More Core!

It’s like a battle cry rising from the masses, growing louder and louder with every beat of the drum…

more core.

more core.

more core.

more core.

more core!!!

Ok, maybe that is slightly melodramatic, but it’s not an exaggeration to say that people want to work their “core”…more.

Just what is it that makes us “core crazy”?

  • Is it visions of our very own “six pack”? (We all have dreamed of having our very own at one time or another)
  • Is it because we still believe that we can get rid of our gut if we just work it more? (This STILL isn’t true)
  • Do we just like the feel of the burn after ripping off 100 crunches? (Sadists)

Here’s a pop quiz:

Which of the following is a “core” exercise?

  1. 2-Leg Hip/Thigh Extension Hold (Hip Bridge) with Chest Press
  2. Isometric Lat Pulldown
  3. 1-Arm Farmers Walk
  4. Kettlebell Swing

If you said “All of the Above” you get a gold star.

Because in reality your core is involved every time you move!

There is no doubt that a strong core (a misnomer but for arguments sake we will go with it) is vital for overall health and performance.

There is also no doubt there is a fundamental misunderstanding of what the core is and what it does, never mind how to train it optimally to function at a high level.

There is a lot more going on here than just looking pretty, and there is a lot more to the core than the piece of real estate between your belly button and chest.

Goal #1 for core training at Get Fit NH?

Injury Prevention.

The inability of the core to stabilize and function properly is why so many of us have fought and/or are fighting back pain.

Dr. Stuart McGill is just one expert who talks about the importance of establishing and maintaining a neutral spine, and his work “Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance” is a go to resource in understanding the biomechanics of the spine and the effects of different types of training.

Another great resource is Mike Robertson’s excellent “Complete Core Training”.

In it Mike identifies “Four Phases of Core Training”.

  1. Foundational Stability
  2. Isolative Core
  3. Integrated Core
  4. Sports/Performance Specific

Let’s look at the first three.

We spend a lot of time on foundational stability because it’s well, foundational.

Learning to properly execute planks, side planks,  and birddogs for example is crucial to protecting the spine before anything else. Movements such as tall kneeling and half-kneeling “rip rows” (as we call them at Get Fit NH) also teach us to maintain neutral pelvis and spine concurrently.

Isolative stability exercises  include what you have heard described as “anti-flexion” or “anti-rotation”. This is when we are preventing or resisting movement. Some of these movements would include a Valslide Rollout or 1-arm Farmers Carries.

A 1-arm Dumbbell Bench Press is an example of Integrated Stability. An offset load greatly increases the demand on the core to “lock down” to keep you from falling off the bench, for example.

All these components are critical to both how we are able to perform, both in the gym and out.

They are also critical for goal #1 – Preventing Injury.

Here is something else to think about:

Your core is comprised of muscles, and ALL muscles require recovery.

That is why we don’t hammer your core in the same way every day.

And why there is not “direct” core work every day.

Situps and crunches?

Not so much, because there are better and more effective ways to train the core and keep the back healthy.

And that six pack you have always dreamed about?

As the old saying goes “Abs are created in the kitchen”.

But that’s a story for another time.

Keep Making It Happen!

Coach Dean

 

 

 

 

Are You Coach-able?

One of the many aspects of Get Fit NH that sets us apart is the coaching that is available to our client.

Now you may be thinking “What do you mean ‘available’?”, as there is always at least one coach on the training floor actively coaching during our training sessions.

I say coaching is “available” because it takes two to make good coaching happen. A skilled coach, and a willing client.

One without the other and it just doesn’t happen.

Now don’t get me wrong. There are going to be times when as a coach we are going to struggle to teach a skill, and as a client where we are going to struggle to “get it”.

But that’s not what I am talking about.

What I am challenging you with is the same question I have faced and continue to face.

Am I receptive to new concepts and new ideas, or I am going to dig in my heels when I am faced with change?

To be honest the training floor is where it is easiest to coach – usually anyways. 🙂

However when you train with Get Fit NH there is a lot more to it than the 2-4 hours a week you are physically training.

***

“The Other 165” – sound familiar?

The hours you are not on the training floor are just as important as the ones that you are.

It is always a little curious to me that we get very few questions on the “hows” and “whats” of our training programs.

