Thursday Challenge 02/18/10

AFAP Four Sets:

30 Air Squats
30 Lunges
30 Sit-ups

Note: Lunges should equal 60 right and 60 left.

Choose to Lose Fitness Challenge

How are all you Choose to Losers doing?

a) Great. I’m down 5 or 10 pounds … can’t wait for the next weigh in.
b) O.K. I’m down 5 or 10 pounds …. But slowly losing willpower.
c) The effort is there, but no results ….. this sucks!
d) What the heck was I thinkin’ when I joined?
e) Other??

Although the scale is the measure of your success during this fitness challenge, I would like to encourage you not to let it dictate whether or not you continue on your journey for lifetime weight/health success. Personally, I weigh myself once a month. I base my success on how healthy I ate, how dedicated I was to my exercise plan, and how my clothes fit. My belt was and is my measure of success …. Waist vs. Weight.

Two things I would like you to think about as you continue with you fitness challenge …. The first being words from our friend Lou from one of his Extremist posts for Trinity Training:

Failing is painful.

Or is it? I find more pain in not having goals. I find more pain at not competing. I find more pain in not having a chance to succeed. Failing to me means I gave it all I had in a risky effort, but came up short. Failing means I have to try harder next time. Commit to a new course. Visualize myself being the champion. The Extremist. ...... I want people to claim a stake in their own success. Not sitting back expecting some fair distribution of prizes or rewards. I want people to take a bite out of failure and chew on it until a new plan, a fresh path, a renewed vision of success is crystal clear.

The second item is an article which you may find helpful. I think it’s one of the best articles to read if you don’t have time to read an entire diet book. It gives you 10 reasons you’re not losing weight, 13 ways to lose fat and 5 of the best foods to eat to lose fat. http://donmatesz.blogspot.com/search/label/How%20to%20lose%20fat

Keep the faith!

W.O.D. - Week #3

W.O.D. #1 (AFAP-4 Rounds)
Beginner                    Intermediate                    Practiced
10 Air Squats              10 Zercher Squats (40lb)   10 Zercher Squats (80lb)
10 Air Get Ups           10 MB Get Ups                 10 SB Get Ups (40lb)
10 KB Swings            10 KB Swings                    10 KB Swings (35b)
400m Run                   400m Run                          400m Sprint

  Please review the video on right column regarding Sandbag Exercises for an example on Get Ups. Review the video labeled Sandbag Zercher Squats for proper form on the squats.  For KB Swings ensure the KB starts between your legs behind your heels and you have FULL extension overhead.  KB weight for Beginner and Intermediate should ensure you don't max out your first set.

W.O.D. #2 (AMRAP-20Minutes)
Beginner                    Intermediate                    Practiced
5 Push Ups                  5 Push Ups                        5 Plyo Push Ups
10 Step Ups                10 Box Jumps                    10 Box Jumps
15 Flutter Kicks          15 Flutter kicks                   15 Flutter Kicks

  For Step Ups and box Jumps utilize a height which challenges yourself each set

W.O.D. #3 (AFAP-10 to 1, 1 to 10)
Beginner                    Intermediate                    Practiced
Jack Knives                 Jack Knives                       Jack Knives
Deadlifts (115 lbs)       Deadlifts (185 lbs)              Deadlifts (225 lbs)

  Each round you decrease the number of Jack Knives by one and increase the number of Deadlifts by one.  The first round is 10 Jack Knives and 1 Deadlifts, the last round is 1 Jack Knife and 10 Deadlifts.

Thursday Challenge 02/11/10

AFAP - 10 Sets of 10

Wall Ball
4 Count Mason Twists (right - left - right - left = 1)

W.O.D. - Week #2

W.O.D. #1 (AMRAP-20 Minutes)
Beginner                    Intermediate                    Practiced
5 Thrusters(Bar Only)  5 Thrusters(75 lbs)             5 Thrusters(95 lbs)
10 Forward Lunges     10 KB Lunges                    10 KB Lunges
15 Sit Ups                   15 Sit Ups                        15 Sit Ups
20 Single Unders          20 Single Unders                20 Double Unders

  The Under refers to Jump Rope.  A single under is when the rope passes once under your feet with each jump.  A double under is when the rope passes twice under your feet with each jump.

