I will, finally, be doing another ABS Seminar!!!
Saturday, September 26
1:00pm- apx 2:30pm
Cost: $5 for Eagle Claw Student, $10 for Non-Students
Location: Eagle Claw Kung Fu Center
976 Jefferson Street NW
Suite C
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404-944-4103
This will cover everything you need to know about abs. It will debunk myths and teach you how to evaluate where you are in your ab strength and develop a program to get stronger.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Cosistency Is Key
In your journey to getting fit the most important aspect is CONSISTENCY. If you don't practice or train regularly you will never progress. Not much needs to be said on this since it is so clear. Muscle atrophy begins in about seven days. If you only train once per week, you will be fighting this every day. Another thing consistency will do is foster that your practice/training will become habit. You will being to 'crave' the work out and it's resulting endorphine high! Not a bad thing.
Be consistent and the rest will begin to fall into place!
Be consistent and the rest will begin to fall into place!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Dedication and Commitment
When beginning and exercise program you must determine your level of dedication and commitment. How much do you want it? To what levels are you willing to push yourself? What levels of pain will you endure? How important is all of this towards reaching your goal(s)?
This young lady made such a commitment that I can only marvel at her:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAY_d9vsY14
Alexis Page trains under a friend of mine (Wendy Hilliard). She has determined that she will endure a 2+ hour trip (each way) to her facility. She will endure 4 hour work outs. All of this is because she wants to compete in the 2012 Olympics. She still has her education in mind- She is an A student.
My own training brother (Sifu Michael Aronson in Houston) has a 16 year old student who travels 60 miles each way to train with him.
How far (physically and mentally) do you wish to go? I wrestle with this quite frequently. After suffering through a horrible year in 2002, I lost a lot in my general fitness level. When I finally came out of the fog from that year (about 3 years later) and saw how much I had lost, I had to asses how much I wanted to work to get it back. Many questions came/come up (I still haven't resolved this fully!):
1- To what level of fitness do I want to get back?
2- How hard do I want to train?
3- If I wish to get back to my earlier levels, HOW do I motivate myself?
4- Can I get there?
5- Can my body handle it?
6- I have done all of those hard work-outs, why do them again? I don't have anything to prove!
It is on my mind during every work-out.
The key thing here is that I still work out. While I am doing this I will push myself each time. If I get to a max level, great, if not, at least I did my work-out!
Many people make excuses for not exercising; They don't have the time. They don't have a gym. They have too many injuries. If a 12 year old girl can travel almost 5 hours per day and still maintain her grades (watch the video, she is a well spoken and well mannered young lady- I KNOW Wendy wouldn't have it any other way) you can find the time and make a way to exercise for, at least, a half an hour! You probably aren't going to the Olympics or, even, be a Kugn Fu master but if you don't exercise you won't be working enough to afford the health care that you would need because you lost your health from not working out!
This young lady made such a commitment that I can only marvel at her:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAY_d9vsY14
Alexis Page trains under a friend of mine (Wendy Hilliard). She has determined that she will endure a 2+ hour trip (each way) to her facility. She will endure 4 hour work outs. All of this is because she wants to compete in the 2012 Olympics. She still has her education in mind- She is an A student.
My own training brother (Sifu Michael Aronson in Houston) has a 16 year old student who travels 60 miles each way to train with him.
How far (physically and mentally) do you wish to go? I wrestle with this quite frequently. After suffering through a horrible year in 2002, I lost a lot in my general fitness level. When I finally came out of the fog from that year (about 3 years later) and saw how much I had lost, I had to asses how much I wanted to work to get it back. Many questions came/come up (I still haven't resolved this fully!):
1- To what level of fitness do I want to get back?
2- How hard do I want to train?
3- If I wish to get back to my earlier levels, HOW do I motivate myself?
4- Can I get there?
5- Can my body handle it?
6- I have done all of those hard work-outs, why do them again? I don't have anything to prove!
It is on my mind during every work-out.
The key thing here is that I still work out. While I am doing this I will push myself each time. If I get to a max level, great, if not, at least I did my work-out!
Many people make excuses for not exercising; They don't have the time. They don't have a gym. They have too many injuries. If a 12 year old girl can travel almost 5 hours per day and still maintain her grades (watch the video, she is a well spoken and well mannered young lady- I KNOW Wendy wouldn't have it any other way) you can find the time and make a way to exercise for, at least, a half an hour! You probably aren't going to the Olympics or, even, be a Kugn Fu master but if you don't exercise you won't be working enough to afford the health care that you would need because you lost your health from not working out!
Friday, August 14, 2009
This Is (A) Stupid Exercise
When you are working out, if you or your trainer have you do an exercise that makes you ask this question, then do question it! Even in Kung Fu training where we can come up with a lot of very original exercise we must be aware that many of these exercise might just be ineffective or, more importantly, possibly lead to injury.
