Athlete365 - Personalized Fitness - Personal Trainers Gym - Kanata Stittsville Ottawa

Negatives of circuit training

2012-05-29T14:46:00.001-04:00

Here is a 5 minute video on the negative aspects of circuit training.

I am not saying that circuit training is wrong.

It is just that you need to do it in a way that is safe and beneficial for you.

Yes, circuit training can burn a lot of calories.

But it can also lead to the development of poor movement patterns and injuries.

Enjoy the video and contact me if you have questions.

Athlete365 update for May, 2012

2012-05-28T21:01:00.001-04:00

I apologize for the lack of posts over the month of May.

Business and life have kept me very busy, but I plan to begin updating this site more over the coming days.

Currently, I making my way through Michael Boyle's Functional Strength Coach 4.0, and so far it is great. Lots of new material to apply to training my clients.

Also, I am putting together a training program based around my training experience from track, football, and bobsleigh.

I just thought that many people out there need to be shown that you can get in super shape training anaerobically. There is an alternative to aerobic dominant fitness programs; most people just aren't familiar with it.

The program will be geared toward the busy individual, so workouts will be kept to 45 minutes maximum in length. I think I will do it in a video based format through my YouTube channel, but I will see once I start organizing all of the material.

That is it for this post.

I look forward to getting more content up here for you.

Eat like your ancestors - article link

2012-05-20T15:52:00.001-04:00

Yes to berries, no to salt: Aboriginal man goes back to his dietary roots in order to lose weight, live healthier

Questions for a potential personal trainer

2012-05-15T13:43:00.001-04:00

Here is a short video I did on things to ask a personal trainer if you ever make the decision to work with one.

I outline four main components.

1. Experience

2. Qualifications

3. How will they train you

4. Continuing education

It really comes down to finding someone who works well with you and is able to get you the results you are looking for.

Enjoy. Contact me if you have any questions.

Ottawa spring body clean-up

2012-05-07T20:58:00.003-04:00

Since it is finally Spring here in Ottawa I have noticed the upswing in joggers in my neighbourhood.

Now rather that turning this post in to another rant about why jogging is not the best choice for getting fit, I thought I would post links to previous posts that I feel will help you get the most out of your fitness time.

First off, losing body fat is not going to come primarily from working out.

It is all about what you eat, and how much you eat daily.

Read: How many calories do I need daily

Also, keep your insulin levels low through out the day by eating foods low on the glycemic index. By avoiding major spikes in your insulin you will be able to keep your daily calorie count in the range it needs to be in.

Read: Why we get fat - notes

Next, to speed up the process of fat loss you need to increase the amount of muscle you carry on your frame. The more muscle, the higher your metabolism is through out the day.

Therefore I recommend focusing on strength training two or three times per week.

Workouts do not have to be long (30-45 minutes) but you actually have to challenge yourself to lift heavier weight.

Read: Triple it up

          Don't be chicken-leg man

         Multi-joint and you're done

         Dumbbell compound movements

If you have time to get one or two conditioning workouts done during the week, on top of the strength workouts, then you will be well on your way.

Read: Sprint workouts to get lean

Outdoor workouts to get lean

Lose your belly with hills

There you have it.

Nutrition.

Strength training.

Conditioning workouts.

And finally, don't forget about consistency.

You probably will not reach your goal in 6 weeks.

Depending on your current state of health and fitness, you may need 3,6, or 12 months to get to where you want to go.

The key is to get your goals set and start working towards them.

No more excuses.

I hope the links I provided give you some ideas and guidance to help you with your goals.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Making you a better athlete

2012-05-06T08:42:00.001-04:00

If you are a young athlete and you want to improve your sport performance then Olympic Weightlifting needs to be part of your strength and conditioning program.

Over the past year I have been spending a lot of my continuing education time on learning about the intricacies of Olympic Weightlifting. And the more I learn, the more appreciation I develop for it.

Coming from a track, football, and bobsleigh background I was introduced to elements of Olympic Weightlifting over the years, but never was coached exclusively in the sport of Olympic Weightlifting.

Finally, in 2011 I was able to complete the Club Coach technical course through the Coaching Association of Canada. It was an excellent course and I highly recommend it for athletes, sport coaches, and personal trainers.

I obviously do not train all of my clients to be Olympic lifters, but I can say that I use elements from Olympic lifting in all training programs.

