Riding With A Friend

A good friend of mine came into town this weekend and wanted to get a ride in while he was here.  I told him that I thought that it was a great idea.  We set up a ride time that worked for both of us, and then all we needed was the weather to cooperate. The weather turned out to be decent- 60ish and overcast, but not as good as originally predicted- 65-70 and sunny.  As for the ride itself, we rode the bike path to Island Lake State Park.  Apparently many others had similar plans to ride because when we got to the mountain bike parking lot it was packed.  We were on the wrong bikes to ride the trails so we flipped it and headed back.

Check out the trick kit.  He, Paul, lives in Boulder and is riding for a new club this year.  I would give the kit a solid A in appearance.

Another angle on the gear.  Notice in this shot, as well as the first, his arm warmer has fallen down his arm.  Ever since I have known him that is what always happens to him and his warmers.  That would drive me crazy.

The best thing about this photo is the old school technology in Paul's hand.  And no, I am not talking about myself!  The bike in his right hand is a Schwinn made with Reynolds 853 tubing.  That my friends is an old school ride.

We ended up with 2 solid hours, 35 miles, lots of wind and a great ride!

Exercise of the week 4/25/11

Dumbbell(DB) Lateral Raise

This exercise primarily works the deltoids, more commonly known as the shoulder, musculature.  There are three different deltoid muscles and each type of shoulder exercise works the three parts in a different ratio to the other parts.  Functionally, the shoulders are very important to us because they are involved in some way with any movement we make with our arms.  Aesthetically, they are important because they define the shape of the upper body.  If you have strong and defined deltoids you will be able to look good as you muscle your way throughout the day!


How to perform:


❍ While seated or standing hold two DB's at your sides
❍ Put a slight bend in your elbows
❍ Keep your neck relaxed

❍ Lift the DB's up to ~shoulder height
❍ Hold/Squeeze the muscles at the end of the movement
❍ Relax your shoulders and let your arms return to your sides
❍ Repeat for the prescribed number of reps

 Many people find that their neck gets tight while they are undertaking this exercise.  To help prevent this make sure that you keep your neck as relaxed as possible while you work through this movement.  Good luck!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this, or any other exercise, and I am always open to suggestions on which exercise to cover next week.

-Jason

2011 Kinetic Fitness Spring Pentathlon

Most of my clients know of, or participated in, the Kinetic Fitness 2010 Winter Decathlon.  The idea for the contest arose one morning when 2 clients were discussing what they could do to help pass the time of the long winter.  They decided that they should challenge each other on an exercise and use that training and drive to help pass the time.  They bantered back and forth between each other about which exercise the two of them should do, and ultimately they asked me what would be a fair exercise that wouldn't favor one person over the other.  I thought about it for a second and said,"Why choose just one?  Let's raise the bar on this idea and take it to 10 events."  From that point on the contest started taking shape and it ultimately grew into a contest many of my clients took part in.  Some wanted to do all of the events, and others only wanted to do a few.  What happened for everyone though was increased focus and fitness, and the winter did seem to pass much more quickly!  For this Spring I have brought back the contest, but I decided to keep the number of events smaller and the duration of the training shorter.

The Disciplines

1) Wii Yoga Tree Pose for score
2) Cardiovascular total time for the week
3) Stationary Lunges @ 15% of BW for maximum number of repetitions with both legs
4) Hammer Strength Machine Row @ 25% of BW for maximum number of repetitions
5) Modified Sit and Reach Test

Training Period-

Monday April 25th - Sunday May 22nd

Testing Period-

Monday May 23rd - Sunday May 29th

If you look at the five disciplines you will see that it will take a well rounded athlete to excel in this competition.  Everything from core strength, the Wii Yoga Tree Pose, to flexibility, the modified sit and reach test, is taxed.  I welcome everyone to join in and if you would like to try these events, but don't have the knowledge or access to complete them, then please contact me and I can offer explanations and alternatives.  Good luck!

-Jason

Exercise of the week 4/18/11

Inner Thigh Raise

This exercise works the muscle groups that are on the inside of your thigh.  Theses muscles are important for your balance while standing, and they are called upon heavily when making sharp cuts when running.  Athletes need these muscles to be strong to help prevent pulled groins and non-athletes need these muscles to be strong to help keep themselves stable and upright.

There are two basic versions that I will show to help get everyone started.  Generally speaking, I find that most women are more comfortable with their planted foot in front of their moving leg- Version #1/ pictures 1 & 3- and most men are more comfortable with their planted foot behind their moving leg- Version#2/ pictures 2 & 4.  Give them both a try.  If one works better for you than the other version then stick with that one, but if they both seem fine then alternate the two types.