One good way to determine if the exercise is good or safe is does it follow basic exercise guidelines. If it is a leg exercise, make sure that the knees don't go past your toes, your back can retain it's normal lordotic curve and does it really work the muscle that you THINK it works! A few good examples of this are 'plie' squats and kneeling kickbacks.
'Plie' squats are where you do a squat with your feet turned out as in ballet. These are supposed to work your inner thighs but do they? Your inner thighs are adductors (bring your legs closer together). In the plie squat you really don't bring your legs that much closer. Besides, your hips are in a contraindicated (putting you at increased risk of injury) position. Also, since many who do this exercise have the goal of teir inner thighs, why do one of the major muscle reducingbuilding exercises? There are far more effective and safer ways to work inner thighs. My favorite is to stand on a board or weight plae near a low cable pulley. Place the other ankle in an ankle strap with that side towards the pulley. Without holding on to anything, pull the cable towards you to bring your legs together. It is very challenging!
Kneeling Kickbacks are where you get on hands and knees and kick back with your foot. It isn't one that will really risk injury but if you aren't using any weight, are you really working? You could do over 100 of these and keep going. Yes, you would feel a 'burn' but that only means the muscle is using some fuel but not getting any stronger. The gluteus is one of the strongest muscles in your body. If you were to do a legs press you could do far more than your body weight. You would be far better suited to work your glutes muscles by doing lunges or split squats.
The next 'most abused' thing is balance balls and boards. Do these really improve your strength and balance. I have read far more evidence that they don't than they do. Here's one article:
http://media.cybexintl.com/cybexinstitute/research/Truth_on_Fit_March09.pdf
It reinforces what I am saying.
In conclusion, I almost always (I get 'fancy' when the person is a well trained client/athlete, they have no preconditions and I have assessed the exercise for effectiveness over risk) go for the KISS method of training- Keep It Simple Stupid. I know it gets boring but you won't have to go running to the doctor in two years with a chronic injury!
One good way to determine if the exercise is good or safe is does it follow basic exercise guidelines. If it is a leg exercise, make sure that the knees don't go past your toes, your back can retain it's normal lordotic curve and does it really work the muscle that you THINK it works! A few good examples of this are 'plie' squats and kneeling kickbacks.
'Plie' squats are where you do a squat with your feet turned out as in ballet. These are supposed to work your inner thighs but do they? Your inner thighs are adductors (bring your legs closer together). In the plie squat you really don't bring your legs that much closer. Besides, your hips are in a contraindicated (putting you at increased risk of injury) position. Also, since many who do this exercise have the goal of teir inner thighs, why do one of the major muscle reducingbuilding exercises? There are far more effective and safer ways to work inner thighs. My favorite is to stand on a board or weight plae near a low cable pulley. Place the other ankle in an ankle strap with that side towards the pulley. Without holding on to anything, pull the cable towards you to bring your legs together. It is very challenging!
Kneeling Kickbacks are where you get on hands and knees and kick back with your foot. It isn't one that will really risk injury but if you aren't using any weight, are you really working? You could do over 100 of these and keep going. Yes, you would feel a 'burn' but that only means the muscle is using some fuel but not getting any stronger. The gluteus is one of the strongest muscles in your body. If you were to do a legs press you could do far more than your body weight. You would be far better suited to work your glutes muscles by doing lunges or split squats.
The next 'most abused' thing is balance balls and boards. Do these really improve your strength and balance. I have read far more evidence that they don't than they do. Here's one article:
http://media.cybexintl.com/cybexinstitute/research/Truth_on_Fit_March09.pdf
It reinforces what I am saying.
In conclusion, I almost always (I get 'fancy' when the person is a well trained client/athlete, they have no preconditions and I have assessed the exercise for effectiveness over risk) go for the KISS method of training- Keep It Simple Stupid. I know it gets boring but you won't have to go running to the doctor in two years with a chronic injury!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Exercise as a Part of Your Life!
This should be your goal in your exercise program. You need to make exercise a regular part of your life for the rest of your life, PERIOD! When you can do this you will no longer need to worry about whether you lose 20 pounds or can bench 350. Those are good as benchmarks but not goals. (What would you do when you reach them?) When you make exercise your goal, you will begin to make it a habit. You will start to change your lifestyle to one where your health will be your PRIORITY! If you have your health you can do ALL of the other things that you enjoy or need to do more efficiently and with more energy. You will be happier (exercise releases endorphines which are a natural high) and better able to enjoy those people who you enjoy being with. And they will enjoy your health.
Studies show that job performance increases with exercise:
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20050608/exercise-may-boost-performance-on-job
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8160459
http://faculty.css.edu/tboone2/asep/Wattles2.pdf
So, even if you are so driven by that dollar, you will be better served by exercise.
Studies show that job performance increases with exercise:
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/news/20050608/exercise-may-boost-performance-on-job
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8160459
http://faculty.css.edu/tboone2/asep/Wattles2.pdf
So, even if you are so driven by that dollar, you will be better served by exercise.
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