W.O.D. #2 (AFAP-21/15/9/3)
Beginner                    Intermediate                    Practiced
Inverted Rows             Pull Ups                             Pull Ups
Deadlifts                      Deadlifts                             Deadlifts
Mountain Climbers       Mountain Climbers             Mountain Climbers

Mountain Climbers should be a two count exercise for Beginner (left then right is 1 rep) and a four count exercise for Intermediate and Practiced.  Deadlift weight should be approximately 1/3 body weight for beginners.  Intermediate and Practiced lift an appropriate weight which will not leave you at failure after first set.

W.O.D. #3 (AFAP-Deck of Cards)
Beginner                    Intermediate                    Practiced                    Suit
Push Ups                     Push Ups                           Push Ups                     Spades
Sit Ups                        Sit Ups                               Sit Ups                        Diamonds
Air Squats                   KB Front Squats                Sand Bag Squats          Clubs
KB Clean & Press       KB Clean &Press              KB Clean & Press        Hearts
400m Sprint                400m Sprint                        400m Sprint                 Jokers

This workout can be segmented by removing Aces, Facecards, and/or Jokers.  Each number card is the amount of reps, Facecards are valued at 11, Aces can be valued at 1 or 15.

What Works For Me (for Super Bowl)

Do you have a game plan for Sunday (in terms of what you're going to eat)? I just finished mine, so I thought I'd share a few "plays" with you. Remember, my focus is high protein / low carbs.

Deviled Eggs

Lunchmeat Wraps (piece of lunchmeat, spread some onion and chive cream cheese on it and wrap a pickle up in it ... then cut into pieces and put in a toothpick).

Celery sticks filled with Merk's Cheese

I'm planning on having a few dips, BUT, I'll be dipping with celery or carrots (I avoid crackers and tostidos)

Also, I plan on working out before attending the party to help get my metabolism going .... remember, muscles continue to burn fat even after your workout!

That's my game plan.

What Works For Me

There are sooooo many diets on the market today, and bookstores have rows and rows of diet books to choose from -- "The Paleo Diet", "The Sonoma Diet", "Neanderthin", "Protein Power Life Plan", "The Zone Diet", "Good Carbs Bad Carbs" etc., etc.

One common denominator is low carb, low sugar (no artificial sweetners and no high fructose corn syrup) and good quality protein. Basically, 90% of your food groceries should be purchased from the perimeter of the store (I like Trader Joes!).

The hard part is TIME. In the beginning, it took TIME to read labels to figure out what is good and what is bad. I was surprised to find out how many salad dressings are loaded with sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup). I was surprised on the sugar (or artificial sweetner) content on yogurt. What I look for on the label is:

# of Carb grams (I limit my daily intake to about 75-90 grams)
#of Protein grams (I try to eat about 4 oz of protein every 3 hours)
# of Sugar grams (As low as possible - not to exceed 20 grams per day)
Also, I check to see if the product has high fructose corn syrup in it. If it does, forget it!

The first month or two took TIME, but not any more. I know what brand(s) are good, I just grab it off the shelf.

It takes TIME to pack my lunch/dinner, but it has become part of my routine. Again, in the beginning, it took some adjustment, but the benefits have paid off so much, that I truly don't mind. You learn creativity as you go.

