Core Training is smart fitness training

Works your "core" more right?

What does the core mean to you?  This word is probably one of the most used words in the fitness industry.  Core this, core that, work your core, my program involves the core, etc.  Many people think the core is building a 6-pack.  To some, core training is using a stability ball or bosu ball for every exercise they perform.  This article will define what the core actually is and give you some strategies in integrating “core training” into your program.  

Is this "core"?

The “core” incorporates many muscles.  It’s not just “ab” training.  Proper core development teaches the entire body to cohesively work together.  If our “core” has weakness, we limit the use of our lower and upper body strength and power.  

The word core is defined as the innermost, most essential part of anything (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/core).   

So, the core of the body envelops muscles that we never see.  The inner core incorporates the Multifidis (small spinal muscles), transverse abdominals (built in “weight belt”), pelvic floor (small muscles lining the pelvis) and the diaphragm (skeletal muscle used for respiration function).  These are muscles that we will never see but when functioning properly can aide in athletic development, optimal everyday living, deep strength and stability and overall strength development.  

 

 

Here are four tactics to implement into your lifestyle for proper core development:

1.     Deep abdominal breathing practice.  Enhancing diaphragm function is a major skill to improve.  Two big things with diaphragm strengthening: 1) You will take in oxygen more efficiently and 2) It will increase thoracic spine (12 mid-spine vertebrae) function.  It can open up many pathways to better movement and coordination.  Simply lie on your back, bend your knees, and place one had on your belly button and one hand on your chest.  When exhaling, push strong air through your stomach first (your bottom hand will rise), trying to expand out and to the sides of your “ab wall”; and then allow air to flow to the chest.  You do not want your shoulders shrugging when breathing.   Perform 5-15 deep breaths a few times during the day.      

2.     Posture reinforcement.  Yes, posture works your core!  We can do “ab” exercises till we are blue in the face but if they do not promote good posture we are in trouble.  When sitting, remember to sit up tall, proud and straight up.  Do not slouch in your chair because this puts major stress on your lower back, shoulders and neck.  When standing, use both legs equally, stand tall, shoulders up and bring your neck in line with the shoulders.  Always remember, posture, posture, posture!  

Good posture = Function, Bad Posture = stress and loads

Be aware even when sitting!

3.     Technique versus volume.  When training, don’t be so focused on high volume “ab” work.  “More is better” is not the answer in terms of fitness training; focus on good technique versus high volume.  When holding a front plank, perform 10 repetitions of 10-second holds instead of trying to hold for 60 seconds.  Your form will be better with the shorter interval periods.  When performing a strength exercise like a push-up, focus on perfect form and stop when your technique begins to suffer.  Good clean movement is proper core training.  Poor technique and sloppy movement is random exercise. 

Cmon, bust out 50 more! (this is not the answer to a strong core)

4.     Cues to remember.  Whether you are at the gym working out or at home working on household projects, think about these core training cues:

·      “Tighten your tummy”

·      “Blow air into a thick balloon”

·      “Breath deep from your gut”

·      “Tighten your stomach as if someone was going to punch you”

Of course you shouldn’t be “tightening your tummy” all day everyday but when you are lifting, working or pushing heavy objects these are the cues to focus on.  

BRACE!!

 Now for the fun part, some specific "core" exercises.  These are movements that could be seen as "unorthodox" because they are not typical "ab" exercises we see in the mainstream.  But this is cutting edge core training.  These are the movements I use in my programs everyday.  

1.  Pallof Press: This is an anti-rotation exercise that enhances spinal stability and decreases rotational forces on our lumbar spine.  

 

2.  Farmer Walks: Think of this exercise as a "moving plank".  Stay tall and tight as you perform this exercise.  

 

3.   Side Plank with Row: Side plank works lateral core stability; adding the row puts a dynamic twist on the move to create more stability during the move.  

4.  Core Rollout with stability ball: This is an anti-extension exercise that assists our deep ab muscles to stabilize our spine and limit excessive extension in our lumbar spine. 

5.  Birddog: This exercise teaches rotary stability.  DO NOT let the lumbar spine take the load during this move.  

So as you can see, core training is more than just busting out hundreds of crunches all day.  Developing a program that integrates core philosophies will give you optimal performance and a healthier body injury free body.  

For more information or questions, please email me at justinlevine03@hotmail.com. 

Midnight to Sunrise Run - LIMITLESS

First point, I want this blog to inspire others to push themselves and believe in themselves and teach others to live life at ultimate levels. This is my mission. Waking up everyday with this mindset gives me a sense of accomplishment. If I can inspire one person to be a little better, a little healthier, a bit more motivated or assist them achieve a goal, mission accomplished!

