Daunting

So here is the deal. Every now and then your body needs a major shock. This workout is that shock and is not intended to be a day to day thing. Yesterdays lecture on over training still stands, but today it will seem like it won't apply. One quick caveat; this workout will tend to make you a little queasy as you push your limits and it will require some recovery. The biggest key to it's proper completion is as little rest as possible. That means that there should not be a minute where your body is not in motion. Without further adieu...

5 min warm up
Stretch
4x 50 meters skipping for height
4x 50 meters skipping for distance
4x 100 meter sprints with 20 jumping jacks between them
4x 200 meter sprints with 20 burpees between them.
4x 400 meter sprints with 30 sec planks between them
15 min. moderate jog
2x 25 reg crunches
5 min cool down
Stretch

Good luck!

J

Perspective

I have started this entry a multitude of times this morning to little avail. I have many different ideas running through my head, none of which seem to have any intention of materializing into an intelligent thought. As I rap at these keys, not actually knowing how to type properly, I am realizing that what I am experiencing is probably some form of writers block. While I am rather unfamiliar with writers block when actually attempting to write, I will guess that I is not much different from what I experience in my more professional capacity as over training. The easiest way to describe the concept of over training is to compare it to the law of diminishing returns. This is the concept that there is a point where the effort that you put forth toward accomplishing something is no longer helpful but rather is impeding your progress to the goal. This is something that most athletes experience at some point in their career. It's like, if one hour of practice is good, then two must be better and four hours must be best. The truth is that four hours of practice, day in and day out, doesn't give your body enough time to recover and actually makes you more prone to injury. For those of us with semi-obsessive personalities, this is not an easy concept to wrap our heads around. That probably explains why this has taken me an hour to write down, in questionable grammar nonetheless, when someone who knows how to write and type could probably rattle this off in five minutes. It is all a matter of perspective and most of the time we cannot rely solely on our own perspective. That is why I am writing, to help give some sound exercise advice that will help you progress. Here is a workout to carry you through Wednesday!

5 min. warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
5x 5 stab ball chest press
5x 5 front raise
5x 5 overhead press
5x 25 meters of lunges

2-0-2 tempo
10x 5 sec ab presses
2x 10 negative crunches
2x 25 straight arm twists
2x 10 single leg floor bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy !

J

Heartbreak Beat

Sometimes you just have to find a groove, or for that matter make one, and move along with the beat. Cardio workouts are like that. It is my opinion that as a whole, the American population puts too much emphasis on strictly cardio, but from an athletes perspective it is good to have legs and lungs that are ready to go the distance. Today is going to be just moving for time, 60 min to be exact, at a moderate pace. Breaking a sweat shouldn't be a problem in the heat so just do your best to relax and endure the workout. I recommend letting your mind wander to ponder the deeper questions in life like which is better, grape or strawberry jelly? I'm just saying.

J

Beating The Heat

Summer is in full swing at this point and it is getting hot! With this heat comes dehydration at a much faster rate, spelling trouble for all who fall into it's grasp. You may not have even known that it had a grasp. well guess what...it does and it is bad news. On average your body sweats out about 16 oz. of water a day without exertion. With exercise, you may sweat up to a gallon. This means that drinking lots of water and maintaining a Healthy level of salt (electrolytes) is not an option, it is a requirement. I recommend a minimum of a gallon a day in H2O and plenty of fruits to help sustainability in water retention(the good kind). If you don't listen and you find yourself dehydrated, you will recognize the following symptoms as your sign:Dry mouth, thirst, dizziness, confusion, headache, blurred vision, muscle cramping, or the feeling of losing conciseness. The long and short, stay hydrated because it's not fun when you are not! Now let's start this week off right!


5 min. warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
5x 5 divebomb push up
5x 5 front raise
5x 5 bent fly
5x 5 frog hops

2-0-2 tempo
2x 30 sec. stab ball planks
2x 10 negative crunches
2x 25 straight arm twists
2x 10 stab. ball bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

Rest

Congratulations to the Roller Warriors on their win yesterday on the west coast. They have a game today and tomorrow and I wish them luck while the rest of us just relax. If your not playing this weekend, take it off and let your body recuperate. Have a good one!

