[video] Squats

as most know, I swear by the squat. it IS the king of all exercises.

watch this CF video about air (bodyweight) squats.

there is no discussion about toe-to-knee relation, but the more advanced you become, the more your knee can approach your toe. you have adequate strength in the knee joint to compensate for.

Play:
Windows Media Player or Quicktime

click to play or right-click to download

Food For Thought

excuse the pun.

The Paleo Diet

"Paleolithic-type diet in modern times: if a food item resembles one that can be found in the wild, obtained with bare hands or simple tools, and ingested immediately without cooking, processing, and by simple preparation (i.e., peeling, cracking, washing, etc.), and cause the consumer no ill effects either during or after consumption, then it can be considered edible, and therefore permissible to eat. Any food meeting this standard can then be cooked and prepared by the simplest means as practical and consumed in modest quantities. Food exclusions comprise those introduced in the human food supply late in the course of human evolution, in particular after the invention of agriculture about 10,000 years ago: cereal grains, legumes and dairy products."

Read more.

Happy Easter

enjoy your holiday but make sure you don't overindulge on eating today.. and not too much candy!

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workout/trick session today

Greenlake, 2pm
the grass area behind the kiddy pool across the street from Zeek's Pizza

contact me for more info
360/473.6819

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"Don't ask for a light load, but rather ask for a strong back."
- Anonymous

"Smile and Look Alive!"

Nathan's and Elizabeth's Workout

TABATA:

Wall Ball Shots (12# Nathan, 6# Elizabeth)
Situps
Squats
Push Ups
Lunge
Hip Extensions on Ball
Jumping Jacks
Supermans

SCORES:
Nathan 84
Elizabeth 81

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Dan and I have been tricking at the field on 90th and Wallingford the past week or so in an attempt to bring back the tricking crew known as the 'Gymnasties'. It's just been the two of us for now, but I've been letting other people know. Outdoor workouts are a nice change of scenery and are VERY refreshing.

So yesterday Dan, Adrian, Tammy met me at Greenlake for a session and it went pretty well. We ran through movement patterns, some basic gymnastics drills, and tricking skills (the 540 Kick). Later we moved onto Kettlebell work with swings, swings + chest taps, cleans, etc.

We're planning on having more outdoor group training sessions on a weekly basis, more if the weather is generous. Feel free to join and bring a friend or two, but be prepared to get dirty and sweaty!

Stay posted! I'll notify y'all with dates and times. You're gonna have to call me to find the location as I'm sure it'll constantly change. Leave a comment if you're interested in joining the fun.

enjoy!

workout: "Kristina"

20 Pullups
50 Situps
30 KB Swing (1 pood)
15 Pushups
40 Squats
500m Row
40 Squats
15 Pushups
30 KB Swing (1 pood)
50 Situps
20 Pullups

for time.

"You Are What You Eat"

from Paul Chek, this is a wonderful article about processed foods and what happens when we eat it.

You Are What You Eat

enjoy!

Summer Is Coming...

If you are not currently exercising but want to look good come June I suggest starting your workout program now.

You all have tools to start. If you're serious, get it done.

and If you need help, ask.

The Zone Diet

click to read the summary as it appears on The Zone's official website.

The breakdown of the diet tells us that we should be eating low-fat protein and fruits/vegetables. Meal plates should be divided into 1/3's. One section would contain the low-fat protein and the other two sections would be filled with fruits and/or vegetables. The low-fat protein should be the size of your palm.

Read More.

"Domo Arigatoo Mr. Tabata"

with the subject i discussed in my last post, i decided to create my own Tabata Interval workout and it has been dubbed "Domo Arigatoo Mr. Tabata"

Exercises:
KB Swing (1 pood) - swing must past head level, catch in squat position
KB Squat - touch the ground
KB SLDL - touch the ground
Burpees
Push Ups
Sit Ups - Naval style (hands crossed on shoulders/arms, elbows touch thigh)
Row (for Calories)

Scoring:
add all lowest number of reps/calories in each exercise. total of all numbers equal your score.

my score today was 71*.

it has been said to do Tabata workouts twice a month for maximal results. i plan on doing that starting in April. today was my test run and it treated me well.



