On of My New Years Resolutions

Every year, around this time, my wife begins to create a photo album for the ending year. It usually has our children on the cover and pictures of all the important things that happened during the year. Its always great to thumb thru to remind me of the big events for a particular year. Looking forward to the New Year only makes me wonder what next years album will contain. The coming New Year gives us all an opportunity to create new memories and experiences.

Resolutions area great thing to start you on a path to achieve things in life. They need to be challenging but realistic. They need to be attainable and have a way to acknowledge their completion. One of my professional resolutions is to have every one of my clients make improvements that contribute to their quality of life. That has been my goal since day one and will never change. The difference between this year and last is the fact that I have a facility to accomplish my goal. This means more hours for training and workshops. Tools that can aid my clients. I want us t continue the road we are on and have you physically challenge yourselves in ways you never thought possible. Lets work together to make 2011 a healthy and enjoyable year!

What is Dietary Cholesterol?

Dietary cholesterol is cholesterol that we consume through the foods we eat. It has an effect on both total and LDL cholesterol levels. A strong relationship exists between cholesterol levels and coronary disease. Dietary cholesterol is only found in foods that are animal based. Meats, poultry, cheese, butter, and full fat dairy products are some examples. It is recommended by the American Heart Association that we keep our intake of dietary cholesterol to under 300 mg per day. Consuming a diet that is whole food, plant based will drastically decrease your intake of dietary cholesterol. How many meals a day do you eat that are free from animal based products? More than likely you probably have at least one form of dietary cholesterol in every meal. If you are not ready to discard animal products completely, might I suggest having one or two meals a day that are free of this food source. It's a start in the right direction to improve your health.

Challenge Board

As stated in an earlier Blog post we will be having a Challenge Board in the gym starting in January. It will be a public forum to state physical and nutritional goals for 2011. It is open to all who are interested and will simply require two the posting of one physical and nutrition goal. The time frame for completion is six months. The goals that you chose need to be realistic and attainable. They also have to be measurable. So simply stating that you wish to
"get stronger" will not cut it. Making your goals public will take courage, but will also provide support from other members chasing similar goals. If you need help, you can talk to me about it and we can come up with something.

Here are some examples that may give you some ideas.

Physical Challenge: 100 yard Power Wheel Crawl
Nutritional Challenge: Two pieces of fruit everyday for six months.

Physical Challenge: Run first 5K
Nutritional Challenge: Eliminate all soda from my diet.

Growing With Your Training!

This past week I noticed some things that are worth pointing out. I witnessed some of you pushing yourselves to new levels of intensity. Some of you are connecting with your training on a higher level. That is to say you are pushing yourselves harder than I have seen in the past. Taking it personal. This is a good thing and essential to reaching your fitness goals.

We had our first member make five classes in a row. Big achievement! This person has made a decision to change and is doing what is necessary to achieve this. I saw another member push herself to finish a set in the alloted time. She could of coasted the last minute and a half of the workout but she decided, as a matter of pride, to complete her third set. Tremendous achievement. This is what is going to separate you from the pack. I am confident that all of you can do this and will do this. Make it personal, your training benefits you. Set goals and chase them with a passion. I expect big things for all of you in the New Year. Let's do this together.

First Two Weeks In New Facility

We are midway through the month and have completed our first two weeks in the new facility. I am sure that you all can appreciate the flexibility in hours and diversity of the workouts. We are now able to follow the WOW's (Workout of the Week) from MBG Wisconsin with little or no deviation. The holidays are fast approaching and I would like to encourage you all to pay attention to your diet. A helpful suggestion for Thanksgiving would be to load up on the veggie side dishes. Fill yourself up on real food. Try not to go crazy on appetizers. Enjoy your meal but at the same time make an attempt to eat healthier. Try not to fall into the trap of saying, "I'll start after the holidays." Being healthy is a lifestyle, not a hobby. Let's make this upcoming year a healthy one!

Congratulations Andrew!

MBG member Andrew Esposito completed his first NYC marathon yesterday. He did it in a time of 4:20:02. This is a great example of setting a goal and going for it. I would like to encourage all of you to set some physical challenges for yourself. Maybe some of you would like to compete in the High Rock Challenge this spring. With the New Year fast approaching, start thinking about setting a big physical goal for next year. Maybe I can come up with a challenge board in the gym where we can make them public and chase them together. Don't sell yourself short. With a solid game plan you can accomplish more than you think.

