The Hotel Workout

By James Walker, CCS, STM, Biosig, Master Trainer

 

I call this the Hotel workout but it can be done anywhere, in little time, no excuses…the hotel didn’t have a gym, the gym was too crowded, I didn’t know how to use the equipment, etc, etc…Remember at the end of the day, week, month, and year, something is better than nothing! So ‘Just Do It’!

     Perform this workout in a circuit fashion, going from the first exercise to the second and to the third, i.e., A1, A2, A3, doing three rounds for 10 reps or 3 x 10. This will helps create the volume and the physiological response, i.e., metabolic elevation, growth hormone production, muscle growth, and fat loss that’s desired.

     Time permitting you could do up to 5 circuits or rounds. This program is do-able, convenient, and accessible for you, anywhere or time, no excuses! This can be done on a Monday/Wednesday or Tuesday/Thursday or Monday/Wednesday/Friday or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday schedule.

Below is a brief description of a Two or Three Day Workout Format:

Day 1 – 10 reps each for 3 sets/rounds.

A1. standing bodyweight squat;  – with feet hip width apart or slightly wider and hands on waist, lower body   down towards floor as far as possible on a 3-4 tempo and return on a 2 tempo. 10 reps.

A2. incline pull up with towel or rope; - with a knot on the end (requires a secure door or rail or banister; or   wedge middle of a folded towel between door and door frame, shut, secure, or lock the door so it doesn’t open and will safely support your body weight; or wrap a towel around a rail or banister that’s strong and sturdy  enough to support your weight; hold the ends of the towel in each hand and position feet on floor close to the bottom of door or rail, lean body away from the door as far as possible, support your weight with the towel and your arms, pull body up to hands or towel on a 2 tempo and return on a 3-4 tempo. 10 reps.

A3. Lying hip lifts; – lay on the floor with your hands by sides and your feet up towards the ceiling, lift your hipsoff the floor 2-3 inches or as high as possible on a 1 tempo and return on a 2 tempo. 10-20 reps.

Day 2  – 10 reps each for 3 rounds.

A1. standing split squat;  – in a lunge stance with one foot forward and the other foot back, on forefoot with heel raised, lower torso down towards floor as far as possible on a 3-4 tempo and return on a 2 tempo. 10 reps.

A2. push up against a wall or on the floor; – with hands against the wall, feet hip width apart approximately 3-5 feet from the wall, lean towards the wall, lower torso towards the wall on a 3-4 tempo and return on a 2 tempo;   or in a push up position with hands and feet or knees on floor, lower torso towards the floor on a 3-4 tempo and return on a 2 tempo. 10 reps.

A3. Crunch; - laying on the floor with both legs bent and hands by sides on floor, slide your hands down    towards your hips and raise your torso up off the floor 2-3 inches on a 1 tempo and return on a 1 tempo. 10-20 reps.

Day 3  – 10 reps for 3 rounds.

A1. standing good-mornings;  – with a hands by ears and elbow out to the sides and feet hip width apart, keep chest up and shoulders back, push hips back as far as possible and bend torso forward towards the floor (bow position) on a 3-4 tempo and return on a 2 tempo. 10-20 reps.

A.2. seated dip between chairs; – position your body in a seated or semi-squat position between two chairs of equal size with body supported by each hand on a chair seat or with your back and hips over the edge of the   bed with hands by sides on bed for support, the legs and feet are out in front on the floor, lower the hips & torso down towards the floor as far as possible on a 3-4 tempo and return on a 2 tempo. 10 reps.

A3. Side hip lifts; - lay on one side supported by elbow and forearm against the floor with your feet slightly straddled (one forward & one back), raise your hips up off the floor as high as possible on a 1 tempo and return on a 2 tempo. 10 reps each side.

Remember take your time and don’t sweat it. Even if this is easy or only takes 10 minutes at the end of the week, month, and year you will have done much more work and burned many more calories as opposed to doing zero!   Each round should take 2 -3 minutes, followed by a 1-2 minute rest period. The entire workout should take between 10-20 minutes depending on the length of your rest periods.