*i also attempted to do the CrossFit WOD "Michael" but it was interrupted due to me forgetting i had a client at 5:30. i only reached the end of the second round and i had to stop.

TABATA

Tabata - an exercise method developed by Dr. Izumi Tabata that increases both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. The method is defined by 20 seconds of high-intensity work followed by 10 seconds of rest per round for a total of eight rounds.

READ MORE

+ Ross Training: Tabata Method

+ CrossFit's "Tabata This" Workout

+ T-Nation: The Tabata Method

enjoy.

Tammy's Workout

her workout earlier this morning looked a bit like this:

25 Box Jumps @ 18"
DB Walking Lunge @ 15#
20 Ball Draw-In's
60 sec Mountain Climbers
10 BB Roll Out @ 65#
60 sec Waiter Walk (each hand)
10 BB Roll Out @ 65#
60 sec Mountain Climbers
20 Ball Draw-In's
DB Walking Lunge @ 15#
25 Box Jumps @ 18"

and then she did a modified CF workout i've done in the past

- Pullup/Pushup Ladder -
Pull Ups (on Gravitron) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Mountain Pushups 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Update 032407

i haven't utilized this that much, but i'm finally back.

i am now a personal trainer (and assistant fitness manager) at a Gold's Gym in North Seattle.

NOW i really know my stuff.

during the time i was absent from here i've attend Ashmead College's Personal Training program, met many more people- other trainers/members/fitness & health professionals, done seminars (Pavel, Discover U, etc), and have researched a lot more online.

the biggest fitness revelation to me was probably this thing called CrossFit.

i'll update more later.. and many more of you will just be introduced to this blog.

AB's Total Core

My Total Core Workout

30 ab-wheel rolls
- 10 straight
- 5 curve left
- 5 curve right
- 10 straight

50 weighted crunches
have a weightplate, dumbbell, or some other heavy item. first 25 lay it on your chest and for the second 25 raise the weight directly above you head

stretch (upward-facing dog)

40 reverse crunches
lay on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the ground. bring your knees to your chest. return them to starting position and try not to touch the ground.

20 weighted waist twists
stand shoulder-width apart, hold a weight as far out from your body and twist from right to left, return to center, then left to right. count as one.

20 vacuums
lay straight on the floor, hands on stomache. suck your gut in (think pulling your belly button to your spine) and hold for 3 seconds. relax, repeat.

12 L-Drops
still laying down, bring you legs together that they point toward the ceiling. keeping your torso still facing the ceiling, drop your legs directly to one side, return to beginning position, then drop to the other side. that's two.

stretch

∞ sit-ups
infinity means forever (or until you burn out)

BL's Sequence Training Routine

Bruce Lee's Sequence Training Routine (for Total Fitness)

SEQUENCE 1A (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

1. Jump Rope (1 min)
as vigorous as possible, then immediately move to the next exercise

2. Forward Bend (1 min)
standing, attempt to get your hands to touch your toes. if that's too easy, think of touching your head to your shins

3. Cat Stretch (1 min)
in yoga terms, Downward-Facing Dog > Upward-Facing dog. to everyone else, a Bruce Lee pushup/cobra/dip-push up/dive-bomber/etc...

4. Jumping Jack (1 min)
repeat for as many repitions as possible within one minute

5. Squat (1 min)
stand a bit wider than shoulder-width and place your hands behind your head or on your hips. bend at the knees (keeping your weight on your heels) and keep your chest up until your thigh is parallel to the ground.