And while your coaches are always open and available to talk to you about why we do what we do, it seems to me that one of the reasons it infrequently comes up is because you trust our programming is going to give you the tools (you still gotta do the hard work) to get the results you want. You see that we are constantly attending coaching clinics and updating and upgrading our skills, that we are striving to get better just as we ask you to do, and we are grateful we have earned your trust in that area.

So here’s something else I am going to ask you to do.

Trust us in the rest of your training as well.

For instance next week is a recovery week. This is not a haphazard insertion of a “Dean and Nancy” vacation. We are not going anywhere. Take some extra time with the kids? Absolutely. But the rest of the time we will be “hunkered in the bunker” working on plans to help us get better as coaches so we can help our clients get better.

Are you going to follow the plan and recover properly?

***

Same thing goes for the nutrition.

Just as with exercise programming and coaching we stay on the cutting edge of nutrition and weight management research.

And there is no doubt there are certain principles of nutrition that are applicable to all of us.

We need to control energy balance and insulin response (just to name a couple) if we want to positively change our body composition.

In the real world that usually means that to lose fat we need to eat fewer calories, eat more vegetables and fruits, consume adequate protein for muscle growth/repair, and limit sugars, sweets and snacks.

Now nobody is saying that is going to be easy, because for most people it isn’t.

But wishing that these things weren’t true or don’t apply to you is not going to help you fit into those jeans.

***

I think even more valuable than any expertise, or credentials, or awards hanging on our walls is…

We have been there, and are doing that.

Coach Nancy and I have an insight that not every coach out there has, and this is not to be self-serving or braggadocio.

How many mothers of six children do you know that look like her? Honestly?

I will tell you frankly that the experience that I gained from being obese and unhealthy was absolutely not worth it. My body took a beating and in many ways has not fully recovered.

That being said I learned a tremendous amount about what it takes to lose bodyfat, both the healthy and unhealthy way. I have learned what it takes to keep it off over many years, and my passion is helping others do the same thing.

In the words of Jerry McGuire – “Help Me Help You”.

***

I was tempted to write that all this might not apply to you.

But that isn’t true either.

It applies to you and it applies to me.

Because we all have the same goal – No matter where we are right now we want to get better.

I have coaches too. Business coaches, training coaches, mentors, advisers.

And sometimes what they have to tell me is tough. I don’t want to do what they tell me. It’s too hard. It’s not comfortable. I don’t like it.

And then I have a choice.

I can be coach-able or not.

Now I am not saying that I can’t and don’t question, evaluate and use my brain.

But I did hire them for a reason.

And that’s why in the title of this post I asked the question.

“Are You Coach-able?

 

Running Interference

As many of you know (and if you didn’t here’s reminder #2) that our next scheduled recovery week is in a couple weeks.

We have written much on the topic of recovery weeks and the purpose and plan behind taking time to let your body recover from training. For those of you who are new (or just plain stubborn :)) here are some past articles outlining recovery principles and procedures:

Recovery Is Where The Magic Happens

I Hate Recovery Weeks

Rest, Recover and Regenerate, It’s Not Optional

When we take a recovery week, we are looking at recovery from the standpoint that we will call the macrocycle, or yearlong plan. We schedule 4 weeks off from training per calendar year. These are not haphazardly taken, but scheduled into a carefully designed plan to help you improve over the long term.

Your weekly training is designed in much the same way. Our training schedule is Mon, Tue, Thu, and Friday for a reason, and a huge part of that is the way your body recovers on a daily and weekly basis. Except for the most genetically advantaged 5 or 6 days a weeks of intense strength and metabolic resistance training isn’t effective because we are unable to recover properly.

So what does “Running Interference” have to do with anything?

Strength Coach Ian King was the person who introduced me to the reality of  “The Interference Principle”. In his context, he found that that energy system training can seriously impair strength and size developments.

We have observed that this principle also comes into play with some of our clients who do “other” training along with our training. There is a point you can do too much and get less – sometimes less really is more!

I may ruffle some feathers here, but too bad. I can unequivocally and without a doubt say that the amount of sweat produced in a single training session has absolutely nothing to do with how effective that session was in changing your body.

I get it. You enjoy the feeling of working up a good sweat. It makes you feel like you did something. Most of the comments we get about “great training session” come after the ones where you are absolutely trashed.

