This is the ultimate Turkish Get Up.
When you can perform 5 of these, you're ready to progress to the next level.
God bless,
Steve
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Turkish Getup
Sunday, October 28, 2007
The Wake up Cat
If you're a cat lover, like I am, this little cartoon will make you laugh.
My old 24 year old cat doesn't do these sorts of things much anymore, but when she was younger...yeah.
God bless,
SP
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Consistency and Effort
The following is an article written by my friend and colleague, Jerry Hill:
In my career as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and Personal Fitness Trainer I’ve had the distinct pleasure of witnessing people far surpass their immediate goals and move valiantly into their long-term dream simply by the application of these two principles as defined below.
Principle #1 – Consistency
If you want to make steady, measurable progress, show up on a regular basis. That’s pretty simple, right? Woody Allen is famous for saying, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Consistency is the foundation of your development. With it you’re unstoppable; without it you’re done for. Integrate your training into your lifestyle and make it a high level priority. With your health and fitness goals consistently in the forefront of your mind it’s hard to ignore them, and your success is practically guaranteed.
Do you have your fitness goals prominently displayed in a location where you can see and review them on a consistent basis?
If not, why? Consistency brings forth success.
Principle #2 – Effort
Intensity is essential to putting forth effort. Your fitness program shouldn’t be easy. In Las Vegas they call it going “All in.” Don’t hold back, lay it all on the line, and give it all that you’ve got. The beauty of this principle is that intensity does not discriminate. No matter what your fitness level, you have the ability to bring your best. This is what I love about performance based training. You will be miraculously inspired by your effort!
Effort also means paying attention to detail while performing the movements of each exercise. Master your form, and work through a full range of motion. It takes particular effort to perfect the basics. We are all a work in progress when it comes to this!
Keep in mind that effort includes what you do outside of your workout too. You can easily destroy your hard earned physical effort by disregarding your nutrition, recovery or sleep.
Remember: No amount of hard work can overcome a crummy diet!
This is often the missing ingredient for success that many need in order to push beyond their goals.
I offer these thoughts with high expectations and anticipation for your upcoming fitness quests and the realization of your unlimited potential.
The ball is now in your court.
God bless you,
Steve
- Consistency
- Effort
In my career as a Strength and Conditioning Coach and Personal Fitness Trainer I’ve had the distinct pleasure of witnessing people far surpass their immediate goals and move valiantly into their long-term dream simply by the application of these two principles as defined below.
Principle #1 – Consistency
If you want to make steady, measurable progress, show up on a regular basis. That’s pretty simple, right? Woody Allen is famous for saying, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Consistency is the foundation of your development. With it you’re unstoppable; without it you’re done for. Integrate your training into your lifestyle and make it a high level priority. With your health and fitness goals consistently in the forefront of your mind it’s hard to ignore them, and your success is practically guaranteed.
Do you have your fitness goals prominently displayed in a location where you can see and review them on a consistent basis?
If not, why? Consistency brings forth success.
Principle #2 – Effort
Intensity is essential to putting forth effort. Your fitness program shouldn’t be easy. In Las Vegas they call it going “All in.” Don’t hold back, lay it all on the line, and give it all that you’ve got. The beauty of this principle is that intensity does not discriminate. No matter what your fitness level, you have the ability to bring your best. This is what I love about performance based training. You will be miraculously inspired by your effort!
Effort also means paying attention to detail while performing the movements of each exercise. Master your form, and work through a full range of motion. It takes particular effort to perfect the basics. We are all a work in progress when it comes to this!
Keep in mind that effort includes what you do outside of your workout too. You can easily destroy your hard earned physical effort by disregarding your nutrition, recovery or sleep.
Remember: No amount of hard work can overcome a crummy diet!
This is often the missing ingredient for success that many need in order to push beyond their goals.
I offer these thoughts with high expectations and anticipation for your upcoming fitness quests and the realization of your unlimited potential.
The ball is now in your court.
God bless you,
Steve
Monday, October 22, 2007
Bringing the Pendulum back to center.
This article is presented courtesy of Alwyn Cosgrove, probably the premier fitness professional in the world. It is from an article written first here.
Copyright© 2005 Elite Fitness Systems. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this article by including this copyright and, if reproducing it electronically, including a link to
www.Elitefts.com.