Being a "Warrior"

I know some of you have made a decision to improve your health by changing your eating habits. I just wanted to maybe offer some motivation to you. It is very fitting that MBG S.I.N.Y. is located under the Codella Ju Jitsu Academy. The academy teaches people to defend themselves. It also has fighters who test their skill in competition. A principle of MBG is to harness the inner warrior in all of us.
Many times in life our biggest battles do not require us to lift our hands. These battles can have a profound impact on our future health and happiness.Changing our diet for many can be one of these battles. Big results require big ambition. Just remember to find the positive in what you are doing. If you stumble or fall, get back up. Stay committed to your decision to change. Food is addicting. Changing your diet requires you to break this addiction. It will challenge you mentally and emotionally. Do not give up! Anything in life that is worth something requires you to earn it. I want you to succeed and will help you in any way I can. Stay focus on the positive actions you are taking and do not let any setbacks be permanent. Believe in yourself!

Nutrition Seminar A Huge Success

Monkey Bar Gymnasium S.I.N.Y. Hosted it's first MBG seminar. We celebrated the opening of my new facility with a seminar hosted by Jon Hinds and Jessica Rucker. The topic of the seminar was "Lean and Green Warriors". It discussed the benefits of consuming a whole food, plant based diet. I picked this topic because the information provided can be beneficial to anyone. As a result we had people from all walks of life in attendance. Jon and Jessie provided very informative and useful information. It would be impossible to walk away from the seminar without considering some dietary changes to ones diet.

This past month and a half was a very busy one for me. Mike Codella, owner of the Codella Ju Jitsu Academy, offered me a space in his new facility. I had to jump on it. The space was rough around the edges and needed a lot of work. I spent all of my free time transforming the space in to my vision of a Monkey Bar Gymnasium. My cousin, Robert, provided me with numerous ideas on layout and design. I was lucky to have the help from other friends to take care of skilled aspects of the construction. The hard work paid off. Forty six people were in attendance for the seminar.

Starting November 1st, I will be expanding my hours. In an effort to bring MBG's training philosophy to many people on Staten Island. My goal is simply to improve the life's of my clients. I intend to do this by making them stronger and healthier through diet and exercise. Turn them into "warriors" ready to face any challenge that life has to offer.

Nutrition Seminar/New Facility

Jon Hinds will be back to do a nutrition seminar on whole food, plant based nutrition. This is a way to truly maximize health and performance. Studies across the world have shown that this diet is most beneficial for us to consume. I been talking about this since the start of the summer and we have an opportunity for Jon to explain the benefits to us. I strongly urge you to take advantage of this and take control of your health.

The seminar will be held in the brand new Monkey Bar Gymnasium S.I.N.Y. I have been working very hard, with the help of family and friends, to have the facility ready for the seminar. You are going to like what you see, it will enable me to offer more classes. Come out and learn some helpful information and see the best new training facility on the Island.

Setting SMART Goals

In order to reach a goal you have to set a goal. Successful people set goals, whether it's personal, career, or anything else. Goals help us to overcome obstacles. SMART goals use the SMART acronym as a outline for goal setting. Lets take a look at it and break it down. I think this can be a useful tool for all of us in many different areas.

SMART Goals

Specific, avoid generalizing your goal those goals generally fail. What, why and how.

Measurable, if you can't measure it you can't manage it.

Attainable, do not set goals that are to far for you to reach, this will prevent you from truly committing to it.

Realistic refers to it being attainable not easy.

Timely, refers to it be accomplished in a way that you will be satisfies with your achievement.

Some other helpful hints are:
*tell people of your intentions, make it known.
*speak in the present tense about it.
*write it down and post it in a place you will see it to constantly remind yourself.
*set smaller goals to keep you on track for the bigger one.
*celebrate when you achieve your goal!

I would really encourage everyone to start to think about some goals to work for and get after them. When you want to achieve something as bad as you want to breathe then you will be successful!

Codella Team Conditioning 8/13/10

Tonight we started a testing evaluation for two exercises. Martin Rooney has something called Warrior Challenges in his latest book. I thought it would be fun to use a couple of them and make it competitive with the guys in the gym. This week we did the 3:00 sit up and the 4:00 push up test. You are allowed to rest as you see fit but reps must be complete and full range. The sit up is started flat on your back with arms extended overhead, you sit up and wrap your legs and return. After this we did a circuit using the MBG 40/20 format. We performed four sets of 6 exercises. A lot of crawling! Here are the results and workout:


Team Conditioning 8/13/10

Warm up 8:00

Sit up test 3:00
Lying flat, arms over head, sit up wrap arms around legs, return to flat. As many reps as possible in 3:00, break as needed, poor reps do not count


Push up test 4:00
All the way down and up, rest as much as you like, poor reps do not count.