For athletes and the general fitness population, Olympic Weightlifting is beneficial because it develops:

- coordination
- flexibility
- speed
- strength
- power

These is are all elements you want to develop and maintain over the course of your life.

If you are interested in learning more about Olympic Weightlifting then I recommend attending the technical course mentioned above.

If you live in Ontario check out the Ontario Weightlifting Association site for upcoming courses.

If you live south of the border check out the USA Weightlifting site for courses and resources.

Also, I highly recommend the book and DVD on Olympic Weightlifting from Catalyst Athletics. I picked it up a couple of weeks ago and it is an amazing resource.

Choosing the correct exercises for yourself

2012-05-03T12:52:00.004-04:00

I have been in the business of fitness training for almost a decade.

Over that time I have seen a lot of fads come and go.

Back in the early 2000's exercise was all about the stability ball and BOSU.

Then kettlebells became all the rage.

Now low-tech has been quite mainstream for the past number of years.

Below is a video of a client doing tire flips, which are one of the most popular of the low-tech exercises.

The questions I ask myself before I prescribe any exercise is whether it is safe and beneficial for the individual.

In the case of tire flips, I am very cautious of who does this exercise. Mainly because it involves some rounding of the back when lifting.

Therefore, I only do this exercise with clients who have an adequate strength base and are not at risk of injuring themselves.

The key message I want to get across in this post is to always do exercises that fit in to your range of ability and safety.

Don't do an exercise, even if your trainer tells you, if you feel you may hurt yourself.

At the end of the day you work out because you want to get stronger, more fit, and improve your quality of life.

Don't do an exercise just because it's popular, looks cool, or because your friends are doing it.

You may end up injuring yourself and setting yourself back for weeks or months.

Gym equipment links

2012-05-02T15:19:00.000-04:00

Here are two companies that I have purchased equipment from in the past few months and the product and service has been excellent.

Muscle Driver Canada

New York Barbells

If you are looking for fitness equipment then definitely check them out.

Analyze your posture - link

2012-05-01T21:30:00.000-04:00

Read: Fix your Posture to Maximize Muscle (Men's Health)

Ideas on High Intensity Training

2012-04-30T21:28:00.001-04:00

Last week I read a couple of books (pictured) on the topic of HIT (high intensity training) workouts.

HIT workouts have been around since the late sixties and involve one set per exercise and can last anywhere from five to 25 minutes.

They involve slow repetitions and working each exercise to complete failure.

Additionally, HIT workouts are only to be done twice per week due to the extensive recovery that is needed between sessions.

Personally, I have never done these type of workouts because they are more body building focused. In the two books I read the programs that were given centered largely around machine and isolated exercises.

When you are training for sports you do not want to perform your exercises with a super slow tempo and in an isolated fashion. Rather, you are trying to develop speed and power, so the focus is more on multi-joint exercises that increase strength and explosiveness.

But is there a place for HIT workouts?

I think so. If you are looking to gain muscle size for the sole aim of looking good, then I think HIT workouts, as described in the books I read, are worth trying out.

If you search the internet for information on HIT workouts you are going to find many different interpretations for what makes up a HIT workout.

The key point I took from my quick reads on HIT is that high-intensity is always going to give you much better results than workouts that last longer, but have little or no intensity.

But the trick is working at an intensity and with exercises that are suited to your age and abilities.

Just picking a couple of random workouts from a book or the internet may not be the best decision.

Pushing yourself in workouts is always necessary, but you have to make sure you do not overdo it and cause yourself to get injured or over-trained.

Just don't eat so much

2012-04-25T14:13:00.001-04:00

I really didn't know what the title of this post should be.

Weight loss is such a huge industry these days and everywhere you turn there is a new diet program popping up.

Consume more protein, reduce sugar, eat small meals, don't eat anything that comes in a package, eat like a caveman, don't eat three hours before bed...and it goes on and on.

But does it really have to be so complicated?

If we want to reduce weight don't we just consume less calories that we take in?

Is that not the number one way to reduce weight?

I am not saying that you should starve yourself in order to lose weight.

But I do believe that it is okay to be hungry once in a while.

Your belly does not have to always be full.