6. High Kick (1 min)
attempting to keep your body strait as your perform this move, kick as high and as straight as you can within one minute with both legs



SEQUENCE 1B (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)

1. Waist-Twist (1 min)
hold a weight in your hands or place a bar on your shoulders and twist as far left as possible, then right. repeat as many times as possible within one minute

2. Palm-Up Curl (1 min)
hold a db in each hand and sit on a bench. your forearms should run along your thighs. curl the weight in each hand

3. Decline Sit-Up (1 min)
find a decline sit-up bench. use it. or use a swissball.

4. Knee Drawing (1 min)
a compound move involving you on your strait on your back, hands on the ground under your butt. lift your legs 6 inches, pause, then bring your knees to your chest. return to start position and repeat

5. Side Bending (1 min)
holding a weight in one hand, stand strait (shoulders-width apart) and bend one way as far as possible, and then the other way

6. Palm-Down Curl (1 min)
like the Palm-Up curl, but the grip is reversed.




SEQUENCE 2A (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)

1. Groin Stretch (1 min)
sitting on the floor, bring the soles of your feet together. place your hands on your free and your elbows on the inside of the knees. use your elbows to help force your groin to stretch

2. Side Leg Raise (1 min)
standing, lock your right leg strait and lift it up laterally as high as it can go. Keeping the raise under full muscular control, hold this position for a full 30 seconds. Lower the leg and repeat the movement with your left leg

3. Jumping Squat (1 min)
standing shoulder-width apart, lower yourself into a squat position and then explode upward, landing in a standing position. repeat for as many reps as possible in 60 seconds.

4. Shoulder Circling
just like the warm-up, rotate your arms in equal directions. count 20 back, 20 forward, 20 each arm, back and forward

5. Alternative Splits (1 min)
with one foot forward and one foot back jump and switch. this counts as one. do as many as possible in one minute

6. Leg Stretch (A,B) (2 min)
you need something at your hip's height that you can place your leg upon.

A.) face the stretching bar and place you leg upon it. lock your knee and reach for your toe. if you can reach your toes easily, think of placing you forehead on your shin. hold for 30 seconds. switch and repeat

B.) this time place your right leg on the bar/chair/whatever and face 90 degrees left. hold for 30 seconds and then switch sides.



SEQUENCE 2B (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday)

1. Leg Raise (1 min)

BL's 20-Min Routine

The 20-Minute Strength and Shape Routine

1. Clean and Press: 2 sets/8 reps
2. Squat: 2 sets/12 reps
3. Barbell Pullover: 2sets/8 reps
4. Bench Press: 2 sets/6 reps
5. Good Mornings: 2 sets/8 reps
6. Barbell Curl: 2 sets/8 reps

Follow this shadowboxing and/or practicing kicks.

Adrenaline Workout (B)

The Adrenaline Workout B

Set 1
- Wide Grip Lat Pulldown
- Swiss Ball Crunch + Toss
- Jump Squat

Set 2
- Stairclimber
- Jump Rope

Set 3
- Angled Pullup
- Single Arm/Leg Bentover Row
- Hook

Set 4
- Stair Suicide

Set 5
- Uneven Barbell Curl
- Single-Arm Dumbbell Shrug
- Calf Raises

Set 6
- Cycle
- Dumbbell Deadlift to Curl
- Cable Crunch
- Barbell Wrist Curl

courtesy of
Men's Health magazine, March 2005

Adrenaline Workout (A)

The Adrenaline Workout A
Set 1
- Dumbbell Fly
- Incline Chest Press
- Weighted Swiss-Ball Crunch

Set 2
- Angled Pullup
- Elliptical Machine

Set 3
- Bench Dip
- Single-Arm Overhead Tricep Extention
- Reaching Medicine Ball Lunge

Set 4
- Medicine Ball Slam
- Wall Climb
- Ladder Drill

Set 5
- Staggered Squat w/ Calf Raise
- Twisting Dumbbell Shoulder Press
- Lying Woodchop

Set 6
- Bike
- Stairclimber

courtesy of
Men's Health magazine, March 2005

Power Jumps

for the cheerleaders who want better jumps or anyone who wants more power in their kicks and/or jumps

>>>>

Power Jumps
Better jumps in four weeks!
by Jim Lord


How do you get that unbelievable hyper-extended jump? It's two parts practice, four parts technique, six parts stretching and eight parts exercise. Yep, exercise!