40/20 x 5 sets
Handstand wall walks
Gator crawls
Jump rope
Box Jumps
Snatch alternating arms
Sprawl sand Bag high Row

Name 3:00 Sit up/ 4:00 Push up
Jimmy 92/ 126
Mike 00/ 125
Jaret 75 / 94
Tony 59 / 100
Ashley 57 / 85

Group Trail Run/Hike 8/6/10

This morning we changed things up and decided to hit the trails in Clove Lakes Park. We broke everyone into two groups. One group was going to run the trails and the other group would mix hiking and light running. We had a beautiful day for it and had 11 people total taking part in it. After our first mile we stopped to do some incline pushups using a park bench. Then we stopped again at the royal Oak baseball field to do some sprints and calisthenics. I think everyone had a pretty good time. We got to get outdoors and interact with nature while getting a nice workout in. hopefully we can do this more often as the cooler weather arrives.

Codella Team Conditioning 8/6/10

We revisited a workout that we last performed on May 14, 2010. We performed Kettle Bell clean and press for as many reps as we could get in one minute followed by a minute rest. We performed 10 sets in this format. You switch arms as needed and record total reps. Have to give props to Mike Katz who performed a record 208 reps with a 55 pound kettle bell. This was an improvement of 36 reps from his last performance. Awesome job Mike! 200 reps is the goal, when you hit that it's time to move up in weight. Below is the rest of the workout and the results:

Kettle Bell Clean and Press 1:00 on 1:00 rest for 10 sets

Darren 30 pound bell, 145 reps
Jimmy 55 pound bell 161 reps + 21 from last performance
Mike K. 55 pound bell, 208 reps + 36 from last performance (Gym record)

Jump Rope :30 on :30 rest 10 sets, Goal reps 60/80/100

Power Wheel Crawl
5 x 25 yards

Codella Conditioning 7/30

In this weeks workout we revisited the 10:00 15/15 pushup workout. The goal was simply to beat your last performance which was on June 26. After this we used battling ropes for the first time. The fellows weren't sure what to make of them when I pulled them out of my bag but they soon learned how effective they are as a training tool. Our next exercise was a partner ball slam using a 20 pound ball that is made for slamming. The ball will give a minimum bounce when it is slammed. We used a prison format whereas one person completed 10 reps then the partner did 10, then 9, 8, etc until you reached 0. We finished up with power wheel crawling and did 5 sets of 20 yards. It was a great workout and the weather was perfect. Nice break from the heat we have been having. Just want to wish Mike Ewan good luck this upcoming week in the "Battle of the Beach" tournament. Mike won his division last year and is moving up to a higher level this year.

Here is the Workout

Push Ups 15/15 10:00
Jimmy 220(6/26), 226(7/30) +6
Mike 175(6/26), 208(7/30) +33 Great Job!
Jaret 179(6/26), 190(7/30) +11 Great Job!

Battling Ropes 20/20/20 Alternating with Partner 12:00

Ball Slams Prison Format 10-1, 20 pound ball

Power Wheel Crawling 20 yards x 5 sets

Different Approach to Eating

Here's something to think about. In our hectic lives we to often view things as chores to be accomplished, and not what they actually are. Wake up in the morning, get kids feed, and move on. The next time you prepare a meal for yourself or family, look at it for what it is. You are preparing a meal to nourish your body. The meals you are going to digest are going to have a great impact on your energy, mood, health to name a few.

By taking responsibility for the meals you eat you are taking responsibility for your health. If you have children you are setting a tremendous example. You are giving them valuable life skills that they can apply for the rest of their lives. It isn't as hard as you think. It will require some planning and maybe some new cookbooks. Try to incorporate more plant based foods into your diet. You will feel better!

The China Study Post 3 (T C Campbell's Cancer Research)

Prior to T. C. Campbell's involvement with the China Study, he had conducted research concerning the effect of diet and carcinogen's with the development of cancer. In this study he exposed two groups of rats to the carcinogens aflotoxin and dioxin. Both groups of rats where exposed to these carcinogens. The study lasted 100 weeks. One group was feed a diet comprised of 20% protein and the other 5%.

At the conclusion of the study the group feed 20% protein based diet were all dead and the group feed 5% were all still living. Not only was the 5% group living but they were acting like young rats. This study would lead T. C. Campbell to other studies for the next 27 years that would deal with the effect of protein on cancer development. They also determined that when the rats went from a 20% diet to 5% it turned the tumor production off.

Rat Study 100 weeks
Protein %/Number of animals /Tumor Severity
5% / 60 / 248 (all living)
12% / 38 / 2358
20% / 58 / 3321 (all dead)

Codella Conditioning 7/16

Congrats to Romy on his first round submission in his fight last weekend. You train hard and the results prove it. This week's class focused on endurance. We pushed hard using movements specific to our sport. We did two different circuits two times. In our C Band circuit we performed specific movements and used the C Band to add resistance. We performed these movements one after another alternating with our partners and when we completed all of them we started over. We did this for 10:00, took a short water break and performed a partner circuit. The partner circuit was a 30/30 format for 8:00. We performed the following exercises, sit up to standing with a double punch(partner holding feet), alternating knee hops(crossing back and forth over our partner who is laying flat), partner wall squats, and crawling. Basically one person worked for 30 and then the other for eight minutes cycling through the exercises. Upon completion we took another water break and repeated the cycle.
We have total control over our conditioning. It is up to you to put the time in and compete in shape.