     ‘Train Safe, Smart, & Results Driven’

Training Principles, Part Three -Principles Of Exercise Science Con’t

By James Walker CCS, STM, BioSig, Master Trainer

Training principles of exercise science con’t…

7. Muscle Balance – each muscle action or group has an opposite muscle action or group (agonist vs. antagonist).

·      e.g. triceps vs. biceps, must maintain a mutual balance in strength and flexibility to function properly.

·      In performance activity the antagonist muscles may act as a brake to slow down acceleration e.g. the elbow flexors act as a brake to the elbow extensors in a punch, so they need to be strong to perform this task.

·      Demonstrate-a throw or punch or sprint.

8. Muscle Fiber Type and Energy System – there are two basic muscle fiber types, slow twitch (IA) and fast twitch (IIAo, IIA & IIB). Each muscle fiber type has a corresponding energy system that supplies it and determines its action and performance parameters.

·      Slow twitch (IA) utilizes oxygen (aerobic) as its primary energy source, 3 minutes or longer duration and has an intensity threshold of 25% or less of the persons strength capacity and is used during postural and endurance activities.

·      Fast twitch oxidative glycolytic IIAo utilizes glycogen (anaerobic) and oxygen (aerobic) as its energy sources and is strength endurance oriented, 2 to 3 minutes in duration and has an intensity of 25% to 60% of a person’s maximal strength capacity.

·      Fast twitch glycolytic IIA utilizes glycogen (anaerobic) as its primary energy source and is strength oriented, 13 to 30 seconds in duration and has an intensity of 60% to 85% of a person’s maximal strength capacity.

·      Fast twitch phosphogenic IIB utilizes creatine phosphate (CP) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (anaerobic) as its primary energy sources and is explosive-power oriented, 1 to 12 seconds in duration and has an intensity threshold of 85% to 100% of a person’s maximal strength capacity.

·      Examples: 25-50 mile race vs.800-1500 meters vs. 200-400 meters vs. 50-100 meters sprint.

9. Muscle Receptors and Sensors – within the muscles there are various receptors and sensors (proprioceptors) that perform specific tasks e.g.,

·      vestibular receptors- measure balance and equilibrium;

·      muscle spindle- measures change in muscle fiber length and change in muscle fiber speed;

·      Golgi tendon organ- measures the range of motion (rom) or stretch in muscle tendons;

·      Ruffini receptors- measures the position of the muscle and joint in relation to space;

·      Pacinian corpuscle- measures the tension and pressure within the muscle fiber and tendon.

·      All of these sensors relay information from the muscles to the spinal cord and/or to the brain or central nervous system. In turn the appropriate muscle response occurs. 

‘Train Safe, Smart, & Results Driven’

Training Principles, Part One - Types Of Strength

By James Walker CCS, STM, Biosig, Master Trainer

There is more than one type of strength, therefore there is more than one way to strength train. Below I’ve listed some of the basic types. If you’re not familiar review and think about how each one can be applied. Of course some seems similar and could potentially overlap in application. This article is also the part of my 'Training Principles' article series, part one of nine.