After completing Ironman in November of 2011 there was some down time with my training. I needed some time off of the structure and the constant routine of daily training. More so than anything, my mind needed a break. Ironman training is arduous and I had been going at it for years! Once completed, I had a big weight lifted off my shoulders. Don't get me wrong, I was very stoked on my achievement. I had just done something that only few people ever get to experience. But now it was over. My training post-Ironman was actually pretty fun. I got back in the gym, lifted some weights, did what I felt like doing. There was no structure. For me, to be on a non-structured exercise routine is completely out of the norm. For the past 7 years I have always been in a phase, a meso-cycle of some sort, always building up for a specific race. And for the first time in 7 years, I was not in this cycle. So for December and January I had the "just do what sounds fun" approach.

That brings us to my run....

During February I ran Dry Creek road. For those of you that are not familiar with this road, it's an 18 mile run with about 3000 feet of climbing. Grueling!


I ran it with my good friend Josh Hickey. I ran it well, felt strong up the hills and thought to myself, "what's next?" Josh and I started talking about running from Exeter up to Three Rivers and scheduling some self-supported long runs. Kind of weird that I started talking about running long as it never really sounded fun. But lately running has become my outlet. After studying the likes of Dean Karnazes and David Goggins, something about this ultra distance running became intriguing to me.

I headed out on a run 1 week ago. It was a Friday night around 8:00 pm. Yeah, I know what you are thinking, who runs on Friday nights? Most people are either unwinding from the long week, partying with their friends or hanging out with their families. I went for a run. I didn't set a time goal or a distance goal, I just wanted to run without limits. I would run for 90 minutes, (even had a thought of running all night) but this is when it hit me. Too many times we create self made barriers in our life. We tell ourselves we can not do something or we are not athletic enough, or we don' t have the time and then we end up cutting ourselves short on experiencing life changing things.

Too many times we allow negative self-talk to dictate our day to day living. “I’m too fat”. “I’m not tall enough.” “I look horrible in this outfit”. “I can’t get to the gym today”. “I can’t eat healthy food”. See these daily thoughts can affect our overall personality and way of life. They will affect our capacity to achieve the goals and things that we want. When you decide to embark on any goal, these pessimistic thoughts will not support your objective. Stop this way of thinking! You must work on trying to eliminate the negative thoughts that enter the head on a daily basis. Conditioning the mind to do this takes work. The first step is to believe in yourself and to always put positive thoughts into your head. “I will get to the gym after work.” “I will shop and cook healthy foods.” “I can do one more repetition.” “I can go 5 more minutes on the treadmill.” “I can run 5 miles, 10 miles, 20 miles.” These thoughts become real when you truly start believing in them. See, the thing is, whether we are physically gifted or not, we all have the ability to improve our attitude. When we improve our attitude, limits are broken and many things are possible. This is the first step when taking on a challenging task. In the fitness world, it’s a must to work on your attitude towards your perception of yourself, the exercises you are doing, the trainer you are working with, the program you are performing and the foods you decide to eat. Do not set limits. Break down those self-made barriers and open yourself up to any goal that you want to accomplish.

The next day after my Friday night run, I told my friend Josh Hickey that I wanted to plan a Midnight to sunrise run. Josh is an ultra-runner who has completed many big runs, including The Pine to Palm 100 miler last year. He does 50k training runs on random weekends.


I knew he would be crazy enough to run with me. So we started chit chatting about putting together a self supported ultra distance marathon that would have us starting at midnight and take us through the deep of the night until sunrise. Sounds kind of nutty but again, it was an individual limit breaker.

Why you ask? Is there really an answer to that question. To me, it's why not? Why not do something unique that pushes the boundaries a bit. While most people are sleeping or getting drunk, we will be out running, finding strength, growing our spirit, opening up our mind and challenging our body. Maybe that's why I like to run, because it's my serenity, my peace, my time to really zone out and grow. So we planned it...

First, let me make a clear point, not everyone needs to run long distances, in the middle of the night, to break down limits and barriers. That's not the point here. The point is that this was my individual challenge and endeavor. This is how I wanted to push myself mentally, physically and spiritually. For you, it may be to run 1 mile, or 10. It may be to stop drinking or smoking, and get healthier. The key thing is to PUSH yourself.

"When stagnation happens, life stops and you begin to die." Dean Karnazes

Let me make another point, train! If you want to achieve a specific goal, you need to train. Maybe your goal is a marathon, you need to train. Maybe it's to start a business, well you need to train. Maybe it's to build a stronger relationship, well you need to train. Every facet of our life needs training. Put in the work before going to the next step. Don't just go run 26.2 miles, you will get hurt. Don't just expect business to be successful without work, you will fail.