EY 12:00

C Bands Alternating with Partner 10:00 x 2 sets
Running
Skaters
Broad Jump
Lunges/Shots
Sit Outs
Side Step Low stance

Partner Circuit 8:00 x 2 sets (30 partner 1/ 30 partner 2 for 8:00 total)
Sit up to standing double punch
Knee Hops crossing over partner
Partner Wall Squats
Crawling Forward and Back

Stretch out strap

The China Study Post 2 (Intro)

This my second post in a series so I would like to expand on the parameters of this study. In the middle 1970's the Premier of China (Chou EnLai) was dying of cancer. He initiated a survey that would be conducted in China to look at 12 types of cancer. This survey took 650,000 workers to undertake and was conducted on 96% of the citizens at a cost of $80,000,000. The results of the survey showed that cancer was occurring in certain places and not in others. Cancer was localized. Also because of the fact that these people lived in these areas for generations, genetics was ruled out as a factor.

As a result of this survey it was determined that across China one would see enormous differences in the rate of cancer. In the U.S. you see at most a 2 fold difference. In China they saw from a 12 fold to a couple hundred fold difference. Dr. Campbell along with other researcher's had an opportunity to explore the reasons for this disparity. They wanted to see what were the factors that were causing this difference. It is interesting to note that studies already existed showing a correlation between breast cancer and dietary fat intake. These studies were done in the 1960's and 70's.

The study Dr. Campbell was involved in looked at the following parameters:
Specifically 12 different cancers and 4 dozen diseases. Blood work from 65 counties(135 villages), 6,500 adults(50 per village), 3 day dietary intake questionnaire.

More To Come.......

Codella Conditioning 7/2

Tonight's workout was geared towards endurance. We did four exercises to complete one set and we did it as many times as possible (amap) in 20:00. After a 5:00 break we performed 3 sets of 4:00 of hard calisthenics specific to our sport. Everyone trained hard and are continuing to build their physical and mental toughness.
Good luck to Romy and Mike in their upcoming fights this weekend. They have been training very hard and are ready.
Romy hasn't missed one conditioning class and his wind has improved dramatically.


7/2/10

Yoga 12:00

As Many Sets as Possible in 20:00

10 reps each exercise each arm
Swings/Cleans/Press
200 Yard Run
20 slams (Slam Ball)/Sledge 10 each side
200 Yard run

2 minute break

3 x 4:00 rounds
RD 1
Agility Ladder/Jump Rope/Push Ups

RD2
Burpees/Sit Outs/ Wall Walks

RD3
Sprawls/Umpass/Lunges

The China Study

When I went through my MBG certification with Jon Hinds, he talked of a book called "The China Study". This book was written by T. Colin Campbell, PhD. Through the years Campbell's research has centered around the correlation between diet and disease. What he writes about in his book are facts that have been proven through years of research. He is not merely expressing his opinion or even an educated hypothesis, but undeniable facts that have been backed up by years of research.
I strongly urge all of you to purchase this book and make it a summer reading project. I would also like you to keep an open mind and not fight the information that is presented. Campbell was born in Northern Virginia and was the son of a farmer. He is not someone that is on a crusade for any cause. He simply travelled the road that his years of research led him down. His conclusion is very simple, the answer to the health crisis our country faces is the food we choose to put in our mouths every day. His research shows that a whole food, plant based diet is the healthiest way for us to live.
Most of you will make an excuse to not agree with my last sentence. I was guilty as well. This book will change your opinion on that with facts. I had high triglycerides and my doctor put me on medication to lower it. Prior to the medication I tried to lower it by diet and it didn't work. The reality was that the diet I was attempting was a half ass attempt. I feel into the trap of giving in to "genetics". When we link our health problems to genetics we absolve ourselves of any responsibility in the matter. In August of '09 I made another attempt. Unlike the first attempt I applied myself. I stopped my medications and reduced my meat and cholesterol intake and it was a success. Triglycerides with medication 2009 was 150, in 2010 with no medication 150.
I am committed to following as closely as possible a plant based diet. I have lost weight and my body feels more balanced. I am not telling you that you have to be a vegetarian to be healthy. I am telling you to become more informed about what you are putting into your body. You owe it to yourself to live a long life as disease free as possible. I plan on blogging about "The China Study" to present you with some incredible information. Let me leave you with this quote from George Foster,"Your body is God's gift to you, what you do with it is your gift to God."