For example, this is what's in my breakfast/lunch box right now (I'm working early shift):

Protein Bar (14 gms protein, 10 gms carbs & 5 gms sugar)
Bag of Almonds (9 gms protein, 8gms carbs & 2 gms sugar)
2 Tomatoe & Basil Pizza Burgers (20 gms protein, 14 gms carbs & 4 gms sugar)
1 Cheese Stick (8 gms protein, 1 gm carb & 0 gms sugar)
2 slices of ham (11 gms protein, 3 gms carbs & 3 gms sugar)
5 Oatmeal granola bites (3 gms protein, 16 gms carbs & 8 gms sugar)

I literally threw this stuff into my breakfast/lunch box in less than 5 minutes. I didn't stop to read labels because I know what's good and what's not. I didn't have enough time to pack a salad, so I'll stop at McD's or Wendy's. They have nice side salads for $1.00.

I'll probably have chicken and broccoli for dinner.

This is what works for me in terms of food intake.

Thursday Challenge - 2/4/10

AFAP-5 Rounds

20 Burpees
20 Air Squats

  Thursday Challenges are back!  These will be posted every Monday in preparation for the Thursday Challenge.  Once you complete the challenge you are encouraged to Comment to this post with your time.  This is for your own reference to look back on since these Challenges may be repeated later in the year.  If you aren't comfortable posting a time at least post that you have completed the event. 

  SEE YOU THURSDAY!

W.O.D. - Week #1

W.O.D. #1 (AMRAP-20 Minutes)

Beginner                         Intermediate                 Practiced 

5 Push Ups                       5 Push Ups                     5 Plyo Push Ups

10 Sit Ups                        10 Sit Ups                      10 Sit Ups

15 Air Squats                   15 KB Front Squats          15 SB Front Squats

W.O.D. #2 (AFAP-5 Rounds)

Beginner                          Intermediate                Practiced

5 Inverted Rows                5 Pull Ups                      5 Pull Ups

10 Step Ups                     10 Box Jumps                10 Box Jumps

10 KB C&P (ea)                 10 KB C&P (ea)              10 KB C&P (ea)

10 Mason Twists              10 Mason Twists             10 MB Mason Twists

5 Pull Over/Sit/Stand         5 Pull Over/Sit/Stand     5 MB Pull Over/Sit/Stand

To increase the difficulty of the Pull Over/Sit/Stand even further finish each rep with a Squat Jump after you stand.

W.O.D. #3 (AFAP-21/15/9)

Beginner                         Intermediate                  Practiced

Wall Ball                          Wall Ball                          Wall Ball

Tire Step Ups                  Tire Jumps                       Tire Jumps

Leg Raises                       Leg Raises                       Leg Raises (Stability Ball)

Tire Strikes                     Tire Strikes                      Tire Strikes

Mountain Climbers          Mountain Climbers             Mountain Climbers

When utilizing the Stability Ball for Leg Raises place the ball between your ankles and keep it in place for the duration of the exercise.  When conducting Tire Strikes use the flat end of the sledgehammer to strike the tire to reduce bounce back and create a more difficult exercise.

What Works for Me...

In a word, CHANGE.

In the last year I have rarely repeated the same "workout routine". That's not to say I haven't repeated my favorite exercises or duplicated the structure of my workouts. But, by and large every workout is a new experience. And while they aren't all successes, they' have all contributed to the evolution of my personal physical fitness program.

Up until about two years ago I maintained the same approach to fitness:

• Day 1 - Chest and Triceps
• Day 2 - Back and Biceps
• Day 3 - Shoulders and Abdominal
• NO LEGS!

Throw in a 1.5 mile run every once in a while and there it was; a workout schedule that rarely changed and nearly always contained six exercises each day with ten sets per body part. Nothing imaginative or challenging about that. The older I got, the harder it got to maintain my strength. My body had long since adapted to the repetition of my routine and was not responding. I started to experience chronic injuries and could see marked decreases in my personal strength standard, "bench press". CHANGE became a matter of necessity and since then CHANGE has become the staple of my workouts.

