Two totally different images here. One image is the mumbling guy in Office Space, the other was taken by Lewis Hines during the construction of the Empire State building. You might think the latter group had a higher risk occupation. Surprisingly, only five people died during the construction of the Empire State Building. Of course we're talking about 1930's statistics so there could have been more.
Anyhow, modern cubicle guy, if he doesn't exercise and eat right, is at a high risk for colon cancer, diabetes, heart failure, etc. The construction workers might have had an Italiam combo, but they burnt  calories and more by the end of the workday. Cubicle guy is burning 70 calories an hour tops sitting in his chair. It would take him two to three times as long to burn off those calories. Due to the lack of excitement, cubicle guy might seek out a couple donuts, or cookies that one of his coworkers left in the kitchen. The construction workers got enough excitement from their job to keep stimulated. So we wonder why so many modern workers suffer from obesity, depression, and in the case of males, dwindling testosterone.
The bottom line is that if you have a desk job, you better have a solid workout routined and nutrition plan before your desk job turns into a "high risk" job.
Tom Pollard

Twenty Minute Squat Workout

Take a weight that you can handle (60 - 70 % of your one rep max if you're doing weights) and see how many reps you can get in a twenty minute sessions. Repeat this workout every couple of weeks and always aim to beat your previous max. I do this with squats, and pull ups. The squat workout will boost your metabolism like crazy.  

Sprints

This one is affordable but not easy. Pick a distance, it could be 50 yards or 100 yard. You want to jog the first one, run the second a little faster and by the third or fourth sprint you should be hitting a good stride. You want about 1 minute or 2 of rest between each sprint. Maybe a bit longer for the 100. Keep the sprints going as long as you feel you have a chance of topping your best time.

Drop Sets

I'm not a HIT guy but I like to throw in a drop set here and there. One set and go for broke. Do a heavy weight 4 - 6 reps, and then take 20 -30% of the bar and rep out. This is a good way to get in another exercise without using up to much time.

Bodyweight

Get outside, do some lunges, pushups, etc. Do a handstand against a tree, run some stairs, whatever comes to mind. This will keep you from being tight and a good way to motivate yourself to stay lean. The leaner you are the more bodyweight exercises you can do.

Compete at Something

Find an event and enter it. It could be as diverse as a  bike race, 5k, 10k, weightlifting/power lifting contest, or team sport. Golf and bowling don't count. Make your workouts compliment something tangible and athletic. If working out is just something you do because your doctor told you, or you think it will make you look better, you're not really "getting it". Put yourself out there in an environment where you are having fun, but pushing yourself harder. That isn't going to happen if workout dvd's are the pinnacle of your athletic existence.

Just a few ideas to start with, more to come....
Tom Pollard

 

P90x and Insanity have been successful in home video fitness training programs. Both products are made by Beach Body and chances are if you haven't done the workout, you've seen the infomercials late night during an insomnia attack. Many people have had success using these two programs. I have done all of the workouts in the P90x series and I will try Insanity sometime in the near future. I like a lot of the ideas on P90X.  The basic formula of taking two or three resistance exercises and doing several sets with limited downtime is proven winner as far as building lean muscle and burning fat. The ideal P90x trainee is someone who is enough condition to do keep up with the exercises but maybe needs to lose a little body fat to get "the look''. What I mean by the look, is the after photo in the before and after shot you see on all their advertisements. For women "the look" is 18 - 20 % bodyfat, with lean muscle and good posture. A woman at 18 - 20% bodyfat is what you need if you are a leading lady in Hollywood or want to look like one. For men, we're talking around 10 % or less bodyfat. This is where you see the six pack abs. A lot of guys had this look when they were in high school playing all kinds of sports before the onslaught of beer, fast food, and desk jobs. One of the draws with P90x is "the look". Even one of the male trainees in the p 90x infomercial says "don't you want this" after taking off his shirt for the camera.

I have heard of a few success stories from people who knew somebody who lost a lot of fat with p90x, I have also come across a few people who are "doing" the p90x videos but they hardly look like the people you see in the infomercials. I think there are a few reasons for this which I will go over.

