Monday, February 9, 2009

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.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

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!

Friday, February 6, 2009

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?!

Thursday, February 5, 2009

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!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

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 pu
ll 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.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

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!


Monday, February 2, 2009

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!

Sunday, February 1, 2009

How To Mix Protein Powder

For those of you at the athlete level or if you just do some pretty intense workouts, workout supplements may help you sustain energy, build muscle mass, and speed up recovery time.

I just got myself some 100% Whey Protein from GNC. They have a few different flavors, but I would recommend the chocolate flavor if you've never taken protein before. The taste is pretty similar to chocolate milk, Ovaltine, or a Yoohoo. If you have negative reactions to whey (from milk), then you might want to opt for the Soy Protein or other type instead. I'll go more in dept about protein in a different post, but let's get going with how to mix this baby.

Let's take a look at the standard options for mixing protein powder. The liquid of choice to use for mixing protein is milk, but again if you have a negative reaction to milk, opt for soy or water.

1) Mixing in a glass or cup using a utensil

Pros: A glass and utensil are usually readily available in anyone's kitchen. Clean up is relatively simple.

Cons: Mixing is slow and protein can easily clump up.

Advice: If you plan on mixing in a glass, be sure to add in the protein a little bit at a time. Keep stirring with one hand and gently tap the scoop of protein in against the edge of the glass with the other hand so that a little bit goes in at a time. It's an art in itself! Adding protein in too fast or mixing too slow will cause clumps! Ew!

2) Using a standard blender

Pros: Very smooth mixes. You can add in other ingredients easily to your shake.

Cons: The clean up, enough said. Also, not very portable and requires electricity.

Advice: There are of course some hand powered blending devices or immersion blenders that might be easier to clean up, but nevertheless it's a bit of a hassle. If you're at home and don't mind the clean up, then by all means use it. With protein shakes, I would recommend throwing in a banana (or two) into your shake to give it a delicious texture, not to mention that you'll be getting some much needed potassium too!

3) Shake it up! (Best Choice)

Pros: Fast and portable. You can throw in the protein and liquid and shake it up, then toss it in your gym bag to drink when you're ready. Clean up is relatively easy. Smooth results achieved using using your arm, so you get a little workout while mixing!

Cons: You have to get a bottle that can be fully enclosed.

Advice: Get yourself a good shaker bottle that has a wide opening so that you can easily pour in the protein and liquid of choice. Make sure the bottle can be fully securely sealed because nobody wants to end up with a mess.