I now have no workout schedule. No set muscle groups, no set number of repetitions. My workouts are not scripted days or even hours in advance. Generally speaking, with the exception of a few CrossFit standards, the majority my workouts fall into one of only four structures:
10 Sets of 10 for Time. Two exercises. Example of one set:

• 10 Deadlifts
• 10 Plyo Push-ups

5 Sets of 5 for Time. Five exercises, each having an ascending number of repetitions. Example of the set:

• 5 Burpees
• 10 Pull-ups
• 15 Kettlebell Clean & Presses (15 each arm)
• 20 24" Box Jumps
• 25 Sit-ups

5 Sets Interval Training. One run followed by two exercises of the same muscle group. Example of one set:

• Run 400M (1/4 mile)
• Max Reps Bench Press (set weight)
• Max Reps Ring Push-ups

Max Sets in 15-Minutes. Two exercises: one a push & one a pull. One set equals nine repetitions of each exercise done: 1-1/3-3/5-5. Example of one set:

• 1 Thruster (set weight)
• 1 Pull-up
• 3 Thrusters (set weight)
• 3 Pull-ups
• 5 Thrusters (set weight)
• 5 Pull-ups

Although I'm comfortable with these structures because of the flexibility they offer, I am not satisfied and continue to "test" other structures that appear to be interesting or would seem to offer a greater degree of challenge. The 1-1/3-3/5-5 you see above came from CrossFit Football and was the result of one of those tests.

If your not happy with your state of physical fitness or if it's just getting harder to "find" time to workout, I encourage you to consider a CHANGE. Explore the information resources we're offering and find what works for you.

To Whom It May Concern

Airline Safety Announcement:



In the event that our cabin pressure should change, an oxygen mask will be released from the overhead compartment. Please place the oxygen mask on yourself first before helping small children or others who may need assistance.



I'm currently reading a book titled "One Month To Live - Thirty Days to a No Regrets Life". This book shows you how to stop waiting for "someday" and start making each day really matter. By taking the "30-Day Challenge", you'll learn what it means to make the most of your time on earth and live life with no regrets. (Deep stuff)



Now, getting to the Airline Safety Announcement, this was brought up on Day 5 of the book and a day I would like to share with you. We need to take time and focus on ourselves (spiritually, physically, emotionally and relationally). We need to "place the oxygen mask" on ourselves if we are going to make a difference in the lives of our spouse, children, grandchildren, elderly parents, pets, and even our fellow patrol officers! There are people in our lives that need us and rely on us and shame on us if we become a burden to them rather than be an assistant to them.



How you treat your body directly affects others in your lives and it impacts the quality of the life you enjoy. I can tell you first hand that over the past three months, I've been a burden to my family because my body (specifically, me feet) were not healthy. The quality of our meals decreased, the laundry piles increase and my poor dog (Kipper) couldn't take a walk with his mommy!



My hope is that you consider placing the oxygen mask on yourself (spiritually, physically, emotionally and relationally) so you are able to help those small children and others who God has blessed you with.

W.O.D. IS BACK!!

  After numerous months of a lack of W.O.D. posting the W.O.D. is back! The OBPD Fitness Committee has taken the time to review the W.O.D. process and we believe drastically improve its function. From this point on there will be a weekly posting of three (3) W.O.D.s. Each of these W.O.D.s will have 3 seperate tracks, Beginner, Intermediate, and Practiced. These tracks will allow you to select the track that best suits your fitness level and experience. This will also allow you to complete the workouts when it best suits you and to combine it with other workout options during the week. Don't forget you can always check the label "W.O.D." and review all the previously posted W.O.D.s for other options.

  On the right side of the blog we have added a section titled "Workout Options". There are several options currently listed, each of which gives you a variety of workouts to utilize. CrossFit Football and CrossFit Mainpage post daily W.O.D.s which you can follow. CrossFit Football generally utilizes more weight lifting exercises in their W.O.D. Also listed are the three Prison Workouts from Lou Hayes. These are listed in their entirety and allows you to pick and choose what suit you best. Keep your eyes on this tab because more options will be added in the future.

