A guy at the gym tonight kept loading up the bar with plate after plate as he did squats. Impressive, right?
Well, it would've been if he'd even come close to using proper form. He didn't. He barely squatted, not even coming close to getting his thighs parallel to the ground.
So what did he accomplish? Not much.
Go for form and the weight will follow.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Strenuous Life
Theodore Roosevelt said that people should live a strenuous life. By that, he meant active. Get outside, do things.
Roosevelt of course went well beyond anything most people do today. He started a ranch out west almost on his own. He swam in the Potomac. He boxed. He explored an unknown river in Brazil.
But I do believe he's right, that we all should strive to be as active as possible. So this past weekend I snowboarded Saturday morning, split wood for three hours that afternoon (it's a great total body workout) and surfed Sunday. Then I worked in the yard, though that was the least strenuous of everything I did.
For me that's an extra-strenuous weekend. But it did feel good.
Just remember that being active can be as simple as getting in workouts when you can or taking the stairs instead of the escalator.
Roosevelt of course went well beyond anything most people do today. He started a ranch out west almost on his own. He swam in the Potomac. He boxed. He explored an unknown river in Brazil.
But I do believe he's right, that we all should strive to be as active as possible. So this past weekend I snowboarded Saturday morning, split wood for three hours that afternoon (it's a great total body workout) and surfed Sunday. Then I worked in the yard, though that was the least strenuous of everything I did.
For me that's an extra-strenuous weekend. But it did feel good.
Just remember that being active can be as simple as getting in workouts when you can or taking the stairs instead of the escalator.
Monday, February 2, 2009
When You Need It Most
In this economy, the pressure at work seems to rise a bit more each day, and it's easy to bypass your workout. Don't.
The physical benefits from working out are obvious. What may be less obvious are the mental benefits. Put simply, a good workout relieves stress, lets you focus on something else for a bit. And these days, we could all use that.
The physical benefits from working out are obvious. What may be less obvious are the mental benefits. Put simply, a good workout relieves stress, lets you focus on something else for a bit. And these days, we could all use that.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
No Space, No Problem
A friend the other day was saying that the room where classes are held at his gym is too small for sprints. I have the same issue and there's an easy solution -- create more space.
The way to do that is by using angles and setting up markers. For instance, tonight I put a pylon against one wall probably five yards from one end of the room, another on the other side of the room a few more yards from the back wall and a third at the far end in a corner. Then I stood in the corner and sprinted to the first pylon, then ran across the room the second and then back across the room to the third, before making my way back.
So no, I wasn't able to run flat out but by running from side to side, basically, I was able to increase the space. I also was able to stop and start, which is something that happens in most sports and thus is good for you to know how to do.
Finally, a setup like this give you the ability to do multi-directional work. You can sprint ahead, shuffle to the side and back peddle, so that you move the way you do in real life. (We never simply move forward.)
The way to do that is by using angles and setting up markers. For instance, tonight I put a pylon against one wall probably five yards from one end of the room, another on the other side of the room a few more yards from the back wall and a third at the far end in a corner. Then I stood in the corner and sprinted to the first pylon, then ran across the room the second and then back across the room to the third, before making my way back.
So no, I wasn't able to run flat out but by running from side to side, basically, I was able to increase the space. I also was able to stop and start, which is something that happens in most sports and thus is good for you to know how to do.
Finally, a setup like this give you the ability to do multi-directional work. You can sprint ahead, shuffle to the side and back peddle, so that you move the way you do in real life. (We never simply move forward.)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
My New Gym
When I moved, I had to find a new gym. Luckily, there's one three blocks from my house, about the same distance as I had before.
But the new gym is a bit like stepping back in time, and not just because of the equipment. People all around me are doing isolation exercises (it's hard to believe people still do so many curls) and one chest exercise after another.
I see far too few leg work and almost no posterior chain work. A full-body workout? Forget it.
In other words, they're doing bodybuilder workouts for the most part. Me, I'm plowing ahead with my full-body workouts because I know they work and make me a better athlete, not a bodybuilder.
But the new gym is a bit like stepping back in time, and not just because of the equipment. People all around me are doing isolation exercises (it's hard to believe people still do so many curls) and one chest exercise after another.
I see far too few leg work and almost no posterior chain work. A full-body workout? Forget it.
In other words, they're doing bodybuilder workouts for the most part. Me, I'm plowing ahead with my full-body workouts because I know they work and make me a better athlete, not a bodybuilder.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
We're Lazy
That's what I'm realizing as I go through my daily commute and here's why -- people line up for escalators even when perfectly good stairs are right there.
I see it every single day. I even saw someone walk up to an escalator, see that it wasn't working and walk to one that was working. Of course then once on the escalator people simply stand there instead of walking up them as well.
How did people become so lazy. Take the stairs.
I see it every single day. I even saw someone walk up to an escalator, see that it wasn't working and walk to one that was working. Of course then once on the escalator people simply stand there instead of walking up them as well.
How did people become so lazy. Take the stairs.
Sorry for the Interruption
I moved recently, which temporarily threw everything into a bit of chaos. There was the move itself, the ensuing lack of Internet access because of the cable company's incompetence and trying to find time to post amid a life that now involves a long commute to work.
But there's a huge upside to all this -- I now walk to the beach to surf instead of driving an hour and a half. And I live where life moves at a slower pace. Just stepping off the train here each day feels nice.
But there's a huge upside to all this -- I now walk to the beach to surf instead of driving an hour and a half. And I live where life moves at a slower pace. Just stepping off the train here each day feels nice.
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