Video - 30 Minute Legs Workout on the Beach

Check out this video for a quick 30-minute ass kicking legs workout that will jump start your fitness goals.

This legs workout focuses on attaining the goals of speed, explosiveness, and anaerobic endurance.

Watch the video and read more information Beach Workout - Legs

Beat Heat Exhaustion

One minute you're amp'd up playing your favorite sport, the next minute you become suddenly dizzy and out of breath as you feel your muscles start to cramp. What's going on?

Learn about the warning signs of heat related illnesses, how to treat and prevent them from striking you.

Here is a comprehensive article on Heat Exhaustion.

Know Your Body Systems

iHealthyFitness has a new article out that helps us all refresh our memories of Biology 101 with an overview of each of our body systems.

The acronym used to remember all 11 systems: IM NERD CURLS!

Read and learn about your Body Systems.

Hydroxycut FDA Recall

If you're one of the many who are using the popular diet and weight loss products by Hydroxycut... cut it out!!! Today, May 1, 2009, the FDA issued a warning advising consumers to stop using Hydroxycut products. This warning comes amid 23 reports of negative health effects in Hydroxycut users consisting primarily of liver related damage.

In a statement put out by the Food and Drug Administration...

"The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products"

Among the reports to the FDA, at least one death of a 19-year-old due to liver failure in 2007 has been associated to Hydroxycut usage. Other health issues reported include jaundice, liver damage, seizures, and other cardiovascular problems. What is jaundice?

Jaundice, or icterus, is a condition that involves the yellowish discoloration of the skin, whites of the eyes, and other mucous membranes. It is caused by a condition known as hyperbilirubinemia, which is an elevated level of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin, the brownish yellow byproduct of the liver found in bile, is what makes human stool its typical brown color. Jaundice and brown urine are some of the main symptoms of liver damage.

The Hydroxycut parent company, Iovate Health Sciences, has issued a voluntary recall of 14 products on the Hydroxycut brand line. But chances are that most people will discontinue the use of any of their products.

• Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets
• Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix)
• Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets
• Hydroxycut Liquid Shots
• Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink)
• Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed
• Hydroxycut 24
• Hydroxycut Carb Control
• Hydroxycut Natural

Please also be aware the the FDA does not have strict regulation of dietary supplements such as Hydroxycut. Dietary supplement products are not required to be registered or approved by the FDA. Therefore, in general cases, manufacturers can produce, market, and start selling their supplement products before FDA review. The FDA does, however, is charged with controlling product information in labeling and claims made by the product.

Swine Flu Outbreak

So, this is the latest health buzz around the world. Swine flu, a type of influenza A (H1N1) virus, is just at its early stages of it's outbreak.

Swine flu is a common respiratory disease among pigs, but has had a sudden spike in human cases.

Here are the some numbers as of April 27, 2009 evening:

• 149 possible Swine Flu related deaths in Mexico
• 42 confirmed cases in the US from California to New York
• 6 cases in Canada
• 1 case in Spain
• 10 highly likely Swine Flu cases in New Zealand
  

The World Health Organization has raised the pandemic alert level to Phase 4, which is characterized by "... verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.”". The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency.

Common sense precautions, you've heard it over and over... now practice what's preached!

1. Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing
2. Immediately discard tissues used after coughing or sneezing
3. Wash hands immediately after coughing or sneezing
4. Wash hands before eating or preparing foods
5. Avoid contact with eyes, nose, or mouth
6. Stay home if you feel sick or have illness symptoms to avoid spreading any viruses
7. Wash hands thoroughly and often!

Here's a cool video showing some proper coughing and sneezing techniques:

Swine flu is spread between humans similar to how seasonal flu and colds are contracted. That is, usually through contact or exposure to contaminated objects (maybe a keyboard that someone sneezed on).

And it's a myth that swine flu is contracted by eating infected pork. Just follow the usual precautions for food safety by cooking all meats thoroughly at the appropriate temperatures and you'll be fine.

Not that I'm eating pork, cause hey, I'm suppose to be a vegetarian by now. Just another reason to stay away from meat!