  We are also in the process of compiling Sample Workouts which will be added to the right side of the blog. These will be workouts utilized by members of the Fitness Committee in the past and have found them effective workouts. This section will also be added to on a regular basis.

  Remember The Cage is open 24/7 and can be utilitzed by anyone. Feel free to check it out and utilize it regardless of your workout plan. Good Luck!!

What's new in "The Cage"?

Just added to "The Cage" for your fitness experience:

• Two 45lb. plates.
• Two 25lb. bumper plates
• Two 10lb. kettlebells.
• Two 15lb. kettlebells.
• One E-Z curl bar (for you hardcore traditionalists).

That's great but what are kettlebells and bumper plates?

Bumper plates are solid rubber weight plates manufactured to fit the Olympic bar (they will work with all the bars we have in the cage). The plates themselves are the same diameter as a standard 45lb. iron plate. Bumpers were developed to train the Olympic lifts because they can be dropped on a lifting platform or matted surface without damaging the plates or flooring.

Kettlebells are basically a cannon ball with a flat bottom and an over sized handle across the top. They range in weight from 8lbs. to 88 lbs. They've been around for hundreds of years and are great for building full body strength (critical in developing "real world" strength that can be transferred to the job you do).

Again, that's great but what do I do with them?

Not to worry, we'll be providing plenty of exercises. In the meantime do some keyword searches and find your own applications. Start light and build your way up as your confidence and skill level increases.

Ready for sandbag training?

Today we added five sandbags to the cage; two 40lb. bags and three 80lb. bags. In the very near future we'll be adding an additional 80lb. bag and two additional 40lb. bags. To clarify, they aren't actually sandbags. They are sea bags filled with wood pellets. The link below explains how they are made.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8j6yE8LbQTg

Working with sandbags is considered odd object training. An odd object can be defined as a non-rigid implement who's center of mass is not fixed and is ever changing. The more it shifts the harder your muscles work to adapt.

The link below is a brief montage of several sandbag exercises.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWH5YkMnkDY&feature=player_embedded

These are by no means the only exercises in which the bags can be used. Search youtube and see what you can find. The most challenging exercise I have found is the half-moon with the 40lb. bag. The link is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKkRW_xTUsA

Some things to know about the sandbag:

1. Don't use the handle sewn onto the bag. It won't support the weight and if it tears it will likely tear the bag as well.
2. The bag will emanate a small amount of wood dust for the first couple of weeks.
3. The 80lb. bags may be fairly rigid but that will change with use. They'll eventually begin to lose their rigidity which will increase the amount of work your muscles will need to do to control the load.
4. These aren't MMA bags. Avoid tossing or repeatedly dropping them from any height greater than your waist. They'll create a dusty mess if they break.

Lastly, don't let the bag kick your butt. The more you use it the easier it gets.

To Whom It May Concern

The quote shown below is from an article, and I personally can attest to the article's validity. My weight loss success had many contributory factors: healthy eating (both what I ate and why I ate), exercise (cardio and strength training) and a deep-down desire to permanently fix my physical brokenness (it wasn’t a “vanity” issue).

I truly believed cardio was the “main ingredient” to my weight loss until I had my foot surgeries. I had to let go of the cardio and rely solely on my healthy eating habits and strength training. Through it all, I lost an additional 5 pounds (during the Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's holidays!)

Quote:
The point being in your battle against weight loss, you need to start where it matters the most…in how and what you eat. From there you compliment your efforts with “effective” exercise…and not “excessive” exercise. Too many people are being excessive in what they do, expecting faster results somehow.

Read Full Article: Aerobics (Cardio) is Not Your Priority in Lasting Weight Loss

Just an update...

