Day 50...Really? It's Day 50!

As I was settling in to write today's post, it hit me...I've been at this now for 50 days!  I remember when I was in school...high school that it...I despised writing.  I was never very good at it...my teachers always told me I wasn't creative enough with my writing, and that I had no style.  So much for encouragement huh?  That left a lasting impression on me, and I vowed to 'learn' how to communicate better through writing.

Nearly thirty years later, I love to write.  I may not a great writer, but I feel that I can certainly express myself well through the 'written word'.  Two years ago, shortly after finishing my graduate studies, I was asked to write an article on fitness for firefighters.  The article "Fit Factor" discussed the benefits of moving away from traditional fitness training techniques, and encouraged firefighters to engage in performance-based training, designed to improve job performance and reduce injury potential.  The article was published, and appeared in Fire Chief Magazine in November, 2009.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, actually, I got off on a little tangent...sorry!  What I am trying to say is that I have thoroughly enjoyed writing and sharing my journey with all of you.

So...my first race is over...I am happy with the results...but now it's time to get back down to business.  I have taken the last couple of days 'off' and now I need to get back on track.  I had to take my bike in for repair, and my new bike has not yet arrived, so I have no way of cycling.  I refuse to go back to spin class!  Ok, Ok, if I have to I will!  Today however, I got in a great workout here at work...one of the benefits of working for the fire department...I get to train at work! Believe me, I am grateful!

I have been asked what my workouts look like, so I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of my training secrets with you lucky readers :)

First and foremost...I am not a body-builder (obvious, for those who know me).  I tried for many years to be big, training using the typical body builder protocols.  The biggest I have ever been was 215 at about 11% body fat.  That's not real big for a guy like me who is only 6'1".  Let's compare that to today though...I am currently 185lbs at about 13% body fat.  As you can see, I am certainly not a body builder.  I have nothing against body builders, but that type of training is not optimal when it comes to performance.  Well...let me clarify that statement a little.  The type of training that body builders engage in is designed to improve performance in one area...the sport of body building.  You see...I am all about specificity, or training specifically for a given task, sport, etc.  While many body builders would disagree with me, training for mass is not necessarily the best thing for many athletes...or firefighters.  Believe me, I could go on an on about this, in fact much of my graduate research was spent on this very topic...but I don't want to bore you all too much.  I want you to keep coming back for more! 

So here is a sample workout that I did today, here at work...

Movement Preparation (dynamic warm-up):

• lateral miniband walks
• linear miniband walks (both exercises activate and strengthen the gluteals, preparing them for the workout)
• Dynamic Stretches

Balance and Stability (to improve dynamic balance and stability)

• walking lunge to single-leg balance with 1-arm dumbbell overhead press
• box step-up to single leg balance

Core Strength and Spinal Stability (to improve posture, increase muscular endurance of spinal stabilizer muscles, and strengthen core musculature specific to mountain biking)

• stability ball 1/2 crunch with 10 sec hold
• quadraped (hands and knees) opposite arm-leg extension/flexion
• Medicine ball wall slams

Total Body Muscular Endurance Training Circuit on TRX Suspension Trainer

• TRX Chest Press 30 seconds
• TRX Rows 30 seconds
• TRX Balance Lunge right leg 30 seconds
• TRX Balance Lunge left leg 30 seconds
• TRX Overhead Squat 30 seconds
• TRX Biceps Curls 30 seconds
• TRX Single-leg Hops right leg 30 seconds
• TRX Single-leg Hops left leg 30 seconds

Strength Training with Dumbbells

• Chest Superset (no rest between exercises...90 sec rest between sets...perform 4 sets
• Dumbbell chest press 60lb ea  8 reps  2.0.2 tempo
• BOSU ball pushups bodyweight 12 reps 4.2.1 tempo
• Back Superset (same parameters as above)
• Pullups  8 reps 2.0.2 tempo
• 1-arm, 1-leg dumbbell row  12 reps, 4.2.1 tempo

Here's some explanation of the above...which may look like Greek to some of you.

First of all, Movement Prep exercises are designed to be performed as a warm-up...essentially preparing the body for the demands of the workout by increasing blood flow to the muscles, waking up the nervous system, activating muscles that will be used as stabilizers during the workout.  One should NEVER perform the old fashioned static stretches before engaging in any type of exercise activity.  There is a tremendous amount of quality research showing that the most beneficial time to perform these types of stretches is after your workout.  Static stretches do not do what dynamic stretches do for warming up.

Balance and stability is designed to improve one's balance. Our bodies, especially during physical activity, are spend a great deal of time balancing on one leg. Exercises to improve stability and balance can pay huge dividends in both performance and injury prevention.  EVERY one of my athletes do this type of training during EVERY workout...it's that important!

Core work is designed to increase endurance, strength, and power of the muscles that support the spine.  Most people think of core work as that which strengthens the abs, or produces the often-elusive 'six pack abs'.  The core however, is actually comprised of all muscles which attach to the spine and pelvis, therefore, most every muscle that lies between the shoulders and the knees should be thought of as part of the body's core.

Total Body Muscular Endurance work is highly core dependent.  This type of work further trains the core musculature to work harmoniously with the remaining musculature of the body to provide stabilization during functional movement patterns such as squats, lunges, reaches, pushing, and pulling.  Stability is highly dependent upon muscular endurance, therefore this type of training involves the use of relatively light resistance.  I chose to use the TRX suspension training device for this work today.  For more information on the TRX, click on the TRX link on the left navigation bar on this page.

And finally...strength training.  You will notice that each of the strength exercises has a tempo listed.  The tempo of an exercise plays a significant role in producing a specific outcome of an exercise, or group of exercises. For example, exercises that produce gains in muscular endurance will use a tempo that provides for a greater total-time per repetition.  This is often referred to as Time Under Tension, or TUT.  The TUT of an exercise should vary depending on the desired outcome.  Tempo is broken down into three phases...eccentric, isometric, and concentric.  Each of these represent the three types of muscle contractions; eccentric (lengthening of muscle tissue), isometric (essentially no change in length during contraction), and concentric (shortening of muscle tissue...often referred to as the working phase).  A tempo of 4.2.1 states that each repetition of a given exercise should provide a TUT of 7-seconds.  The eccentric phase should last 4 seconds, the isometric phase 2-seconds, and the concentric phase should last 1-second.  So...a biceps curl performed at a tempo of 4.2.1 would be broken down like this:

Concentric Phase-the elbow bends and the weight is curled upward toward the shoulder. This motion should take approximately 1-second.

Isometric Phase-the bicep is continually flexed at the top of the motion, without drawing the hand/weight any closer to the shoulder.  This pause should last about 2-seconds.

Eccentric Phase-the arm is slowly lowered back to the starting position.  This motion should take roughly 4-seconds.

Following the appropriate tempos, reps, and sets for a given exercise will produce the greatest results. 

Please post any questions regarding tempo and any of the other training variables such as how many reps per set, and how many sets per workout, etc. and I will be happy to provide you with evidence-based answers to help you achieve your fitness goals.

As always....thanks for reading.