Turning Vegetarian, Turning Healthy

I have been thinking about turning into a vegetarian to experience the range of health benefits that it will probably provide.

A large part of being fit depends on one's diet. Therefore, I can not provide you with fitness education without talking about diet. I don't want to get into details and fine lines here, but by vegetarian, I will basically be cutting out meats.

So I will be eating foods including:

• vegetables
• fruits
• nuts and grains
• seafood
• dairy
• eggs

Ok, so here's the plan. I will be gradually easing into this using the following tentative schedule.

1st Month

Week 1: March 29 - April 4
At least 2 days out of the week vegetarian foods

Week 2: April 5 - April 11
At least 3 days out of the week vegetarian foods

Week 3: April 12 - April 18
At least 4 days out of the week vegetarian foods

Week 4: April 19 - April 25
At least 5 days out of the week vegetarian foods

Week 5 and further
All days vegetarian foods

2nd Month

Tentative plan if I make it this far: Cut out junk foods (e.g. chips, cookies, candies, sugary beverages, etc.)

3rd Month

Tentative plan if I make it this far: Tighten up vegetarian diet in terms of food preparation (e.g. restrict fried foods, cut down on condiment usage and heavy sauces, etc.)

So who's with me? How far will I be able to make it? Will I relapse and crash diet out? Stay tuned to find out! I will be posting my progress and findings here to share with you all as I embark on this journey.

2009 Shaolin Temple Day - San Francisco

Yesterday, I went to check out the China Songshan Shaolin Temple Day Celebration in San Francisco, CA. As you know, martial arts is one of best ways to achieve your fitness goals! (bias) The Abbot of Shaolin, the Venerable Shi Yongxin, was in town for the week long of festivities around California.

External Shaolin kung fu is usually very fast and explosive as you'll see. I got some footage of the demonstrations in Union Square and put together the following video of the Shaolin Kung Fu performances. It was drizzling so the ground was a bit wet. I think that's why they didn't do any acrobatics. Oh well... enjoy! The tong zi gong freaks me out everytime!



Demonstrations include:

• Nine Section Whip
• Broadsword (Shaolin Dao)
• Di Tang Sword (Ditang Jian)
• Lohan Staff (Luohan Gun)
• Tong Zi Gong
• Hard Qi Gong (Staff breaking)
• Lohan Fist
• Xiao Lohan Fist
• Soft Fist (Rou Fist)
• Two Finger Chan (Two finger handstand)
• Hard Qi Gong (Spears to throat and breaking stone slabs on back)

Here are some photos I took after the performances of the vendors and exhibits at Union Square:


A congregation of the security detail that was working the event. The guy with the beige jacket looks like Agent Smith!


A couple monks standing around. The guy in the black I assume is one of the local guys from Shaolin Temple USA?


California State Senator Leland Yee being interviewed about the festivities of the day.


A photo exhibit of Shaolin history and culture was setup.


More of the photo exhibit.


Maybe he's thinking about how he used to kick ass back in the day?


More of the photo exhibit.


Some of the Shaolin kung fu weapons on display for the curious.


The announcer lady for the event who was doing some translation.


Some monks talking about the lack of hotties at the event? :)


Food vendor at the event serving up none other than American Chinese food.


Tea sampling from Vital Tea-Leaf.


An exhibit showing some of the typical robes worn by the clergymen of Shaolin.


More of the Shaolin Temple robes.


A bunch of ladies trying to sell trinkets. Looks to me like the same stuff you find on every block in Chinatown!


Some people watching a Shaolin performance DVD.


Some of the kung fu weapons that are used for the demonstrations.


Some of the mallets and trinkets used by the monks for prayer I think.


A couple kids in deep technical discussion about the fundamentals of the drop stance.

Training Video: Explosive Leg Endurance

Here's a short video showing one of the exercise sets that I do for explosive leg endurance training. I use a bar with no weights, but you can add weight if desired. Due to the dynamic nature of the exercise, the more weight you add, the slower your repetitions may become, so I recommend keeping it relatively light. The goal output of this exercise is to develop a more explosive jump and to be able to increase the anabolic endurance of the legs for dynamic movements. For me, I do this type of training for wushu (martial arts).