 

No Accountability

P90x suggests that you train an hour a day for six days a week. So what happens if you start skipping a few workouts here and there because you overslept, had errands to do, etc. No different than some of the excuses that come up in bootcamp, or other less expensive training systems. Tony Horton isn't going to call you up personally and tell you to get out of the Dunkin Donuts drive thru and get back to working out.  With a trainer or training partner at least you have some guilt if you start missing sessions.  Guilt is a powerful tool. If you are out of shape, have time to work out, and skip workouts  YOU SHOULD FEEL GUILTY BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO EXCUSES. So the P90x trainee who gets their before and after pictures on the website is the one who did the workouts religiously 6 days a week with no excuses.

No Form Check

Partial, lazy squats, barely lunging lunges, half pushups, falling and collapsing on the floor and waiting it out for the time to expire are all things that can happen on the other side of the screen. Many people do the home exercise videos with poor form. I have a client that tweaked something in her back doing a Jillian Michaels home dvd because she felt like she wasn't doing it right. If she slips into bad form now working out with me, we take the time to correct the form. NOBODY SHOULD GET INJURED DOING EXERCISES. INJURIES FROM EXERCISE FOR THE MOST PART ARE DEGENERATIVE. DOING THINGS THE WRONG WAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN WITH NO CORRECTION WILL GET YOU INJURED. I would also suggest watching the home exercises before doing them. Twisting your neck around to watch what the trainer is doing  is not great for exercise form.

Nutrition

If somebody tells me they're doing P90x I will always ask them what they think of the nutrition plan. Many times people tell me they just do the workouts.  The workouts are great but when these people also talk about wanting to be lean or ripped they look a bit glum when I tell them that the nutrition plan is what is going to get you in the after photo. Only someone with a really great metabolism, and  working construction job, can do an exercise program on the Cracker Barrel diet and get lean. The P90x nutrition plan is the basic eat good foods, lower the calories, program that is basic sensible nutrition. So don't expect to get "the look" by just struggling through the videos. Nutrition is key if you want to get leaner. YOU CANNOT OUT TRAIN BAD EATING HABITS.

Workouts Might Be Too Hard For Some.

I take issue that on some  of the before and after shoots you see people who are obviously obese in the before photo because the P90X fit test suggests that obese people might not be ready for the program. One of the workouts calls for a lot of plyometrics where the heart rate is high and there is a lot of impact placed on the body. Whether it is too hard or not  is up to the trainees judgment, but my guess is that a lot of these people who had success going from obese to lean did so using the modified versions of exercises and maybe had to go through the program a few times. I would not suggest P90 x for anybody who is obese and has little recent history of exercise. Walking an hour a day along with basic resistance exercises and a "shock the body" with low calorie diet is way to get an obese person in the right direction. Doing split squat jumps with Tony and his crew might be overwhelming and discouraging for the obese client. Sure you can hit the pause button but how much do you want to be hitting the pause button while you're working out?

Here's who I think might have success with the P90 x plan, single, or empty nesters who have the 6 hours a week to do the workouts. . Maybe they are slightly overweight but have some athletic ability. Maybe you're the guy who played sports in college, and now you have been out for a year with a desk job eating Panera Bread take out two times a day. You now have a little roll around your belly. However, you can run a couple miles, do some pull ups and pushups.

Overall, I think the home videos have been good for fitness. They have taught people that you don't need a ton of gadgets to get in shape but once you start missing a few workouts, doing the exercises half assed, eating lots of junk, and lying on the floor half of the workout, don't be surprised if your results are compromised too.

Tom Pollard

1. Run like an enemy is chasing you.

2. Make things that you could only pick or kill the backbone your diet.  (No one ever shot or picked a donut).

3. Get away from the TV and the internet when you find yourself doing nothing.

4. Enjoy physical labor.

5.  Avoid whining at all costs.

6. Listen to music that gets you energized.

 7. Play sports even if you are no good at them.

8. Do free weight and body weight exercises.

9. Workout with people who push you harder.

10. Look at challenges as both mental as well as physical. The mind tells the body when to quit.

11. If you're exercising with a group and there is nobody in the group who can push you harder. It is up to you to push them harder and in turn you will still get a good workout.