"Fail to prepare, prepare to fail." John Wooden

Life still had to happen all day Friday. Work was at 5:00 am and clients needed to be trained. But I made sure to eat and stay well hydrated all day. I was fortunate because I was able to rest and relax most of the afternoon and into the evening. And that is what I did. Knowing I had a 6 hour run from midnight to 6 am forced this down time. I had an easily digestible meal at 6:00 pm that consisted of pasta, turkey and beans. At about 8 pm, I went to my bed to rest my eyes for a couple hours. I was pretty excited for my adventure ahead that I only managed about 30 minutes of good sleep. 11:00 pm definitely came very fast. I brewed up some coffee, ate a cliff bar and packed my gear for the night ahead.

I definitely had some questions in my head leading to this epic run. First, how would my body hold up. Except for my marathon in my Ironman, I had never come close to running for 6 hours. This would be by far my longest run ever. And to run through the night....Would I get tired? Would it take an emotional toll on my body? Would I run into nagging issues like blisters, chaffing, pain? There were some questions waiting to be answered.

I showed up to Josh's house at 11:30 pm to a plethora of food, drinks and snacks for our night ahead. It was better than any other aide station I have seen before. This would be a big determinant on how the run would go. Nutrition is an integral part of endurance training. If you do not have a plan, you will fail! Knowing your bodies needs are crucial to maintain energy output throughout a run of this length.


Side note....

Why? This is a question many people get in regards to attaining a specific goal. Why do you want to run? Why do you want to do an Ironman triathlon? Why do you want to lose weight or change your lifestyle? Why do you do mixed martial arts? Why are you not drinking? Why do you do anything? As we move forward in life it is so critical to keep moving in a positive direction. We must put one foot in front of each other to grow, move closer to our goals and to achieve greatness. This is one of the many reasons why I compete in multisport. It gives me a goal, a chance to get better, a competitive atmosphere and I am able to be surrounded by positive/like minded people. So why you ask? Why did I decide to run in the middle of the night? Well because I am capable. I can. I wanted to. It made me better. It taught me about who I am. I wanted a challenge. I wanted something unique. Why do you want a specific objective? Figure it out because those whys will keep you motivated. They will keep you pushing even during the tough times.

We headed out at 11:45 pm. Headlamp on - check, fuel belt ready - check, music on - check, mindset ready to run all night - check! We took off running together, chit chatting about whatever came to our heads. But most of the time, silence was the norm. We zoned out, opened our mind, was in tune with our body and listened to our own self thinking. That might be why I run. I can be in tune with my spirit, my soul, my body, and my mind. The mission was to run out approximately 6.5 miles and then return to our "aide station", break for a few minutes and then head back out. Breaking the run up into 3 parts made for a better mental aspect. I told myself, 3 x 2 hour intervals, I got this. Brings me to my next point...

Try your best not to look too far ahead in going after your aspirations. You must have a path that you are trying to follow but it's huge to live one day at a time. Goals become more attainable when you break them up into smaller pieces. If you have a goal to lose 50 pounds, don't be set on the actual number. Break it up into small pieces. If you wanted to lose this 50 pounds over a year, your small goal is to lose just under 1 pound a week. This is very attainable and realistic. But looking at 50 pounds as a whole, makes it look too daunting and could be frustrating. The first step is knowing where you want to go. Then you must break down that objective into pieces, then you start constructing a game plan that breaks your goal down all the way to the tasks you must handle today. Get the tasks done today so you stay on track to achieve your ultimate goal. This is a constant, consistent way of life. Keep going after your goals. Don't let up. Be determined and get through the tough times.

Surprisingly we hit mile 10 very easy and fast. Fast, not in the sense of pure speed, but time just flew by. We were running 9:00 minute miles, which isn't bad in regards to ultra distance running. We were 3 miles away from our first break and it felt like we had only been running 30 minutes. We are off to a good start. The only thing that was affecting me was it got cold and my hands and arms were freezing. But that was an easy fix as I added an extra layer to keep my core warm and cover my arms better. We finished loop #1 in 2 hours and ran 13.2 miles. It was now 1:50 am. At break #1, I ate a snickers bar, drank a few drinks of a mountain dew, filled my bottle with Gatorade and was ready to head out on section #2.

We headed out to loop #2 and decided to take another route. This route would lead us through the downtown streets of Visalia, which at 2:00 am was pretty serial. Running down the middle of the road on a usually busy street is different. The few people that were still out, maybe from their party escapades definitely gave us some weird looks. "What are these guys doing?!" There we were, running gear on, head lamps shining bright, just running through the streets at 3:00 am in the morning. Yeah, I guess I would think that was unusual if I saw that.

