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Tag: improve performance

How to Lose Fat With Hill Sprints

June 27, 2021
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| Workouts

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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Old School Water Jug Workouts

March 14, 2021
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| Uncategorized

Some of my favorite workouts are the most basic and true to life. Big basic movements using everyday heavy objects doing everyday things. This was the inspiration for this post and I hope it inspires you. 

My family has some property upstate in the Catskill Mountains. We use the house year-round but over the winter we have to shut off the water and drain all the pipes, so they don’t freeze and break. This means that when we go up to the house during the winter months, we must bring large jugs of water to wash up, flush the toilet, brush our teeth, etc. Although carrying 4+ 7-gallon containers of water 2 at a time back and forth or 40 yards down the driveway through snow sometimes can be rough, it is also a killer workout. The primal part of me loves this and hopefully, you will too.

 

For this workout you will need two 5- or 7-gallon water jugs, I like the Reliance brand Aquatainers. They are sturdy and have comfortable handles. You can also get the Jerry can version which is a little narrower making it a bit easier to deadlift and carry them. This also makes it a bit more difficult to do push-ups on the handles. A third option if you are looking for something lighter and a bit smaller you can get the 4-gallon containers. These work better for shorter and/or smaller frame individuals. 

The 7-gallon containers weigh 2 pounds each empty. Full they are 60 pounds apiece. The cool thing is that you can adjust the weight by adjusting how much you fill them. Another added benefit is that when they are not full the water movers around a lot more. This makes lifting and carrying them more challenging and can provide a different and perhaps harder stimulus to your muscles.

Below is the weight of water in relation to gallons.

1 gallon of water weighs 8.33 lbs.

2 gallons of water weigh 16.66 lbs.

3 gallons of water weigh 24.99 lbs.

4 gallons of water weigh 33.32 lbs.

5 gallons of water weigh 41.64 lbs.

6 gallons of water weigh 49.97 lbs.

7 gallons of water weigh 58.3 lbs.

Add the weight of the container you are using, and you will have the weight of each container for your workout.

Below are two awesome total body workouts that take less than 30 minutes using water containers. 

Before you begin working out be sure to do a dynamic warm-up to get your body ready for the workout and to help prevent injuries.

Workout 1:

10 Deadlifts.

25–40-yard farmers carry.

10 push-ups using the container handles.

Rest 60-90 seconds and repeat.

Perform 3-7 rounds depending on you your goals and fitness level.

Workout 2:

10 Bent over Rows.

10 Triceps Dips or Push-ups using container handles.

Farmers Carry the containers up and down a set of stairs 1-2 times OR do 8-10 step-ups for each leg.

Rest 60-90 seconds and repeat.

Perform 3-7 rounds depending on you your goals and fitness level.

So now you have two “fun” and challenging workouts that you can do outside with minimal equipment. Use your imagination for other exercises! You can also do a higher number of reps or additional sets as you get more advanced. One last added bonus is these containers are great to have for extra fresh water during emergencies.

Give this workout a go and let me know what you think.

To your health,

Kevin

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Killing Two Birds With One Foam Roller

March 10, 2021
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| Health and Wellness

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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