Denver Personal Training Examiner: Kaizen: the art of continual improvement
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Friday, April 17, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
"Well, you know what they say about it..."
"What? That HFCS is made from corn, has the same calories as sugar and honey, and may be contaminated with mercury?"
Holy $#!*!! The Environmental Health Journal just published a study(1) finding that 9 in 20 samples of high-fructose corn syrup they tested were contaminated with mercury. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy then did a study on their own and found that 17 out of 55 brand-name products they tested (Coca-cola, Hunts Ketchup, Heinz and Kraft BBQ sauces, Quaker Oatmeal-to-Go, etc) contained measureable levels of mercury (2).
So if you needed another reason to stay away from this poison, now you have one.
(1) http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2
(2) http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=105026
Holy $#!*!! The Environmental Health Journal just published a study(1) finding that 9 in 20 samples of high-fructose corn syrup they tested were contaminated with mercury. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy then did a study on their own and found that 17 out of 55 brand-name products they tested (Coca-cola, Hunts Ketchup, Heinz and Kraft BBQ sauces, Quaker Oatmeal-to-Go, etc) contained measureable levels of mercury (2).
So if you needed another reason to stay away from this poison, now you have one.
(1) http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2
(2) http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=105026
Monday, January 19, 2009
Back to Basics
Virtuousity: Doing the common uncommonly well
Ok, time to bite the bullet. For the next 6 to 9 weeks I'm going back to basics. 3 weeks of Power to the People using conventional-stance deadlifts and standing presses, then 3-6 weeks of Starting Strength.
One of the easiest things for trainers to forget is to make full use of the basic tools in the toolbox. I love my CrossFit, but when I find myself at a plateau (or moving backwards!) it's time to pull out the ol' basics and really focus on those.
Starting with approximately 70% of my 5RM on DL and moving up about 5% each workout, 4-5 workouts each week. I'm starting extra light on my press, since my shoulder is nagging at me still.
**************
1/19/09:
Warmup (modified standard DEFY! warmup):
- Foam roller
- Jump rope (2 minutes)
- Samson stretch
2 rounds of:
- 16 kg kb swings x5
- 45 lb front squats x5
- 30 lb overhead squats x5
- back extensions x5
- pullups x5
Scap retraction/protraction/elevation/depression sequence
WOD:
DL: 250 x 5
225 x 5
Press: 85 x 5
75 x 5
Ok, time to bite the bullet. For the next 6 to 9 weeks I'm going back to basics. 3 weeks of Power to the People using conventional-stance deadlifts and standing presses, then 3-6 weeks of Starting Strength.
One of the easiest things for trainers to forget is to make full use of the basic tools in the toolbox. I love my CrossFit, but when I find myself at a plateau (or moving backwards!) it's time to pull out the ol' basics and really focus on those.
Starting with approximately 70% of my 5RM on DL and moving up about 5% each workout, 4-5 workouts each week. I'm starting extra light on my press, since my shoulder is nagging at me still.
**************
1/19/09:
Warmup (modified standard DEFY! warmup):
- Foam roller
- Jump rope (2 minutes)
- Samson stretch
2 rounds of:
- 16 kg kb swings x5
- 45 lb front squats x5
- 30 lb overhead squats x5
- back extensions x5
- pullups x5
Scap retraction/protraction/elevation/depression sequence
WOD:
DL: 250 x 5
225 x 5
Press: 85 x 5
75 x 5
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Goals and...Resolutions?
I'm not a "Resolution-with-a-capital-R" person. I decided when I quit smoking in October of 1990 there's absolutely no reason making major changes has to coincide with an arbitrary event like hanging up a new calendar. I do my best to make changes when I recognize they need to be made, or I've done the prep work, or when the stars are correctly aligned, or whatever.
Talking to Patty, Ellen, and Rich yesterday, the subject of goals for 2009 came up. I am a huge fan of goals, and I can definitely see the point of linking them with each coming year, quarter, month, or hour.
Now, this is something I think about a lot. 2009 is the year I want to hit a 1200 lb total in unequipped powerlifting, and a CrossFit total of 5x Bodyweight, or CFT5x (at DEFY! we track our CFT relative to bodyweight, as well as total score). I've hit 990 before (so, well into the CFT4x realm), but haven't hit that millenium mark. I'm thinking 1075 is going to be the goal to hit 5x.