As we hit the 20 mile mark, it was now around 3:00 am. This is where the mind really started to wander. My thoughts were all over place. At times, I would chuckle out loud because I would think about what I was doing at that specific time.... You get to a point where you start getting an out of body experience. Honestly from about 3:00 am - 4:00 am, my mind was on cruise control and I don't really recall many of my thoughts. All I know is that I was still running strong. My body was surprisingly feeling good. It didn't feel I had been running 26 miles. Yeah, I was hitting the marathon mileage and still had spark in my legs - thank God for endorphins and adrenaline. I was pretty excited turning the corner to head back to our aide station for the second time. I was hungry, needed to refuel, stretch my legs and was ready for the last push.

At one point, I told Josh, "we should try and hit 40 miles". He gave me a look, like if I was crazy or something; and that is coming from Mr. Crazy himself. So I told myself to just hit this last loop and I would call it a night or morning, or whatever it was. It is now 4:00 am, it's my normal wake-up time but the feeling you have when you have been running for 4 hours and still have 2 hours of running to go at 4:00 am is a bit unusual. They talk about a "runner's high", I think I had it. During my last break, I ate 1/2 of a Snickers, drank a few more drinks of mountain dew and had 2 cliff shot blocks. Just enough to regain my energy.

The last loop I did by myself. Josh was feeling fatigued (he had been recovering from a cold, so we decided he should not push through and only run about 5 miles on the last loop). I must say that running in the dark, by yourself, no cars, no one to talk to, barely able to see the ground in front of you, this is eerie. I think it had to do with already running all night, body was getting tired, my mind was definitely tired and the music was getting annoying. At 4:45 am, I turned off my music and allowed my mind to just go. Running around the golf course was interesting because my mind was going in and out of what was going on. I would be in the zone and a minute later be out of it, thinking about how tired I was, and then would get back into the zone. It went back and forth for awhile. I made it to the 33 mile mark! I stopped and walked for 2 minutes as I drank some fluids and took a moment to recharge my thoughts and pep talk myself to finishing the last few miles strong. I said out loud "It's just you and nature, Justin. Let's handle this and finish strong." I took off at around 7:30 min/mile pace. Actually felt good at this pace. My heart rate was low, I wasn't breathing hard and I was able to hold this pace. I came around the last few turns and was pretty in tune with my thoughts, my body and my overall feelings of the last 6 hours. "Limitless", I told myself as I turned the corner to Josh's house. It was over, run completed. It was 6:00 am, the sun was rising, I could see the beautiful mountains lining the valley wall and I took it in...

Total Distance: 36.1 miles
Time: 5 hours 45 minutes
Calories burned: 3861
Calories consumed during: 1000 (166 calories/hour)
Avg. Pace: 9:33 min./mile

http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/98935864

The first thing I did was use the restroom. I forgot to mention that I drank some green tea at stop #2, it was great. The warmth of the tea soothed my throat and warmed my body but the antioxidants made my stomach rumble. The last few miles I needed to use the restroom bad. Once that was done, I wanted to eat. I had 2 mini bagels with peanut butter and honey, drank a Gatorade, had some orange slices and sat and rested for a few minutes.

See breaking a limit or doing something unimaginable for most people can be quite exhilarating. That is why I challenge you to reach new heights, go for something kind of crazy, push your your limits! You will know what I am talking about.

I headed home, took a very warm shower, ate some more food and fell asleep for a couple hours. My adventure had come to an end but the journey is just beginning. What's next you ask? Well, without giving too many details to my next project, I will tell you it will be an epic expedition that will really push my limits. The plan is to announce my project on March 24th at the End of the Trail Half Marathon in Visalia. Let's just say I will be running a lot for the next few months!

Finally, if you made it this far - WOW! Thank you. I challenge you to go out and push your own limits. Find what motivates you, drives you, inspires you and really find that inner strength to achieve a specific goal. Don't settle for average because nothing ever good comes from average. Know that you can do big things. You can accomplish your goals. You can knock down those barriers. Just put in the work, put in the preparation and ROLL BABY!

Thank you for reading and let me know your thoughts...

5 Missing Elements to a Training Program

The more I talk to people about their fitness programs the more I see the missing elements below. If you want to keep maximizing your results, make sure you are implementing the tactics below.

1. Lack of proper warm-up:

(This is not what a warm-up should look like. It will not prepare these athletes for their workout/race)

If you have a lack luster warm-up your workout will be the same. Incorporating a thorough dynamic warm-up will aide in better workouts because you are preparing the body to perform at a high level. It is always good to start with soft tissue work to create blood flow. Tools that can be used are a foam roll, tennis ball or massage rolling stick. For five minutes, simply roll your muscles out, especially in your tighter areas.