It is often said by futurists (those who study the past to predict the future) that there is an over-reaction to most new concepts in the short term, yet an under-reaction in the long term. We can all come up with countless examples of it – the high carb trend of a few years ago – which has become the zero carb trend recently. However, never has this concept been more apparent than in the strength and conditioning industry particularly in recent years (with respect to):
* Aerobics
Over-reaction
Aerobic training has to be the single most over-reacted to, and thus overemphasized training modality in the history of our field. It started with Kenneth Cooper but I don’t think even he meant aerobic training to receive the almost religious type treatment it has. The only reason aerobic work even requires extra oxygen is because of demand from the muscular system. It doesn’t matter what activity you are involved in – aerobics or weight training – it is muscular demand that determines caloric burn. So you have to begin with that in mind.
Let’s think about it logically (I know this is hard for the strength coaching field). For example, you can run a mile in ten minutes and can swim a mile in twenty minutes. After a year of swimming every day and not running – you can now swim a mile in 16 minutes. Without running – how much has your running improved? Very little.
Why? We only have ONE cardiovascular system – so why doesn’t improving your swimming (and cardio system) automatically improve your running?
Because the ONLY reason your cardio system was involved in the first place was because of demand from your muscular system. So you adapted to the SPECIFIC MUSCULAR demands of swimming which by default then involves the cardiovascular system – it’s not the other way around as most people think. The muscles don’t move because of cardiovascular demand – the cardio system is elevated because of muscular demand. We need to program the body based on the movements it’s going to perform – not based on the cardiovascular system. That’s an upside down method of programming.
I think the over-reaction to aerobics peaked around 92. I can remember watching a weightlifter being interviewed at the 92 Barcelona Games (I’m sure most lifters can relate) – when after watching the athlete perform a few sets, the interviewer asked “What type of exercise do you do for your heart?”
Under-reaction
The under-reaction to aerobic training has been fairly recent. Perhaps I’m guilty of it also. The problem was that the emphasis on aerobic training had been so entrenched that in order to bring balance to the equation; coaches such as myself had to take a diametrically opposed position in order to even have a chance of being heard. The real message was that anaerobic interval training could provide all the benefits of aerobic training and then some.
However, it has swung too far the other way. The message heard was that aerobic training is “the devil” – a fat storing injury promoting muscle catabolizing monster that has to be avoided at all costs. As a result athletes have avoided all energy system work.
My friend Jason Ferruggia answered a question recently about whether aerobic work should be performed when trying to gain weight. This is a combination of an over-reaction (that aerobic work is a massively effective weight loss tool) and an under-reaction (that going for a walk will cause you to lose incredible amounts of lean tissue).
Back to center
Aerobic training is beneficial – it’s healthy and it burns up calories. It won’t eat up muscle tissue like Hannibal Lecter after making weight, and despite it not living up to its miracle fat burning claims – any calorie burning activity can help in a weight management program, and anything that gets the heart healthier is never a bad idea. I think some form of moderate cardiovascular activity can be helpful regardless of your personal goals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Alwyn (pronounced "Allen")
God bless,
Steve
Copyright© 2005 Elite Fitness Systems. All rights reserved. You may reproduce this article by including this copyright and, if reproducing it electronically, including a link to
www.Elitefts.com.
It is often said by futurists (those who study the past to predict the future) that there is an over-reaction to most new concepts in the short term, yet an under-reaction in the long term. We can all come up with countless examples of it – the high carb trend of a few years ago – which has become the zero carb trend recently. However, never has this concept been more apparent than in the strength and conditioning industry particularly in recent years (with respect to):
* Aerobics
Over-reaction
Aerobic training has to be the single most over-reacted to, and thus overemphasized training modality in the history of our field. It started with Kenneth Cooper but I don’t think even he meant aerobic training to receive the almost religious type treatment it has. The only reason aerobic work even requires extra oxygen is because of demand from the muscular system. It doesn’t matter what activity you are involved in – aerobics or weight training – it is muscular demand that determines caloric burn. So you have to begin with that in mind.
Let’s think about it logically (I know this is hard for the strength coaching field). For example, you can run a mile in ten minutes and can swim a mile in twenty minutes. After a year of swimming every day and not running – you can now swim a mile in 16 minutes. Without running – how much has your running improved? Very little.
Why? We only have ONE cardiovascular system – so why doesn’t improving your swimming (and cardio system) automatically improve your running?