12. Avoid exercise facilities with tanning beds.

13. Don't get too lost in nutrition. Everything is going to kill you at some point. Basketball, tennis, volleyball, etc for an hour and a Big Mac is better than organic noodles and American Idol.

14. Aches and pains are part of life.  Stretch sore muscles.  You will do more damage over time looking at a computer all day than you will working out.  

15. Get rid of crap in your homestead that serves no purpose. You can always find a hoarder on craigslist who will give you cash for your crap. Better yet, drop your stuff off at the good will if it could actually be worth something to somebody.

16. Sprint.

17. If your job sucks, take it out on your workout. I had some of my best workouts when I had lame jobs. A heavy bag or a squat rack can always be a substitute for your frustrations.

18. Avoid working out with groups of people that talk about how great working out is but don't actually work out any harder than you would if you were on your own.  Make sure you have tried tip # 11 first.

Tom Pollard

My latest video. Just goofing around showing you how to get a workout without going to the gym.

Dr Plankenstein

Cortisol is the fight of flight hormone. It is an important hormone secreted by the adrenal glands that gives you a boost of energy in moments of stress. Unfortunately, too much cortisol without enough time to relax is not good for the body.  Cortisol tells your body to eat more and store fat. Basically, it slows your metabolism down. This was an important adaptation when rival tribes were on the war path, or a saber tooth tiger was licking its chops and your ancestors were on the menu.  However, in our modern world the cortisol response is crippling because your body wants to do one thing, - beat your boss over the head with a club - , while your conscience has to deal with the matter in a more civilized way. When your boss emails you a ton of things to do over the weekend your body will produce cortisol. This is the kind of stress that comes with life. You get the work done and maybe your boss will appreciate your efforts.  A good exercise routine can be a break from work stress, especially “white collar” work stress.  It can also be an opportunity to burn some fat and expend some “fight or flight” energy. The long end of it is that stress, or more importantly how you deal with it, can result in a big roll of fat. If you want to lower the level of stress in your life, you have to get rid of the things that produce stress that aren’t conditional on your survival.  Here are three ways we can get rid of stress.

1.Media

Whatever your politics, getting flustered about something you see on the news is a waste of energy. So you’re not happy with the Casey Anthony trial and your blood is beginning to boil. What can you do about it? What your body is going to do is produce cortisol, and your best case scenario is bitching and moaning to someone over a bag of cheetos. Don’t get me wrong, Read enough to be generally informed but you don’t want to spend your whole day fired up about something you heard on the radio or saw on TV. The news media preys on old, and soon to get old, couch potatoes. That’s their bread and butter:  Inactive people who are perpetually watching TV, browsing the internet, or listening to the radio while waiting in the Arby’s line.

2.People

Do not waste your time on social engagements with people who rub you the wrong way unless you have too, and if you do, minimize the time you spend at these engagements and always have a reason to leave. Do not waste mental energy on people who cannot contribute positively to your life. Get over your college ex from 19 whatever. It’s old news move on. Things happen for a reason. Flustered people always have a few trigger people in their social network, family, and or past who push their coritisol buttons. Don’t be one of them.

3.Debt

Life is so enjoyable when you have a motorcycle, sports car, 6000 square ft home, masseuse, time share, and air conditioning on 65. $30 bottles of wine, dinner out most nights and fast food when you want to eat at home is all fine if you afford them but if you’re just making enough for the mortgage and the other so called necessities you could be putting yourself under stress.  Credit card bills that cannot be paid for every month will produce stress. Especially as you hit middle age.  Take the time to reevaluate your life and discard of what is unnecessary. The examples above are extreme, but no doubt a problem for many Americans. For others it might be a matter of getting rid of unnecessary cable, and phone services, learning to eat at home more often, and frivolous shopping. Frivolous shopping and emotional eating are two sides of the same coins.