(Check out this video where Jesse (CFA Certified Fitness Coach) talks about soft tissue work)

After this, you will run through a series of movement drills that improves mobility, flexibility and stability. These dynamic movements create blood temperature in your body and “awakes” the nervous system.

(A quick description of a few movement drills in this video)

Next, add in “heart rate elevation” drills to elevate your heart rate and prepare if for the bulk of the training session. Examples can be running high knees, butt kicks, skipping, lateral shuffling and tempo runs. If running is not an option, you can do a few quick sprints on a bike or elliptical to achieve the same objective.

2. Correct “Core” Training. First, let’s define the core. The core is not just your abdominals. The core of your body is from your mid-thigh, all the way to your shoulders and starts in the deepest part of your body, your spinal muscles.

Core training is not busting out hundreds of mindless crunches. In fact, if you want a healthy back, you should eliminate repetitive crunching from your program (Stuart McGill Video). You want to incorporate your hips, glutes, deep core muscles, lower back muscles and pelvic floor and get them to work together. Birddogs, hip lifts, planks, core pressouts, chops and lifts and carrying variations are “core” exercises that anyone can implement into their program. (Please email me and I can give you videos of all of these exercises.)

(Ok, not everyone has to do heavy Farmer Walks like this, but this could be one of the best "core" exercises that we prescribe and CFA because of the stability it reinforces on the body; Even our general fitness clients are doing Farmer Walks)

3. Nutrition for peak performance. Nutrition is the missing link for most people. They train hard and do not skip workouts but they go backwards because their nutrition is off. You can train all you want but if your nutrition is not in line with your training objectives, it can derail you from your goal. Create and stick to the plan. Your training levels will increase, you will reach new heights of performance and your energy will be power packed.

(Remember Julie Moss in the 1982 Ironman completely hitting the wall. She was fit and prepared for the race but did not execute the proper nutrition program suited to fit her goal)

(And it still happens today, as you can see Normann Stadler in the 2010 Ironman "hitting the wall" and not finishing the race.)

4. Recovery. You can train all you want but if you are not allowing your body ample recovery time you will force overtraining and lack of performance gains. When you workout, the body is broken down and needs replenishment and regeneration to repair and improve. If you are consistently training (4-7 days/week), recovery becomes a component that cannot be over looked or you will be at more risk for injury and/or burnout.

5. Balance.

(This is not the type of balance I am talking about)

I am talking about your body having symmetry in the posterior (back side) and anterior (front side) chains of the body.

(This guy does not have balance. Notice his posture: sunk in chest, rounded shoulders, neck pushed forward. This type of imbalance can send signals down the rest of the body and create injury)

For your next 10 workouts, make a list of your exercises, one list for work on the front side (push-ups, abdominal work, quadriceps work, etc) and one list for work on the back side (glutes, calves, hamstrings, low back, and upper back). After these 10 workouts see if your lists are balanced. If not, you risk asymmetry and injury down the road. Create a more balanced program to aide in building an athletic and functional body.

Knee Dominant Moves: Bodyweight squats, 1-leg squats, Split squats, Foot elevated Split squats

Hip Dominant Moves: Kettlebell swings, Deadlifts, 1-leg deadlifts, hip lifts

Pressing: push-ups, bench press, alternating DB bench press

Pulling: Chin-ups, pull-ups, any variation of rowing, face pulls

Make sure you have a balance of these main exercises in your program.

Food Habits

Are you really eating healthy??

First off, I have a great deal for you. The first 10 people to comment on this blog will receive my ebook for free.


Are you really eating healthy???

On a daily basis I always ask my clients how they have been eating. The answer I get is "good". Then I say ok, well tell me what you have been eating the past two days. Come to find out it was a bad two days, but before that they were eating "perfect"! So, I then tell that person to give me a food journal for the next 5 days with everything that goes into their mouth. When I see their food journal we come to the conclusion that they need some help.

Healthy nutrition is a tough task. It takes thought, preparation, time and organization. If you do not put thought into it you will never know what is going in your body. If you do not prepare there will be times when you do not eat or you will make a bad choice. If you do not make time you will rush to a fast food because you do not have time. If you are not organized then you will not be able to put in thought, you will never be prepared and you will never have enough time.

The first list are things you should be thinking about daily. I got this list from a former athlete that I used to train. His university gave this "checklist" to him on the first day of camp. We all need to concentrate on checking these things off the list on a daily basis.

Performance Nutrition: The Inside Edge

Consistent High-level performance requires that healthy nutrition be a high daily priority. Performance nutrition is about eating to optimize energy production, maintain a healthy body composition and accelerate recovery and healing. A true edge is gained by eating for health and performance EVERYDAY!