Because the ONLY reason your cardio system was involved in the first place was because of demand from your muscular system. So you adapted to the SPECIFIC MUSCULAR demands of swimming which by default then involves the cardiovascular system – it’s not the other way around as most people think. The muscles don’t move because of cardiovascular demand – the cardio system is elevated because of muscular demand. We need to program the body based on the movements it’s going to perform – not based on the cardiovascular system. That’s an upside down method of programming.
I think the over-reaction to aerobics peaked around 92. I can remember watching a weightlifter being interviewed at the 92 Barcelona Games (I’m sure most lifters can relate) – when after watching the athlete perform a few sets, the interviewer asked “What type of exercise do you do for your heart?”
Under-reaction
The under-reaction to aerobic training has been fairly recent. Perhaps I’m guilty of it also. The problem was that the emphasis on aerobic training had been so entrenched that in order to bring balance to the equation; coaches such as myself had to take a diametrically opposed position in order to even have a chance of being heard. The real message was that anaerobic interval training could provide all the benefits of aerobic training and then some.
However, it has swung too far the other way. The message heard was that aerobic training is “the devil” – a fat storing injury promoting muscle catabolizing monster that has to be avoided at all costs. As a result athletes have avoided all energy system work.
My friend Jason Ferruggia answered a question recently about whether aerobic work should be performed when trying to gain weight. This is a combination of an over-reaction (that aerobic work is a massively effective weight loss tool) and an under-reaction (that going for a walk will cause you to lose incredible amounts of lean tissue).
Back to center
Aerobic training is beneficial – it’s healthy and it burns up calories. It won’t eat up muscle tissue like Hannibal Lecter after making weight, and despite it not living up to its miracle fat burning claims – any calorie burning activity can help in a weight management program, and anything that gets the heart healthier is never a bad idea. I think some form of moderate cardiovascular activity can be helpful regardless of your personal goals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks Alwyn (pronounced "Allen")
God bless,
Steve
Friday, October 19, 2007
My favorite scene from Rocky Balboa
If you haven't yet seen this film, I encorage you to do so.
Some old guys know things.
They either have wisdom, experience, educational understanding or all of the above.
Next time an old guy says something that sounds profound, really listen...
it just may be.
God bless,
Steve
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
10 Realistic Little Tips to Make a BIG Difference in Fat Loss
The problem many of us have in losing body fat is that we’re usually more efficient in wishing for a slimmer physique than actually attaining one. Most of us actually try too hard, going to extremes that are either ineffective or detrimental to our progress. Here’s a piece of advice from one who has witnessed many folks succeed in becoming one of the successful “losers”: Take it easy.
The extra weight you may currently be carrying is likely the result of many small behavioral actions, like eating between meals or driving to places that you could easily walk to instead. Losing the fat may really be as simple as adding some extra activity, as well as some small clever activities, into your day. These activities include actions taken in your diet, exercise and attitude levels.
The addition of several of these examples into your day will do nothing more for you than help you to obtain your fat loss goals sooner than you had previously planned. By themselves they are not very powerful. However, bunched together they add up to a giant supplement on the road to success. Give them a shot and watch what happens.
Fidgeting. Those who habitually squirm, toe-tap or play the drums on their desks burn, according to some studies, up to 800 calories a day. That’s like running several miles! If you’re not a naturally fidgety person, don’t try to become one. You’ll only succeed in frustrating yourself. Instead, try doing things that make you move more, like changing the channels on the television manually or parking at the opposite end of the lot from your destination.
Sharing. Most restaurant portion sizes are HUGE. Try cutting down by sharing. And if the thought of eliminating deserts is simply impossible, at least share them with someone, or several someone’s.
Write down everything you eat and drink...and be honest. Instead of wondering why you are gaining or not losing weight, it will soon become evident. If you want a little more incentive to watch what you ingest, get a friend or family member to agree to hold you accountable and to check your "food journal" once a week. And while we’re at it, water is what flows in rivers; not soda. That’s why you should drink water. Often.
Don’t eat foods from their original containers. It’s easy to fool yourself into believing you’re having “just a tad”, but you’re not as smart as you look. Measure out what it is you want and let that be the end of it. The best bet is to keep “weakness” foods out of the house altogether.
Go grocery shopping on a full stomach. Nacho chips, donuts, cookies and pies don’t have half the allure they normally do when you go grocery “hunting” on a full stomach. You can enhance the experience by strictly shopping from a list and allowing yourself only one purchase that is not pre-planned.
