Nine Facts About Fitness

At Hybrid Fitness we are big fans of training that is efficient and effective. One of the things that has stopped folks from adopting exercise as part of their lifestyle is that they feel there just isn’t time to add anything meaninful to their already extremely busy schedules.

If you have been visitng here for a while, you should be aware that the secret is not in the quantity but the quality of effort you put forth. Check out this very interesting series of articles featuring Nine Facts about Fitness. Of special importance to me are numbers 2 & 4. Notice that these two sections clearly support what I have been saying for quite some time: “a little bit of something is better than a lot of nothing”. Pay close attention to the recommendations for strength training in section 4.

So stop making excuses and add some brief, intense and infrequent bouts of quality exercise to your weekly schedule. I promise you will be glad you did.

http://tinyurl.com/y9s44qz

PAU for NOW

TAKU
www.hybridfitness.tv

P.S. if you want to try a workout program that requires little to no equipment and will have you in super shape in about an hour per week, check out: www.blackjackfitness.com

Modern Day Warrior

I admire people who pursue excellence. Watching athletes who are truly dedicated to their craft is inspiring. I don’t care if it is Bad Minton or Boxing; when you are watching some one who is a master, it is a thing of beauty.

Check out this Modern Day Samurai Isao Machii, in action.

Remember, what ever you choose to do, do it to the best of your ability. Like the “Master Blaster” always says, “Strive for Excellence”.

PAU for NOW
TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv

www.blackjackfitness.com

Train those triceps

Hey everyone, I hope the holiday season is treating you well and you are not over-eating and under-training.

This week we have a link to some videos from my good friend Steve McKinney. For those of you who don’t know who Steve is (becuase you are  not on our mailing list) he is a personal trainer and owner of Fitness and More Inc. in Madison, Ill.

In this video series (click on the link below) Steve demonstrates exercises for both home and gym, men and women, that help strengthen and firm the triceps (the back of your upper arms).

http://tinyurl.com/ye6sxur

Enjoy the pain.

Pau for Now

TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv
www.blackjackfitness.com

Ergogenics: Part One

When it comes to achieving success in sports or fitness, consistent, hard training is probably the most important element. Once you are confident that your training is dialed in, you want to do everything else you can to enhance, or improve your results. There are many ways by which sport or athletic performance may be improved. Collectively these are referred to as Ergogenic Aids.

For those folks familiar with the term Ergogenic aids, the first thing that comes to mind upon hearing the term is probably performance enhancing substances such as anabolic steroids. In fact, Ergogenic aids come in many forms and can have a positive influence on performance in a variety of ways including but not limited to the following.

Ergogenic Aids may:

• Directly influence the physiological capacity of a particular body system thereby improving performance
• Remove psychological constraints which could negatively impact performance
• Increase the speed of recovery from training and competition

Ergogenic Aids fall into the following categories:

• Mechanical Aids, – Heart Rate Monitors
• Pharmacological Aids, – Sports Supplements and other exogenous substances
• Physiological Aids, – Sports Massage, Ice baths, Thermal Regulation Devices (Avacore)
• Nutritional Aids, – Carbohydrate Loading, targeted pre & post training liquid meals
• Psychological Aids, – Hypnosis, Visualization

 As you can see from the brief list I just mentioned. Ergogenic aids come in many forms. Some are relatively inexpensive and easy to get a hold of or implement, while others are expensive, esoteric and perhaps even illegal depending on what sport you are participating in.  

PAU for NOW

TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv

A Smoothie for the Season

Halloween just ended and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. If you are like me, smoothies are a big part of your life. I have at least one blender-bomb a day. I love smoothies because not only are they quick and easy but I can pack a ton of nutrition and flavor into one simple meal.

In honor of the fall season I am going to tell you how to make a delicious Holiday  smoothie.

Pumpkin Smoothie:

Evaporated, Condensed Milk: 1/2 Cup
Vanilla Extract: a few drops to taste
Canned Pumpkin: 1 Cup
Frozen Peaches: 1 cup
Flaxseed Oil: 1 Tbsp
Water: 1 Cup
Protein Powder: 1 scoop (enough to equal 25-30 grams
Cinnamon: A Dash (to taste)

Throw all of the ingredients in your favorite blender and mix, for 30 seconds.

That’s all there is to it.  A quick, nutrient dense meal fit for the holidays.

PAU for NOW

TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv

Step up to the Bar

Part Four: Personal Eating Plan Examples

In part one of this article (April 6, 2009) I outlined a very basic strength training plan, using a barbell as your only tool. In part two (May 1, 2009 ) I showed you how to step it up a notch and turn this simple workout into an intense Strength and Conditioning plan by adding sprint intervals. In part three (October 16, 2009) I showed you how to add a cyclical Personal Eating Plan that will support your training demands while allowing you to still get shredded.