Your Fitness Committee wants you to know that we are continuing in our efforts to create a fitness resource that is both functional and practical. The committee meets biannually for the purpose of reviewing every facet of the resources we provide. Those meetings are supplemented by a constant exchange of ideas between individual committee members. The committee has made a tremendous amount of progress in working to provide an inclusive fitness resource. These achievements would not have been realized if it was not for the contributions (time, money, equipment & ideas) of several informal members. Their help and support has been greatly appreciated.

At our most recent committee meeting we identified several areas in which we believe we can increase the effectiveness of the resources we provide.

Expanding our use of the OBPD Fitness Blog.

• Inclusion of sample workouts.
• Expanded use of blog entries (more contributors - new topics).
• Refining current topics to ensure that their relevance and application is closely related to the environment we work in.
• E-mail notification of blog entries (already up and running).
• Posting "Workouts of the Day" (WOD's) on a weekly basis.
• Increasing the number of links to resource websites.

Creating workouts that are as inclusive as possible regardless of skill or fitness level.

• Three WOD's and one Thursday Challenge will be posted at the beginning of each week. This will allow you to choose the WOD or WOD's that best fit your schedule.
• Three training tracks will be posted for each WOD: Beginner, Intermediate & Practiced. Select the track that best fits your level of experience & fitness.
• Challenges will continue to be held every Thursday. However the format will change slightly in an effort to increase the level of participation. The challenges will be less complex and shorter in duration, with the exception of the last Thursday Challenge of the month. That challenge will be comprised of components from the month's previous challenges. Example: 1st Thursday - 100 push-ups for time. 2nd Thursday - 200 sit-ups for time. 3rd Thursday - 300 air squats for time. Last Thursday - 10 Sets of 10 push-ups, 20 sit-ups and 30 air squats.

Modifying our baseline testing.

• Testing will be more reflective of the fitness resources we are providing. Although the specific measurements have not yet been determined, they will not include a 1.5 mile run or bench press.
• The testing date(s) will be announced in the near future.

Adding additional equipment in an effort to meet the physical training needs of as many participants as possible.

• Two additional 45lb plates.
• Two 25lb. bumper plates.
• Two 8lb. kettlebells.
• Two 15lb. kettlebells.
• Four 40lb. sandbags.
• Four 80lb. sandbags.
• One E-Z Curl bar.
• One stability ball.

Unfortunately we have serious space limitations and need to select equipment that we are confident will be used on a regular basis (E-Z curl bar) or equipment that has the greatest application of use (sandbags and kettlebells).

I encourage each of you to take advantage of the resource created and maintained by your peers for the purpose of improving your level of fitness. As a Police Officer you do not have a right to be unfit. To do so is to not only risk your safety but the safety of the public and that of the men and women you work with everyday.

A Police Officer is who you are, not what you do.

www.obpdfitness.blogspot.com

Headin out for a cup of Joe?

Again from Mens Health--

Not quite sure what to order when you’re at your local coffee bar? We decoded the average hole-in-the-wall menu so you can find healthier options no matter what you’re jonesing for.

Espresso Drinks
Always choose cappuccinos over lattes. With nearly half the amount of milk, you’ll save about 60 calories per medium cup—which adds up fast. Still, when you start adding syrups and whipped topping, both can be dangerous. A large flavored espresso drink made with 2 percent milk can cost you about 300 calories and 8 grams of fat. Read on to learn the definition of different coffee shop terms.

Frozen Coffee Drinks
The worst of all coffee categories. With the heavy reliance on dairy, syrups, and whipped cream kickers, these may as well be labeled "caffeinated milk shakes." Expect to invest between 400 and 700 calories in one of these frozen follies.

Americano
Made from a few shots of espresso and hot water, this is the best espresso drink on the menu. It's like coffee, with an extra kick.

GET YOUR ASS OFF THE COUCH!