How to perform:
- Lay on your side and straighten your lower leg out
- Bend the knee of your other leg and place your foot to match either Version #1 or Version #2
- Place your trunk and head in a comfortable relaxed position

Version #1

Version #2

- With your foot relaxed, lift your leg as high as you comfortably can
- Hold/squeeze the muscles at the end of the movement
- Relax the leg and let it return to the starting position
- Repeat for the prescribed number of reps
- Flip over to your other side and repeat

Version #1

Version #2

Good luck! Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this, or any other exercise, and I am always open to suggestions on which exercise to cover next week.

-Jason

Spring Fitness Routine

I was recently asked to spend a little time writing about what someone could do to prepare herself for wearing Spring and Summer clothing.

This is the exact statement-

"We need more exercises to get us ready for capri pants, shorts, short sleeve shirts, tank tops and the dreaded bathing suit..."

What I will assume from this request is that people are looking for a way to tone up areas of their bodies that have been hidden for awhile, but that are now going to be in view.  This is a pretty straightforward request, but actually it is not a quick-and-easy topic to cover.  It is a tough topic to cover because what is one person's perfect spot is another person's problem.  That is, someone may be very happy with how her legs look, but not happy with her shoulders.  And vice versa.  What I can specifically recommend are 3 things:

#1:  Cardio, cardio, cardio and more cardio!  If you are looking to tone things up quickly, nothing has quite as fast an impact as some quality cardio time.  The more  time you can put in, the better the toning results.

#2:  Target the area you have a problem with by adding an extra day of resistance training to your program that specifically addresses the area.  If you are unhappy with your shoulders, do an extra workout with 4-5 shoulder exercises.  If it is your legs that you don't love, put a day in the schedule where you train just with leg exercises.

#3:  Contact me for more advice.  I can more easily and specifically give advice if I am aware of what someone's problem areas are exactly.  If you click on the space under my picture that states, "View my complete profile", it will take you to a page that has a "Contact Me" link.  Feel free to click on it and send me a message with your questions.  It is a link to my private email address and I will keep all material exchanged and discussed private.

Good luck with your work and I am hoping that the weather cooperates!

-Jason

Exercise of the week 4/11/11

One-arm dumbbell row

This exercise primarily works the musculature of the upper back, but parts of the shoulder, arm/forearm, and even the trunk musculature, are called upon to help out.  The ratio of which muscle groups are favored over the others is a function of body placement, and as you become more comfortable with the movement, you can experiment with different arm and body positions to obtain different effects.  This is a great exercise to learn and implement because it can be performed just about anywhere, even while on vacation.  As mentioned, there are many ways to perform this exercise, and I'll focus on 2 of the most basic to help get you started.

How to perform:

Kneeling
● Place one knee, and the same-side hand, on a bench
● Pick up the Dumbbell(DB) that you will be using
● Keep a slight bend in all of your stationary joints
● Place your neck in a relaxed and comfortable position

While keeping your core tight and trunk fixed in place:
● Lift the DB as far up as you comfortably can
● Hold/squeeze the muscle at the end of the movement
● Relax your arm and let it return to the starting position
● Repeat for the prescribed number of reps

Free Standing
● Place one hand on a solid fixed object
● Place the same-side foot in front of your other
● Keep a slight bend in all of your stationary joints
● Place your neck in a relaxed and comfortable position
● Pick up the Dumbbell(DB) that you will be using
● While keeping your core tight lean slightly forward

While keeping your core tight and trunk fixed in place:

● Lift the DB as far up as you comfortably can

● Hold/squeeze the muscle at the end of the movement

● Relax your arm and let it return to the starting position

● Repeat for the prescribed number of reps

I encourage you to alternate the way in which you perform this exercise.  Sometimes perform it kneeling, and other times complete it free standing.  Good luck!  Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this, or any other exercise, and I am always open to suggestions on which exercise to cover next week.

-Jason

My Vacation Workout

I spent last Wednesday through Saturday in San Francisco with my friend Rich and his family.  Great rides were planned and great weather was a major bonus. Here are some of the highlights:

The following 2 pictures were taken from an area called the Headlands.  Its directly NW of the Golden Gate Bridge.  There is a steep 1.5 mile climb to get to this point.  It is worth the effort.

This is obviously a dam.  The nice part about this is that it was a beautiful area with lots of huge redwood trees.  They are enormous.  The not so nice part about this area is we had to climb and then descend to get to the dam, and then climb again to get out of the area.

That dark spot on the road to my left is called a shadow.  It happens when sunlight hits an object.  I have included this explanation for my friends in Michigan who may be unfamiliar with this process.

This is riding the ridge line after climbing away from the dam.  It's beautiful, but hard.  Seven or so tough little climbs that just keep on getting harder and harder.  This was my 2nd time riding it.  The 1st time it was impossible to see anything because of the fog. The picture may lead you to believe that it was a bit overcast this day as well, but it really wasn't.  We were enduring 80 degrees and sunny.