The bottom line with cortisol is that modern living provides many situations where our blood can be brought to a boil. However, you do not have to be owned by the things that bring you down to a level of stress. You do not have to sit on your ass at a computer during your recreational hours so you can be informed.  You do not have to go the mall for retail therapy if your finances are in a shambles. You do not have to run with the pack. Who gives a rat’s ass if you’re not at some party networking with influential people. I’d rather be at the beach or by the pool or catching up on some sleep myself.

Tom Pollard

What is Fit?

If someone woke you up at midnight and told you to run a mile in 10 minutes or less, could you? If you’re a man can you do 20 pushups or more anytime? If you are a woman, can you do 5 regular pushups?  Can you hold a plank for 1 minute? Do you have fun when you play with your kids? If you’re special someone asked you to go for a bike ride, would you be excited or feel anxious?

For some fitness nuts, this all seems easy. On the other hand, you have people that can run 6 – 10 miles a day but have a hard time doing a set of pushups and there’s the guy at the gym that can bench a ton, but gets winded when he goes for a jog. What about the lady who holds all the tough positions in yoga class but runs like a turtle? What might be fit to one person, is impossible for another. I like the challenge of being good at everything and better at those things you're apt to be better in.

Now for some people, the running and the pushups might be a matter of getting down to a healthier bodyweight. For the person, who’s lean, maybe just skinny, being unable to do regular pushups could be a sign that you need to improve upper body strength.  This is true for women and men.

My challenge for my clients is to get them in all around condition. I want to take a sedentary person and get them on the move. I want to take a fit person and introduce them to more than their one track fitness. Especially, the cardio jockeys. How good is that 20 mile run doing you, when you can’t move a 20 inch TV from downstairs to upstairs?  Real fitness should have real life implications. Let me put it this way, would you be on a short list for all your friends to help them load a U-Haul? Or would you be on the short list for going out for beer and nachos?

You have the macho man who likes his bench press, his curls, but looks like he had 10 shots of Cuervo when he tries to do a lunge. If I’m training this guy, he’s doing lunges, and a lot of exercises out side of his comfort zone.  You want to move like an athlete, not Frankenstein’s monster.

You have these people who get set in their routine. They work out their three trouble spots in an attempt to spot reduce (once again, there is no such thing as spot reduction) and then they walk on a treadmill at about 3 miles an hour while reading a magazine. Does this sound familiar? Have you been doing this for a year with no improvement? If this is all you can do, I say baloney (BS). You aren’t competing with yourself. You aren’t aiming for improvement, you are just looking to do what you thought was good after your first couple of weeks of training because it made you feel “special” at the time. In the fitness world you’re like the 30 year old who lives in a room above your parents garage and you “feel happy with yourself” when you clean your room.  Do not rest on your laurels. Compete with yourself. I have seen a 50 something couple make great improvements in their cardio by doing tag team intervals on the treadmill. At first it was a chore but once they started trying to beat their time from their previous workout the adrenaline started taking over.  Now they are running hardcore interval sprints and can’t the push the button fast enough.

How much do you need? I think you need about two hours at least of “push it” workouts a week, you need to get your heart rate up in the target zone six days a week, and you need plenty of active rest.  The workouts can be bootcamps, or gym workouts, and they have to involve resistance training. You need to make progress, more reps, heavier weights, etc. Not every workout has to be an improvement over the last but you need to push it every couple of weeks so your body will need to change.  Getting your heart rate up doesn’t necessarily involve running a 5k every day. It could be 10 minutes of jumping rope, swimming some laps, running, etc. Active rest will come easier the fitter you are. Active rest is jumping in the pool with the kids instead of lounging on the side. Walk to the movies, store instead of driving a quarter mile. Next time you need something at the drug store, get on your bike.