Make mealtime smarter, not harder. Before you sit down to dinner, put the amount of food that you would like to eat on your plate and put the rest in the refrigerator. This will discourage you from going back for seconds.
Take only a limited amount of money. This is simply insurance against impulse or reactionary purchases. It also helps you to develop discipline.
Swear off elevators and escalators. Stairs are built for walking. They are your friends. Use them.
Police your speed of eating. Put your fork down between bites and enjoy the moment. The more slowly and thoroughly you chew your food when you eat, the faster you’ll feel satisfied and full. If you still feel like seconds, use the “10 minute rule.” Wait ten minutes. The feeling will probably pass.
Establish a time-out routine. Take a time out half-way through your meal. Sit back and just breathe for a few moments. Here’s a trick: put a pot of water on the stove to boil. It will take about ten minutes. When it does, get up, fix a cup of herbal tea. When you get back to the table, you probably won’t feel like eating much more.
God bless you,
SP
The extra weight you may currently be carrying is likely the result of many small behavioral actions, like eating between meals or driving to places that you could easily walk to instead. Losing the fat may really be as simple as adding some extra activity, as well as some small clever activities, into your day. These activities include actions taken in your diet, exercise and attitude levels.
The addition of several of these examples into your day will do nothing more for you than help you to obtain your fat loss goals sooner than you had previously planned. By themselves they are not very powerful. However, bunched together they add up to a giant supplement on the road to success. Give them a shot and watch what happens.
Fidgeting. Those who habitually squirm, toe-tap or play the drums on their desks burn, according to some studies, up to 800 calories a day. That’s like running several miles! If you’re not a naturally fidgety person, don’t try to become one. You’ll only succeed in frustrating yourself. Instead, try doing things that make you move more, like changing the channels on the television manually or parking at the opposite end of the lot from your destination.
Sharing. Most restaurant portion sizes are HUGE. Try cutting down by sharing. And if the thought of eliminating deserts is simply impossible, at least share them with someone, or several someone’s.
Write down everything you eat and drink...and be honest. Instead of wondering why you are gaining or not losing weight, it will soon become evident. If you want a little more incentive to watch what you ingest, get a friend or family member to agree to hold you accountable and to check your "food journal" once a week. And while we’re at it, water is what flows in rivers; not soda. That’s why you should drink water. Often.
Don’t eat foods from their original containers. It’s easy to fool yourself into believing you’re having “just a tad”, but you’re not as smart as you look. Measure out what it is you want and let that be the end of it. The best bet is to keep “weakness” foods out of the house altogether.
Go grocery shopping on a full stomach. Nacho chips, donuts, cookies and pies don’t have half the allure they normally do when you go grocery “hunting” on a full stomach. You can enhance the experience by strictly shopping from a list and allowing yourself only one purchase that is not pre-planned.
Make mealtime smarter, not harder. Before you sit down to dinner, put the amount of food that you would like to eat on your plate and put the rest in the refrigerator. This will discourage you from going back for seconds.
Take only a limited amount of money. This is simply insurance against impulse or reactionary purchases. It also helps you to develop discipline.
Swear off elevators and escalators. Stairs are built for walking. They are your friends. Use them.
Police your speed of eating. Put your fork down between bites and enjoy the moment. The more slowly and thoroughly you chew your food when you eat, the faster you’ll feel satisfied and full. If you still feel like seconds, use the “10 minute rule.” Wait ten minutes. The feeling will probably pass.
Establish a time-out routine. Take a time out half-way through your meal. Sit back and just breathe for a few moments. Here’s a trick: put a pot of water on the stove to boil. It will take about ten minutes. When it does, get up, fix a cup of herbal tea. When you get back to the table, you probably won’t feel like eating much more.
God bless you,
SP
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Let's face it...God doesn't care!
God doesn't care what kind of car you drive - God cares that you are willing to drive people who don't have transportation.
God doesn't care about the square footage of your house - God cares that you welcome people into your home.
God doesn't care about the clothes you have in your closet - God cares that you help to clothe the needy.
God doesn't care what your salary is - God cares if you compromise your character to obtain or increase it.
God doesn't care what your job title is - God cares that you perform your job to the best of your ability and in a Christian manner.
God doesn't care how many friends you have - God cares that you show friendship and unconditional love to all people.
God doesn't care in what neighborhood you live - God cares how you treat your neighbors.
