Today, January 12th, 2015, I start a new fitness journey. I have completed several rounds of P90X, Insanity and Body Beast and have at least started P90X2 and P90X3 which I really didn't care for. I have also started T25, which I believe is a good program, but not what I'm after right now.
So today, I decided to join the thousands of others out there who have jumped on the Crossfit bandwagon. For those of you who haven't heard of Crossfit, its defined as this:
With constantly varied, high-intensity functional movements, CrossFit is a training philosophy that coaches people of all shapes and sizes to improve their physical well-being and cardiovascular fitness in a hardcore yet accepting and encouraging environment.
What it pretty much comes down to, and I'm sure there will be people that complain about my simplicity of it, is you are given a Workout Of the Day and you perform it to the best of your ability. Some days it's based on strength training, other days cardio and still others, a combination of the two. It can also be based on time or quantity. For instance, they may give you 5 exercises and you perform them in order and see how many rounds you can complete in 20 minutes. Or, something like perform 75 squats and write down how long it took you to complete. Crossfit is three days on, one day off, and then three more days on for a total of 6 days per week.
There are several websites out there that promote Crossfit. The big one of course is Crossfit.com. I looked at that, and honestly, it intimidated me. So I found another site that better suited my workout style. Look around the internet. There are plenty of websites out there that have Crossfit workouts.
I plan on written an entry in this blog after every workout to help track my progress and hopefully motivate some people to at least take a peek at Crossfit and see if it maybe for them.
With that being said, I present to you, today's Workout of The Day (WOD). I have included links to websites that demonstrate the exercises.
Warmup
Karoke - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOze-7t_-J0
Frankenstein Kicks - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJRArItvXE4
Bear Walk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmFZaK8VfS4
Crab Walk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9RDjHth_aY
10 Pushups
Inch Worm - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFJG4GW5JJk
10 Air Squats - http://gymnasticswod.com/content/squat
Workout
As many rounds as possible in 12:00 minutes of:
10 Air Squats - http://gymnasticswod.com/content/squat
10 Pullups -
10 Jump Squats - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gijGpRSA9FI
10 Pullups
10 Burpees - http://gymnasticswod.com/content/burpee
Cooldown
3 rounds of 5 very slow air squats
How did I do
I ended up doing 3 complete rounds and making through the 10 Jump Squats of the 4th round before my time was up
Comments
The pullups really slowed me down. I have always struggled with pullups and adding them in between other exercises in a timed fashion burned me out. I had to come off the bar several times in the second and third rounds before finishing the sets. I think this will be one of the benefits to Crossfit though. My body will get used to doing exercises such as this and I will get into very good physical condition.
That's it for my 1st day of Crossfit training! I will continue to write each day with the workout and how I did. If you start to follow these workouts, please be sure to comment on your times and if you have any questions.
Thanks
Mark
About Me
- Mark
- I'm a certified personal trainer through ACE (American Council on Exercise). I love motivating people to be healthier and helping them obtain their fitness goals. Check out my website at www.BalancedFitnessWisconsin.com
Monday, January 12, 2015
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Why work out?
If I asked a group of people in a gym why they were working out I would get a variety of answers that all focus on looking better. Statements such as, I want bigger arms, I want smaller legs, or I want a six pack. Not to many people would say they want to lower their cholesterol or they want to lessen their chances of getting diabetes.
In today's society, we are all so focused on looks. We see athletes, actors, and models in magazines and on television and believe we will never look like that, so why try? The truth is, it's hard work to look like that. But the truth also is that they are paid to be in that kind of shape and they have time to work out 3-4 hours a day, unlike the normal person.
Even though we may never have that six pack or those 21 inch biceps, exercise does help us to be healthy in ways other than looking good. With 20-30 minutes a day of light to moderate exercise, we can:
In today's society, we are all so focused on looks. We see athletes, actors, and models in magazines and on television and believe we will never look like that, so why try? The truth is, it's hard work to look like that. But the truth also is that they are paid to be in that kind of shape and they have time to work out 3-4 hours a day, unlike the normal person.
