I have been a certified personal trainer for almost 2 decades. I have worked in physical therapy offices, sport performance gyms, big box gyms, private studios, home gyms and spin studios. I have done CrossFit and am a CrossFit Endurance Coach. I have been around long enough to know when I see a bad coach, a mediocre coach and a great coach. Sadly what I see most often in any gym, fitness center or CrossFit Box is people looking for an answer to their weight problem, sedentary lifestyle or bad diet. A few rare gyms, coaches and personal trainers actually have been able to make the connection that community and relationships are what will help any person to become stronger, change their eating paradigm and become more physically active. This community is where CrossFit gets it right but if you go to a CroddFit box keep your ego in check or you may end up in the physical therapists office.
Good coaches give you a well structured warm up and workout that is challenging but not debilitating for your fitness level. A mediocre coach gives the same warm up regardless of the workout and pushes you to more than you should be doing for your fitness level and exercise experience but you still finish the workout. A bad coach will put you into positions that you are not structurally prepared to get in to or that coach may not know how to modify for your limitations.
CrossFit has stepped up their game in the last 2 or 3 years with what they require for coaching education. However many of the movements in CrossFit require a level of muscle coordination that some people are not able to coach. Young coaches who think they are unbreakable will go for the Olympic Lifting or Kettlebell Certs while more seasoned coaches go for the Mobility Cert to help their members move better. CrossFit has proven that when you move better you then you will feel better and you will get stronger and lose weight as a side effect. If you have some good coaching you will probably stay at it longer.
CrossFit is NOT individualized by an outside source like a personal trainer or private coach. It is not "periodized" or developed with a scientifically tested and replicated method. Everyone gets the same WOD (CrossFit speak for Workout Of the Day) at each box (what CrossFit affiliates call their gyms). Some coaches program better than others. Some program for competition while others program for weight loss and others program a mix. Most boxes offer a free class, a free week or sometimes even 2 free weeks to see if you like it. CrossFit IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. Not all boxes are the same. Not all coaches are the same. Chances are there is a box near you that programs in a way that you like near you, just don't go looking for air conditioning and saunas.
Can CrossFit be "cultish?" Sure, in some boxes, but usually where the head coach is highly opinionated, sometimes narrowly educated and has followers in his gym who are looking to believe in his methodology. Many who do CrosFit can be "all or nothing" types who only eat Paleo and do CrossFit workouts and hang out with other CrossFitters. The same thing happens with triathletes, bodybuilders and Group Exercisers (Remember Curves, Tae Bo and P90X?). CrossFit builds communities and sometimes those communities give rise to something that people realize they have in common and makes them feel better.
I have seen people come to CrossFit with low self esteem in January and leave for Spring Break with downright swagger. I have seen former college athletes come to CrossFit with swagger and leave injured the ssame day. I have seen triathletes come in thinking they are fit and be absolutely humbled by their lack of strength and coordination.
What I see often is fear.
And most importantly: Triumph over that Fear.
Our bodies are capable of adapting to whatever we give them. The adaptation to too many calories and too little movement is weight gain. The adaptation to daily doses of increased activity is a shedding of that extra weight and improvement in the cardiovascular system. Those who are new to CrossFit and those who are experienced at CrossFit all have the same thought when the see the WOD: "Can my body do this?"
With the right community behind them and some good coaching the answer should always be "Yes."
Now a few caveats: Anyone attempting to begin or even continue CrossFit should know that it is not personalized and they may not get the attention they would get from a training studio. If you have a history of any shoulder, neck, knee or back problems then get them checked and cleared by a doctor before you begin any fitness program. If you have heart, lung or metabolic disease you should get cleared by a doctor also.
It is possible to do CrossFit for life. It takes a tremendous amount of body awareness and testing when you are at your limit. You will cross the line sometimes and do too much. Hopefully by that time you have enough sense of your body to stop before you break. I also hope you have a coach who is smart enough to build a strong base for you, present enough to push you to do more than you think you can and courageous enough to stop you before you do something that will get you hurt.
Now go move something heavy! (for time)
Showing posts with label weight lifting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weight lifting. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Monday, October 7, 2013
What do Weight loss and Marathon Training have in common?