Barbell pull hops: The pull motion for this is similar to a clean. I start from a hanging position, knees slightly bent. You are using your legs to power you up. Try not to pull the bar up using your back or arms too much. Arms should stay straight for the hop and then the catch motion is as if you're pulling yourself under the bar. You're going to try to keep the bar close to your body on the way up in a straight line. During the hop motion, my feet leave the ground about a couple inches. I catch the bar momentarily at its peak as I land and then lower the bar back to the beginning hang position.

Barbell back squats: This is just like it sounds, the bar is on your upper shoulders, anchored in by your hands on both sides. Back should remain straight with head and chest up. When squatting, your knees should not travel past your toes.

In the video, I'm showing 20 barbell pull hop reps followed by 20 barbell back squat reps. You can increase or decrease the repetitions as needed based on your athletic condition. For the anabolic endurance goal, try for at least 10 repetitions on each. The motion for the pull hop takes some getting used to if you're not familiar with the movement. You may also opt for a full clean if you prefer (i.e. hang clean or power clean).

This is just something that I've been doing and may not be suited for you. Be safe and use caution while exercising of course! See how this feels before you go all out! Good luck.

Watch Before Training #1

Here, here... a Nike China commercial, your Olympic Withdrawal Syndrome medication of the day. Something to add to your "things to watch before training list"!

I especially like that they put a few wushu clips in there. Enjoy!

Michael Phelps Lighting 1 Up!

You've probably already heard the buzz going on around about a particular tabloid photo of Michael Phelps apparently taking a hit of marijuana from a bong.

Phelps, an Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming, who won a record 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, has already apologized for his actions stating, "... this was stupid, and I know this won't happen again." Come'mon, Mike, think about the kids!

I mean, as much as we'd like to think that this guy is super human or some form of highly evolved fish hybrid, he's a 23 year old. For those of us older, we all know what we were like when we were at that age, right? A lot of commentators are calling this just another one of Phelp's mistakes of getting caught for bad behavior. In 2004, a 19 year old Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Come'mon! That's just bad luck if you ask me.

Phelps has been suspended for 3 months from competition. Alrighty, more time for Mike to sit around and do other things besides swimming. I wonder what he's going to do with all that free time? Hmmmmmm...

Kellogg's, the cereal and snack giant, has announced that they will not be renewing their contract to sponsor Phelps due to the recent tabloid revelations and states, "Michael's most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg". So seeing an iconic sports star taking marijuana is bad for kids, but producing products that are loaded with sugar, target marketing it to kids, creating generations of diabetic children, and contributing to the obesity epidemic is OK?

What Kellogg's is really saying here is probably something like... Phelps on a box isn't helping our sales much anyway. If you ask me, people who smoke marijuana are more likely to buy sugary cereals like Frosted Flakes when they get the munchies! Not that I have anything against Kellogg's. In fact, I ate their cereal like crazy when I was a kid! They're Grrrrrrreeeaaat!!

Bottom line, Michael Phelps is still awesome and deserves a 1 Up! Come'mon, it's not like he pissed in the pool or kicked a guy in the face right?!

Isometric Exercises

Isometrics are exercises in which there is a contraction of the muscles with little or no change in the length of the muscle. Let's break down the word here:

Iso: Same
Metric: Distance

This type of exercise is commonly used for rehabilitation purposes where the subject may have limited mobility or experiences pain in joint movements.

Isometric exercises can be performed in a vast variety of ways and can be implemented with isotonic exercises (exercises that involve muscle contraction with a change in the length of the muscles). For example, you can do a hold at any point during chin-ups for a few seconds.

Because isometric exercises are very simple in nature, they can be performed with no equipment. Pressing your hands together or performing a positional hold of your body weight are simple isometric exercises you can do.

Since isometric exercises are sustained at a single angle, strength in the muscles and connected joints is gained at that angle with little transfer of strength gain at other angles. Therefore, it is recommended that the isometric hold is performed at several different angles, especially the angle in which the load creates the most strain on the muscles.

Isometric holds are considered sub-maximal because they do not cause full exertion of the muscle. When pressing against or pulling on an immovable object, however, you performing a maximal isometric movement. Isometric exercises help with building strength and size of the muscles worked.