But what if that trashing made you worse?

If it taxed your recovery to the point it weakens your immune system and you are constantly getting colds? If it caused excessive inflammation in your joints and you are constantly in pain or popping Advil? If overuse produces knee pain, or plantar fasciitis?

Is it worth it then?

No is the only correct answer.

And that is why we don’t train that way every day. Why we take the time daily to work on mobility and flexibility. And why we caution you about your exercise load outside of bootcamp training.

You see it really is possible you are running, or spinning, or ellipticalling (is that a word) interference on yourself and making less progress than you could be.

And that is not what either of us want.

We get asked a lot “What should I do on days there is no bootcamp?”

The answer really is “It Depends”.

And that is something your coaches would be glad to talk to you about on an individual basis.

We are glad to sit down with you and get a complete picture of what your goals are and what you are trying to accomplish. For instance Liz is training for a half marathon. We came up with a plan that will allow her to get the mileage in that she needs in coordination with bootcamp training and other things she enjoys doing. We sat down with Stacy and mapped out an interval protocol she can do a couple days a week that allows her to get that “cardio fix” without taxing her recovery.

Training with Get Fit NH means training within the context of a carefully planned system designed to get you better. When it comes down to it I love the fact that many of our clients are so addicted to being healthy they can’t fathom a day without doing “something”.

Let’s work together and make sure we aren’t “running interference”.

Make It Happen!

Dean

 

 

Finishing The Week STRONG!

We are finishing up another great week at Get Fit NH Bootcamp – “Real” Fun Friday and all! 🙂

Just a reminder that tomorrow Coach Nancy is holding a prenatal workshop tomorrow, please register if you haven’t already.

A huge shout out to Gretchen, Richard, Karl, Coach Nancy, and yes even me for completing the 100 day burpee challenge. Nancy and I thought y’all deserved a little something extra for your efforts – the custom “Get Fit NH” pullovers are sweet!

The Carlson kids were over to the Concord training facility and decided to pull the sled out – made daddy proud!

Have a great weekend gang, and we’ll see you Monday!

 

SkiErg Sprints. Concord vs. Epsom – It’s On!

On March 24th we will be holding our first multi-annual (is that a word?) SkErg Sprints, and it is going to rock!

Not only because we are gonna blow the doors off the gym, but it’s going to be Concord vs. Epsom and the right to be the first holder of the “Golden Hammer”!

We are planning on racing in 3 categories:

  • 2000m Team Sprint (4 member teams)
  • 1000m Individual
  • 2000m Individual

If you want to get in on the action, there are sign up sheets in each one of the training facilities. Please indicate which events you want to participate in. Once we see what we are looking at for numbers, we will announce more details as the format of race day.

Get Some!

 

Get Fit NH Bootcamp & Hiking the Grand Canyon

Just received this note from Ann, who is spending her February vacation in Arizona doing some hiking in the Grand Canyon. Ann shared how her training is helping her so what she loves. She is training for life – Great work Ann, and thank-you!

“Just wanted to tell you that I just finished 3 days of hiking in Arizona. Our first day was a 14 mile “reverse hike” (descent before ascent) in the Grand Canyon.

Now, I’ve been doing some hiking in the past few months, but nothing like this, especially since my knee surgery. Yet I felt so strong on the hike, even on the last couple miles climbing back to the rim, which I’m sure is the result of the work I’ve been doing in Boot Camp.

So I just wanted to say “thanks” for providing workouts that not only feel great on their own, but help prepare us for the other things we want to do.” – Ann W.

What “other things” do you want to do? Train for the sport of life!

 

Drew’s Birthday Blueberry Smoothie

I can hardly believe it, but our son Drew is having another birthday. Many of you have met Drew and know he is not shy nor one to be left out. He is a go getter. He is persistent. When his sister’s started coming up with their own recipes for foods to be mixed in with yogurt he had to create his own version. Below is the recipe he came up with.

Now to all who are thinking what can an eight, now nine, year old boy make on his own that others will actually eat?  This is it! Really we’ve had this.