What do Losing Weight and training for a marathon have om common? They both require you to plan a course of action of long period of time, stick to that plan and revel in your accomplishments at the end. How are they different? There is a definitive race date and finish line for a marathon and you do not have a finish date, but instead a finish weight, when you are losing weight.
Losing weight is a definite struggle whether you are trying to lose 15lb or 150lbs. Racing weight for a marathon athlete can be achieved by adjusting their diet to perform better at running and recover faster. For anyone trying to lose weight over a long period of time then small changes made to your eating plan can create a sustainable and delicious way to lose weight and be healthier.
Whether training for a marathon or training to lose weight for the long run your eating will have to be taken into account. Creating a long term plan is the key to success at weight loss or running a marathon. We offer online and email/phone coaching for endurance athletes as well as those looking to lose weight. Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight is a major step in lengthening your quality of adult years. See help to improve your health faster.
Begin today!
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Ode to Dad of Fitness
As today is Father's Day it is only fitting that I give a little Background as to why I do what I do. My father was a Runner. I started running with him when I was 6 years old. When I say "with" believe it was an exaggeration. He always seemed so fast and he was always bigger than life.
Active in his church, an officer in the Army, dad to 5 kids from the same wife he is still married to, a husband, baseball/basketball/track coach, a design engineer for a business airplane company and a backyard mechanic. He somehow managed to partner with my mother and grandmother to get all us kids to one sport practice or another, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church events and friends' houses and still find time to cook (though cleaning was not his strong point except for his tools). He managed to plow and plant a garden every year with some big help from Grandma Wedincamp. This gave me a love for fresh vegetables and an appreciation for growing the food yourself.
It has come out in the last few years that Frank Shorter, our last Olympic Gold medal winner in the marathon in 1976, ran to escape his home life. My dad may have done the same thing to start his running career. He did not have the most stable home environment when he was growing up so he did his best to provide a stable home for his kids. He took us on runs whenever he could even if that meant going slower than he would on his own. He would wake us up on race days and put toast together so we could have something to run on and let Mom sleep when he could (she would usually be at the finish line anyway). He even coached the church RA (Royal Ambassadors) track team for the couple meets we had regionally every year. He ran a couple marathons in his time and called me to run the NYC Marathon "with" him the year he turned 60. He has asked for my help in training for his next one at 70.
He kept me out of football because I was too small until High School and then was encouraging when I started lifting weights to put on size for it, even when it meant not running track. When I tried to do too many activities he pulled form the wrestling team even though I didn't want to quit and my grades were good enough for the school. He taught me that setting your own standard and sticking to it is more important than just meeting the minimum standard set by an arbitrary governing body. I am sure that was a difficult decision for a man who wanted to give his kids everything.
My father was concerned about the health of the family. He was trying recipes from Runner's World magazine since the mid 80's. We have been incorporating salads into our meals since the information came out that we need to. He was adventurous with his food choices especially when you consider the South Georgia traditional cooking we were surrounded by. This cooking did not always work out well and our family gets a ripe laugh whenever we bring up the "Eggplant Parmesan Incident".
I cannot thank my dad enough for his contribution to who I am today. I am an endurance athlete, a running coach, a great cook, a father and business man. I moved 1000 miles from where I had lived for 18 years when my ex-wife moved to a new state with my son. It is what any real father would do. It is what MY father would have done.
Thanks to Milo Gene Nelson, I
Lt. Col, US Army (ret)
Designer Engineer, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp
Father
Grandfather
Friend
Mentor
Guide
Active in his church, an officer in the Army, dad to 5 kids from the same wife he is still married to, a husband, baseball/basketball/track coach, a design engineer for a business airplane company and a backyard mechanic. He somehow managed to partner with my mother and grandmother to get all us kids to one sport practice or another, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, church events and friends' houses and still find time to cook (though cleaning was not his strong point except for his tools). He managed to plow and plant a garden every year with some big help from Grandma Wedincamp. This gave me a love for fresh vegetables and an appreciation for growing the food yourself.