Below is another link on the benefits of fasting from Mark's Daily Apple.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-weight-loss/#axzz1t4h41q2p

Also read:

http://www.athlete365.com/2012/02/new-way-to-eat-article-link.html

A comeback for lat pulldowns - article link

2012-04-22T13:04:00.002-04:00

Being able to do a pull-up with all of your body weight is an impressive physical feat.

But what if the pursuit of doing a pull-up is actually causing you more harm than good.

I recently read an article by Michael Boyle about how pull-ups can actually be a bad exercise choice for some people.

Read: A Comeback for Lat Pulldowns

This got me thinking about how we do pull-up exercises at Athlete365.

From my experience, most people can not do a proper pull-up without assistance from a spot or with bands.

And even when people can do a pull-up, many tend to roll their shoulders forward and engage their upper trapezius muscles to complete the final part of the movement.

Upper trapezius dominance is not an issue most people ever think about, but if you deal with shoulder or neck pain, then you should get in tune with your trap muscles.

You want to make sure you are working on engaging your low traps, and not just the upper ones.

A coaching cue I use when doing pull-ups is to focus on pointing the chest to the ceiling as you pull yourself upwards.

By doing this you think about pinching the lower trapezius muscles and keeping the shoulders retracted. This prevents the shoulders from rolling forward and just using the the upper trapezius.

But even with the use of assistance bands, some people will still roll the shoulders forward to complete the pull-up.

If this is the case then I recommend people switch to a body row exercise. It can be adapted to any ability and is much easier to focus on engaging the low traps when performing the exercise.

Below are a couple of other links that relate to the trapezius muscles and their relation to pain in the neck and shoulder.

http://www.mikereinold.com/2010/03/upper-and-lower-trapezius-imbalances.html

http://www.athlete365.com/2007/05/how-to-reduce-neck-pain.html

In conversation: Dr. Sanjay Gupta - link

2012-04-19T11:35:00.003-04:00

Here are three points I took from this interview.

1. Try to eat seven different coloured foods per day.

2. Greatly reduce your meat and sugar intake.

3. Don't depend on gyms to provide all of your physical activity

Read: In conversation: Dr. Sanjay Gupta - Health - Macleans.ca

Barbell Complex warm up - 3 exercises

2012-04-18T19:34:00.001-04:00

Here is a video of a warm up/mobility routine I recently discovered.

This barbell complex, called protyazhka (Google did not give me a English translation), consists of three exercises:

1. Muscle Snatch x 5 reps

2. Behind Neck Press x 5 reps

3. Snatch Squat x 5 reps

Do 2-4 sets of this exercise and focus on proper technique and not on how much weight you lift.

Personally, I like to start with a dowel and then work my way up to a barbell.

Even if you are not a muscle head looking to lift a of weight, this movement combination is an excellent way to improve mobility in your shoulders, thoracic spine, hips, knees, and ankles.

Try it out.

Training resources for sale or trade

2012-04-17T13:16:00.001-04:00

I am organizing my training library and am looking to sell or trade a number of items.

1. Functional Strength Coach 3.0 by Michael Boyle.

This is a 8 DVD set (plus 1 bonus DVD) and also comes with a manual.

2. Kettlebells from the Center by Gray Cook and Brett Jones.

This is a 2 DVD set with a 102 page manual.

3. Secrets of Primitive Patterns by Gray Cook and Lee Burton.

This is a 2 DVD set.

4. Secrets of the Hip and Knee by Gray Cook and Brett Jones.

This is a 2 DVD set.

5. Dan John DVD.

Includes - Everything's Over My Head; From the Ground Up; Carried Away.

I really enjoyed all of the items and apply a lot of the information from them to training my clients.

If you are interested in any of them please contact me.

I am interested in finding resources relating to Olympic weightlifting, flexibility, mobility, and nutrition.

Catalyst Athletics - website link

2012-04-16T20:33:00.002-04:00

I was introduced to this site (www.catalystathletics.com) last week and it is a great resource for training information.

There is an extensive video library, as well as loads of articles.

YouTube Workout #4

2012-04-16T17:13:00.000-04:00

Here is the fourth installment of one of my own workouts.

1. Med Ball Slam - 3 x 10

2. Sled Drag - 4 x 40 metres

3. Weighted Pull ups - 3 x 4

4. Weighted Push ups - 3 x 8

All four of these exercises are done in some way with all people I train.

