Winter Over-Training

Even though most of the country is in the midst of snow storms, bitter cold and ice storms Spring is just around the corner. This is the time of year when we start to decide what our race schedule will look like for 2014. One of the more difficult transitions from late Winter into Early Spring is the adjustment of your training. If you spent the last months inside a gym sprinting on the tread, doing high intensity work on the bike, rowing and lifting with lots of intensity you may begin to suffer from over-training. A lot of us (me included) seem to work extra hard in the winter and not take as many days off. What are some signs of over-training 1) You are getting weaker. You used to run at 8.5 for 2 miles now a 7.5 is a lot of effort. You used to do 40lbs dumbbell thrusters for sets of 20 now you can barely get 10. These are clear signs something is wrong and your body needs a rest 2) You are sore every day. For me the first sign of over-training is the my joints ache. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) every day is another sign of over-training. If you hit it hard every day and each morning you wake up sore and tired you may need to scale it back. 3) You are sick more often. Over-training can have some negative effects on the immune system. How to combat over-training. 1) Rest and Recover. This can best be achieved by listening to your body. If you are tired, sore and unmotivated-take the day off!! 2) Diet - A cleaner diet will help restore vitamins and minerals depleted during exercise. 3) Supplements - Not even a clean diet can help with high intensity exercises. Invest in good recovery supplements such as fish oils, recovery shakes (I use Progenex)and protein. Only 6 more weeks until we can get outside and train! rich

My Fitness Confession

I person I respect asked me why I follow the primal/paleo eating lifestyle so strictly and why I put so much emphasis on my fitness. I wanted to answer about the benefits of being healthy on the inside and outside, cite Mark Sisson, Rob Wolf and Cordain. I wanted to send them to the mobilitywod to watch KSTAR explain the importance of the human movement chain and invite them to Unite Fitness to experience a functional workout. But the answer, for me, is much more egotistical-Performance. My motivating factor for jumping headfirst into this lifestyle was performance. I only started to believe in functional fitness when my wife started smashing PR's in running and tri events year after year while my times remained static. I only wanted to know more about my diet when I wanted to take my performance to the next level. I focus on mobility to ensure faster recovery and overall health. I believe in all the health benefits of the paleo/primal lifestyle. The more I follow this lifestyle the better I truly feel and will preach the health benefits to anyone that listens. The same goes for mobility and the benefits from having a solid human movement chain even if you are not an athlete. Good posture, open hips and flexibility can provide a higher quality of life for all. Fitness, for me, is a much more goal oriented. Beyond the self confidence that comes from drop dress/pant sizes or filling out tight t-shirts the true measure of my fitness comes from challenging myself. Fitness for the sake of fitness is fine but you should use your fitness gift to become the best 'you'. If you run on the treadmill every day but have never run a race then sign up for a 5k. You may surprise yourself on how well you did and grow from the self confidence that comes with that accomplishment. Maybe the 5k leads to a 13.1 and to prepare for that you take the next step in your fitness or eliminate a bad habit. Many of us, myself included, need a push before we make those big changes even if we know the changes would be good for us. For me that change was triggered by my pursuit of performance. Make 2014 the year you use your gift of fitness to challenge yourself. It may lead to a better you! --rich