J

Running Music

Today we are bringing in the weekend with some cardio. The focus will be on interval training so that means that heart rates will sky rocket in a short period of time. Try your best to recover as quickly as possible between sprints and whatever you do , don't stop moving. I can not overstate the difference it makes to be able to recover physically without having to come to a stop. If your body is trained that way, it makes everything else seem like cake. Here is a playlist to use should you like. Other than that, have a great Friday!!!

J

Renegades of Funk- Rage Against The Machine
True Love- Angels and Airwaves
Prayer Of A Refugee- Rise Against
Stars- Hum
Sic Transit Gloria,,,Glory Fades- Brand New
Road To Joy- Brighteyes
Train In Vain- The Clash
Angels Of The Silences- Counting Crows
Jenny Says- Cowboy Mouth
All Signs Point To Lauderdale- A Day To Remember
Go Your Own Way- Fleetwood Mac
She Just Wants To Dance- Keb' Mo
Lessons Learned- Matt and Kim

Self Improvement

I'm all for getting better and doing the things that it takes to get there, however I am not much for self help manuals or the people that push them. I find life to be much more of a story, an adventure really, than a checklist. Today's workout is about punching the clock, getting stronger, and trying to ignore the cliches that surround you in the gym. Here's to making it happen!

J

5 min. warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
5x 5 push up with rotation
5x 5 front raise
5x 5 bent row
5x 5 single leg squat jumps (each leg)

2-0-2 tempo
2x 10 ball crunches
2x 10 negative crunches
2x 25 straight arm twists
2x 10 stab. ball bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

Frankly Speaking

I recently caught up with Extremely Frank of the KC Roller Warriors and this is how things went down. I will let her speak for herself!

Enjoy!

J

So Frank, what are the stats?
I think I got a B- in that class in undergrad. Oh, wait, I think you want this...female, age 37, 5'1", blue eyes, whatever hair-color my stylist picks each month, as Sagittarius as they come, Marketing Director by day.

If you could have any super power, what would you want?
I would want to be able to magically change my fingers into all different types of tweezers - like the a mutant love child of Wolverine and Edward Scissorhands. I always seem to need a good pair of tweezers.

Beer, wine, or mixed drinks?

Beer - on a beach, when it's hot outside, when I'm low on cash. Pansie beers,please...the kind that you can almost see through and contain descriptions like, "fruity undertones with a whisper of coriander". When I drink too much of them I actually become that description.

Wine - anytime. I'll drink the cheap stuff, I'll drink the expensive stuff, and I won't be able to tell the difference. Normally I'm a red gal, but if it's an important shindig I go for white. Red turns my teeth gray and is much more obvious/horrific looking when I spill it down the front of my dress.

Mixed Drinks - Only when I'm trying really, really, hard to look cool, or I'm craving a Coke. Coke and vanilla vodka is like mother's milk. I like to call it, "Trouble & A Comin'". Too many of these and you'll be incessantly badgered to watch a sloppy one-woman reenactment of "Grease". I pretty much only drink water and wine (I refer to it as the "Jesus Diet"), so this is how I sneak in some soda.

Crime you are most likely to commit?
Brutal honesty...and/or impersonation of a government official.

Last major penalty?
Blocking from a stand-still. Didn't even know it was a penalty for the taking! Because, really, if you're going to the box shouldn't it be for something more flashy and spectacular than "you made someone fall because you were just standing there".

Jam our block?
Came out of derby tryouts as a Jammer and did that my Rookie year (last year). My All Star teammates and coach realized quickly that my speedometer had a governor on it and I'm not what one would describe as "slippery". I'm have more of a natural "ramrod" style. So the transformation into a Blocker began this year. I prefer Blamming - a bit of both.

In a funk or got da funk?
Got da funk - always got da funk. I could have the funk at an insurance seminar and sell it to others in attendance - that's how much funk I've got. Isn't funk the best thing to have?