  1. Absolute Strength-is the maximal amount of force an individual can produce, regardless of their bodyweight and time involved, as in the shot put and contact between football linemen.
  2. Endurance Strength or Muscular Endurance-is the amount of force an individual can produce over a longer period of time while resisting fatigue as in rowing, swimming, distance running, and cross-country skiing.
  3. Maximal Strength-is the maximal amount of force an individual can produce in a single maximal contraction or effort, regardless of the time involved as in weightlifting, shot putting, hammer throwing, caber tossing, etc.
  4. Optimal Strength-is the maximal amount of strength that an individual needs to perform their sport optimally and will vary from sport to sport, as in power lifting or weightlifting vs. table tennis or squash.
  5. Relative Strength-is the maximum amount of force an individual can produce at a given bodyweight or weight class (per lb or kg), regardless of the time involved as in skiing, gymnastics, bobsledding, figure sating, cycling and wrestling, boxing, weight lifting or weight class sports. Thus it is the relationship between maximal strength and body mass and is beneficial when increasing an athlete’s strength while maintaining their bodyweight.
  6. Speed Strength or Power-is the ability to produce the most force in the shortest amount of time or to overcome the resistance in the shortest amount of time as in sprinting, kicking, sprint cycling, sprint rowing, ice-skating, kayaking, etc There are three components of speed strength-explosive, reactive, and starting strength.
  • Explosive Strength-is the ability to increase force after a movement has been initiated or the rate at which an individual can achieve maximal force as in the shot put, hammer throw, judo throw, or wrestle take down.
  • Reactive Strength-is the ability to quickly change from an eccentric contraction to a concentric contraction as in the high jump, long jump, triple jump, volleyball, and basketball.
  • Starting Strength-is the ability to produce maximal force at the start of a muscular contraction or to overcome resistance when initiating movement as in sprint start, bat swing, paddle swing. It is especially a key determinant of performance in sports where the resistance to overcome is relatively light as in table tennis.

 ‘Train Safe, Smart, & Results Driven’

 

Olympic Lifts In The Gym!

By James Walker CCS, STM, Biosig, Master Trainer

Olympic lifting! Olympic lifts and their variations such as the clean, clean and jerk, deadlift, jerk press, power pulls, snatch, etc are great exercises for athletics, fitness, and structural balance. When performed correctly they yield precise crossover results for jumping, power, speed, sports, and structural strength.

I see trainers and athletes performing them but with incorrect concept and technique that does something altogether different or that may lead to an injury.

YouTube and the web have great instructional videos now, that explain the concept and correct technique. Please search these: Tommy Kono-former Olympic weightlifter,   coach, and judge, has a six part series; Chad Ikei-former Olympic weightlifter and strength-performance coach, has a two part series; Cara Head-retired Olympic weightlifter, now coach, has several training videos; All Things Gym; Barbell Shrugged; Breaking Muscle; Catalyst Athletics; and Power Clean Bible; all have very clear instructional videos, along with written commentary.

‘Train Safe, Smart, & Results Driven’ 

Maximizing Metabolic Function With Strength & Structure

By James Walker CCS, STM, BioSig, MT

After years of personal experience, observational relevance, and just plain frustration with the overall level of Fitness & Health Nationally, I wanted to write an article about maximizing workout time. Since time seems to be a determining factor or excuse for not working out, I’d like to offer some ways to maximize it. Part of my rationale is if you can only do 10 minutes of intense exercise, 6 times a week, at the end of the year its 3,120 minutes, which is a lot more than zero! Most importantly it will help to improve your life, fitness, and health! It’s all accumulative!

For example, a most recent fitness study claims that sixty seconds of high intensity exercise is more valuable than 20-30 minutes of low intensity exercise. For decades’ trainers in the know have been advocating interval training over long sustained endurance work. I learned this in the early 80’s, training to improve my mile run time, which I ran in 6 plus minutes with minimal endurance work, to 4 & a half minutes with sprint and strength work.

One of the things that I learned was that quality training was more important that quantity training. So sprinting on the track, up hills, in the pool, on the bike, etc, improved my speed and fitness more than doing any long distance aerobic workouts. It required way less time, instead of 90-120 minutes, it took me to 15-30. So I started doing 2 shorter workouts a day, one in the early am and another midday or later, whenever I could get it in. This naturally elevated my metabolism and kept it going throughout the day!

Getting married, having a family, and business mentally got me away from that but recently I’ve decided to return to it but make it easily doable, which I’m sharing with you.