There is the blue sky I was talking about!  That is some mad camera skill right there- climbing and shooting pictures.

Does anyone know how you practice hang gliding?  I mean how do you have a successful 1st attempt?  There is not a lot of room for error.  We were coasting down this mountain and came upon this guy getting ready to launch.  He waited for about 5 minutes for the wind to be good and then he took 3 steps and was in the air.  Crazy.  I like the ground.

California is a hot bed for cycling.  We went out Saturday morning with 10 of Rich's friends to do a long ride.  On the way out our group merged with a bunch of other groups.  By the time we stopped at this little store-where the picture was taken- we were in a group of 40ish.  We stopped, the other 30 kept going, and there were still at least 40 other riders in this parking lot.  They must make a fortune on selling Gatorade and energy bars.

This photo is no surprise to anyone who rides with me.  I am mandated to stop for these tasty things on any ride over 3 hours.  I find it is the perfect combination of sugar and fat to keep you pedaling.  I have corrupted many a rider by introducing them to the thigh pumping goodness of these!

This is the return back over the bridge after every ride.  It is always Real cold when you get by the bridge.  The wind comes off of the ocean and blows right into the bay.  It is at least a 15 degree difference in temperature.  

The object on the left is a sail.  If you look closely in the middle of the picture you can see someone on the waves.  They were kite sailing.  Now that looks fun.  There were probably a dozen people ripping up and down the beach with their sails and boards.  I think crashing with this wind aided device would be more forgiving than with the hang glider.

Totals: 4 rides / 290 miles / 16,000 vertical feet / great times / tired legs

Exercise of the week 4/4/11

Outer Thigh Raise

This exercise works the muscles on the side of your hip. These muscles are important in helping you plant yourself firmly into the ground and in maintaing your stability. Skaters and skiers are generally strong in these muscles, but they are important for everyone to train and improve. There are many different ways to undertake this exercise, and I will show 2 of the most basic and popular to get you started.

How to perform:


Standing
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart
- Place your hands on a stable object
- Plant one foot firmly on the ground and shift your body weight to that side
- This should leave your unweighted leg dangling slightly above the ground

- With your foot relaxed, lift the unweighted leg as high as you comfortably can
- Hold/squeeze the muscle at the end of the movement
- Relax the leg and let it return to the starting position
- Repeat for the prescribed number of reps

Laying on your side
- Lay on your side on a comfortable surface
- Extend both legs so that there is little to minimal bend in your knees

- Lift the top leg as high as you comfortably can

- Hold/Squeeze the muscle at the end of the movement

- Relax the leg and let it return to the starting position

- Repeat for the prescribed number of reps

I would encourage you to alternate the way in which you perform this exercise. Sometimes undertake it standing, and other times complete it while you are on your side. These two, and the many other varieties of this exercise, all have something a little different to add to your fitness.

Good luck! Please feel free to contact me with any questions about this, or any other exercise, and I am always open to suggestions on which exercise to cover next week.

-Jason

Vacation Workout

The key to maintaining, or even improving, your fitness while on vacation is to schedule a couple of solid training sessions during your time away.  It is your vacation, so these sessions don't have to be up to the full intensity or duration of your normal workouts, but they should be tough enough to stimulate your muscles and your mind. Also, take advantage of your schedule change to add some variety to your workout.  If you usually skip your cardiovascular workout, then start your day with it.  If you avoid your resistance training during your normal schedule, then make sure you fit it in during your vacation.  

One thing that can mess up your attempt to get in a solid workout is you probably will not have access to the same type or quality of equipment that you have at your usual facility.  However, you can make just about anything work to get a solid workout.  Bring ankle weights or exercise bands in your suitcase with you.  Or even use your suitcase as a weight.  If the place you are staying has equipment then give it a try.  But, if you are unfamiliar with how a particular machine works make sure that you start with as low a resistance as possible. 

General guidelines:

☀ Complete 2 workouts per week of vacation 
☀ Train with lighter than normal weights during your trip
☀ Complete 2-3 sets @ 15-20 reps per set
☀ Switch up your routine
☀ Be careful on machines you are not familiar with.  

Sample program:

Cardiovascular Training
Try a walk, a run, a machine or something new

Resistance Training
Straight leg raise-find it here
Standing hip extension-find it here
Outer thigh raise-find it here
Stationary lunge
Calf raise
Push-up-find it here
Bench Dip-find it here
D.B. Lateral raise
D.B. Row-find it here
D.B. Curl

Abdominal Crunches



This is just a sample program.  Feel free to add or subtract any exercise that you want to it.   What is important is that you stay active during your time away, and if you do, you will find that you come back feeling great!


-Jason