Chuck Norris, hottest man alive or not if he was the last man alive?
Does it matter? He'd be so quick and fast that I wouldn't even have time to get his whole name shouted..."oh, Chu". Done. Then there's rumors going around about how I'm sharin' my funk with some dude named "Chu", which some people will think is the pet name I gave Chuy from "Chelsea Lately", and when he heard about it I wouldn't want him to think that I'm not over him and our amazing weekend in the Poconos. That's the damage that Chuck Norris can cause.

Inside line or round the outside?
Totally depends where Bruz, Eclipse, Black Ice, Delia Death and/or Evolution is standing. Once that is determined - go the other way.

Derby crush?

Of course it's my darling derby wife Hail Mary - an instant and cosmic crush when we met at Pump Up Camp while getting ready to tryout in 2009. It's a love that will stand the test of time - with our without protective gear. However, I do have derby crushes on specific parts of certain skaters - sorry if I stare sometimes, ladies. Let me elaborate...

LIST FORMAT = Crushing on...Skater Name

Rear View...Dominate Jean (it defies gravity...like a beach house on stilts or something)
Biceps...Brain Czar Us (I know, right? You wouldn't expect it in that adorable little package, but they're mind-blowing - check em' out)
Legs...Jade Lightning (limbs like that do not exist in my gene-pool)
"Da Girls"...Evolution (82% of the women in the State of California have paid top dollar for much less...literally and figuratively)
Beauty Marks...Annie Maul (seriously, do you know anyone else that can work em' like that? I would look like Enrique Iglesias before the surgery)

Thing you would most likely do to an opposing player besides knock a bitch out?
Ask her the name and brand of her fabulous nail polish color.

Off skates workouts-hits or misses?
Hit. Big hit. If it burns calories and makes it hard for you to gingerly get on and off the toilet the next day, well, that's success in my book (and I have suffered this glorious fate many times after KCRW's off-skates workouts on Saturdays). When you skate you need to be a machine, and machines need maintenance. Endurance, thighs, and waistlines can not survive on derby alone. I dove-tail in Bikram yoga on the days that we don't have practice. It's life-changing. Seriously. 90 minutes in a room that's 105 - 112 degrees, with 800-1000 calories burned in one class. You get to know the real you when you're soaking wet, no makeup, staring at your spandex-encased self in a mirror chanting "...don't throw up...don't pass out...don't throw up...". Hardest workout I've ever experienced, and it routinely kicks my arse. Between getting a good beating at derby practice and Bikram, I am humbled 6 days per week. On Fridays I get a brief moment to sit and lick my self-confidence wounds.

Pet you are most likely to keep- monkey, tiger, pig, or parrot?
Pig. You're talkin' to a born-n-raised Iowa farm girl. I wouldn't have any idea what to do with one of those fancy pets...and by "what to do" I mean butcher.

Words of wisdom?
People who live in glass houses should wear robes.



Frank you are an incredible gem. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions and shed a little more light on the personalities that love and play the game!

Procratination

Have you ever had a staring contest with a computer screen? For the past few days I have been exhausted, which is how I spend a good portion of my life with my most valued expertise being in biting off more than I can chew. Work has been nuts, schedules crazy, and the whole time I have known that I needed to write. Truthfully, sitting down and writing is probably more beneficial to me than to anyone who has to read my ranting and belaboring of ideals mixed with sarcasm and a hint of disillusionment. In the end, no matter how hard I try not to be, I am affected by the stories of the people that I attempt to help each day. With my clients I share some victories that are as sweet as honey and troubles that are bitter to no end. I try not to let this bleed into my mood too much but at some point it takes it's toll. You see, the journey toward achieving a level of fitness in life is much more than a few push ups and some crunches. Sets and reps don't come close to describing what is actually taking place. Fitness, by definition, is the extent to which an organism is adapted to or able to produce. For most people a poor physical fitness is simply the symptom of an inability to adapt in many other areas of their lives meaning that in order for me to be effective as a trainer I need to understand the root of the problem. If we don't fix that even our best progress will only be short lived. Writing this blog helps me understand and verbalize a lot of the purpose behind why I continue to do what I do but sometimes you get tired and feel like there is nothing left to offer. This is, of course, a trick of the mind to keep you from experiencing the pain that is often associated with growth and it manifests itself as procrastination. I have stared down this screen through tired eyes for nearly a year now, some days I win others I lose, but today the day is mine. An entry is made, a workout produced, and the opportunity for growth again offered. Now we just have to decide what to do with it.