Codella Conditioning 6/25

Tonight's workout was a good one. We emphasized strength and power with two movements. We performed push ups for ten minutes using a 15/15 format. You work for 15 seconds then rest for 15 seconds. In your work set once you hit your number you stop and rest remainder of set. Workout is ended in ten minutes, so you are performing 20 sets. If you think it is easy you are mistaking. It's also important to note that form on your push up is crucial. Full range push ups only.
After a water break we performed our second exercise. Using the same 15/15 format we performed a kettle bell clean and press using two bells. If you can hit 100 reps you own the weight you are using and that should be your goal. To do this you need to average 5 reps a set. This routine made the push ups look like a walk in the park. We finished up with three sets of power wheel planks from our knees.

Here is a summary of Workout

Eichen's Yoga Beginner sequence

Push ups 15/15 10:00 Total
Jimmy 220
Romy 182
Jaret 179
Mike 175
Ashley 83

Clean Press 15/15 10:00 Total
Jimmy 40lb. bells 94 reps
Jaret 40lb. bells
Ashley 35lb. bells
Mike 35lb. bells
Romy 35lb. bells

Power Wheel Planks
3 x :40

Codella Conditioning 6/18

We did a Monkey Bar Gymnasium MMA Circuit tonight at Codella's Academy. The workout consisted of doing five sets of four exercises as fast as possible. Final time was recorded. We also wore heart rate monitors to record max and average heart rate. This is a challenging workout that puts emphasis on strength and endurance. We are successful at Codella academy because we train hard and the boys showed it once again tonight. There are two types of pain in competition. Pain of regret or pain in training, pick one!

Workout
Eichen's beginner yoga sequence

5x's AFAP (Workout ended at 45:00)
Power wheel crawl 30 yards
Ball Slams (20 lbs) 40
Farmer's Carry (70 lbs.) 80 Yards
Jump Rope 100 forward and backward

Results
Mike K. completed 38:00 Max HR 184, Avg 161
Jaret completed 42:30 Max HR 190, Avg 167
Mike completed 43:00 Max HR 180, Avg 164
Romy 4 + 2 45:00 Max HR 181, Avg 163
Albert 4 + 1 45:00 Max HR 178, Avg 157

Doreen's Race

Members of MBG SINY participated in the 11th annual running of Doreen's race here on Staten Island. A good time was had by all. It is a nice course that takes you through familiar surroundings in Snug Harbor. I would like to give a special congratulation to Dianna F. for completing her first ever 5K. She worked hard this spring and hopefully this will be the first of many. Jen N was also suppose to participate but had to withdraw due to her daughter getting sick and passing it on to mommy. I am sure Jen will continue to work hard and rise to the next challenge.
After the race was over we enjoyed the nice weather and some refreshments. I would like to also congratulate Greg, Tommy N, Lisa, Scott, Tommy D, Pico, John and Darren for a job well done!

Codella Team Members Hitting a Road Race

This past Saturday a couple of members of Team Codella participated in Doreen's race here on Staten Island. This is a good example of bringing balance to your training. Training should not be confined to the four walls of your gym. Get out and interact with your surroundings. This will break up the monotony of your training. Hopefully in the future we can possibly get some group runs organized to bring a new dynamic to our conditioning.

Jon Hinds Yoga Seminar

This past Friday we were fortunate enough to have Jon Hinds and Jessica Rucker from MBG to come in and give us a seminar . The seminar dealt with using yoga to heal and prevent injuries. We worked on three poses, supine bridge, prone mountain, and kneeling table. We were shown how to give feedback and to correct common misalignments with these poses. It was incredible. We will be incorporating this into our routines. I only wish we could have had more time with him and that I took a picture!

Outdoor Workout

Tommy and I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and do our workout outdoors. The workout consisted of the following:
1 mile run/walk
Power Wheel Tucks
Jump Rope
When this sequence was completed we did it a second time. It was beneficial to our first time 5K girls to get some running in with the big race coming up next week. With the warmer weather upon us we will be able to make better use of our surroundings.

Codella's Conditioning Class 5/14/10

This week's class focused on power. Power is a movement that requires a dynamic, explosive movement to achieve. We performed a ten minute warm up. This was followed by practicing a single arm kettlebell clean and press. The workout is very simple. Each set consists of you performing a clean and press as many times as possible alternating arms as you see fit. You perform as many reps as you can in one minute and then rest for a minute. You complete ten sets in this format. We record the weight and number of reps for each set for future use. Below is a record of the results, keep in mind this numbers are for personal assessment and not to be used as a comparison with each other.

Chaz 60 lb. bell 160 reps.
Dane 35 lb. bell 149 reps.
Jim 55 lb. bell 140 reps.
Mike 55 lb. bell 172 reps.
Nick 50 lb. bell 145 reps.

