Tuesday, November 17, 2009

MOVED

Got tired of this site messing up my friends' computers. here's the new blog

http://ironphoenixathletics.com/

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

HAPPIEST PERSON I KNOW


["The son becomes the father and the father becomes the son." ]





This was yesterday's Facebook status of Craig Ballantyne creator of Turbulence Training Fat Loss and all-around fitness bad ass.


Who is the happiest person I know?

That would have to be my father. He's a Vietnam Vet. that fought in one of the worst battles of the war. (ref. "When We Were Soldiers" movie) He has been through hell & back, literally.


 After the war, he came home and busted his ass for over 40yrs at a job that he hated, in order to support the family he loves. He has been a devoted husband for 40 yrs (which is uncommon nowadays) and a loving, but stern, father to 3 girls and 1 kick ass boy. 


Despite all the curve balls life threw at him, he has got to be the most optimistic person I know. I've got some tough shoes to fill when I become a father in May. As long as I keep my father's outlook on life in my heart, I think I'll do just fine. Thanks dad for not only serving your country, but more importantly, for being a real life "Superman."


Friday, October 30, 2009

EVERYONE ELSE IS INSANE, I'M TOTALLY MAKING SENSE


[I guess he found the "fat burning zone"]

(This is more of a rant than anything. So, there's no rhythm to it. Fuck it! That's what blogs are for)


You've been on and off the scale, worrying about your "BMI" , trying to eat a specific amount of calories, and doing 45min - 1hr of useless cardio on your stair stepper all your life ...How's that been working out for you?... Are you a number or are you somebody?



i guess i need to clarify that the cardio i am referring to is the steady state, 45-1hr low intensity, high impact crap many people think is the key to fat loss.

you want an effective weight loss routine? stop eating shit, lift heavy things a few times a week, sprint like f*#k'n race horse once in a while, and play every day. 


don't get me wrong, 45min - 1hr jogs and/or hikes are not only enjoyable, but are also good for overall health. however, they are just a small piece of a bigger puzzle.

too much of any one aspect will have negative results. strength trainig w/o adequate recovery will lead to injury and illness quicker than you can say "squat."

a lot of my old clients were "cardio-aholics" thinking that the reason the didn't lose that last 10-15lbs was due to the fact that they only did 30min on the recumbent bike instead of an hour.

they would bust their ass doing 30min on the treadmill ( fight the machines!) b/4 a session, then i would put them through the worst 15-30 min of their life, then they would come in on their days off and lightly jog for 30min-1hr complaining that they were sore and tired from our last session.

at this point they had stopped burning fat and started destroying muscle. then, they would get insanely hungry, go next door to the smoothie shop and order a jumbo PB smoothie, down it in about 5min, spike their insulin levels, increase their fat stores, and repeat the process all over again.

they would eventually come to me and ask why they haven't seemed to lose any fat. i told them that their diet sucked and they need to stop doing so much damn low intensity cardio, but they were not ready to hear the truth.

insanity- doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.

same could be said for stupidity.

in regards to not being able to burn fat in less than 30 min, you can burn fat in less than 3min in my version of the "fat burning zone." a.k.a the kitchen.

you wanna burn fat? eat less and of the right types of foods.

plain and simple, you can't out run a bad diet.

here's an effective "fat burning" routine you can do in 4min


TABATA PROTOCOL:

*20sec of work / 10 sec of rest x 8 rounds

*kettlebell, dumbbell, or barbell front squats

* try to get as many reps as you can w/ perfect form w/in the 20sec.

* no sissy squats either. ass below parallel (ass to the ground even better)

* same goes for the weight..no sissy, that is.

* be aggressive and explosive.

* pretty soon you'll be begging for that 4th min to end.

* if not, you need to put down that pink 2.5 lb baby toy you call a weight and pick up some real tonnage.


Check out these links for more info on bullshit cardio and tabata protocol.


Sunday, October 25, 2009

KETTLEBELL JEDI ACADEMY DAY 1



So it begins.