Enjoy!

J

5 min. warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
5x 5 push up with rotation
5x 5 front raise
5x 5 bent row
5x 5 single leg squat jumps (each leg)

2-0-2 tempo
2x 10 ball crunches
2x 10 negative crunches
2x 25 straight arm twists
2x 10 stab. ball bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

P.S. Tomorrow I will be posting my recent pseudo-interview with Extremely Frank. Trust me you don't want to miss this!

Swim

Today is a day for cardio and since it is summer I strongly recommend swimming. Swimming gives a great cardio workout with an incredible amount of low impact resistance, meaning that it is great on your joints as well. Plus, you get to be at a pool. bonus!For all of those of you who still refuse to do anything outside of skating to train for playing roller derby, maybe try skating underwater. This is no more ludicrous a notion than the one that makes you believe that all you need to do to be able to excel a sport is skate a lot. Best of luck!

J

Jump Right In

5 min. warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
5x 5 push up to row
5x 5 lateral raise
5x 5 back fly
5x 5 single leg hops for distance
2x 10 plank crunches
2x 10 butterfly crunches
2x 25 straight arm twists
2x 10 stab. ball bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

This has been another crazy week, something that has become normal for most of us quite honestly. In a conversation yesterday a young woman complained to me about having to work a full time job and then do more work at home. She was more than a little offended when I was unable to control my laughter at the ridiculousness of her statement. When she asked me what was so funny I just laughed harder, only exasperating the situation. Shaking her head in disgust she stated that i must not understand her problem at all and she was exactly right. I don't recall a time where my own schedule was that sweet, a week where I only worked forty hours and did nothing else. For the past three years I have been working with women who play roller derby, all of which have more than enough on their plates to begin with. The funny part is I don't recall a conversation with one of these women where they were simply complaining about not having enough time. Most of these women excel in their athletic, personal, and professional lives in a sport that to play effectively requires quite a commitment of time in addition to the rest of their lives. The difference between the woman I had a conversation with and my derby girls is both clear and remarkable. Derby girls just jump right in after whatever it is that they want to pursue. I know these are broad strokes to paint with and that there are exceptions to everything but this has been my general finding. Not to mention roller derby has a way of sifting out the players from the pretenders quickly. All that said, let's make some progress today!

J

Consistency

Today we are focused in on cardio. Nothing crazy on the docket, just doing it and doing it well. 30 min of constant pace with your heart rate elevated to about 65% of max (based on how you feel). Today is a punch the clock type of day where we are just keeping our momentum going and making our bones by way of consistent effort. A bit of the tortoise and the hare type mentality if you will. Either way, I hope you have a great day and a solid workout!

J

What's The Frequency, Kenneth?

5 min. warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
5x 5 push up to row
5x 5 squat to overhead press
5x 5 inverted row
5x 5 frog hops for distance
4x 30 sec. planks
2x 10 butterfly crunches
2x 25 neg. crunches
2x 10 stab. ball bridges
5 min cool down
Stretch

Right now I am in the middle of some ironic disconnect with the rest of the world. Through no lack of effort, I still am finding it tough to tune in to whatever seems to be going on around me. This might not be such a huge issue save the fact that I work with people in a one on one or small group setting, giving me no room to be a half step off. I remember a time where I had taken a stab at "Corporate America" and fell asleep in a meeting with my boss. When she roused me from my ill timed nap I had no idea what to say for myself so I just asked for a cup of coffee. Needless to say she was unimpressed to say the least and my stint in the corporate world drew to an abrupt close. For many people, the world of fitness is very similar in that it will not hold their attention. I attribute a lot of this to the fact that it is a very physical manifestation of the difficulty involved with change, something that is almost never comfortable and typically involves a fair degree of stress. No matter how difficult change may be It is something that we must deal with constantly. The converse side of working out physically is not just staying the same but rather losing ground to aging and environmental challenges that we live amongst. The only solution that seems to work is to approach this challenge with a disciplined mentality, one that only allows us to see ourselves progressing even when we cannot immediately see the results. Keeping our brains tuned in this way is a lot harder said than done, but in the end will breed the success we desire. That said, let's get to work!