After a short rest we performed three sets of 80 yards farmer carry's and a one set max distance power wheel crawl. To wrap up the session we performed a Yoga sequence. Makes it real easy to work hard when everyone around you is doing the same thing. By pushing yourselves you will push your teammates!

Doreen's Race.....Who's In!

Doreen's race takes place on June 12. It is a 5K (3.2 mile) run/walk in the Snug Harbor neighborhood. It is a flat, shady course that would be perfect for someone who is thinking about running in their first 5k. Someone of you have expressed interest and I think you should go for it. These events are fun and this particular one has a nice post race party with entertainment for the kids and some good food. Trust me there is nothing to worry about. If you feel that you have to slow your pace or even walk it is totally acceptable. Believe me you will feel great once you finish this race and will be proud of your accomplishment. I hope to see many on you there! Leave a comment if you are doing it. Just leave it as anonymous and leave your initials at the end of the comment. Here is the link for the race application, http://sirunning.com/race2010/doreens_race_2010.pdf.

Monkey See Monkey Do!

My wife took this picture this past weekend while we where in Buffalo for my niece's communion. Instead of watching from the sidelines my lifestyle enables me to experience new things with my kids. I was able to climb with her and show her what to do instead of being a spectator. My kids see me exercising and being active all the time. This is going to be ingrained in their memory. Hopefully it will lead them to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle as they grow older. I encourage all of you to do the same thing with your kids. Let them learn the importance of exercise and eating right from your example. Next time you are watching TV get on the floor and do some crunches or pushups and watch their reaction. More than likely they will attempt to do the same movements that you are doing. Encourage them to challenge themselves and grow strong!

Tommy Deangelis Completes Fifth Marathon

Congratulations goes out to Tommy Deangelis for completing his fifth marathon in 3:40. It was a warm day which always puts additional stress on the runners. He completed the marathon in Rhode Island over this past weekend. He's humble about it but don't forget to congratulate him about it. Awesome job Tommy!

Codella's Conditioning Class 4/30/10

This week's class focused on strength/endurance. Six exercises were performed in a circuit format with thirty seconds of work followed by twenty seconds of rest. We completed four sets. Power Wheel rockers were next and class ended with a Eichen's yoga sequence. As expected everyone gave it 100% and a good workout was had by all. On May 7th there will be no class, I have a communion to attend in Buffalo. Next class will be May 14th at 6:30, you can email through my website if you have any questions(jiml@primalfitnessmbg.com).

Circuit
Rope Climbs
Box Jumps
Push Ups
Log Jumps
Overhead Slams
Kettle Bell Swings

3.2 Mile Trail Run/Power Walk with some BW Exercises.

We completed our first ever trail run through the dense forests of Clove Lakes. Tensions were high that we might encounter the dreaded villain "Poison Ivy" and spoil communion weekend. After it was all said and done a good time was had by all. Halfway through the run we stopped at a ball field and did some C Band exercises with some step ups and fast running thrown in. When we finally finished we wound up running 3.2 miles.

Prior to the run we also had some members put in a forty five minute power walk. Upon completing each lap they performed some exercises using C Bands, body weight, and the MBG on a pull up bar. Each group did a great job and who knows what challenges the next outdoor workout will bring.

Codella's Team Conditioning

I will be running a conditioning class at the academy once a week, it is free to all members. Each week will focus on a different aspect of conditioning. In our first week we focused on endurance training. The workout tested your ability to sustain work over a period of time(30:00). You had 30:00 minutes to complete a four exercise circuit as many times as possible. When time was up we recorded the amount of sets completed and then the last exercise which you completed every rep. So in this order you had to do 20 Burpess, 150 revolutions of jumping rope, 20 medicine ball diagonal chops(10 each side), and 15 power wheel roll outs. Every time you completed all of these exercises you added a set to your total. When time was up we counted up until last exercise completed. In addition I had the participants wear heart rate monitors so that I could record max heart rate and average heart rate.

In regards to training you need a way to evaluate how well it is working. In approximately 3 weeks we will repeat this workout and look for improvement in performance. There were four participants in the workout and they all busted their buts. In these workouts you need to remember that you are competing against yourself. Misery loves company, so it is nice to have someone pushing you but in the end you are finding and pushing your own limitations.

These are the results:

Mike 8 1/4 sets, Max heart rate 184, average 163

Rommy 8 sets, Max heart rate 187, average 173

Val 4 1/14 sets, Max heart rate 178, average 163

Darren 4 sets, Max heart rate 182, average 161

Nice Job Boys!

Assessment Completed!