Some of this advice is more about attitude. You need to workout to be fit. Live fit.  Race your kids to the front door.  Walk and talk with your spouse more and parallel facebook on the couch with laptops less. If you’re single join groups that emphasize fitness and try to hang out with positive people.  Train for something, 5k, bike race, etc even if you’re a novice. Put yourself in situations where you demand progress of yourself.

Tom Pollard

In my first year of personal training I have been asked a few times by clients what type of home equipment is right for an at home gym.  In general, I steer people towards free weights. I have no qualms about training people on machines if that is what they have, but if they are still in the process of making a decision my recommendation would be to start off with a set of dumbbells. If the client has room and has moderate ability I would throw in a barbell, squat rack, etc.

The main reason I like free weights over machines is that with the machine the stabilizing is done for you. You are essentially working the muscle without doing the stabilizing. Here’s an example. You have two trainees who can back squat 100 lbs max. Trainee number one trains his legs for the next 3 months on a leg press, and trainee number 2 only does the back squat. Now 3 months later you have both trainees max out on the leg press and the back squat (free weights). The guy who exclusively trained the leg press won’t come near what trainee # 2 does on the back squat. On the other hand, Mr. Back squat will have no problem keeping up with Mr. Leg press on the leg press machine. See the back squat works the stabilizers, muscles and tendons get stronger having to keep perfect form on the back squat and of course the proponents of machines will always bring up the safety issue. Sure, in a basic sense machines are safer (if they are designed right).  On the other hand, if form is good, free weights will provide an advantage over the long haul. If are unsure about how to do basic free weight/dumbell exercises it is worth the time and money to get a trainer for a few sessions to get you pointed in the right direction.  The only machine that can really add something to a home gym is a lat pull down, especially if a client has a hard time doing pull-ups. I’ll have clients doing dumbbell rows, assisted pull-ups, and cable pull downs for their  back muscles, but a lat pull down, even if it is attached to a an old squat rack and needs plates, has it’s advantages. Especially for people who have a lot of back strength but due to weight issues struggle with pull ups.

So here’s a set up for a novice client who has an 8 x 10 space to workout in. I’d purchase either adjustable dumbbells, or a multiple sets of dumbbells ideally with a dumbbell rack. Option one is a bit cheaper. You can find a set of adjustable dumbbells that go up to 50 lbs for about $300. It’s nice to have some kind of padded floor; you can get rubber mats that are made out of recycled rubber for about $50 dollars for a four by six. You can also buy the interlocking mats for fairly cheap at Home Depot.  You can buy a bench, or even use a stability ball for chest press.  Believe it or not, I truly believe that with just these few tools most people can get a pretty intense workout get leaner and build muscle. Now if you’re already fairly strong and looking to get a lot stronger, you might want to think about finding room for a barbell, and or some kind of squat rack. There are other great tools you can add as you go like medicine balls, cables, etc, and maybe a TRX suspension kit that you can throw in the mix.  Kettle bells are better for certain exercises compared to dumbbells but you are paying a lot more per lb. For someone on a limited budget dumbbells will be more versatile.

In terms of cardio, treadmills are a great novelty if you have the money, but you can get your heart rate up walking outside, jumping rope, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, etc.  Try a circuit half minute of jump rope, half minute of mountain climbers, and a half minute of jumping jacks. Nobody will have a low heart rate after doing this circuit. This is intense cardio that maybe cost you $10 for the jump rope tops.

So there you have it. For the same price as a one year gym membership, you can go out and get some stuff that will get you buff. How many of you have $20 - $30 taken out of your account each month for some gym that’s 15 miles away? Sure, gyms are loaded with state of the art equipment but do you really need it for what you are trying to accomplish. Of course you have the camaraderie at the gym but that can backfire if going to the gym is more about socializing and less about working out. And before you shovel out $100 on a deposit for the next greatest exercise gadget, ask yourself if there is something on this machine that I can’t do with dumbbells. I’ll admit it, I am probably the only trainer that would fess up to owning an old Total gym.  I can get a little workout on the thing, get a little pumped, but for the most part it sits around while I hit the free weights. The bottom line for the price of a year’s gym membership, most people can get some workout equipment and starting working out  optimally dumbbells and free weights before money is spent on gadgets. I didn’t even touch on bodyweight exercises but that’s another blog.   If you are inexperienced, hire a trainer for awhile to get you where you need to go, even better, save some money and train with a friend.