Enjoy!

J

One Day?

5 min warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
2x 20 push ups
2x 20 squats to overhead presses
2x 20 inverted rows
2x 20 step ups ( step up onto an elevated surface, balance on one foot, and step down)

1-1-1 tempo
2x 25 straight arm twists(each direction)
4x 30 sec planks
2x 25 oblique crunches( each side)
5 min cool down
Stretch

Last night I met a few guys heavily involved in the athletic world, specifically broadcasting and international league management for a variety of different sports. Inevitably they asked me what was going on in the roller derby world and wondered if things were continuing to improve. I had no idea how to answer this question, first off because my importance to the roller derby community is next to nothing and secondly because the little bit I am aware of is not really interested in what these men were talking about. Please don't let that come across as anything more than what it is, simply the way the land lies. My friends went on to ask about marketing strategy, broadcast deals, sponsorship, and the concept of roller derby becoming a paid professional sport. I had to laugh a little, not because these things aren't possible, but rather because they had spent the previous hour and a half talking about how this very concept of paying an athlete may destroy the very nature of the competition. It did leave me thinking things over, wondering if it were available to turn the sport full on professional, would it be a good thing or not? I have no answer other than to say that a lot of things would have to change. The top of the list for me, both unsurprisingly and apologetically, would be a broadening of the mentality for which both the training and competition would be conducted. Roller derby would have to decide that it was more interested in being a sport than an activity accompanied by a three ring circus. What is the answer to this quandary? I have no clue and quite frankly don't care. I will continue to work with and assist in the workouts of those who are willing to take a sport seriously, which by the way means more than just skating. I'm just saying!

Enjoy!

J

Outside

I have been having car trouble for about the past week or so and while this has been a little frustrating, not to mention expensive, it has also forced me in a little different direction. I still have places to go and live in a city where public transit is one of the best jokes ever told in that you will laugh at it until you cry. That has left me on a bike, the most popular mode of transportation of 10 year olds everywhere. However crazy this may be, I seriously had overestimated my cardio fitness when left to pedaling my way everywhere. By the way, even in the Midwest nothing is truly flat so even the slightest elevation can grate at you over a few miles. For cardio today, ride a bike for 10-15 miles or so. It sounds a lot more daunting than it is.

Have fun!

J

Wednesday

5 min warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
2x 20 push ups
2x 20 squats to overhead presses
2x 20 inverted rows
2x 20 step ups ( step up onto an elevated surface, balance on one foot, and step down)

1-1-1 tempo
2x 25 straight arm twists(each direction)
4x 30 sec planks
2x 25 oblique crunches( each side)
5 min cool down
Stretch

It is now officially the middle of the week and we are in the downhill slide shortly. It is hot and muggy where I am and though not the most conducive air for breathing, I am as happy as can be to not deal with cold. Tomorrows workout will be primarily an outside one so enjoy a little time in the ac as you break a sweat today!

Have a great one!