Some people are born with great flexibility and strength. The other 90% of us have to work at it! These exercises will help improve your jumps. Just like any exercise, start with a warm-up, don't overdo it and be patient. You may not see results for a few weeks, but when you do, you'll be a part of the 10%, not the 90%!

Leg Explosions
To get that elusive height, try these exercises. In addition to height, you'll also end up with some 'cut' leg and calf muscles!

Start with your feet together. Take a slow dip so that your knees are no further than a 90-degree angle. Explode into the air without using your arms. As you land, absorb the landing and return to the 90-degree angle and explode again.

Start with three sets of five controlled jumps and work up to doing 15 in a row.

Sitting Toe Touches
This exercise helps to isolate the hip flexor and abdominal muscles that lift the legs into the jump position.

Start by sitting on the floor in a tuck position. You should be balanced so that your feet are slightly off the floor and your arms are in 'daggers.'

Next, quickly lift your legs and arms to the toe touch position and return to the seated tuck position as quickly as possible. It will take several of these to learn the proper balance. Focus on good technique, keeping your toes pointed, your legs straight and your back upright.

In addition to building strength, this exercise helps you to practice the proper technique of 'sitting back' in your jumps.

Again, start with three sets of five and work up to 15 reps in a row.

Straddle Lifts
This exercise, and its variations, really isolate the hip flexors. Since this muscle is rarely used in other exercises, take caution not to overdo it in the beginning!

Start by sitting on the floor in a straddle position. Place your hands on the floor on an imaginary line drawn between your knees. This helps stop you from sitting back and using your abs (remember, we're working the hip flexors here).

Lift one leg about two inches off of the floor for a count of two and then set it back down. Keep your leg straight and your toe pointed. Repeat with the other leg. Do this five times (approximately 10 seconds on each leg). Work slowly up to holding each leg twice for a count of five, and then once for a count of 10.

Once you have built up some strength, you can lift both legs at once. Remember NOT to lean back! You can also perform 'reps' with this exercise by lifting the leg(s) up in repetition without letting them touch the floor.

Tip: To see your progress, videotape your jumps each week and compare them to the previous week and to the first session.

See you in the air!
Special thanks to Westfield High School, of Houston, Texas. Go Mustangs!

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No-Weight Home Workout (B)

No-Weight Home Workout B
Version 1.0

20 stag-switch pushups
30 deep lunges (each leg)
300 calf-raises
- 50 normal
- 50 left ONLY
- 50 right ONLY
- 50 pigeon-toed
- 50 bow-legged
- 50 normal
10 minutes of ABDOMINAL work
- 3 mins of cruches (feet on ground)
- 25 full sit-ups
- 25 rounders (each direction)
- 25 random (choose one: toe-reach, seated leg raises)
- 3 mins of bicycle
- 12 negatives
ASS (each leg)
- 25 fire-hydrants
- 25 hip-extensions
- 30 leg circles
- 20 air-humps
12 split jumps
PUSH-UP MEDLEY (to failure)
- mountains
- window wipers
- fist/finger/wrists
- elbow-drops
- wide
- diamond
static holds
- front scale
- plank
- push-up/T's/back plank
- butt-seat
- frog

No-Weight Home Workout (A)

No-Weight Home Workout A
Version 1.0

50 normal grip pushups
50 stag-squats (each leg)
500 calf-raises
- 100 normal
- 75 left ONLY
- 75 right ONLY
- 75 pigeon-toed
- 75 bow-legged
- 100 normal
10 minutes of ABDOMINAL work
- 3 mins of cruches (feet off ground)
- 50 full sit-ups
- 50 oblique-cruches (each side)
- 25 random (choose one: russian twists, reverse, V-ups)
- 2 mins of bicycle
- 20 boxcom sit-ups
40 supermans
- 10 full
- 20 alternate
- 10 full
20 squat jumps
PUSH-UP MEDLEY (to failure)
- cobras
- mountains
- clap/plyos
- fist/finger/wrists
- stag
- wide
- diamond
- long body
static holds (4 sets)
(set = 30-60 seconds each position)
- front scale
- lunge
- plank
- push-up/T's/back plank
- handstand