New Year's Resolution Guidelines

The beginning of the year marks the time when working out again becomes a priority for many people. The normal trend is that January and February are busy but by March things return to 'normal'. There are numerous reasons people do not keep with their workout routine. Here are some guidelines to help 2014 become your fittest year yet. 1) Start SLOW! - Your family or friends may have decked you out in the latest Nike or Lululemon gear but that does not mean you need to show it off every day. Your first days, even weeks, should be a gradual incline. The only thing you will achieve by working out 5 straight days after taking 3-6 months off is soreness and a desire to stay at home. Take it slow (day on day off) and build towards multiple days a week. You will not earn the fitness you desire in 8 weeks. Be honest and build a foundation first. 2) Avoid gym 'factories' - Running on a treadmill is not fun. Running on a treadmill alone at LA Fitness does not inspire many people to continue their workout routine. As always there are exceptions but if planning a running/workout program is not your idea of fun or will not keep your motivated check out alternatives to box gyms. There are great options such as Crossfit but also other options such as group fitness or even group classes. I workout both alone and also in a group session at Unite Fitness in Philadelphia. The group setting is fun, motivating and the best part someone else designs the workout for you. 3) Focus on your nutrition - What you eat is 80% of the battle. Losing inches or weight requires much more than a gym membership. Talk to a nutritionist, read books (see Primal Blueprint) and make changes to your diet. The results from the gym will be magnified exponentially with a cleaner diet. 4) Have incremental goals - If you have been away from the gym/running/cycling pick reasonable incremental goals. A marathon or Spartan Race is not an ideal first race back. Losing 20lbs in 20 days also lacks reason (and is not safe). Pick a long term goals (12-18 months) and then pick incremental checkpoints throughout the year. If you have been away for 6+ months, a great goal would be to workout multiple times a week every week for Jan/Feb. If you want to run the Philly half/full maybe start with a 5k in April or try to complete the Broad Street Run (10 miles). Have small, attainable goals will promote positive energy. 5) Seek out advice/help - There are great coaches and nutritionists out there who do not charge a fortune but give valuable information. Sometimes one session is enough or even just bi-monthly sessions for guidance and to answer questions. Working with knowledgeable people may help you achieve your goals by supplementing your training with fresh ideas or an honest perspective. I personally speak to multiple people about my nutrition and workouts. Good luck in 2014! May this be your fittest year ever! --rich

Don't let perfect be the enemy of good

"Don't let perfect be the enemy of good" is a widely used saying from Mark Sisson. I read many forums and many of the comments discussions center around "are you xxxx (primal, paleo, crosshit hardcore, etc). In many aspects of life our pursuit of perfection actually delays our progress. For nutrition the 80/20 rule is a widely used manifesto - meaning trying to eat paleo/primal 80% of the time and give yourself freedom 20% of the time. Naturally if 20% includes McDonald's, 2 loaves of bread and soda you may undo all your other effort. But if that 20% is a bit more reasonable (a few beers, whole wheat bread for a sandwich..) your hard work will not be undone. If you are just starting out and 80/20 does not seem feasible start smaller. If the changes you make to your diet make you feel better you will naturally start to move towards 80/20. Many people (myself included) move beyond 80/20 but I am not perfect. I will admit to stressing about the sugar/card content from a juice made from an organic juice bar (bit crazy) but when you take a minute and realize a natural juice is way better than a bakery items from starbucks it keeps things in perspective. The harm is being so wrapped up in being 'xxxx' that you walk around all morning looking for a healthy item, end up late to where you are going or just skip the meal out of stress. One reasonable meal will not ruin your nutrition. Skipping meals or being late to appointments is not reasonable. Making conscience choices is also reasonable. If you miss pizza it is fine to have it once and a while. Accept the fact the sugar/gluten make cause gastro troubles or your workout the next day may not feel as good as if you had organic chicken but remember that pizza did not cause an increase to your waistline or change your 1RM. If these reasonable 20% (or 10%, 30%) cheat meals help you maintain your course then do it! If you are at 70/30 and want more/faster results move to 80/20 or move to 90/10. But remember you are not perfect, reasonable cheat meals are fine and in most cases you are not getting paid for your workouts so enjoy your food especially with family and friends. One other area of "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good" is programming workouts. I have spent countless hours trying to design the perfect program only to become frustrated or tired. One thing I have learned is pick a workout and do it with intensity. A workout with a lot of effort is a good workout. Is is as good as your gym or box workout that you missed (especially if you do not have the equipment for the WOD)? Most likely not but who cares. You are making an effort to put in effort for fitness. Again do not let the details get in the way of the goal. Once I learned to pick a workout and just do it I found workouts to be more fun and rewarding. As always these statements and rules should be aligned with your end goals. Maybe 70/30 works for you and where you want to be with weight/body fat. Maybe the extra effort to get to 80/20, even if you would like to lose more weight, is just not worth it to you. Only you can decide. --rich