Upon rising exercise will jump start your metabolism for the day the only drawback is usually your mind and body aren’t fully awake so choosing an exercise that will help wake you up, like a cup of coffee, but without being overwhelmed is important. Structural strengthening exercises like Y raises, trap 3 raises, Petersen step ups, lying hip bridges, side arm rotations, planks, etc will serve this purpose. Just doing 3 sets of 60 seconds each will wake you up, jump start your day, and not require much time 4-6 minutes total, with 30-60 seconds rest or less between sets.

AM Workout Example:

Day 1, Lying single bent leg hip bridge with foot on the floor or elevated, 60s x 3 sets, with a 151 tempo.

Day 2, Front plank with forearms arms on top of a physioball, 60s x 3 sets, with a 60s tempo.

Day 3, Lying Y arm raise with dumbbells, 3-5lbs, 60s x 3 sets, with a 151 tempo.

Day 4, Petersen step ups, using a normal step, 60s x 3 sets each leg, with a 111 tempo.

Day 5, Lying Leg raise & hip lift, with knees slightly bent, 60s x 3 sets, with a 111 tempo.

Day 6, Lying on side, arm rotation with a dumbbell, 1-10lbs, 60s x 3 sets, with a 311 tempo.

Do as many as possible (amap) with good form, pause if necessary, then continue until 60s is up. Eventually you’ll be able to complete the 60s without pausing with good form.

Midday or afternoon workout would be at a higher intensity level, since your mind and body should be optimally active. Thus using large muscle groups or compound or multiple joint exercises should be the plan. This could include alternating a upper and a lower body exercise, like a push up or bench press with a squat, performed together in a superset fashion. Possibly doing each set for 30-60 seconds depending on your goal, completing 6-8 sets of each upper and lower body exercise. If Four exercises is used do 3-4 sets of each. This should take 15-30 minutes total, including a quick 3-4 set warm up for each. The resistance should be heavy but allowing good form, controlled tempo, and theability to complete the set.

Warm up sample: i.e., bench press, if your actual exercise weight is 200lb, then warm up set one is 100lb x 3-4 reps, set two is 125lb x 2-3 reps, set three is 150lb x 1-2, and set four is 175lb x 1-2 reps, or using approximately 50%, 62%, 75%, and 87% of your workout weight to warm up with.

PM Workout Example:

Day 1, A1-Barbell or dumbbell split squats, 30-60s each leg x 6 sets, with a 301 tempo; A2- Lying pull ups, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 311 tempo.

Day 2, A1-Barbell or dumbbell Romanian deadlifts (RDL), 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 301 tempo; A2- Barbell or dumbbell bench press, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 301 tempo.

Day 3, A1-Double or single leg Physioball leg curls, 30-60s each x 6 sets, with a 311 tempo; A2-Barbell or dumbbell upright row, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 311 tempo.

Day 4, A1-Barbell or dumbbell squat, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 301 tempo; A2-Chin ups, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 201 tempo.

Day 5, A1-Barbell or dumbbell or weight plate, 45 degree back extensions, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 311 tempo; A2-Barbell or dumbbell seated press, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 301 tempo.

Day 6, A1-Seated or prone machine leg curls, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 311 tempo; A2-Barbell or dumbbell pullover, 30-60s x 6 sets, with a 311 tempo.

The most important aspects are just doing it (aka Nike, ‘Just Do It’), consistency (doing it on a regular basis), correct form (good posture & tempo), intensity (70-90% of a 1 rep max lift), and short duration (15-30 minutes). The exercises can be performed numerous ways, upper body together, lower body together, upper & lower body together, or combining 2-4 exercises together.

  At night, before dinner if possible, stretch for 60s x 3 sets. Choose your worst or most difficult stretch a do it for 60s sets, preferably in a PNF manner, i.e., contract the muscle for 5-10 seconds, followed by a 2-3 second release and relax. Each night you can choose a different stretch or repeat the same tight one. This will offer you a complete training regime taking 25-35 minutes a day, keeping you active at least three times a day.

I hope this is helpful,

'Train Safe, Smart, & Results Driven’