THE PERFORMANCE CHECKLIST:

Do you eat breakfast 7 days a week?
Do you eat 3 balanced meals at approximately the same time everyday?
Do you eat 3 nutritious snacks in between your main meals everyday?
Do you eat at least 3 pieces of fresh fruit daily?
Do you eat at least 5 servings of fresh vegetables daily?
Do you choose high fiber breads and cereals? (Not corn pops!)
Do you eat a large serving of lean or low-fat protein at each meal?
Do you eat adequately to maintain your body weight (unless on a fat loss or weight gain program)?
Do you eat a pre-practice snack within 1 hour of beginning exercise?
Do you eat a post-workout snack within 30 minutes of completion?
Do you eat a balanced meal within 2 hours of completing your workout?
Do you drink at least 72 ounces of water daily?
Do you sleep 7-8 hours each night?
Do you go to bed at the same time at night and get up at approximately the same time each morning?
Do you take a multi-vitamin on a daily basis?


So look at these questions on a daily basis. You will see huge results in your energy levels, your physique and your performance if you are answering yes to these questions.

Next I am going to show you your calorie needs. Here is a formula for you to figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). The BMR formula uses the variables of height, weight, age and gender to calculate the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is more accurate than calculating calorie needs based on body weight alone. The only factor it omits is lean body mass and thus the ratio of muscle-to-fat a body has. Remember, leaner bodies need more calories than less leaner ones. Therefore, this equation will be very accurate in all but the very muscular (will underestimate calorie needs) and the very fat (will over-estimate calorie needs).

Women: BMR = 655 + ( 4.35 x weight in pounds ) + ( 4.7 x height in inches ) - ( 4.7 x age in years )
Example: 35 years old, 155 pounds, 55 inches
=655+674.25+258.5-164.5
BMR for this individual = 1423 calories at rest

Men: BMR = 66 + ( 6.23 x weight in pounds ) + ( 12.7 x height in inches ) - ( 6.8 x age in year )
Example: 50 years old, 175 pounds, 65 inches
BMR = 66 + 1090 + 825 - 340
BMR for this individual = 1641 calories at rest

So, once you figure out your BMR you need to know how much activity you are putting in everyday. The Harrison Benedict forumla will help you out:


If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
We will use the male example above. His BMR is 1641 and we will say he is moderately active.

1641 x 1.55 = 2543 calories/day

NOW, you are asking "what do I do with that number"? Good question. If you want to lose weight you deficit that number by 500 calories. 500 calories a day will equate to 3500 calories a week which is 1 pound, a good healthy number to lose in a week. If you want to gain weight you add 500 calories to that number. If you want to maintain weight you eat right at that number.

So if that same man wanted to lose weight he would take that 2543 and subtract 500 which leaves him at 2043 calories a day. And vice versa if he wanted to gain weight.

Your daily calories CAN NOT be below your BMR. If you have these days it is detrimental to getting results. You will do nothing but eat away lean muscle mass and store body fat. You must eat enough food to spark your metabolism.

Final Tips:

• majority of your food needs to come from fresh vegetables, fruit and lean proteins

• eat smaller amounts of food every 2-3 hours during the day

• water intake should be at least 65 ounces; the more active you are the more water you need

• everyone, even weight loss individuals, needs a protein supplement; most people do not eat adequate protein sources throughout the day

• if you do not cook, you need to learn

• prepare your meals before you step out the door

• alcohol will stagnate results; limit to 3 servings a week (12 oz beer, 4 oz wine, 1 oz hard liquor)
  

If you have any specific questions feel free to email me anytime at justinlevine03@hotmail.com.

Bodyweight Strength

The Importance of Bodyweight Strength

If I had to choose 1 fitness “tool” to work with, do you know which one it would be? Nope, not a dumbbell. Nope, not a medicine ball. Nope, not a Kettlebell. Do you give up? My answer is your body! Our body is the best tool in the fitness world. You can become more athletic, build explosiveness, increase your functional strength and reduce your chances of injury by just learning how to strengthen your ability to move and control your own body. When you think about the beginning of time, when we were running around trying to hunt, gather and feed our families, we didn’t have access to artificial, man made equipment like the ones mentioned above. We used our own body. This is how we used to work. As training tools like dumbbells, ropes, medicine balls, barbells and kettlebells are important to maintain variety in a program, it’s not the “end all be all” of fitness.

