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Tag: cool down

A Stretching Routine for People That Hate Stretching: Part 2

July 30, 2021
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Do you sit behind a desk or at a computer all day? Do you stand in the same spot or do the same repetitive task day in and day out? If so, then chances are you are experiencing some form of neck, back, shoulder etc. pain. With more and more jobs today becoming less physical and the fact that people are typically moving less overall it isn’t any wonder why people’s flexibility and mobility are going to hell. If you feel stiff, tight, suffer from muscle aches and pains or find it harder to simply do everyday activities then the following program may help bring you some relief. 

As the old saying goes “if you don’t use it, you loose it”. Just like if you stop exercising your muscle’s will atrophy (shrink) the same goes for flexibility and mobility. If you don’t regularly work on being mobile and putting muscles through their proper range of motion you will become less and less flexible and begin to lose optimal mobility. 

I can hear everyone now. “I don’t have time to stretch.” “I hate stretching.” I get it. I am busy just like everyone else and  yes, I do not enjoy stretching. That is why I try to find and/or create simple, realistic solutions to everyday problems.

The following stretching routine takes about 10 minutes once you get it down. Follow along with the video the first few times to learn the routine. It is simple to do and will leave you feeling better than when you started and definitely much looser. If you are consistent, over time you will begin to improve both your flexibility and mobility.

This program is great to do as part of your cool down after you exercise. It is also great to add to your morning or evening routine. It works great immediately after a nice warm shower or bath.

Give this program a try for a few weeks and let me know how it works for you? 

Yours in health.

Kevin

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How to Lose Fat With Hill Sprints

June 27, 2021
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No time to get to the gym? No problem. Just head for the hills. One of the best ways to get in shape and lose fat is to do hill sprints. Not only is this method of training super effective but it takes a very short amount of time to perform and doesn’t cost a thing. Below is a basic hill sprint workout that you can perform on any hill in your local neighborhood. So if your ready for an ass kicking, fat burning, lung bleeding good time please read onward.

Your first job it to scout out a hill in your area. The hill doesn’t have to be too steep. The steeper it is the harder it will be so find one that is just enough to really challenge you. The hill should also have about 30-40 yards of length to sprint up. Now when I say sprint up, I mean SPRINT up! This means 80-90% intensity. You should be out of breath when you get to the top. There is no lollygagging here or the program will not work.

The Warm-up:

Start with a light dynamic warm-up which should take about 8-10 minutes. Here is a sample of one of the warm-ups we use. Start with 2 minutes of jumping rope, light jogging, jumping jacks etc. Then perform the warm-up in the video below. Once you finish the warm-up below do one sprint at about 50% effort. Rest 1-2 minutes. Do another sprint at 75% effort. Rest 3-4 minutes and begin the workout. 

The Workout:

If you are new to hill sprints or haven/t done them in awhile then start with 6 sprints (if you can) and build up from there every 2 workouts.

Set 1: Sprint 30-40 yards up hill as fast as possible. Then walk back down to the bottom

Set 2: Immediately Sprint 30-40 yards up hill as fast as possible. Then walk back down to the bottom

Set 3: Sprint 30-40 yards up hill as fast as possible. Then walk back down to the bottom

Set 4: Sprint 30-40 yards up hill as fast as possible. Then walk back down to the bottom

Set 5: Sprint 30-40 yards up hill as fast as possible. Then walk back down to the bottom

Set 6: Sprint 30-40 yards up hill as fast as possible. Then walk back down to the bottom

Curse me out then lay there and have a conversation with God as you try to catch your breath.

Important notes:

  1. It is imperative that you sprint 80-90 %maximum effort. This is not a fast jog.
  2. As soon as you reach the top immediately begin to walk back to the bottom
  3. As soon as you reach the bottom IMMEDIATELY sprint back up
  4. If you are not able to maintain this pace then take slightly longer rest intervals and/or start with less sets, 3-4 hill sprints for example. 

It is important not to worry about getting all 6 sets but that the intensity is 1000%

Once you reach 6 sets in a workout do the workout again for 6 sets 2-5 days later and then move up to 7 sets the workout after that. Continue to do the same thing until you reach 12 sets.