I have accepted the fact that my blade is in serious need of sharpening. That's why I decided to enlist the help of a Senior blacksmith to melt me down, and build me up again; so that I am strong as steel and razor sharp.


I got a fever, and the only cure is more Swings and Get Ups.


You are either a student of many schools or a master of one. My destination is the latter, and my fuels are Get Ups and Swings. From now on until I hear otherwise, the prescription is 100 Swings and 10/10 Get Ups every day. How I choose to break plan it out is up to me; however, the key is to stay fresh.


It was a beautiful day yesterday so I decided to take the KB to the park. I did 5/5 TGU' slow and controlled, rest for about 5-6 min (laying on the grass just looking at the clouds), then I did 5x10 KBS. I rested another 5-6min and repeated. All with the 16kg I might add. We've recently rekindled our relationship.

Indiana Doug And The Quest For The Perfect Rep.

Staying fresh and controlling my fatigue will help me find that perfect rep. How I break up the sets is really going to depend on the day. I'm pretty busy when I'm not at the station, or at the station, but on the paramedic squad. Taking long breaks b/t sets just won't cut. There's no telling if I'll be running to a business meeting or doing CPR on patient. On these days, I have to do my set in blocks of 3-5 depending on how I feel.


Today is Sunday and I'm on the pumper. I should have a little more time to break the sets up a bit more today. I started the morning off early at 4am w/ 5/5 TGU's. I just watched a few respectable You Tube videos trying to really see where I need to improve. (This one by Dan John, RKC is awesome.) I'll be taking a few more notes then heading out to the apparatus bay for a few more Get Ups. The 100 swings will come later after some much needed R&R.

And here we go!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

VWC FOR 102008

WARM UP

10 Goblet Squats w/ 16kg
10 Swings w/ 16kg
5/5 Sampson Stretch
* 2 Rounds

CONDITIONING

VWC 15/15: 7/7 w/ the 16kg. Got 40 sets in today. Going to add 5 or more sets each time I do this until I reach 80

FINISHER

 B/T 5 and 10 min of KB Feestyle

Monday, October 19, 2009

30 MIN STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING WORKOUT

WARM UP

5 Min TGU w/ 24kg 1/1

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

AMRAP In 30 Min Of:

Dbl 24 kg Clean and Press x 5
Fighter Ring Pull Ups x 5,4,3,2,1
32 kg Swings x 30

*Completed 5 rounds today in about 21 min. I could have gone for at least 7 rounds, but I felt good with where I stopped. I didn't want to push myself to hard todaty becasue I thought that I'd be on the pumper, but as usual the rotation system failed again.

* Forgot to mention that I did the 5min RKC snatch test yesterday w/ the 24kg. Got 93 reps. Almost there. The Iron Tamer pointed out that I was lifting my heels off the ground. Didn't notice, but will fix it.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

BREAK THESE CHAINS: (WOD For 101609)



* I am quickly finding out that trying to put a business plan together and scouting out possible locations for our warehouse gym takes a lot of time out of your day.

* Needless to say, 730pm shows up pretty fast when you've got about 1,000 things to do in 24 hrs. (including getting ready for the next day and sleep)

* I had about less than 30min to get my workout in so I decided to try a kettlebell circuit I got from a You Tube post by Zach Even-Esh and David Whitley called a "Kettlebell Chain."

* In the vid, Coach Z states that you need 4 or more kettlebells of ascending weight to really make this effective. I started w/ 16kg, 20kg, 24kg , and a 28kg.

* The series of lifts in the "Chain" are as follows; Snatch, Rack, Strict Press, Clean And Press. Do 1 rep of each exercise on the left then 1 rep of each on the right

* Move to the next heavier kettlebell and repeat the sequence until you move to the top of the "Chain" and work your way back down.

* I threw in some fighter pull ups between chains. I think I got through it 5 time.

* There hardest part for me (other than the lifts themselves) was remembering the order of exercises. You'll see in the video where I stumble forward on the 20kg twice b/c I almost cleaned it instead of snatching it.