Way too many individuals lack their ability to move and stabilize their own body but yet those individuals are the ones lifting weights and using other pieces of equipment. Why you ask? Well, it’s the resources that are shoved in our face. Walk into any mainstream gym and the first thing you will see loaded in the floor area are machines, free weights and cardio equipment. Again, these are necessities in the fitness world but if you cannot do regular push-ups, chin-ups and bodyweight single leg squats correctly, why should we be digging into free weights and loaded machines?

Take 10 high school football players. See if they can do 10 perfect bodyweight pull-ups, 25 perfect bodyweight push-ups and 10 perfect single leg squats, I highly doubt if every kid can do this feat. But yet, we can walk into the high school weight room and see these kids performing heavy bench presses, squats and Olympic lifts. This is a recipe for sore shoulders, knees and lower backs. Because they can’t control their own bodyweight, but yet forced to lift external loads, they are creating more dysfunction in their body, which leads them down a path of chronic injury and pain later in life.

This video is a prime example of how high school weight rooms focus on machine based exercises. Except the crunches (which have no function), I didn't see one bodyweight exercise being performed.

Try it out for the next few weeks in your fitness program. Take out the majority of your equipment and focus on more bodyweight exercises. You can do push-ups, chin-ups, 1-leg squats, shoulder touches (push-up position and you tap your opposite shoulder with your hand), planks, side planks, and push-up walks (stay in a push-up position and slowly walk forward, back and side to side). The list goes on.

The positives of doing this will give you more shoulder, core and hip stability, you will enhance your kinetic (full body) awareness and your weight training lifts will get better. You actually limit your absolute strength when you limit bodyweight strength. It’s that important!

Crossfit, Is it a Safe Program

Crossfit, Is it a Safe Program?

With the increase in popularity the past few years, Crossfit gyms are opening everywhere. People watch the “Crossfit Games” on ESPN and are intrigued by the great looking, physically gifted athletes that are competing. I have received numerous emails, texts and questions on my views on Crossfit and their workout protocols. Here’s my answer:

First before I get into it, I am in this business to create smart and efficient training programs for people. My job is to give sound information about fitness and nutrition to the athletes, general fitness enthusiasts and children I train. It is my duty to study, research, and gain deep education on a very broad spectrum of information. My program is far from perfect and can always get better. But it’s a solid and functional program. My program is designed to improve the trainee’s movement, athleticism, stamina and way of life.

The fitness industry is loaded with material, opinions and information that can influence the minds of the mainstream market. Before I give opinions on specific programs or studies I do my research first. I have studied Crossfit, listened to CF podcasts, watched many videos, talked to many former and current CF members and have been able to form my educated opinion.

A quote from a former CF member when he used to do Crossfit:

“I love Crossfit, the workouts are intense, I get my ass kicked and I feel great afterwards. I will continue to hit these workouts up.”

A quote from the same individual 6 months later:

“Crossfit sucks. I ripped my rotator cuff and have not been able to do anything the past few weeks. The workouts are out of control. I am ready to regain my health with smarter options.”

Unfortunately this is what happens to many CF members. They jump into Crossfit style workouts without a long-term plan. They enjoy the intensity, the competitive nature and the tough workouts. This is very common. But months down the road, when their body is trashed, overworked and injured, they begin thinking, “is this for me?”

Crossfit should not be an exercise program. Crossfit is definitely not for a serious athlete, someone with a current injury, and anyone over 35 years old. There are far too many limiters in this random exercise routine that will exacerbate an injury or cause a new injury down the road. It might not happen today or next week but eventually the body will breakdown. There is no progressive plan of action. Today’s workout of the day (WOD) will not progress you to next week’s workout. There is no deep concentration on initial assessments, warm-up strategies, corrective exercise, and functional training. Very few CF coaches have a broad understanding of biomechanics and human movement to assist their clients. Their weekend certification process gave them the bare essentials to training humans. So they get “certified”, open up their gym, charge inexpensive rates and start running their clients through the workouts of the day (WOD). I did say “very few coaches” just in case you missed that part. There are some knowledgeable CF coaches that actually care about tissue quality, flexibility, technical proficiency, proper progression with their workouts and functional movement in the gym.

Here are the last five Crossfit WOD’s:

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:
95 pound Thruster
Pull-ups

Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters with a 45 pound barbell
15 foot Rope climb, 3 ascents
135 pound Thruster, 12 reps

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Pull-ups
75 pound dumbbell Deadlift, 5 reps
135 pound Push-press, 8 reps

For time:
Run 2 miles
Rest 2 minutes
135 pound Squat clean, 20 reps
20 Box jump, 24" box
20 Walking lunge steps with 45lb plate held overhead
20 Box jump, 24" box
135 pound Squat clean, 20 reps
Rest 2 minutes
Run 2 miles

Five rounds for time of:
135 pound Deadlift, 9 reps
135 pound Hang power snatch, 6 reps
135 pound Overhead squat, 3 reps

Looking at these workouts in the eyes of a non-educated fitness enthusiast and I think, this looks pretty cool. I like the variation and the intensity. It would be fun to do these workouts. Looking at these workouts as an educated fitness professional and I think, this is terrible program design, poor workout structure and not enough detail to the functional elements that needs to be implemented into a program. For a “non-educated” fitness enthusiast it is not their job to research, study and stay well informed of the cutting edge and new training methods. That is why they decide to jump in Crossfit because it’s the new thing on the block. It’s fun. It’s competitive. It’s on TV. Why not?