Once you finish your last set try to gradually cool down by walking around and doing some light static stretching until your heart rate comes down.

The total workout time should only take a maximum of about 30 minutes including warm-up, workout and cool down. Any longer and you were not doing it right.

This workout is really tough, Please be sure to consult your health care professional before starting and/or trying a new workout program. 

To summarize, if you are trying to lose fat, get in better shape or improve your running speed and endurance than hill sprints can help. Give this workout a go and let me know what you think in the comments? Until next time go kick some ass! 

Yours in health.

Kevin

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Stretching for Those That Hate Stretching Series

March 19, 2021
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An Amazing Yoga Flow

If you hate stretching and mobility work raise your hand? If you need stretching and mobility work raise your hand? If you love stretching and mobility work raise your hand? You weirdo. LOL Just kidding. The fact of the matter is a lot of people hate stretching and mobility work. These same people however typically need this type of work the most. So what’s the answer? Create short, fun and easy to do routines that people who hate stretching will be more willing to do. Don’t worry people who love stretching. This series has some great stuff for you too. 

Now more than ever with more and more people sitting for their jobs, binge watching hours of Netflix and sitting in traffic there is a huge rise in poor flexibility, mobility and aches and pains. That’s where this series comes in.

Since I am not a yoga instructor although I kinda play one on TV after our virtual boot camp classes. I wanted to seek the advice of a professional. So I asked my good friend and amazing yoga instructor Kristen from Iris Mind-Body http://irisstudiosnj.com on Instagram iris.mindandbody  to help me out by creating a short, fun, easy to perform yoga flow that works on improving flexibility for all the major muscle groups. These stretches/poses can also help reduce stress, decrease pain and help people feel great. This is a great addition to your morning or evening routine and before and/or after a workout.

Please give it a try and let us know what you think.

Namaste!

Kevin

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Killing Two Birds With One Foam Roller

March 10, 2021
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I hate birds. I mean really. All they do is make noise, fly around and crap on everything. Who needs that? LOL. Before P.E.T.A. loses it on me I am totally kidding. I love animals of all shapes and sizes. What this post is referring to is the  old saying “we can kill two birds with one stone” or we can accomplish two things at once. These two things are killing stress and anxiety and killing bad posture, back, shoulder and neck pain. There is a third benefit. If you do this before you work out it can increase your performance a small percentage. So, what do you have to do to receive these awesome benefits? Your gonna have to read on if you want to find out. 

Most people use foam rollers to painfully work on tight muscles and adhesions. I am not a big believer in this for most conditions, but that is for another post. One thing foam rollers are useful for however, is to decompress and align the spine a bit and to help improve posture. I learned this trick from my late great mentor Charles Poliquin many moons ago. He liked to use it with his athletes before a workout to improve strength during the workout. 

To do this this exercise simply lie on a foam roller lengthwise (Use a 36″ foam roller). Keep your feet flat on the floor and your arms next to your body relaxed with palms up and elbows slightly bent. Lie there for 10 to 15 minutes. You most likely will notice that when you first lie down your neck is hyperextended, and your lumber (lower back) will have a large arch. Over the course of the 10-15 minutes however your spine and the muscles in the anterior (front) of your upper body (pecs, deltoids, scalenes, pec minor, biceps, etc.) will relax and gently stretch due to gravity. This leads to decompression of the spine and allows your spine to align more naturally. This can help decrease pain, improve posture and performance. Today this is more important than ever with so many people working at a computer all day, sitting too much, and looking at their phones, and tablets. 

To make this awesome and easy exercise even better I decided to combine it with another beneficial activity. I thought “well I have to lay here for 10-15 minutes which can be kind of boring” So. I decided to “kill two birds with one stone” and add my daily guided meditation practice while I am lying on the foam roller. I love the apps Calm and Headspace. I like to switch back and forth from time to time but you can choose whatever works for you. Doing this not only gives me benefits to my physical body but also my mental capacity by decreasing stress, anxiety and improving focus, relaxation and performance. A super win-win. 

I love to do this either as part of my morning or bedtime routine. Feel free to experiment and find whatever works best for you. I cannot recommend this enough. Please give it a try and let me know what you think?

To your health,

Kevin

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