal plan. If you have issues with Hypertension, Cardiovascular Disease and or Kidney disease, contact your treating physician or nutritionist for guidance with a correct meal plan.

Tomorrow we are looking at Juicing and Smoothies. Have a great day , read and share this blog. 

 

Shoulders 202 A Rehab View

Welcome back, I hope you had a great weekend and your are enjoying the blogs. A couple of people have asked me, how I pick the topics. They are usually of interest to me or friends, or even things I am interested in studying. Today we are looking at shoulder rehab, yes we did a piece on shoulder mobility not that long ago. Shoulders are a favorite subject of mine, and so many people have trouble with them like myself. Last time we addressed mobility issues, but what we would do in a rehab type setting.  In this article we will go over a couple of different shoulder rehab, prehab and ongoing care type of protocols.  

The rotator cuff is made up of four muscles supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subscapularis and the teres minor. They are responsible for attaching the humerus to the shoulder blade, allowing for arm elevation and rotation while keep the humeral head depressed at the same time. This depression of the humeral head is what prevents impingement of the rotator cuff.  The signs of shoulder impingement syndrome are pain when sleeping on the affected side, pain reaching overhead or behind the back, a loss in range of motion, shoulder weakness and catching, grinding or cracking sounds during arm movement. 

The idea of shoulder impingement was introduced in 1972 by Dr. Charles Neer, who stated that it results from mechanical impingement of the rotator cuff tendon beneath the anteroinferior portion of the acromion, especially when the shoulder is placed in the forward-flexed and internally rotated position.  The three stages of shoulder impingement are; Stage 1 commonly affecting people younger than 25 years old. The symptoms are acute inflammation, edema and hemorrhage in the rotator cuff. This stage is reversible and can be treated non-operatively. Stage 2 usually affects people between 25-40 years old, resulting asa continuum of stage 1. The rotator cuff tendon progresses to fibrosis and tendonitis, which commonly does note respond to conservative and requires surgery. Stage 3 commonly affects people over 40 years old. As this condition progresses, it may lead to mechanical disruption of the rotator cuff tendon and to changes in the coracoacromial arch with osteophytosis along the anterior acromion. The surgical repair for this stage involves acromioplasty and rotator cuff repair.

 Lets look at ways to avoid surgery. In Pills, Lasers and Tape I outlined a multiple ways to address soft tissue injuries. It lays out the what supplements to take in the first 24 hours, 48 hours and 72 hours. As well as some of the vanguard treatment options available to you. It is suggested that you follow an anti-inflammatory diet removing dairy, gluten and soy. Lets get to why we are here 

• Isometric shoulder external rotation: Stand in a doorway with your elbow bent 90 degrees and the back of the wrist on your injured side pressed against the door frame. Try to press your hand outward into the door frame. Hold for 5 seconds. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Isometric shoulder internal rotation: Stand in a doorway with your elbow bent 90 degrees and the front of the wrist on your injured side pressed against the door frame. Try to press your palm into the door frame. Hold for 5 seconds. Do 2 sets of 15.
  
• Wand exercise, Flexion: Stand upright and hold a stick in both hands, palms down. Stretch your arms by lifting them over your head, keeping your arms straight. Hold for 5 seconds and return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
• Wand exercise, Extension: Stand upright and hold a stick in both hands behind your back. Move the stick away from your back. Hold this position for 5 seconds. Relax and return to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
• Wand exercise, External rotation: Lie on your back and hold a stick in both hands, palms up. Your upper arms should be resting on the floor with your elbows at your sides and bent 90 degrees. Use your uninjured arm to push your injured arm out away from your body. Keep the elbow of your injured arm at your side while it is being pushed. Hold the stretch for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times.
• Wand exercise, Shoulder abduction and adduction: Stand and hold a stick with both hands, palms facing away from your body. Rest the stick against the front of your thighs. Use your uninjured arm to push your injured arm out to the side and up as high as possible. Keep your arms straight. Hold for 5 seconds. Repeat 10 times.



• Resisted shoulder external rotation: Stand sideways next to a door with your injured arm farther from the door. Tie a knot in the end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door at waist level. Hold the other end of the tubing with the hand of your injured arm. Rest the hand of your injured arm across your stomach. Keeping your elbow in at your side, rotate your arm outward and away from your waist. Make sure you keep your elbow bent 90 degrees and your forearm parallel to the floor. Repeat 10 times. Build up to 2 sets of 15.
• Resisted shoulder internal rotation: Stand sideways next to a door with your injured arm closest to the door. Tie a knot in the end of the tubing and shut the knot in the door at waist level. Hold the other end of the tubing with the hand of your injured arm. Bend the elbow of your injured arm 90 degrees. Keeping your elbow in at your side, rotate your forearm across your body and then back to the starting position. Make sure you keep your forearm parallel to the floor. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Scaption: Stand with your arms at your sides and with your elbows straight. Slowly raise your arms to eye level. As you raise your arms, spread them apart so that they are only slightly in front of your body (at about a 30-degree angle to the front of your body). Point your thumbs toward the ceiling. Hold for 2 seconds and lower your arms slowly. Do 2 sets of 15. Progress to holding a soup can or light weight when you are doing the exercise and increase the weight as the exercise gets easier.
• Side-lying external rotation: Lie on your uninjured side with your injured arm at your side and your elbow bent 90 degrees. Keeping your elbow against your side, raise your forearm toward the ceiling and hold for 2 seconds. Slowly lower your arm. Do 2 sets of 15. You can start doing this exercise holding a soup can or light weight and gradually increase the weight as long as there is no pain.
• Horizontal abduction: Lie on your stomach on a table or the edge of a bed with the arm on your injured side hanging down over the edge. Raise your arm out to the side, with your thumb pointed toward the ceiling, until your arm is parallel to the floor. Hold for 2 seconds and then lower it slowly. Start this exercise with no weight. As you get stronger, add a light weight or hold a soup can. Do 2 sets of 15.
• Push-up with a plus: Begin on the floor on your hands and knees. Keep your arms a shoulder width apart and lift your feet off the floor. Arch your back as high as possible and round your shoulders (this is the "plus" part or the exercise). Bend your elbows and lower your body to the floor. Return to the starting position and arch your back again. Do 2 sets of 15.
•                   
• Face Pulls attach a rope to the high pulley of a cable station or lat pulldown. Grab a handle with each hand with an overhand grip, step back and pack your shoulders squeeze your shoulder blades together. Pull the middle of the rope to your face. Pause then reverse the movement and start again.
• TRX Y Deltoid Fly
• TRX T Deltoid Fly
• Ball Cobra

I have introduced some new exercises for you.  We are going to dedicate a whole article to shoulder packing, proper way to plank, and the proper way to do a pull up. This will optimize your shoulder performance, hopefully increase you're pulling and pressing power. Upcoming articles for this week are sodium and juicing and smoothies.