1. Olympic lifts should be kept under 6 repetitions. I like Olympic lifts when done correctly. I hate Olympic lifts when performed incorrectly. I spend weeks with athletes on technique work before we even start an Olympic lift. I sometimes drop the Olympic lift if I feel there is better options, which there can be with some populations like adults over 35 years old, poor moving athletes and young children.

2. In an exercise program, one of the main goals should be to enhance movement capabilities. When you become a better mover, whether you are an athlete or an “average Joe or Jane”, you become more functional in your sport or your every day life. You reduce your chance of injury, increase your range of motion, increase your functional strength and you become more athletic. Crossfit does not promote these traits. Crossfit promotes ass-kicking workouts that yes, will get you sore and burning calories and it might even get you to look better in your bathing suite but what’s the point if you have a dysfunctional shoulder and hip and you limit your way of life. There are smarter options to get you to your goal.

3. There are some staple exercises in Crossfit that I cringe when I watch being performed. “Kipping” pull-ups is a forceful pull-up variation that you will kick your legs up before pulling up to the bar. This is a sure fire way to cause havoc and friction on your gleno-humeral joint when done with high repetitions, which are definites in Crossfit. Unfortunately the video explains why “kipping” pull-ups are great for explosiveness and power, which is false. Any pull-up variation will be at a much higher demand and give you more benefit when done perfectly without momentum. The purpose of this exercise is to build upper body posterior strength and stability.

Push-press is a great lift. I actually have it in my program for a softball team I am training. But it’s another abused exercise in the Crossfit world. There is no attention to the details of the lift. The goal for Crossfitters is to just lift the weight up over the head. Again, a recipe for injury. As you can see in the video below, if you understand Olympic Lifts and what they should look like, every exercise being performed is sloppy and performed poorly. There is no attention to clean movement. It's about "hammerin out, hamerin out", as you can hear the coach in the backround saying.

4. Crossfit Endurance is a very poor selection of strength work for endurance athletes. Multi-sport athletes are some of the most driven and hardest working athletes. They will do almost anything to improve their performance. Well, Crossfit should not be on that list. As an endurance athlete, strength work should be spent on clean and functional movements that will enhance balance, symmetry, stability and bio-mechanical movement in their specific sports. With the high amounts of volume for any endurance athlete, overtraining becomes very prevalent. We should not exacerbate that training load anymore with high repetition and erratic CF workouts. Time in the gym should be spent building the body back to take on the demands of the sport or sports.

5. Crossfit is definitely not an athlete specific training program. There are too many risks of injury with CF style training. If you are an athlete, it is mandatory to choose better, more efficient training protocols. Do not get caught into the trap of "just because it's hard, it's good" thought process. Hard training doesn't mean smart training. Anyone can throw together a series of exercises and make someone sweat. Not everyone can progressively take an athlete to achieve their ultimate goal.

We will see where this Crossfit craze goes in the next five years. I wouldn’t be surprised if it faded out and people came back to smarter, more functional training methods, I guess time will only see. I do advise any CF current members, or anyone interested in CF that you need to take a step back and think about the long haul of training. Performing a Crossfit workout once a week to hit that metabolism or to implement some variety into your routine will not hurt you. Doing Crossfit everyday as your exercise “program” will eventually hurt you. Again, maybe not tomorrow or next month, but your chances of injury go through the roof with erratic exercise selection. If you are a CF coach, and want to stay under the CF affiliate, at least attend Perform Better Workshops throughout the year so you can become more educated and offer your clients better training. Just remember, it’s important to look ahead in your life. You don’t want chronic pain that affects who you are as a person. A workout should leave you feeling better, opened up and your functional movement has been increased. If you are sore after every workout, and almost every training session is the hardest, most grueling thing ever, I would choose another program.

If you made it this far, thank you for reading my blog. If you are a CF fan, and having fun, keep doing what you do, just understand that there could be harmful repercussions later in life from what you are doing right now. Hard, aggressive exercise selection is not the remedy. Smart, consistent and functional training will improve your life and your performance.