Building your home lab

Like many people I workout in a physical location that is not inside my house. While many of us look at the Rogue website and dream on a tricked out garage gym this may not be realistic for a variety of reasons. Also many people enjoy working out in a group setting or prefer the fitness community at their gym. But the gym (box, cross training location, etc) does not need to be the only place to enhance or improve yourself. It can be done at home with a few simple items and without having to take up the entire garage. One of the areas I work on constantly is my mobility and flexibility. I have written previously on the importantance of mobility work and there are many nights when some extra rolling is necessary. In my basement I keep the grid foam roller, stretch bands, trigger point quad roller, voodoo bands, the beastie and rogue lacrosse balls along with a copy of the supple leopard. One of my goals for 2014 is an improved pistol squat which requires more hip flexibility. Putting in the extra work will help me achieve this goal faster. I also prefer to work mobility in the quiet of my own home especially if I know I will be in the pain cave or struggle with a stretch. 

I lovingly call my basement my 'lab' as it where I practice new movements or techniques to create a better me. Other areas of personal concern have been around grip stregnth and balance. Small purchases such as a steelbell  and indo board help to address those areas while still fitting in a closet. 

There are many of us who fear working on weaker areas in front of people or at a gym and instead ignore these areas. Building a small lab in your house will allow you to work on weak or new areas without fear. 

As we move towards 2014 and a new set of goals is there any extra you can do at home that will help you achieve these goals. A lot of the items mentioned above would make an excellent addition to your  Christmas list. 

Happy Thanksgiving 

--rich

The Thanksgiving Conundrum

As we sit down around the Thanksgiving table with family and/or friends many healthy people worry about the Thanksgiving day meal. There is a delicate balance between being true to yourself and just being that person. Vegetarians aside, turkey is a fine base for a meal. It is illegal to give turkey's hormones or steroids so picking a turkey is fairly easy. If you wish your turkey to be antibiotic free 'USDA Organic' or 'Antibiotic Free' is what you should look for on the label. Turkey's labeled basted or self basted can contain hydrogenated oils such as soy or corn so avoid these turkeys. Sweet Potato's are a stable of most of our diets so asking for a plain SP is not a huge deal. At my house there are always plenty of vegetables on the table. Meat, starch, veggies - so far a very balanced meal without having to cause a fuss. What about stuffing, gravy, more stuffing and mashed potato's with a gravy volcano? Assuming you have no dietary restriction or issues (e.g. celiac) be honest about your goal's and where you are in regards to eating. I love stuffing and eat it once a year. I love gravy and it is another few time a year food. One meal on one day is not going to increase your waist line or damage your performance. Truthfully I like what Miranda Oldroyd said today over on www.nccflab.com "…the Pilgrims did not sail their asses all the way over here so you could celebrate by counting your almonds and weighing your turkey. Enjoy the day. We train hard, it’s important to relax mentally sometimes just as much as it is physical." Happy Thanksgiving! --rich

Don't Forget the Glutes

Most people (especially guys) eschew dedicated glute exercises. The images of Richard Simons, Jane Fonda or Suzanne Somers immediately comes to mind when mentioning glute exercises. The glutes (gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) are a core muscle responsible for lower body and pelvic stabilization. Strong glutes and core help with push-ups and tightening your glutes during overhead exercises help protect the lower back. The glutes are also important during the squat and lunge. These are common exercises in the gym but working on your core stabilizers are often overlooked which can result in injury or decreased performance. Try the following exercises to help strengthen your glutes. Plank position with forearms on the ground leg raises, plank position donkey kicks, diagonal leg raises. Make sure you balance out both legs. These exercises should be included at least 2x a week. 

--rich