Bros and hose

Sorry about the title I couldn't resist. In strength and conditioning circles climbing ropes have been used for years. Recently two have been anchored together to create an exercise called "battling ropes". A unique exercise that challenges grip, lats, legs, chest and abs. It is also brutal on your lungs. Here at UFC we like to take it to the next level. Enter the battling fire hose.

Heavier than the ropes, harder to grip and best of all you can get them FREE! You read that right. Go to a fire station and ask them for an old fire hose, they regularly replace the old tattered ones. saw off the end caps and get to work. Start with 30 second rounds with 60 second rest intervals. Do it!

The onion circuit

Why is it called the "onion circuit"? Because it can make grown men cry.

Here it is:

heavy sledge hammer hits

sled drags backwards and forwards 100 ft

farmers walk 100 ft

yours in strength

Trevor Jaffe

Protein

The International Society of Sports Nutrition issued a position stand on protein and exercise. Based on on a large body of research, they concluded:

• exercise increases the daily protein requirement.
• increased protein intake, when part of a balanced diet, does not impair kidney function.
• protein supplements are helpful for supplying daily needs.
• consuming protein before and after training promotes recovery, boosts immunity and increases lean body mass
• specific amino acids supplements, such as branched-chain amino acids and leucine, may improve performance and recovery.
• and finally active people should consume a minimum of 1.4gm to 2gm of protein per kilograms of body weight.

So if you weigh 130lbs divide your weight by 2.2 to get your weight in kilos. (59.1) then multiply by 1.4 and 2 and we get 83gm to 118gm.

Exercise of the week 9/6/08

In the first installment of "Exercise of the week", I'm going to teach you the plate pullover and press. T he pullover and press is an old school exercise with many variations. Using a weight plate in stead of a barbell or dumbbell allows for more range of motion and less discomfort on your wrists and elbows. To begin lay down on a flat bench with a weight plate held out at arms length. Slowly lower the plate to a comfortable level behind your head. Do not over stretch, follow a natural range of motion. Bring the plate all the way up, then lower to your chest and press.

At Ultimate Fitness and Conditioning we use this as both a warm up and a strengthening exercise depending on the clients strength level. Here is a video of me using it as a finisher to my upper body workout.

Hardcore Cardio

Do you hate treadmills and stationary bikes? I don't blame you, spending a half hour on them and going nowhere doesn't thrill me either. Go to the amazon search feature on this blog and look for sledge hammers. there a great way to strengthen your core, back and arms all while challenging your cardio. Start with an 8lbs hammer, when you can do a minute straight at full power move up to the 12lbs hammer. There are many exercises that can be done with sledge hammers but to start we will stick swinging. Always master basics first. Her is a video of olympian Adler Volmar getting ready for the Judo U.S Open.

What are you waiting for? Get to work!

Creative conditioning

"if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail." I don't know who originally said that but I understand it's meaning. In my facility everything available is used, even the 5 gallon water jugs. there great for:

swings
snatches
cleans
throws and catches
shouldering
farmers walks
dead lift varieties
presses

the list is endless and transitions are easy for conditioning.
here is a video showing how they can be combined with kettlebells.

Strange Brew

The most important aspect of building muscle is recovery. After all, Your muscles don't grow in the gym. They suffer myofibular damage(micro trauma) and need to repair. Everybody by now should know the importance of a post workout recovery meal, but have you ever tried a recovery drink during your workout? With every rep you will force vital nutrients into your muscle cells jump starting the repair process.

Try this drink mix for a few weeks and let me know how it goes.

Mix 1 scoop of
Accelerade
10 grams of B.C.A.A powder
5 grams of glutamine
5 grams of creatine
sugar free crystal light for flavor, unless you like things that taste sour.

My training partners and I have nicknamed this "strange brew".

Working out is safe right?

Found this on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiMtypKJQ9I
and part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1IS0hslZns be sure to check out the last two minutes on this one...ouch!

Things to try

Many coaches argue whether kettlebells or barbells are better. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Why not take advantage and combine them? If you have access to both, try this for explosive power.

Try super setting the same exercise with each tool for three rounds. For example:

1.Kettlebell snatch x 3 followed immediately by barbell snatches x 3

2.kettlebell cleans x 3 followed immediately by barbell cleans x 3

3.kettlebell high pulls x 3 followed immediately by barbell high pulls x 3

for power endurance:

1.barbell snatches x 5 followed by high rep kettlebell snatches(15-20)

rest 60-90 seconds between rounds do as many rounds as you can in 15 minutes

take a 4-5 minute rest then proceed to circuit 2

2. barbell power cleans x 5 followed by ketllebell high pulls x 20

same rest periods as above. Again for 15 minutes the goal here is to race the clock.