Of course, not everyone will be doing push ups or pull ups with extra weight, but they will be doing a scaled version of both exercises.

Additionally, the sled drag is an exercise that most of my clients perform at some point in their training. It is a safe full body exercise that can easily be adjusted to all abilities by the weight that is placed on the sled.

Enjoy and contact me if you have any questions.

Dowel mobility

2012-04-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

Here is a video demonstrating four mobility exercises you can do with a dowel.

If you do not have a dowel you can also use a broom handle, hockey stick, or golf club.

The four exercises shown are great to add to a warm-up to improve mobility through the shoulders, thoracic spine, hips, and ankles.

Do 10 reps of each movement and perform 1-2 sets.

Exercise and stress management

2012-04-11T08:01:00.001-04:00

If you are dealing with a stressful time in your life then your workout regimen needs to be adapted to your situation.

Exercise is also stress so it is important to not throw too much on yourself if you already have enough coming from other parts of your life.

Doing something physical is a great way to clear your head, but just make sure to maintain a balance.

For example, if you are stressed to the max at work then maybe you shouldn't be training for that marathon or ironman.

Stacking too much physical stress on an already stressful time can lead to a greater chance of injury, sickness, or burnout.

Giving yourself days off between workouts is one way to make sure you do not overdo it on the exercise front.

For example, workout on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

On the other days do something non-workout related that you enjoy. Walking, reading, or anything that brings down your stress levels.

The most important key is to not feel guilty if you are not exercising as much as you usually do.

Manage your stress and gradually increase your exercise volume when you feel that you are ready.

Is Sugar Toxic?

2012-04-04T20:41:00.000-04:00

This will make you think about how much sugar you actually consume daily.

Even one soda is too much

2012-04-03T08:19:00.003-04:00

If regular and diet soda are so harmful, then I wonder about all of those energy drinks that are loaded with both sugar and stimulants.

Read: Sugar-Sweetened Drinks Linked to Heart Disease - NYTimes.com

Double kettlebell squat

2012-03-29T08:08:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of using kettlebells for squat exercises because they make you really emphasize proper form.

You have no choice but to keep your core tight and to maintain a proper back position because of how you have to hold the kettlebells.

Also refer to: One arm kettlebell squat

Does ZMA work?

2012-03-28T20:30:00.001-04:00

I recently started taking the supplement ZMA and am amazed at how quickly I have seen benefits.

For me, it has helped with having a more solid night-time sleep.

If you are unfamiliar with ZMA, it is combination of zinc, magnesium aspartate, and vitamin B6.

Since sleep is prime time for our good hormones to do their work, they are unable to perform their best if you are not sleeping well.

Finding sound research on ZMA is difficult. There are lots of claims to its many benefits, but most of the sources come from sites that sell supplements.

ZMA is worth looking in to if you are interested.

I purchased 120 capsules for under $30 and you only need to take 3 per night before bed.

Here are three links to more information:

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/supplements/supplement-guide-zma

http://www.livestrong.com/article/489705-vitamins-for-low-testosterone/

http://www.popeyescanada.com/inf_precision_zma.php

YouTube Workout #3

2012-03-21T14:25:00.001-04:00

This workout is a lower body focus consisting of:

1. Kettlebell Swings 3 x 15 reps

2. Front Squats 5 x 6 reps

3. Glute Ham Raise 3 x 8

Note: This is the last workout where I will be complaining about my low back issue. Haha. It is now feeling great.

One Benefit of Running Backwards

2012-03-21T14:07:00.002-04:00

Interval running of 40-60 metres is one my staple conditioning exercises.

Run the prescribed distance, walk briskly or jog back for recovery, and repeat.

Depending on your fitness level you will be amazed at how high your heart rate can go if you do it enough times. And at what speed you do it.

But often I will have people do them backwards because it seems to not cause shin splints.

Some people are more at risk at developing them and from my experience a big reason is due to poor running mechanics.

These higher-risk runners sit back with their hips and strike with their heels first when striding.

Think about the force that travels through the heel to the rest of the body when you strike heel first with each stride. Ouch.

Try running backwards and see how different your mechanics are from running forwards.

You will find you will spend all of your time on the balls of your feet and your heels will not even touch the ground.

Also, you will naturally shift your hips forward to prevent yourself from falling backwards.