Even though we may never have that six pack or those 21 inch biceps, exercise does help us to be healthy in ways other than looking good. With 20-30 minutes a day of light to moderate exercise, we can:
- Lower our risk of heart disease
- Lower our cholesterol
- Lower our chance of diabetes
- Improve our flexibility
- Lower the risk of some forms of cancer
- Increase weight loss
- Improve our mood
- Boost our energy
- Promote better sleep
- Lower high blood pressure
Saturday, April 6, 2013
What it takes to lose 10 pounds
Everyone knows what it takes to lose weight. You must exercise and eat healthier. You lose weight when you burn more calories than you take in. It sounds simple. And in fact it is. I want to talk today about what it takes to lose 10 pounds.
One pound of weight is equal to 3,500 calories. If you want to lose 10 pounds, you must create a deficit of 35,000 calories (3500 X 10). The healthy way to do this is to lose 1-2 pounds per week. So in my example of trying to lose 10 pounds, your goal would be to do this in 5-10 weeks.
So let's say you make a goal of losing 1 pound per week for the next 10 weeks to get to your 10 pound weight loss goal. To lose 1 pound a week, you need to have a deficit of 3,500 calories. 3,500 divided by 7 days a week equals 500 calories a day. If you have a deficit of 500 calories a day for 7 days, you will lose 1 pound in that week.
So what do I mean by a deficit? Let's say you normally eat 2500 calories per day to keep your body weight steady. In order to lose that 1 pound for that week, you would need to either eat 2000 calories per day or burn an extra 500 calories per day through exercise. That would create a 500 calorie deficit.
The best way to go about this is to do a combination of exercise and eating less. For instance, only eat 2200 calories and then do some form of exercise that burns 200 calories. That would get you to the 500 calorie deficit also.
I mentioned in my last blog a online tool that helps track the food you eat and the calories you consume. That website is Myfitnesspal.com. The website is free to use and it will help you in your goal to lose weight. I highly recommend it as a food journal and to help you create and track the calorie deficit that you need to succeed to meet your weight loss goal.
Good luck!!
One pound of weight is equal to 3,500 calories. If you want to lose 10 pounds, you must create a deficit of 35,000 calories (3500 X 10). The healthy way to do this is to lose 1-2 pounds per week. So in my example of trying to lose 10 pounds, your goal would be to do this in 5-10 weeks.
So let's say you make a goal of losing 1 pound per week for the next 10 weeks to get to your 10 pound weight loss goal. To lose 1 pound a week, you need to have a deficit of 3,500 calories. 3,500 divided by 7 days a week equals 500 calories a day. If you have a deficit of 500 calories a day for 7 days, you will lose 1 pound in that week.
So what do I mean by a deficit? Let's say you normally eat 2500 calories per day to keep your body weight steady. In order to lose that 1 pound for that week, you would need to either eat 2000 calories per day or burn an extra 500 calories per day through exercise. That would create a 500 calorie deficit.
The best way to go about this is to do a combination of exercise and eating less. For instance, only eat 2200 calories and then do some form of exercise that burns 200 calories. That would get you to the 500 calorie deficit also.
I mentioned in my last blog a online tool that helps track the food you eat and the calories you consume. That website is Myfitnesspal.com. The website is free to use and it will help you in your goal to lose weight. I highly recommend it as a food journal and to help you create and track the calorie deficit that you need to succeed to meet your weight loss goal.
Good luck!!
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Fitness Website
Hi,
I just wanted to talk today about a very good fitness website that will help you stay on track with your fitness goals. The website is Myfitnesspal.com. The website is free to join and use.
On the website, you can enter your weight loss goals and it will calculate your nuitritional needs based on those goals. It tells you how many calories you should eat, how many carbs, how much protein, etc to be able to lose 1-2 pounds per week which is the healthy way to lose weight.
It also has a huge food database where you can keep track of the food you eat every day and it compares it to your goals to show how you are doing for the day.
There is also a section to add your workouts. This is helpful because it will take your workouts into consideration when calculating calories. For example, if the website tells me that I should be eating 2400 calories a day to lose 1-2 per week, but I burn 600 calories in my workout for that day, I can still eat 3000 calories for that day since I am at the 2400 overall.
Take a peek at Myfitnesspal.com. I really do think it would be beneficial to your weight loss goals.