I want to improve all my other scores as well. But even for the CFT, which is my favorite OMGBFFWOD, I'm not at the "I want it so bad I can taste it" stage. so I started doing some thinking on that. What do I want that badly? What is my o'erarching desire to achieve in the upcoming 12 months?
A lot of what I want to do is business-related - I want to grow my affiliate to a much more sustainable level. I have home-and-family goals as well, particularly since my daughter will be leaving for college in the fall(!)
The more I thought about it, the more it came down to intensity. I'm actually in the middle of an article about intensity in training, but it doesn't stop there. In fitness, intensity is giving your all for a workout. How does that translate to everything else in life?
One of the first things I learned as a trainer was how to come in to a session and turn off anything else going on. Traffic, dinner, kids' homework, tomorrow's workout, etc. all got put in a box that could be dealt with when I didn't have a client depending on my observation. When I put on my "trainer" hat, I tuned 100% into the moment. That's what is needed in every aspect of my life.
I'm working right now on figuring out how to make this a goal, or series of goals, rather than a resolution. "Live more intensely" doesn't tell me anything. "From 9:30 to 10:30, Mon-Fri I will concentrate exclusively on [a specific business-building mode]" is more useful. Eating dinner with my family is an activity - not an opportunity to watch the news. If I'm doing my bookkeeping, that's all I should be doing. If I'm blogging (which actually is valuable networking), that doesn't mean I'm puttering around looking at the pictures a friend put up on Facebook of her new puppy.
100%-in-the-moment. I guess my current goal is to goalize (hey, any noun can be verbed) that resolution.
**********
1/10/09 WOD
Turkish Getups 1-1-1-1-1 (5 x 1 per side)
35-45-55-65-75
35# with a kettlebell, the rest with an olympic barbell
Not bad. I've been really conservative on my left shoulder, so I'm pretty happy all-in-all. Of course, Michael, Rich, and Luke have all broken the 100# mark on their TGUs, so I have something to shoot for...
Talking to Patty, Ellen, and Rich yesterday, the subject of goals for 2009 came up. I am a huge fan of goals, and I can definitely see the point of linking them with each coming year, quarter, month, or hour.
Now, this is something I think about a lot. 2009 is the year I want to hit a 1200 lb total in unequipped powerlifting, and a CrossFit total of 5x Bodyweight, or CFT5x (at DEFY! we track our CFT relative to bodyweight, as well as total score). I've hit 990 before (so, well into the CFT4x realm), but haven't hit that millenium mark. I'm thinking 1075 is going to be the goal to hit 5x.
I want to improve all my other scores as well. But even for the CFT, which is my favorite OMGBFFWOD, I'm not at the "I want it so bad I can taste it" stage. so I started doing some thinking on that. What do I want that badly? What is my o'erarching desire to achieve in the upcoming 12 months?
A lot of what I want to do is business-related - I want to grow my affiliate to a much more sustainable level. I have home-and-family goals as well, particularly since my daughter will be leaving for college in the fall(!)
The more I thought about it, the more it came down to intensity. I'm actually in the middle of an article about intensity in training, but it doesn't stop there. In fitness, intensity is giving your all for a workout. How does that translate to everything else in life?
One of the first things I learned as a trainer was how to come in to a session and turn off anything else going on. Traffic, dinner, kids' homework, tomorrow's workout, etc. all got put in a box that could be dealt with when I didn't have a client depending on my observation. When I put on my "trainer" hat, I tuned 100% into the moment. That's what is needed in every aspect of my life.
I'm working right now on figuring out how to make this a goal, or series of goals, rather than a resolution. "Live more intensely" doesn't tell me anything. "From 9:30 to 10:30, Mon-Fri I will concentrate exclusively on [a specific business-building mode]" is more useful. Eating dinner with my family is an activity - not an opportunity to watch the news. If I'm doing my bookkeeping, that's all I should be doing. If I'm blogging (which actually is valuable networking), that doesn't mean I'm puttering around looking at the pictures a friend put up on Facebook of her new puppy.
100%-in-the-moment. I guess my current goal is to goalize (hey, any noun can be verbed) that resolution.
**********
1/10/09 WOD
Turkish Getups 1-1-1-1-1 (5 x 1 per side)
35-45-55-65-75
35# with a kettlebell, the rest with an olympic barbell
Not bad. I've been really conservative on my left shoulder, so I'm pretty happy all-in-all. Of course, Michael, Rich, and Luke have all broken the 100# mark on their TGUs, so I have something to shoot for...
