News & Events

Cardio… Some of you might have just cringed reading that word, but it is an important aspect to fitness. Cardiovascular training can provide several benefits such as  increasing the strength of your heart and lungs. Cardio can help you improve your endurance during workouts which can increase the intensity and duration both helping to maximize your results. However the main reason MOST people do cardio  to help them lose weight by creating a calorie deficit. Now cardio doesn’t mean just running, biking or swimming, although those are most traditional. You can also make your weight training program a cardio workout as well by adding in plyometrics, weighted explosive exercises like kettlebell swings and calorie torchers like burpees. So depending on what your goals are depends on the amount of cardio that you should do !

Cardio on a traditional aspect may seem BORING, but it doesn’t have to be. There are many things that you can do to add FUN into those workouts ! So below are a list of fun tricks to add in the next time you are doing cardio !

Ramp up the incline 
Instead of running on a flat road or treadmill, head for the hills or bump up the incline. Running uphill will send the heart rate through the roof and increase the calorie burn. Some added benefits include improved leg strength, running form and spring speed.

Go hands free
When using a piece of cardio equipment don’t hold onto the handrail. Just let go and pump the arms forward and back really focusing on your legs to transfer the energy. Not holding on helps to aid in core strengthening and increase stability!

Take it OUTSIDE

With the weather getting nicer its finally time to get outside and enjoy nature and the finer things life has to offer. I have to say that doing an outdoor workout is very invigorating and exciting. It helps to break up the normal routine of life and just do something different that may add in an extra challenge !
Stop and GO 

Use interval training to increase workout intensity and maximize results. Alternate periods of all-out effort with periods of low effort or rest. Try sprinting 100 meters and then walking or jogging back to the start line before repeating the sprint. Eight to 10 sprints is all it will take to get a great workout

Grab a Kettlebell and SWING 
Try kettlebell training for a workout that provides both cardio and strength benefits. Use the two-hand kettlebell swing to improve lung efficiency and maximum heart rate in a fraction of the time of traditional training methods.

Be a BUDDY
Workout with a training partner or group of friends to make the entire gym experience more enjoyable. Being accountable to another person will also serve as motivation and prevent missed workouts. Also think about hiring a personal trainer to keep you accountable and working to your capacity and not just going through the motions !

Be Consistent

The best way to get results from a cardio workout is to create a routine and stick to it. Whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch or after work, the body will adapt to training any time during the day. Be consistent and exercise on a consistent basis and your fitness goals are within reach.

I hope that you will read and take some of these tips for your own cardio workouts to try!! Remember that working out is FUN and should always be that way ! Do it to feel amazing and to perform better !!!

Learning how to keep going when the going gets tough is a hard behavior to learn. Sometimes life does through curve balls like accidents, injuries, and illness and other times its emotional stress, motivation, and an overwhelming feeling of discouragement that can set your fitness goals on the back burner!

RESILIENCE… this one word alone is KEY to success in every aspect of your life ! What is resilience you might ask yourself??
Resilience can encompass the emotional and physical stamina to get through a patch of rough weeks or bounce back from illness or injury. Resilience can mean the fortitude to deal with and even grow among the changes and set backs life can throw at you.

I say this time and time again, not every day is a good day. Not every step leads you forward. Each day has ROSES (highs) and THORNS (lows). We all pick ourselves up at some point, and some days we let ourselves stay “down” a little longer than others. We feel what we need to feel. The pivotal point is recovering yourself and reengaging your life on renewed terms.

How can you develop resilience in your life ? Good solid health with all the basics in line is a great starting point. Sleep, diet, supplementation and movement all matter as much if not more when it comes to building resiliency. You need to FEEL good, PERFORM good, and RECOVER to be optimal in resiliency.

When life has major changes we can benefit from the richness of the hope for future opportunists brought on by change. Also important is the capacity to be purely in the moment, to release expectations, questions, and plans. Mindfulness, in addition to eliciting the body’s relaxation response, can play a key role in acceptance, a crucial process for living with challenging circumstances. Being mindful has many meaning and has different ways to achieve this goal. ome may practice yoga, Tai Chi, or other relation programs. Others might pray or immerse themselves in other meaningful ritual. Some might seek peace simply by spending time in the wild, letting their involuntary attention take over and letting go of everything but their awareness of the world in front of them. The main goal is to take comfort in releasing themselves to something larger than themselves and their struggles.

Having a solid support system in your life is essential to build resilience in your life. Having a close friendship has key influences on how you adapt to life in their later years. Overall, our close social connections can dampen the stress of our experiences by giving us a critical outlet for the myriad of emotions life evokes and providing perspective when we see them go through struggles of their own.

Resiliency isn’t a fixed capacity. It has changes and room for growth in all aspects of your life. You may find yourself resilient in one area and weak in another. We continually create and recreate our resilience by investing in our engagement with life and others. Our daily practices and connections over time deepen our resilience.

Today practice being more mindful in your daily life. Choose to embrace small changes and to live your live knowing there is uncertainty that can lead to great things !

Reference:

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-cultivate-resilience/#axzz3aGGtAFt5

Fitness Heroics – CrossFit

In’s

Tell 1 really funny joke to anyone in the gym.

E.G. You know whats a joke?…My Fran time…ok that was lame but you get the point.

Yoga/Mobility

-Upright Titanic Full Nelson

-Perfect Stretch

Warm-up

Burgener Warm-up (No Measure)

BURGENER WARM-UP:

1. Down and “Finish”

2. Elbows High and Outside

3. Muscle Snatch

4. Snatch Lands at 2″, 4″, 6″

5. Snatch Drops

SKILL TRANSFER EXERCISES:

1. Snatch Push Press

2. Overhead Squat

3. Heaving Snatch Balance

4. Snatch Balance without a dip

5. Snatch Balance with a dip

WOD

American Ginger Challenge (Time)

2 Rounds for time

1/4 Mile Run

———————–

5 Muscle ups

16 Squat Snatch, 95/75

15 Clusters, 95/75

———————–

5 Muscle ups

16 Deadlifts, 135/95

15 Hang Power Cleans, 135/95

———————–

5 Muscle ups

19 Burpees over the bar

89 Double Unders

RX+:

All Reps must be unbroken once you start a exercise. If you miss a lift then your count for that exercise goes to “0”

Happy Birthday to MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHA…(Cough)…MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Out’s

500m Row (Time)

Max Effort 500m Row