I just wanted to talk today about a very good fitness website that will help you stay on track with your fitness goals. The website is Myfitnesspal.com. The website is free to join and use.
On the website, you can enter your weight loss goals and it will calculate your nuitritional needs based on those goals. It tells you how many calories you should eat, how many carbs, how much protein, etc to be able to lose 1-2 pounds per week which is the healthy way to lose weight.
It also has a huge food database where you can keep track of the food you eat every day and it compares it to your goals to show how you are doing for the day.
There is also a section to add your workouts. This is helpful because it will take your workouts into consideration when calculating calories. For example, if the website tells me that I should be eating 2400 calories a day to lose 1-2 per week, but I burn 600 calories in my workout for that day, I can still eat 3000 calories for that day since I am at the 2400 overall.
Take a peek at Myfitnesspal.com. I really do think it would be beneficial to your weight loss goals.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Something To Think About
If a doctor told you
that you had do chemotherapy for 2 1/2 hours a week in order to eliminate cancer,
you would do it, right? Then why do we not exercise?
The American Heart
Association says that 2 1/2 hours of exercise a week is enough to lower the
chances of these life threatening diseases:
2. Stroke
3. High Blood
Pressure
4. Type 2 Diabetes
5. Colon Cancer
6. Breast Cancer
7. High Cholesterol
8. Obesity
I know a lot of
people say the reason they do not exercise is they don't have the time. You
need to make the time. Exercise needs to be a top priority in your life.
The lack of physical activity in our lives is slowly killing us and it is
easily preventable. Instead of sitting down and watching 3 hours of American
Idol (and eating a bag of chips in the process) go for a walk, ride a bike, go
for a swim, lift some weights, do some yoga, etc. You can watch your show AFTER you exercise.
If we exercise for a
1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week, we will start to see health benefits in as
little as 3 weeks. We will start to feel better and look better.
Start today! Make a
goal of doing some sort of physical activity for 1/2 hour a day, 5 days a week
for the next 3 weeks. Track your progress. I guarantee you will see improvements
in your health and you will feel better about yourself.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Healthy Breakfast
Today I have a recipe for you that is a healthy and energy filled way to start your day. I found it in the Body Beast workout program which is one of the many programs created by Beachbody.
2/3 cups Instant Oatmeal
1 Tablespoon Walnuts
1/4 Cup Blueberries
1/4 Unsweetened Almond Milk (Can be found in most grocery stores)
1 Scoop Chocolate Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein (I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard)
1 Scoop Chocolate Gold Standard 100% Whey Protein (I use Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard)
Make the Oatmeal according to the package and then mix it with all other ingrediants. Simple.
Nutritional Information
Calories: 439
Carbs: 39 grams
Fat: 14 grams
Protein: 34 grams
I usually eat this on the mornings that I know I will be doing some cardio work later in the day. I've noticed that my energy level has also increased on the days that I've had this in the morning.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Fact or Fiction.....
I haven't written anything in a very long time but now I'm back. My topic today is Fact or Fiction....Does working out at lower intensities really burn more fat (the fat-burning zone) than higher intensity workouts? I have heard of a lot of people that don't quite understand what this means. The theory behind it is that if you exercise in a zone of 50-60% of your maximum effort, you will burn more fat than exercising in a higher intensity level.This is incorrect and I'm going to explain why.
It's true that a higher percentage of body fat is used as fuel at lower intensities. However, at higher intensities, more total calories are burned. Therefore, even though a higher percentage of fuel comes from fat during low-intensity exercise, more total calories are burned during high intensity exercise thereby increasing the amount of fat burned. Working out at higher intensities improves body composition more effectively and also contributes to larger increases in cardiorepiratory fitness.
Just remember, it's all about the calories. The more calories you burn, the more fat you are going to burn. That's it for today.
It's true that a higher percentage of body fat is used as fuel at lower intensities. However, at higher intensities, more total calories are burned. Therefore, even though a higher percentage of fuel comes from fat during low-intensity exercise, more total calories are burned during high intensity exercise thereby increasing the amount of fat burned. Working out at higher intensities improves body composition more effectively and also contributes to larger increases in cardiorepiratory fitness.
Just remember, it's all about the calories. The more calories you burn, the more fat you are going to burn. That's it for today.
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