Drew’s Birthday Blueberry Smoothie

  • 1 apple, cored
  • ½ cup of frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup of plain yogurt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon (you can adjust this to taste)
  • 1 scoop UMP Vanilla
  • 5 ice cubes
  • ½ cup water

Mix all the ingredients in a blender. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Now I mentioned that Drew is persistent and a go-getter. That is important. He never gives up on an idea. Right now as a parent that is tough to listen to but I don’t want to stop his drive. He is determined.

As adults we need to have more Drews in our life. People who don’t take no for an answer. People who push to be heard. Those who take an idea and make it work. This can go far in our lives.

I see great things for Drew because of his attitude.

What if we took just one idea and see it to the end? Take one day and make it a great day for health. Take one hour and make your meal plans. Take one evening and finish that book you started over a month ago. Your New Year’s Resolutions, how are they progressing? Take time, be persistent, go after your dreams to Make It Happen.

Enjoy your shake,

Coach Nancy

By the way, “Joe” the Lego man, is visiting the Epsom facility. Did you notice he is lifting weights? He’ll soon be coming to Concord.

Motherhood Is Not For Wimps – Prenatal Workshop

Get Fit NH Bootcamp is growing, literally.

Our bootcamp family is getting bigger as quite a few of our clients are expecting an addition in 2012.  Coach Nancy, the resident supermom (and mother of 6) at Get Fit NH is hosting a prenatal workshop on Saturday, March 10 from 9:30-10:30 at Get Fit NH Bootcamp Epsom.

If you are expecting or expect to be expecting sometime in the future, you don’t want to miss this!

Think about it, carrying a pregnancy and giving birth is usually the most intense physical activity a woman will do in her entire lifetime, yet most don’t even think about training for it!

Learn how exercise is not just for you, but for your baby as well. You’ll go home confident of the “do’s and don’ts” of exercising while pregnant. Also included are tips on eating for two, samples of healthy foods and resources that keep your growing family healthy and feeling great!

This workshop is open to the public, so please spread the word, then let us know you are coming!

Motherhood is not for Wimps – Prenatal Workshop

Saturday March 10th
9:30am – 10:30am
Get Fit NH Bootcamp Epsom

 

Introducing LifeSpan Protein

You may have noticed a new addition to our supplement shelves recently – LifeSpan Protein.

Now for those of you who have used Ultimate Muscle Protein (UMP)  from Beverly International, you know how versatile it is, how rich and creamy it mixes, and how great it tastes.

So why bring in another brand?

One Word – Sucralose.

As in, UMP contains as an ingredient sucralose, the artificial sweetener also known as Splenda.

I am all for limiting the amount of artificial sweeteners we use, and in deference to our clients who do not want to use any, we searched for a long time to find an alternative to UMP, without artificial sweeteners, that didn’t taste like puppy chow.

The primary difference between these two products is that UMP is what we would call a multi-spectrum protein, with protein sources including milk protein isolate, calcium caseinate, whey protein concentrate, casein, egg white, and whey protein isolate, and LifeSpan consists of primarily whey isolate.

The reason that matters is that Beverly digests more slowly, keeps you feeling satisfied longer, and contains some high quality proteins that are more expensive.  That is not to say that LifeSpan is bad, because it is not. Whey isolate is a good quality program, it just digests more quickly. It is WAY better (no pun intended) than the 5 pound bags of garbage that you can find in the superstores that consist of the cheapest form of whey protein, which is protein concentrate.

If you purchase from anywhere other than us, I strongly urge you to read the ingredient label, because you get what you pay for. Quality matters, as the bio-availability (how much the body can actually process and use) of the proteins we carry is much higher than the cheap varieties. In other words you have to take more of the cheap stuff to get the same benefit – so what’s the point?

We have discussed the importance of protein in your diet on many occasions, and a protein supplement is just one way to make sure you can easily increase your intake if needed.

Check out these other great tasting ways to integrate protein into your nutrition plan.

GreatPPWfood.com

Dale’s Raw Protein Bars

Here’s my favorite protein supershake recipe – you’ll love it!

Very Blueberry Smoothie
1 Cup Frozen Blueberries (unsweetened)
1 Scoop Vanilla Whey Protein (Ultimate Muscle Protein is our recommended brand!)
1/2 Cup Nonfat Plain Yogurt (I love Stonyfield)
2 Tbsp Whole Oats
1 Cup Ice

Pile it all into the blender, mix well and enjoy!