Friday, January 9, 2009
Perspective on injuries
I tore my rotator cuff a few years ago in, shall we say "an athletic endeavor", and had to have the supraspinatus tendon re-attached to my humerus. It kinda sucked at the time, but it's all better (actually, better than it was pre-tear). I was surprised at the comments I got that I was "too young" to tear my rotator cuff, and that it normally happens to older folks when they slip on the ice or something.
Similarly, when I was active in hapkido, one of my classmates had been told by a doctor "you're involved in a martial art - expect to get injured sometimes".
It got me thinking - most everyone sustains injuries at some point. Mark Rippetoe has said "Accumulating injuries are the price we pay for the thrill of not having sat around on our asses", but that's not quite accurate.
Those of us who are more active get injured picking up heavy stuff, falling off rock faces, wrecking our bikes, etc. Those who are sedentary break their ankles when they step off a curb wrong, or slipping on a wet floor. Or they die sitting on the sofa watching tv.
If I'm going to get injured, I want to have a good story and some fun memories to go along with it!
The other side of the coin, however, is that we can't have multiple activities we're willing to get injured for. I have a few people working out at DEFY! who use CrossFit as an adjunct to their primary activity. CrossFit is an excellent training program for fire, police, hockey, martial arts...you name it.
Where I, however, might be willing to push hard enough in my workouts that I strain, pull, pop, or otherwise put-out-of-commission some body part (not saying I WANT to do that, but it happens on occasion), a firefighter or hockey player needs to reserve any injury-time for their chosen field, since they will get injured at some point doing them!
Take-home point: know the risks of any activity you're doing, weigh them against the risks of NOT doing anything, and decide where your priorities are!
Similarly, when I was active in hapkido, one of my classmates had been told by a doctor "you're involved in a martial art - expect to get injured sometimes".
It got me thinking - most everyone sustains injuries at some point. Mark Rippetoe has said "Accumulating injuries are the price we pay for the thrill of not having sat around on our asses", but that's not quite accurate.
Those of us who are more active get injured picking up heavy stuff, falling off rock faces, wrecking our bikes, etc. Those who are sedentary break their ankles when they step off a curb wrong, or slipping on a wet floor. Or they die sitting on the sofa watching tv.
If I'm going to get injured, I want to have a good story and some fun memories to go along with it!
The other side of the coin, however, is that we can't have multiple activities we're willing to get injured for. I have a few people working out at DEFY! who use CrossFit as an adjunct to their primary activity. CrossFit is an excellent training program for fire, police, hockey, martial arts...you name it.
Where I, however, might be willing to push hard enough in my workouts that I strain, pull, pop, or otherwise put-out-of-commission some body part (not saying I WANT to do that, but it happens on occasion), a firefighter or hockey player needs to reserve any injury-time for their chosen field, since they will get injured at some point doing them!
Take-home point: know the risks of any activity you're doing, weigh them against the risks of NOT doing anything, and decide where your priorities are!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Quick WOD notes - DFGB
Please check this out - I think Melissa has hit the nail on the head with this one:
http://byerscrossfit.blogspot.com/2008/12/sweating-splenda.html
*********************
"DEFYght Gone Bad" - the DEFY! version of the CrossFit classic "Fight Gone Bad".
We did 3 rounds today. The WOD is 1 minute stations of:
- 20# Wallball
- 75# Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
- 20" Box jumps
- 75# Push presses
- Double-unders (replaces the rower in the original FGB)
Score for the WOD is the total number of reps in all rounds, with one minute rest between rounds.
My score for this one today was 282. Not a PR, but not bad. I did well on my double-unders for the first round, then couldn't get more than five in a row for the next two. Gotta work on those more when I'm fatigued.
http://byerscrossfit.blogspot.com/2008/12/sweating-splenda.html
*********************
"DEFYght Gone Bad" - the DEFY! version of the CrossFit classic "Fight Gone Bad".
We did 3 rounds today. The WOD is 1 minute stations of:
- 20# Wallball
- 75# Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
- 20" Box jumps
- 75# Push presses
- Double-unders (replaces the rower in the original FGB)
Score for the WOD is the total number of reps in all rounds, with one minute rest between rounds.
My score for this one today was 282. Not a PR, but not bad. I did well on my double-unders for the first round, then couldn't get more than five in a row for the next two. Gotta work on those more when I'm fatigued.
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