It has come out in the last few years that Frank Shorter, our last Olympic Gold medal winner in the marathon in 1976, ran to escape his home life. My dad may have done the same thing to start his running career. He did not have the most stable home environment when he was growing up so he did his best to provide a stable home for his kids. He took us on runs whenever he could even if that meant going slower than he would on his own. He would wake us up on race days and put toast together so we could have something to run on and let Mom sleep when he could (she would usually be at the finish line anyway). He even coached the church RA (Royal Ambassadors) track team for the couple meets we had regionally every year. He ran a couple marathons in his time and called me to run the NYC Marathon "with" him the year he turned 60. He has asked for my help in training for his next one at 70.
He kept me out of football because I was too small until High School and then was encouraging when I started lifting weights to put on size for it, even when it meant not running track. When I tried to do too many activities he pulled form the wrestling team even though I didn't want to quit and my grades were good enough for the school. He taught me that setting your own standard and sticking to it is more important than just meeting the minimum standard set by an arbitrary governing body. I am sure that was a difficult decision for a man who wanted to give his kids everything.
My father was concerned about the health of the family. He was trying recipes from Runner's World magazine since the mid 80's. We have been incorporating salads into our meals since the information came out that we need to. He was adventurous with his food choices especially when you consider the South Georgia traditional cooking we were surrounded by. This cooking did not always work out well and our family gets a ripe laugh whenever we bring up the "Eggplant Parmesan Incident".
I cannot thank my dad enough for his contribution to who I am today. I am an endurance athlete, a running coach, a great cook, a father and business man. I moved 1000 miles from where I had lived for 18 years when my ex-wife moved to a new state with my son. It is what any real father would do. It is what MY father would have done.
Thanks to Milo Gene Nelson, I
Lt. Col, US Army (ret)
Designer Engineer, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp
Father
Grandfather
Friend
Mentor
Guide
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Happy National Running Day!
I have seen post after post about how to start a running plan today. I have not seen 1 single post that incorporates strength training. Running, as a sport or recreationally, has almost as high of an injury rate as football and soccer, both considered contact sports. Many people pick up running for the same reasons that I suggest it:
-It can be done almost anywhere
-All you need is shoes (Maybe) and willpower
-We were "born to run" (otherwise our ancestors would have been tiger food)
-It makes us feel good to be outside and moving fast
As a running coach I specialize in Strength Training for runners of all ages and ability. Except for a few athletes looking for an edge, most runners don't come to me until AFTER they are injured. I am not a Physical Therapist but they often send me patients who need to learn to run better. Sometimes I will watch them run but usually I just watch them squat first. When someone is challenged doing the squat, even with only body weight, they usually have trouble running.
Why? You may ask. The muscles that are responsible for controlling the squat pattern, when not working properly, will often not work to stabilize a runner in the gait cycle. Thank about it for just a minute: If you cannot control yourself as you squat in a stable, controlled environment then you will probably have difficulty controlling your legs when you run.
But running is "natural". Yes it is, but sitting in a car or at a desk in front of a computer is not. (We could also discuss the unnatural, inflammation causing food intake if you like) Sitting for long periods of time can lead to muscle imbalances, especially in the hips, chest and calves. Yes, even having tight chest muscles can lead to back, hip and leg injuries (we are 1 system).
Simple solutions:
1) Do SQUATS! this is the best exercise for runners. It lengthens the hamstrings, strengthens the hips and works your core. Lower your butt down to knees level, hold for 2 seconds, and stand back up. 3sets of 10 reps for beginners. Build form there. Begin to add weights.
2) Do active stretching like Windmill Toe Touch before you run.
3) Do plyometric training to improve how your body lands when you run.
4) Listen to how your body feels when you run. Don't tune out when you run. Yes running is challenging, but the difference between running that hurts and running that causes injury related pain is huge. Your lungs and legs burn when you run, your shins, knees, ankles or hips hurt when injured.
5) Do core work! The plank, side plank and back extension just may save your run.
Now go out and enjoy National Running Day. Call a friend and bring them too.