We had a beautiful day to complete our first assessment and everyone should be proud of the effort they put forth. We now have fifty days to bust our buts and get some big improvements. I am very proud of how hard you all have been working. You all are making tremendous improvements and I can see a difference in your performance and confidence. You all give it 100% every class and it makes it enjoyable to work with you. My goal is to keep you all improving and get you to challenge yourselves physically and do things that you never thought you could do. Continue to support each other in and out of class and lets get some big results. In the words of Heraclitus, "Big results require big ambitions."

Keep Up The Good Work!

Physical Assessment

Those of you who are training consistently are doing great! You are getting stronger and I hope you see and feel that. Unfortunately I did not perform a thorough assessment when we started so I cannot tell specifically how much you have progressed. We are now in the middle of doing just that. Last week I collected data such as weight, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and resting pulse. This week we will be performing a series of tests to measure our strength and endurance. These results will be recorded, goals will be set, and in approximately 45 days we will retest and see the progress. There is no failing grade given for any of these tests. It is just a point of reference for us to gauge our future success by. Be proud, train hard, and achieve future success!

"WOW'S"

Jon Hinds has come up with something called WOW'S, and it stands for workouts of the week. We will be following his lead and implementing them into our training. Those of you who have experienced "Sasha", the "Gorilla", and "Special K" will know what I am talking about. It basically goes like this; the workouts that you do in week one of a month you will repeat in week three, the workouts you do in week two you repeat in week four. We are recording the results from each workout and will challenge ourselves to beat them next time around. These workouts will be challenging but rewarding.

3/24 's Boot Camp Class!

Everybody busted their behind's in the class. Great Job! Everyone's monitor strap was soaked when I took them out to clean them. I wanted you to push yourselves in that workout and that is why there where no restrictions. I was also looking forward to training you after my short hiatus. Just think, what will you be able to do in two months from now?

Simple Nutritional Challenge for April

The challenge is simple.

1. No food after 8 p.m.

2. One to two cups of water before every meal.

See how many days you can do this in the month of April. If you stumble one day start new the next. Keep track of how many days you can do this.

Outdoor Training

We were able to make good use today of the nice weather and do half our class indoors and half outdoors. It went well and may have been a lifesaver to some of our Sunday parade participants. I hope to be able to do this more as the weather improves. In April I will be offering additional classes that are strictly outdoors. It will give you a chance to have some fun with your training and get energized by the outdoors.

Heart Rate Monitors

I purchased ten Polar FT 4 heart rate monitors to use in our Boot Camp Classes. Everyone will be assigned a monitor to wear during class. A monitor consists of a chest strap and a watch. The monitor simply records your heart rate during class. It will also give an estimate as to how many calories you burn during the workout and how long you spend in a pre determined training zone. I can then take the watch and upload the information to my computer and use it to monitor your progress. It will also provide me with feedback as to the intensity of the class.

The training zones are determined by a standard formula that is based on your estimated maximum heart rate. This formula is generally good for most of the population, 220 minus your age is generally accepted as your maximum heart rate. Working within 60-85% of your maximum heart rate will improve cardiovascular fitness. Volumes of research shows this to be a fact.

These monitors will also help you to self regulate yourself during a workout. I will personalize the watch to each individual in the class the night before. I can also set slightly different training zones based on your personal fitness level. This way if you are working at to high a level the watch will alert you with a beeping sound and we can take steps to bring you back into your training zone. The bottom line is that these monitors will allow us to train smarter and avoid over training. The monitor straps will also be cleaned after every use. If you have any questions contact me via email, text or post a comment.

Jimmy

"Making Sense of Grams and Calories"

A calorie is defined as the amount of heat necessary to increase the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree at one atmosphere. It is used nutritionally to show the energy producing potential of food. Carbohydrates and protein will yield four calories per gram. One gram of fat will yield between eight and nine calories.

This can be misleading. The over consumption of carbohydrates and protein will result in the excess food(fuel) to be converted and stored as fat. It is important to understand that it simply isn't eating fatty foods that can increase your fat stores. The over consumption of proteins and carbohydrates will also lead to an increased level of body fat.

Indoor Cardio Workouts

Doing cardiovascular workouts indoors is not something I like doing. Sometimes it is practical for time and weather conditions. Something about it reminds me of the gerbil in science class running on the wheel. People have asked me for suggestions on what to do and I suggest the following workout.

This format can be used by someone who is in shape or just beginning.

3-5 minute warm up

1 minute at a pace you are comfortable with, call it your baseline pace.

1 minute at a pace that brings you out of your comfort zone, conditioning pace. When you finish this minute return to your baseline pace for a minute and repeat the sequence. I would recommend 6-8 sets following this format. If on a treadmill you can increase the speed or the elevation. You do not necessarily have to run, a higher elevation will get your heart rate up just as well. You are elevating your heart rate but also given it time to recover with the lower intensity. You can manipulate the work to rest ratio as you se fit. Two minutes baseline, one minute elevated or however you see fit. Just remember to finish with a cool down of about 3-5 minutes.