Well, we’re three weeks into the New Year …. How are things going? For many of you, your New Years’ resolution (to lose weight and/or begin an exercise program) got off to a slow start due extended work hours required to investigate the “unfortunate incident”. Life (or in this instance, death) sometimes gets in your way to achieving well-intended goals. The key is to not let those set-backs permanently set you back.

2009 was a big year of achievement for me personally. I lost 55 pounds (and 2 bunions) … no, the two are in no way related (bunions don’t weigh 55 pounds)! Both the weight loss success and bunion surgeries both required planning and patience, and both have provided me with a level of courage I would have never reached without going through the experience(s).

I read this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt while at one of my physical therapy sessions, and it applies to these situations:

Believe in yourself. You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face …. You must do that which you think you cannot do.

To “look fear in the face” --- What might that be for you? Is it that NUMBER that comes up when you step on the scale? Is it going to the doctor’s office to get your cholesterol and blood pressure checked? Is it opening up your credit card statement in January?

Several months ago, a friend of mine (Lou Hayes) asked me to provide him with my personal weight loss testimony, and he posted it to his website (Trinity Training). My HOPE is to provide you with HOPE. Well that same friend recently told me to “stop patting myself on the back for my 2009 achievement and move on to the next achievement --- it’s a new year.” Good old Lou! Needless to say, this will be the first and last time I post my 2009 weight loss testimony!!

Wow …. It’s 2010. I’m fat free (well, you know what I mean), and I find myself in a lost state right now. I spent all last year reaching and climbing my way out of a dark, dark hole. I’m now out of the hole and on level ground, and I see light for the first time. What the heck am I supposed to do now? What is my new goal? These questions were gnawing at me for the past few weeks, but I got my answer yesterday at the Fitness Committee Meeting. My new goal is to pull as many people out of the “dark hole” as I can. It’s not about me; it’s about YOU.

This year, I will be posting as much as I can to give YOU the tools to get out of the dark hole. These tools may be in the form of dietary direction, motivational encouragement or providing you with some “must read” articles. Unfortunately, YOU have to do the reaching and climbing, but I’ll be there for YOU while YOU “look fear in the face”.

One final tool I will provide you with is workout support. I know “The Cage” might be a little scary and the Workout Of the Day (WOD) might be a little too much. Again, I’ll be there for YOU while YOU “look fear in the face”. If WE need to start with 1 sit up, 1 push up and 1 lap around the parking lot, that’s what WE will do. The goal is to do a 20 minute workout. Every day I work the 6-2 shift, I will be in The Cage after my shift from 2-2:45. If I work the 10-6 shift, I’ll take my lunch at 2:00 (obviously service calls permitting). I’ll stop in to get your workout going (but I can’t participate). If I work the 2-10 shift, I’ll be there before my shift at 12:00. If it is my day off, I’ll be there from 2-2:45 (but I have some flexibility). I will be there with or without YOU.

New Exercise: DOT Drill

This is an agility drill which can be incorporated into almost any workout.  There are many ways to adjust the movement patterns to increase the level of difficulty, however this is the basic format.  This is a nice change of pace drill to keep your workouts interesting.  Check out this video (which has also been added to the Exercise Videos on the right side of the blog) for a demonstration.   I apologize for the ad before the video but it was the best example out there.  A diagram with explanation has also been placed in the Cage. Once the weather warms up we can get the dots spray painted outside the Cage.

The truth on energy drinks

Off of Mens' Fitness----

The real truth is that most people are already consuming too much energy, which is why there's an obesity problem. (Think about it.) So adding to your energy excess by guzzling a calorie- and sugar-laden drink doesn't make a lot of sense.

In fact, ask yourself this: Is it a lack of incoming sugar that's causing you to be tired-or is it that you're consuming too much of it in the first place? Chances are, it's the latter.

Our advice: If you feel you need a boost, reach for unsweetened beverage that contains only caffeine-like a black coffee from Dunkin' Donuts. It has zero grams of sugar, 146 mg of caffeine, and just 20 calories-all for about 2 dollars.