Stay healthy, run Happy,
Coach Andy Nelson
twitter.com/tricoachandy
https://plus.google.com/b/116418230416619943050/116418230416619943050/about?hl=en
Facebook.com/TriCoachAndy
-It can be done almost anywhere
-All you need is shoes (Maybe) and willpower
-We were "born to run" (otherwise our ancestors would have been tiger food)
-It makes us feel good to be outside and moving fast
As a running coach I specialize in Strength Training for runners of all ages and ability. Except for a few athletes looking for an edge, most runners don't come to me until AFTER they are injured. I am not a Physical Therapist but they often send me patients who need to learn to run better. Sometimes I will watch them run but usually I just watch them squat first. When someone is challenged doing the squat, even with only body weight, they usually have trouble running.
Why? You may ask. The muscles that are responsible for controlling the squat pattern, when not working properly, will often not work to stabilize a runner in the gait cycle. Thank about it for just a minute: If you cannot control yourself as you squat in a stable, controlled environment then you will probably have difficulty controlling your legs when you run.
But running is "natural". Yes it is, but sitting in a car or at a desk in front of a computer is not. (We could also discuss the unnatural, inflammation causing food intake if you like) Sitting for long periods of time can lead to muscle imbalances, especially in the hips, chest and calves. Yes, even having tight chest muscles can lead to back, hip and leg injuries (we are 1 system).
Simple solutions:
1) Do SQUATS! this is the best exercise for runners. It lengthens the hamstrings, strengthens the hips and works your core. Lower your butt down to knees level, hold for 2 seconds, and stand back up. 3sets of 10 reps for beginners. Build form there. Begin to add weights.
2) Do active stretching like Windmill Toe Touch before you run.
3) Do plyometric training to improve how your body lands when you run.
4) Listen to how your body feels when you run. Don't tune out when you run. Yes running is challenging, but the difference between running that hurts and running that causes injury related pain is huge. Your lungs and legs burn when you run, your shins, knees, ankles or hips hurt when injured.
5) Do core work! The plank, side plank and back extension just may save your run.
Now go out and enjoy National Running Day. Call a friend and bring them too.
Stay healthy, run Happy,
Coach Andy Nelson
twitter.com/tricoachandy
https://plus.google.com/b/116418230416619943050/116418230416619943050/about?hl=en
Facebook.com/TriCoachAndy
Monday, June 3, 2013
Are You Fit Enough For Retirement?
I had a great conversation last weekend with the father of a friend who had developed a great retirement plan on a flight from Osaka to Beijing. The plan had been drawn up several years ago and his wife told him then that he should have retired 3 years before so he could live out the whole plan. His name was Perry* and he has been, and continues to be, a quite successful business man. His wife is a hospice nurse and a runner. They are close in age and she is in great shape but he is at least 25lbs heavier than he should be but eats a clean diet. Some of his plan involves a bit of physical activity that I wonder if he will be fit enough for.
With all the focus on our monetary ability to retire do we ever stop to ask, far enough in advance, if we will be physically prepared for retirement?
When do we begin to lay the ground work for being able to play with our grandchildren? When do we get strong enough to handle the recovery process when need a hip replacement? When do we realize that we may be too frail to enjoy the money we have earned in a life of successful business pursuits? When do we stop saving for retirement and start living our retirement?
Will you be Fit enough to enjoy your retirement?
Perry's* plan involves living in several different locations for 6 months each. Each location had lots to offer from art, to culture, wine and food, and hiking or outdoor activity. He would be required to live in a new environment, adapt to the climate, stay healthy and active and be physically fit enough to battle crowds, climb stairs, sleep in a bed that is not his usual bed, travel by train, plane or bus and not get sick or injured while under such stress all while aging.
While a clean diet and healthy lifestyle are very important as we age, strength training and stress mitigation are are of just as high priority. Yoga/flexibility training, weight lifting, meditation/prayer and cardiovascular fitness all play roles in keeping us healthy and slow the aging process. Just as important as slowing the aging process, using these activities in your weekly fitness routine will help you to add quality to your years and, barring disease and illness, quantity as well.
A simple weekly formula to help add years to your life and life to your years:
Mon- Weight Lifting- Focus on basic movement patterns like squats w/weights, moving weights from the ground to over your head, twisting while bending or squatting and pushing or pulling weights.