Below (as promised in part three) are specific examples of what a day on each of the specific P.E.P. cycles might look like. Keep in mind that for any P.E.P. you must experiment to find the correct amounts of each macro-nutrient (Carbs – Fats – Proteins) that is required to meet your bodies personal needs. Use the examples below as a starting template and then fine tune for your own body.

Example of No Carb P.E.P. (used on “OFF” days)*
Meal 1. 4 eggs any way, or 6-10 egg whites, 2 slices of ham, 2 Oz l/f. Mozzarella cheese. Make into omelet, if desired add chopped veggies 

Meal 2. Small tin of tuna (6 Oz) in oil (drain oil), ¼ avocado, salad or 2-3 scoops Whey Protein + 1 Tbsp Flax Oil in 10 Oz water

Meal 3. Chicken breast w/- veggies &/or salad (stir-fry) & ¼ avocado

Meal 4. Handful of nuts or 3-4 Oz meat (ham, turkey etc) & 2 piece string cheese Or protein drink as above

Meal 5. Steak (8 Oz) with veggies, salad & ¼ avocado

Drink tea, coffee, or water. (If not using the ECA stack** then a load of brewed coffee is best)

Example of High-Carb P.E.P. (used on strength training days)
Meal 1. Non-fat milk (8 Oz), Oatmeal (8 Oz cooked), 3 egg whites (stirred into oatmeal), 5 dates (chopped & stirred into oatmeal) 

Meal 2. “Power Shake” 8 Oz Non-fat milk, 8 Oz Non-fat yogurt, 1 Banana (mix in blender)

Meal 3. Roasted chicken (6 Oz), rice (1 cup), beans (6 Oz), Sherbet (3 scoops)

Meal 4. Cottage cheese (1 cup), Pears (canned in own juice) 4 halves

Meal 5. Peanut butter sandwich 1 Tbsp p-nut-butter + 1 Tbsp jelly on sprouted (flour-less) bread, Non-fat milk (1 cup) 1 Banana

Example of Low-Carb P.E.P. (used on conditioning days)
1. Scrambled Eggs and Fruit. 1 whole egg. 2-3 egg whites. Tomato, peppers onions etc (your choice). 1 large orange 

2. Protein Shake. 2 scoops Protein Powder. 1 cup Strawberries, fresh or frozen. 2/3 cup peaches, fresh or frozen. 1-2 cups water. 1 -1/2 Tbsp Almonds or flaxseed oil

3. Cantaloupe Fruit Salad. ½ of a melon. I cup cottage cheese (low fat or non-fat). 5-10 seedless Grapes. ½ cup sliced Strawberries. 2 tsp Sunflower seeds

4. Cottage cheese with Pineapple. 1-Cup cottage cheese w/ 1-cup pineapple

5. Grilled Salmon and Vegetables. Salmon steak grilled (4-1/2 oz). Onions sweet large size (3 thick slices). ½ green pepper (sliced). 1 zucchini (sliced). Green salad (2 cups). I cup Peaches, fresh or frozen for desert

Use artificial sweeteners to sweeten protein drinks & hot beverages only if you feel it is required. (I do not recommend artificial sweeteners)

*Absolutely no fruit or sugar sources on no carb days.

Well there you have it, a P.E.P. designed specifically to support your training program. Combine this with the Step up to the Bar S&C program and I am sure you will reach your goals in no time.

PAU for NOW

TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv

Step up to the BAR

Part Three NUTRITION

In part one of this article (April 6, 2009) I outlined a very basic strength training plan, using a barbell as your only tool. In part two (May 1, 2009 ) I showed you how to step it up a notch and turn this simple workout into an intense Strength and Conditioning plan by adding sprint intervals. In part three I am going to show you how to add a cyclical Personal Eating Plan that will support your training demands while allowing you to still get shredded.

We all know that eating is a key component to workout success. The challenge is often how best to manipulate your macro-nutrients to simultaneously aid in recovery, insure maximum energy on training days; while also allowing you to stay lean and mean all year round. The secret is cycling your carbohydrate intake to match your training demands. With this plan we will cycle through three different “carb” profiles matching them to our training and recovery schedule.

The three cycles will be High Carbs – Low Carbs and No carbs, respectively. Strength training days will be our High carb days. Conditioning days will be our low carb days. Finally all days off will be No carb days.

Adjusting to our current Step Up to the Bar program the cycle would look as follows:

Monday / Thursday = Low Carbs
Tuesday / Friday = High Carbs
Wednesday / Saturday / Sunday = No Carbs

There you have it a simple way to adjust your Personal Eating Plan to reflect your training and recovery needs. Tune in for part four when I outline exactly what a days worth of eating might look like on each of these cycles.