Simple yet effective. Man up and get to work

Burpee challenge

Got ten minutes to spare? Try doing ten minutes of burpees. The preferred method of punishment by high school football coaches everywhere. An excellent exercise to condition the lungs and the legs. You will not be able to go for ten minutes straight, take as many breaks as you need. Set a number goal and try to add five more each time you try this. Good would be 100, great would be 150. Start by squatting down, put your hands on the floor. Thrust your legs back so your in a push up position. Jump your legs back up to your hands and jump straight up in the air. See video below...ENJOY!

Those that can do. Those that can't coach

lessons learned this past weekend

1-it pays to be a local guy, the rules do not apply to them.

2-strongman really does build character.

3-practice with the implements before hand. learning on the fly will cost you a trophy.

All in all a great experience. Myself, Sean and Matt did very well for our first competition. Matt even managed 2ND place. Here is how thing went down.

The first event was the log clean and press. Matt and i tied for first place and Sean cleaned and pressed the 200lbs log. Narrowly missing 210lbs, not bad considering he was the lightest competitor but 25lbs.

The second event was the fat bar dead lift. As many reps as you can in 90 seconds. The first man out got 18 reps. I set a goal that i would get at least the same or more. I did 18 reps before time ran out, I was announced as 16 reps? no reason was given, this became a tone fore the day. Matt was up and delivered 19 reps. He was announced as 17 reps? Again we weren't local boys. The 18 rep winner was however(side note he was a great guy, not his fault, that's how the judges are sometimes.)

Time for the yoke walk. I would like to tell you this went great but i completely blew it. We were not prepared for how much it moved, wobbled and twisted. I placed dead last in this event! My misfortune was Matt's and Sean's gain. I learned how to control the yoke with ten seconds left, not enough time for me to do much but I made sure they didn't suffer the same fate.

Fourth event the farmers walk. Time to redeem our selves. Matt missed first by 1 half second, I finished Fourth by 2 seconds and Sean tore a callus of his hand the size of a quarter...OUCH!

Final event the tire flip, our best event since it's the only implement we actually had to train with. the course was 100 feet. We were told if we make it all the way down to turn and flip it back. Most flips in 60 seconds wins. Matt and I finished 1 and 2 in this but couldn't figure out how we went the exact same distance(all the way down 1 flip back) and were given 2 different scores. Like I said it was the tone of the day for many competitors.

If your wondering about this blogs title that is how i spent most of the day. Rather than sulk about my poor yoke performance I did everything in my power to help my boys Matt and Sean.

I couldn't be prouder of them.

It builds character!

Well i weighed in tonight for the strongman competition. While leaving I met a woman named Pam who said she was the only woman competing. So why compete I asked? "it builds character" she said. A perfect example of commitment. Set goals achieve them...nuff said!

Central Florida Strongman Championships

I can feel it in my stomach. It's finally here, the Central Florida Strongman Championships. Saturday August 9TH. Nine weeks of preparation will be put to the test. I know I'm ready because an old habit has reappeared...puking! No, not from working out. You see I'm like Jamie Foxx's character in "Any Given Sunday" I need to puke to perform. Call it nerves or being anxious I couldn't say, but it means I'm on! I have 5 events to get through, log clean and press for max weight. yoke walk, fasted time for 80 feet with 550lbs on my back. Most tire flips in 60 seconds with a 500lbs tire. Farmers walk for 100 feet, fastest time with 230lbs in each hand and finally fat bar dead lifts for the most reps with 350. Stay tuned to see how I do.

Amazing new fitness tool...You!

I hear excuses from everbody about no time to go to the gym(sorry e-money). Truth is they have no desire to go. They rather watch an infomercial about the latest and greatest new super home gym tool. I have news for you, there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to resistance training. Just new ways of implementing resistance. So lets get old school. Really old school like roman gladiator old school, who were said to train daily with bodyweight calisthenics(their lives depended on it). There are hundreds of exercises to choose from. The best gym in town may just be you.

Get to work!

What is your level of commitment

Commitment- to pledge or assign to some particular course or use.

Think about that for a moment. What did you set out to accomplish when you first began training? Have you achieved it? If you have great, if not I'm willing to bet it was for a lack of commitment.

You can have the best routine, the best diet or even the best coach(ME). However if you haven't truly committed yourself, you will not succeed.

Let me tell you a story of commitment. Adler Volmar wasn't supposed to make the U.S Olympic team for Judo this year. At least that is what he was told by doctors. Adler tore 2 ligaments and his cartilage in his knee 5 months before the Olympic trails. He needed a complete knee reconstruction. You know the surgery that keeps your favorite NFL player out for over a year.

Problem was Adler refused to quit. At that very moment he committed. Not to going to the Olympics, but rather to win the gold(goal setting).

After surgery to his knee on February 5Th, it became Adler's mission to vigorously rehabilitate his body and his mind(visualization). 8 hour days of 3 workouts a day, not to mention his duties at home as a husband and father or 3 young kids.

Words cannot describe how proud I am to be Adler's friend. I write this just after hanging up the phone with Alder from Beijing, China. Where he is in his final gold medal preparations...That's right, he won the Olympic trials.

NOW GO DO YOUR IMPOSSIBLE GOAL!