Tues - Cardio fitness or Flexibility/Yoga
Wed - Meditation/Church/Spiritual Health/Social Activities
Thu - Weight training- Pushing and Pulling, Standing and sitting w/weights, Single leg balancing, flexibility work/stretching
Fri - Swimming or other cardio - I prefer you run. When you lose the ability to walk you increase your risk of death.
Sat - Weights and/or Cardio (Yes. Again) - short and challenging session, make it social if you can.
Sun - Church/Spiritual Health/Meditation/Social Play
These things are all part of making your life complete and whole and healthy. You will add quality of life to your years and years onto your life. You will have elevated mood from lifting weights, more confidence in your ability to complete physical tasks and a more clear mind. You don't have to be retired or in your last years of work to benefit from this formula.
If you want to see improvement in your health without prescription drugs then lifting weights has been shown to be a panacea. It improves insulin clearing, good cholesterol and body mass index. Add it to improving your diet to change the course of your retirement health.
Now go get healthier!
Ask a fitness professional how. Ask your doctor if you are healthy enough for exercise. If they say "No" then ask them how sick you need to be?
*name and minor details changed for protection ;)
With all the focus on our monetary ability to retire do we ever stop to ask, far enough in advance, if we will be physically prepared for retirement?
When do we begin to lay the ground work for being able to play with our grandchildren? When do we get strong enough to handle the recovery process when need a hip replacement? When do we realize that we may be too frail to enjoy the money we have earned in a life of successful business pursuits? When do we stop saving for retirement and start living our retirement?
Will you be Fit enough to enjoy your retirement?
Perry's* plan involves living in several different locations for 6 months each. Each location had lots to offer from art, to culture, wine and food, and hiking or outdoor activity. He would be required to live in a new environment, adapt to the climate, stay healthy and active and be physically fit enough to battle crowds, climb stairs, sleep in a bed that is not his usual bed, travel by train, plane or bus and not get sick or injured while under such stress all while aging.
While a clean diet and healthy lifestyle are very important as we age, strength training and stress mitigation are are of just as high priority. Yoga/flexibility training, weight lifting, meditation/prayer and cardiovascular fitness all play roles in keeping us healthy and slow the aging process. Just as important as slowing the aging process, using these activities in your weekly fitness routine will help you to add quality to your years and, barring disease and illness, quantity as well.
A simple weekly formula to help add years to your life and life to your years:
Mon- Weight Lifting- Focus on basic movement patterns like squats w/weights, moving weights from the ground to over your head, twisting while bending or squatting and pushing or pulling weights.
Tues - Cardio fitness or Flexibility/Yoga
Wed - Meditation/Church/Spiritual Health/Social Activities
Thu - Weight training- Pushing and Pulling, Standing and sitting w/weights, Single leg balancing, flexibility work/stretching
Fri - Swimming or other cardio - I prefer you run. When you lose the ability to walk you increase your risk of death.
Sat - Weights and/or Cardio (Yes. Again) - short and challenging session, make it social if you can.
Sun - Church/Spiritual Health/Meditation/Social Play
These things are all part of making your life complete and whole and healthy. You will add quality of life to your years and years onto your life. You will have elevated mood from lifting weights, more confidence in your ability to complete physical tasks and a more clear mind. You don't have to be retired or in your last years of work to benefit from this formula.
If you want to see improvement in your health without prescription drugs then lifting weights has been shown to be a panacea. It improves insulin clearing, good cholesterol and body mass index. Add it to improving your diet to change the course of your retirement health.
Now go get healthier!
Ask a fitness professional how. Ask your doctor if you are healthy enough for exercise. If they say "No" then ask them how sick you need to be?
*name and minor details changed for protection ;)
Friday, May 24, 2013
Look Where you want to Go
As a runner who likes to run on trails I know to look where I am going. One wrong step could result in a fall. I know this when I go out for a run and it slows me down enough to choose my steps well. In this way Trail Running is a mental game as well. You know you could get hurt but moving your body through nature like that is well worth the risk.
But What about the gym?