Tom Pollard

Best advice I ever read regarding mountain biking was focus on the path you want to go down and not on the obstacles and diversions. This was not only good advice for riding down winding steep trails, but also life in general. Apply it to nutrition, often times we say to ourselves don't eat too much candy, salt, liquor, flour, etc, when the better idea would be to focus on the foods we should be eating.
Here's some things I try to eat every day. If I eat enough of the right things, the junk doesn't make the cut.
1. Three plus serving of green veggies - spinach, broccoli, collard greens, turnips, zucchini. I'll eat my onions, tomatoes, too but I make it a point to get the green ones. All these veggies are high in fiber and nutrients, with virtually no fat. A serving of spinach has 30 - 40 calories and 4 grams of protein. Three servings and you have 2. 12 grams of vegetable protein. Double the portions and you have a lot of fiber and more protein. It is hard to eat too many green vegetables. You never hear anybody say "stop me from the broccoli". In an ideal world I'd have six servings of vegetables.
3. Fruits - I eat fruits every time I need a quick fix. An apple before a workout, an orange or banana, afterward. I think of fruits as "healthy candy".
4. 110 plus grams of protein. For me lean bodyweight * .8 to get the amount of protein I need in a day.  I weigh about 160 at 12 percent bodyweight. So my lean bodyweight is 140. 80% of 140 110. If my muscles are sore after a workout I might up my protein uptake. If most people are eating some lean meats they are probably getting enough protein. Vegetarians have to make sure they mix the right foods so they get all the amino acids. Peanut butter and wheat bread, and brown rice and beans give you the essential amino acids. All meat/fish sources will get you 20 - 30 grams of protein per serving. An egg has about 8 grams. A glass of milk/slice of cheese has about 5. Greek Yogurt has 18 grams. Oatmeal, bread, rice, veggies, all have various amounts of protein. The more I workout, I will try to eat more protein. Protein is the building blocks of muscle.
5. 30 plus grams of fiber. You get fiber in veggies, fruits, nuts, whole wheat bread, oatmeal. Fiber slows digestion and keeps your blood sugar in check by slowly releasing sugar into the blood stream giving you steady energy. An example of a blood sugar spike and crash would be a couple donuts first thing in the morning.You'd feel a spike first thing and then feel listless even hungry an hour later. How could you be hungry after eating 600 calories of donuts? That's what low fiber, high sugar intake does to your system. That's why people who eat donuts consistently end up with flab on their butts and bellies.
5. Good fats  - olive oil, nuts, fish eggs, etc. These help you with the good cholesterol which in turn helps your heart. A handful of nuts might have a lot of fat relative to calorie intake but it's the good fat and it can be paired with a salad, or  piece of fruit to make up a healthy snack.
These are the things I'm looking for in my food. Potato chips, and pizza, occasionally on the weekend but they don't help me much with the things I want so I they aren't the backbone of my daily eating. If you want to be lean and mean you have to put the nutrition together with the exercise.
It comes down to the this, those real fit people you see on the late night infomercials, the women who had 3 kids but still looks good in a bikini, the ripped 40 year old, all  have impeccable nutrition. The model you see on the total gym isn't downing a six pack and some chicken wings every other night. On the flip side, I have met a few people who are doing p90x workouts but don't bother with the nutrition plan. These people might be in good cardio shape, and have developed some muscular endurance, but they aren't looking like the people in the "after" photos. That's why beach body and everybody in the fitness business is packaging nutrition with exercise. Exercise alone and you end up looking like the weekend warrior. However, if every year you're adding a percentage point of bodyfat and 30 % is around the corner, eating right becomes a matter of importance not just aesthetics.