PAU for NOW

TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv

Like intervals? Got an iPhone? Here’s an app to try

Hey Everybody:

CORRECTION: I need to let everyone know that this free app I refer to below just went up to $0.99 and it literally happened TODAY…after I wrote the post and sent a message to my email subscribers.  Embarrassing to say the least, but unavoidable.  I sent a retraction email to everyone and I’m editing the article below.  My apologies for the inconvenience.

——————————-

Everyone at Hybrid Fitness is a huge fan of intervals.  Interval training in a nutshell, is a combination of high intensity exertion, followed by a rest interval.  The duration, intensity and frequency of the interval bouts and rest bouts vary, depending on what your overall goals are. We recommend and program interval training for most of our athletes and clients.  Intervals are a superior conditioning method, great for burning calories, they burning fat more efficiently when compared to long-slow-duration aerobic training and they take a fraction of the time to complete.  Honestly…is there a downside?   If so, I haven’t found one.

What I did find is a sweet little interval training app for the iPhone.  I’m a big iPhone fan and I use mine for all the usual purposes like phone calls, checking email, texting, internet, etc. but when it comes to apps, there are only a handful I use regularly.  One I just came across is the Gymkit app.  It’s a basic interval/rest timer and repetition calculator that’s extremely easy to use.  I think it’s also one of the top 100 apps in it’s category on iTunes…last time I checked anyway.

What I like about it is that it doesn’t try to be all thing to all people.  The app focuses on a few basic functions, one of those being time.  The countdown interval timer can be used to time work and/or rest intervals and all of the interval times are customizable.  I’ve adjusted mine for Tabata intervals and a handful of other sprint interval times that I run regularly.

Here’s a link to the app:  http://appshopper.com/healthcare-fitness/gymkit

Below is a screencap of the timer interface.  You just tap the preset time interval and it immediately starts counting down.  It also gives you a 3-second warning when the interval is ending and a solid tone when time is up.

For the record, I have no affiliation with the developer of this program.  I simply think it’s a worthwhile app.  Give it a try and see what you think. http://appshopper.com/healthcare-fitness/gymkit

Of course, we also highly recommend the Gymboss interval timer.  We have used these things for years and at $19.99, the Gymboss is still one of the best bargains you’ll find for a product you use (or should use) everyday.

The choice is yours. Until next time, keep training hard!

Jason
www.hybridfitness.tv
www.blackjackfitness.com

Definitions

At Hybrid Fitness we talk a lot about health fitness and performance. Frequent topics include strength, stamina, conditioning, nutrition and recovery. We take for granted that everyone knows exactly what we mean when we discuss these topics. But just in case, I have decided to define some of the most common topics discussed, so that in the future I know we are all on the same page.

Strength: The magnitude of phyisical strength determines the ability of a person to exert force on physical objects using their muscles

Skill: Specific adaptations developed through guided practice.

Functional Ability: The combination of six factors…1) Muscular Strength…2) Neurological ability..3) Bodily proportions…4) Cardio respiratory capacity…5) Skill…6) Flexibility. Numbers 2 & 3 are genetically determined and not subject to change.

Metabolic Conditioning: The body’s ability to handle repeated bouts of brief, high intensity stress to multiple systems simultaneously without performance being compromised.

Cardio Respiratory Ability: The body’s ability to process and untilize oxygen effciently and effectively (we consider this to be a component of Metabolic Conditioning).

Nutrition: The practice of developing and following a healthy, well balanced personal eating plan designed to promote and support robust health and vitality.

Recovery: The practice of creating the optimum balance of hard work via practice, training and conditioning with proper nutrtion, hydration and restorative modalites combined intelligently with adequate restful sleep.

PAU for NOW

TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv
www.blackjackfitness.com

Developing Quickness

Question: Can strength training improve an athlete’s quickness?

Answer: Quickness is a product of many factors, including  but not limited to (1) the amount of muscle on the body, (2) the amount of body fat, (3) the lean muscle mass to total body weight ratio, (4) skill level of the individual in question, (5) bodily proportions, (6) motivation.

One of the easiest ways to accelerate the development of quickness is to increase your lean muscle mass (up to a point) and or increase your bodies ability to produce maximal force. Increasing lean muscle mass will favorably change your ratio of muscle mass to total body weight. Once you have reached an optimal weight (the most lean muscle mass you can gain without slowing down) you should then focus on improving Mass-Specific- Force. The most effective way to accomplish these goals is through goal appropriate strength training combined with a well balanced diet.

PAU for NOW

TAKU

www.hybridfitness.tv