Yes, you need to look where you are going because people are moving heavy objects, sometimes very quickly. You also have to have a long view. Going to the gym is just something you need to do. It makes us more human since we are no longer hunting our food on foot and dragging it home. We move more and better when we are in the gym lifting weights. It makes us lose weight faster. It improves our brain function, blood function, insulin regulation and genetic pathways thus slowing aging.
When you begin to make exercise part of your lifestyle it may be difficult to keep these things in mind, especially if you are recovering from Bariatric Surgery. For those affected by Obesity the goals are very different than the goals of a life long athlete. Both people have to keep an eye on where their fitness goals are taking them; in the direction of health or the direction of a shorter life.
Many in the fitness industry still think Obesity is a simple issue; Simply solved with a "calories in, calories out" approach. Trust me, there are millions who have tried this method unsuccessfully. If that worked it would have already. We were all heading in that direction of fitness until a few innovators took the time to see what was working and what wasn't. You cannot always exercise you way through obesity or cancer or Crohn's Disease. Each individual is effected in their own way by their medical condition. There are many who are judgmental and say Obesity is self imposed. There are many cancers that were due to lifestyle but rarely are they judged so harshly. Some who have been ill come back to fight for others. Some give up and re-start their fight over and over. It is a fitness professionals job to meet each client where they are on the day and encourage fitness regardless of the starting point.
Keep your eyes focused forward! Where are we going to help those who are asking for help? Fitness professionals should be as professionals in allied health fields. Use the proper terms to address those with obesity. Do not give diet advice for someone under the care of an RD and or MD. Work toward a better functioning individual regardless of their weight. If someone comes for fitness training and education then address their issues from a strength and mobility standpoint first. The person who is 400lbs benefits just as much, or more, from being able to perform a squat as the 110lb person does.
Exercise should be fun and leaving you feeling challenged but not defeated. It will not be fun every day. Find the fun in an improved quality of life. Weight training works! It can help almost anyone feel better. Those who do not feel better are rare. A little muscle soreness aside your body will thank you for lifting weights and for exercise in general. Do not be discouraged at the pace of the scale or how your clothes fit. Fight for your life!
But What about the gym?
Yes, you need to look where you are going because people are moving heavy objects, sometimes very quickly. You also have to have a long view. Going to the gym is just something you need to do. It makes us more human since we are no longer hunting our food on foot and dragging it home. We move more and better when we are in the gym lifting weights. It makes us lose weight faster. It improves our brain function, blood function, insulin regulation and genetic pathways thus slowing aging.
When you begin to make exercise part of your lifestyle it may be difficult to keep these things in mind, especially if you are recovering from Bariatric Surgery. For those affected by Obesity the goals are very different than the goals of a life long athlete. Both people have to keep an eye on where their fitness goals are taking them; in the direction of health or the direction of a shorter life.
Many in the fitness industry still think Obesity is a simple issue; Simply solved with a "calories in, calories out" approach. Trust me, there are millions who have tried this method unsuccessfully. If that worked it would have already. We were all heading in that direction of fitness until a few innovators took the time to see what was working and what wasn't. You cannot always exercise you way through obesity or cancer or Crohn's Disease. Each individual is effected in their own way by their medical condition. There are many who are judgmental and say Obesity is self imposed. There are many cancers that were due to lifestyle but rarely are they judged so harshly. Some who have been ill come back to fight for others. Some give up and re-start their fight over and over. It is a fitness professionals job to meet each client where they are on the day and encourage fitness regardless of the starting point.
Keep your eyes focused forward! Where are we going to help those who are asking for help? Fitness professionals should be as professionals in allied health fields. Use the proper terms to address those with obesity. Do not give diet advice for someone under the care of an RD and or MD. Work toward a better functioning individual regardless of their weight. If someone comes for fitness training and education then address their issues from a strength and mobility standpoint first. The person who is 400lbs benefits just as much, or more, from being able to perform a squat as the 110lb person does.
Exercise should be fun and leaving you feeling challenged but not defeated. It will not be fun every day. Find the fun in an improved quality of life. Weight training works! It can help almost anyone feel better. Those who do not feel better are rare. A little muscle soreness aside your body will thank you for lifting weights and for exercise in general. Do not be discouraged at the pace of the scale or how your clothes fit. Fight for your life!
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