If you are looking to build a larger bicep muscle, for example... while performing bicep curls, at the peak of the curl, hold the load and squeeze/flex your muscles for a few seconds before releasing tension and lowering the weight.

Some of the disadvantages of over doing isometrics include a possible decrease in the muscle twitch response speed needed for most sports and athletic activities. Analysis has also shown that there is a significant increase in blood pressure during isometric movements, so it is not recommended for those with hypertension or other heart conditions. Remember to breathe while doing these exercises! For best results, of course, do a variety of isotonic exercises mixed in with some isometric as well. Have fun!

Muscle Up 101: Latissimus Dorsi

Welcome to the first of many installments of Muscle Up 101 on 1 Up Fitness. Where you'll learn about a particular muscle in the human muscular system! Today we're going to talk about the Latissimus Dorsi muscle...

Latissimus Dorsi a.k.a. lats or the "wings" is the largest muscle of the back, running from the shoulder blades to the lower back on both sides of the spine. This muscle is used in multiple movements of the arm, most notably moving the arms in close to the side of the body (adduction movement).

Exercises to work your lats include, but not limited to the following:

1) Lat pull downs: Usually done using a lat pull down machine. Legs are anchored down by the pad. Do these pulling down the bar to your chest. Pulling down behind the head is NOT recommended!

2) Pull-ups: Pull-ups or chin-ups on the bar. Again, one of the best upper body exercises!

3) Rowing: On the seated mid-row machine, try to pull back as far as you can, as if you're squeezing your shoulder blades together. Dumbbell rows are also a popular exercise and are usually performed one arm at a time using a bench for support.

Olympic Withdrawal Syndrome

Do you have it? Olympic Withdrawal Syndrome (OWS) is a denial/depressive condition, in which one strives to re-live the high inspirational memories and events of the Olympic games.

We all remember the utter awesomeness of the opening ceremonies. I'm sure it brings goose bumps to many just thinking about it. The epic triumph, spectacle, and passion exhibited in the past 2008 Olympic games in Beijing is something many of us felt deeply in our hearts. The high of the thrill that we wish could last forever.

But with the games over last year, and having to wait until 2010 for the Winter Olympics, we are right in the middle of the Olympic drought season. During this period, many of you may be suffering from OWS symptoms. Here is a video showing various Nike commercials used to create hype before the 2008 Olympics. This video also ironically exhibits possible symptoms of Olympic Withdrawal Syndrome. Enjoy!

Hakuna Matata Mr. Tabata (The Tabata Workout)

The Tabata style workout in a nutshell is doing any type of high repetition exercise with an interval of 20 seconds high intensity followed by a 10 second rest period and repeating 7 more times for a total of 8 sets in 4 minutes.

So you're doing as many reps of the exercise as possible in the 20 second slots. Just 4 minutes right? Piece of cake? Well get ready to have your cake smashed in your face! This type of workout is very intense and also very effective!

Named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, Tabata interval training was found to increase one's aerobic AND anaerobic capacity. What does that mean? Let's go over the terms:

Aerobic: With oxygen. Aerobic exercises include those that require high amounts of oxygen intake and consumption. This generally relates to endurance exercises such as distance running or cycling.

Anaerobic: Without oxygen. Anaerobic exercises involve the use of muscle energy at high intensity maintained over time (usually shorter periods). This generally relates to non-endurance exercises such as weight lifting or sprinting.

This high intensity interval training (HIIT) was studied on on the Japan speed-skating team and showed a 14% increase in aerobic capacity and a dramatic 28% increase in anaerobic capacity. The study was compared to more traditional moderate intensity endurance training, which only showed a 9.5% increase in aerobic capacity and no significant increase in anaerobic capacity.

Tabata interval training can be applied to almost all exercises. It is great for body-weight exercises such as push-ups, air squats, or crunches. So what are you waiting for! Tabata workouts are also a great way to lose fat too! And taking only 4 minutes per exercise, you can hammer out a few exercises in Tabata style and be done with your workout before you know it. This type of training provides high results with little time.

All together now... Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto, Hakuna Matata Mr. Tabata!