When I train indoors I also like to change machines a couple of times. So I might start with the treadmill, move on to stair climber, and finish up with a easy bike ride. Try to avoid getting on a machine and going a steady pace the whole workout. Also I have a weak stomach so if I ever see one of you on a machine talking on the phone or reading a magazine I might just puke, hopefully all over you!

Eating Healthy, What Stops Us?

I would like to throw this question out there and have you think about it. What prevents you from eating healthy? Think about it, take a piece of paper, and write your answers down. Then try to come up with a way to address your answers to the question. If you like, feel free to post a comment. It could be obstacles or solutions. If you would like to comment and are unable, contact me and I will send you the necessary information.

Workout Ideas (Card Deck)

This is a simple workout using a deck of playing cards. Assign a specific exercise to each suit. Shuffle the cards and turn two over at a time. Ace is 14, King is 13, Queen is 12, Jack is 11 and the others are face value. Assign the exercises, shuffle the cards, and start turning. It should take between thirty and forty five minutes to complete.

This is what we did today:

Hearts- Medicine Ball Up/Downs

Diamonds- Push Ups

Club- Kettle Bell Sit Ups

Spade- Body Rows

If you are home or on vacation use exercises that require no gear. Things such as squats, crunches, running in place (multiply by 5), jumping jacks/jills, burpees, split squats, veritical jumps, options are limitless.

Great Week of Training!

Just wanted to thank all of you for your hard work this week and encourage you to keep it up. I am seeing improvement from all of you. Take advantage of the warmer weather we are having and get outside for a run or walk. Just remember that you will never out train a bad diet, so try to make some healthy improvements. Feel free to add a comment or encouragement to your training community. Keep up the good work!

Andrew Esposito's First Fight

Just want to congratulate Andrew (with med ball) on his first fight Saturday night(1/16/10). It takes courage to step into the ring and he fought with a warriors heart! The fight was action packed for all three rounds. He rallied and won the third round by outworking his opponent and landing some big shots. He lost a close decision but I think it was the fight of the night. Andrew had a lot of support at the fight and he entered and left the ring with a big smile. Nice job Andrew we are proud of you!

Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (Doms)

Delayed onset muscle soreness (Doms) refers to the muscle soreness that comes on 12-24 hours after exercise. All of you have been experiencing this lately and can now put a name to your pain. Doms is prevalent when someone initiates a new exercise program, engages in athletic movements that they are not accustomed to, or increases the intensity and range of motion in the exercises they perform. Most of you fit into all three of these categories and are very familiar with Doms right now.

Causes

Muscles perform two actions, they contract and relax. They have the ability to do this in a wide range of intensity. Your muscles have the ability to perform two different types of contractions, concentric and eccentric contractions. When I pick up a weight in my hand and curl it, I am performing a concentric contraction (muscle is contracting and becoming smaller). When I lower that same weight with control my muscle would be performing an eccentric contraction (muscle contract's while lengthening). It is generally agreed that eccentric contractions are the cause for most of the muscle soreness you feel. "It is generally agreed that the causes of Doms include some structural damage to the muscle cells and inflammatory reactions within the muscle. This damage sets up a chain of events that includes the release of intracellular proteins and an increase in muscle protein turnover... Some evidence suggests that this process is an important step in muscle hypertrophy." (Jack H. Wilmore\ David L. Castill (1994.) Neuromuscular Adaptations to Resistive Training. Physiology of Sport and Exercise, p. 80). Muscle hypertrophy is the increase in the size of a muscle which leads to an increase in strength and the ability of the muscle to work.

My Translation

Your body responds to the stresses we impose on it. They are either positive or negative. You're asking your body to do things it is not accustomed to doing. In return it lets you know by becoming sore. Your serious about this change and continue to stress it with exercise. Your body will respond by becoming stronger so it can sustain and function under the new stresses it is receiving. Bottom line is Doms will decrease as you continue to train. It will come back from time to time to remind you when you do something different, but never as bad as when you first start.

Dealing with Doms

• It is not permanent and it will go away.
• Perform a low intensity aerobic exercise to increase blood flow to the area followed by a gentle stretch.
• A cold bath, as cold as you can take it, is claimed by many to reduce soreness.
• Gentle massage.
• Aspirin will provide temporary relief but will not speed up the healing process.

Conclusion

Do not get discouraged or think that it is something you have or have not done that is making you sore. This to shall pass and get better with time and continued training. Think of the areas that are sore as being replaced with something stronger. Doms is acceptable as long as it is in the muscle, if you are experiencing pain in the joints this is something different and needs to be addressed. Continue to work hard and this will be something of the past!