God doesn't care about the color of your skin - God cares about the content of your character.
God doesn't care why it took you so long to seek Salvation - God cares that you finally did seek His face and accept His grace.
God bless you,
Steve
God doesn't care about the square footage of your house - God cares that you welcome people into your home.
God doesn't care about the clothes you have in your closet - God cares that you help to clothe the needy.
God doesn't care what your salary is - God cares if you compromise your character to obtain or increase it.
God doesn't care what your job title is - God cares that you perform your job to the best of your ability and in a Christian manner.
God doesn't care how many friends you have - God cares that you show friendship and unconditional love to all people.
God doesn't care in what neighborhood you live - God cares how you treat your neighbors.
God doesn't care about the color of your skin - God cares about the content of your character.
God doesn't care why it took you so long to seek Salvation - God cares that you finally did seek His face and accept His grace.
God bless you,
Steve
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Some observations...
- Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don't.
- Honk if you love peace and quiet.
- Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
- He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
- The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
- Quantum Mechanics: The dreams stuff is made of.
- The only substitute for good manners is fast reflexes.
- Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
- He who hesitates is probably right.
- The hardness of the butter is directly proportional to the softness of the bread.
- The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the ability to reach it.
- To succeed in politics, it is often necessary to rise above your principles.
- A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
- If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
- If you think nobody cares about you, try missing a couple of payments.
- How many of you believe in telekinesis? Raise my hands...
- Hell hath no fury like the lawyer of a woman scorned.
- Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
- Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back.
- 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
God bless you,
Steve
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Resistance exercise reverses aging in human skeletal muscle.
Human aging is associated with muscle decrease and a decrease in daily function, also known as sarcopenia.
Recent research shows that this can be reversed in as little as six months!
Multiple lines of research suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction (one of the little, yet REALLY important parts of every cell in your body) is a major contributor to sarcopenia, which is to say a loss of function.
However, following exercise training the cellular signature of aging was markedly reversed back to that of younger levels for most genes that were affected by both age and exercise.
Read that again: Reversed, not just stopped or even slowed.
Reversed!
A brand new study of more than 150,000 women has rocked the medical community!
Recent research shows that this can be reversed in as little as six months!
Multiple lines of research suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction (one of the little, yet REALLY important parts of every cell in your body) is a major contributor to sarcopenia, which is to say a loss of function.
However, following exercise training the cellular signature of aging was markedly reversed back to that of younger levels for most genes that were affected by both age and exercise.
Read that again: Reversed, not just stopped or even slowed.
Reversed!
A brand new study of more than 150,000 women has rocked the medical community!
Recent research shows that women who gain as little as seven pounds in between pregnancies increase their risk of serious complications in their second pregnancy...
- diabetes
- high blood pressure
- toxemia
- caesarean birth
- stillbirth
What's even more surprising is that this increased risk applies to women who are not necessarily overweight. It applies to all women who gain an additional seven pounds (or more) between the time they got pregnant the first time to the time they get pregnant again.
This new study says a woman's risk of getting diabetes or high blood pressure during her second pregnancy increases by about 30%.
Double the weight gain and the risk of getting diabetes or high blood pressure may increase by 100%
Doctors are calling the finding from this study "staggering" and "thought-provoking."
It's in the best interest of your child for you to take care of your own health. That way, you'll have the positive energy you need to take care of them as well. And if you decide to have another child, it's extremely important.
"What do they want us to be--anorexic?"
And the answer to that is a great big NO!
As a matter of fact, this study did not entail examining whether or not the woman's beginning weight was ideal. It was only examining the effect of weight gain between pregnancies. The conclusion was that you should not gain weight in between pregnancies. The conclusion had nothing to do with being dangerously thin!
Two take home points before you worry too much:
- Large, longitudinal studies such as this one do not take SO many other factors into context. They drew a conclusion from one correlation. Other negative factors could be involved as well, rather than just weight.
- If you gain 7+ pounds that certainly doesn't mean that something negative WILL happen, it just increases the risk, that is all. It is just like driving fast in your car, you might be alright, but you increase the risk.
Just understand that it is always healthier to be in good shape. Just like it's safer to drive more slowly in your car.
God bless,
Steve
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
O.K., so I'm a Jesus freak...
S.M. Lockridge spoke these words nearly 40 years ago, but they still ring true and they still send chills down my spine when I hear them.
God bless,
Steve
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