J

Truly Inspired

Inspiration is a funny thing. I always thought it was relatively easy to inspire myself and others, that is, until I tried it. I believed that a few good words, a little encouragement, a look like you were about to do something crazy and awesome all tied up with a bow and packaged in some sort of loose interpretation that insinuated the meaning of life and you had it! Inspiration! Maybe if your life is a movie with Denzel Washington or Mattew McConaughey as the lead but for the rest of us there is a little more to it. I was consulting with a potential client last evening and had an example of false inspiration pushed directly to the forefront. This gentleman had all of the right answers to every question that I could have thought to ask. Why is this not the best thing in the world? Because they weren't his answers whatsoever. This guy wanted to lose weight, tone, sculpt, core strengthen, and focus on building fast twitch muscle like a mad man. After a few minutes of talking, he unraveled into explaining that he didn't know what any of that meant, that he'd read men's fitness to study up on some terms so that he didn't sound like he knew nothing. Let me say here, there is nothing wrong with this at all. We all want to know kind of what we are doing or at least appear that way. Magazines and other resources (like the bull shit that I hack out) can be good places to find some info, encouragement, accountability, and even a laugh here or there. This is not, in my opinion, true inspiration. By definition, inspiration is stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. To be truly inspired, emotions need to be involved in some facet and it is a small, sick group of us that can get emotional about push ups. Find something that moves you, something that hits you hard enough that you simply cannot remain still, and use that to inspire yourself into new levels of personal achievements. The rest of us will still be here to encourage you and give you words to use that sound great and don't mean too much at all, like dynamic flexibility and diminished proprioceptive resources. That said... lets do some cardio!

5 min warm up
Stretch
4x 100 meter sprints
2x 800 meter run ( 80% of max sprint)
2 mile jog
4 x 60 sec plank
5 min cool down
Stretch

Enjoy!

J

Simply Complex

5 min warm up
Stretch
4-2-1 tempo
2x 20 push ups
2x 20 squats to overhead presses
2x 20 inverted rows
2x 20 step ups ( step up onto an elevated surface, balance on one foot, and step down)

1-1-1 tempo
2x 25 straight arm twists(each direction)
4x 30 sec planks
2x 25 oblique crunches( each side)
5 min cool down
Stretch

This week I have spent a majority of my time drawing up diets, figuring basal metabolic rates and perfecting program design for optimal results. The funny part is those are relatively big words for very simple calculations that should produce consistent results. The rest of my week has been spent answering questions from clients and sorting out issues that should be handled by psychologists. I remember reading an article about a month ago where the writer suggested that exercise may cause weight gain rather than weight loss due to the increase in appetite that comes from being in a caloric deficit due to muscle exertion. What this individual, in my opinion, missed was that the diet and exercise in and of themselves are easy. It is we as humans that make them complicated. On a biological level, our bodies are rather predictable across the board. The law of thermodynamics is no respecter of person, in that it maintains to function the same no matter who you are. The complexity is that our workouts aren't always tailored for the inconsistencies in life. The fact that you broke up with someone you were in a significant relationship with is not a push ups fault and having a hell of a day at work cannot be cured by elevated calorie intake without consequence. A consistent discipline of doing something every day to take positive steps toward reaching your peak performance also means balancing all of the distractions that present themselves throughout the same day. This is why we appreciate athletes that excel in their field, often beyond the level of discipline and accountability that we can muster for ourselves. Yes, it is hard sometimes but the results are worth as is being able to look at yourself in the mirror and know that you have done well. Hope today is a good one!

J

Music To Move To

Today is another day of cardio. We are going to mix it up with some sprints and a little mid distance to balance out the muscles. If at some point today you feel as though your heart is about to explode or maybe you need to projectile vomit, you are doing something right. This one should be intense. rest between sprints should be between 30 sec and 1 minute. Have Fun!

5 min warm up
Stretch
4x 50 meters of skipping for distance
4x 100 meter sprints
4x 400 meter sprints
1600 meters (1 mile) sub ten minute pace
2x 25 floor bridges
2x 10 supermans
5 min cool down
Stretch

Playlist
Jenny Says- Cowboy Mouth
Bizarre Love Triangle- New Order
Live Your Life- T.I.
Rush- Big Audio Dynamite
Mighty Wings- Cheap Trick
Some Boys- Death Cab For Cutie
Down For The Count- Girl Talk
Basket Case- Green Day
Coffee and Cigarettes- Jimmy Eat World
Bitte Ein Kuss- Onelinedrawing
Here and Now- Letters To Cleo
Crushcrushcrush- Paramore
Spin The Black Circle- Pearl Jam
Pinhead- The Ramones


Enjoy!

J