Healthy at 100

If you are spun completely around and confused about exercise, diet, relationships, mental health and living a lifestyle where you feel truly alive - Then I recommend this book.

John Robbins writes this book like that tv show "connections"... kinda. He looks at different cultures and their longevity success clues vs other cultures and their poor state of health.
He also goes into comparing popular diet plans, the affect of relationships in our health and longevity odds.
He has action steps in implementing healthy lifestyles, eating foods (i.e. for color), mental acuity tips, relationship and community thoughts.

My words:
Eat locally for the most part.

Eat produce "in season" - for example this spring /summer eat asparagus for kidney cleansing from winter's diet effects on the body. We should be eating differently each season.

High protein/ fats don't work for everyone and neither does high carbohydrates. There are many variables that dictate how this works including blood type which is related to which digestive enzymes we have or lack, food allergies, gut health, liver health, kidney health, insulin sensitivity and so on... For those of us who eat acidic foods (including meats) we must counter-act with alkaline greens.
Keep in mind that anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory foods/ ingredients maintain youthfulness.
Minimizing stress is also key. Paraphrase: We are chasing around, not from predators rather chasing dollars and time.


The magic number for calories is around 1800-2500 calories for the average person, extremes in either direction result in weight gain.

I am very grateful that John incorporates eco-systems, social support (spouse, family, friends and community), exercise, mental sharpness and spiritual or least work on bettering yourself so you are living life.

Eat Less Gain More Weight

How many calories do you eat daily?
900?
1200?
1800?
2500?
More?

Another question: How many Americans are dieters?
Eh one more question: How many overweight Americans are there now?

If you said around 900 calories/ day, nice work! You really have no respect for yourself and probably have some sort of self-hatred. 900 calories is what was provided for residence of NAZI DEATH CAMPS!

If you said closer to the 2500 calories/ day range, you probably feel better and don't carry excessive weight. That is, if you consistently eat in that quantity range, not yo-yo up and down in and out of that range.

70-85% of the American population is or has dieted.

Curiously 70-85% of the American population is also overweight.

And one more curious correlation, 70-85% of the American population has never had a fitness center membership.

The World Health Organization defines starvation as less than 2,100 calories/ day consumption.

The body responds to starvation as a trauma to the body and works to preserve fatty tissues as reserves. A caveat to parents: dieting children develop not only greater numbers of fat cells, but also fat cells that double in size.

Exercise accounts for 20% of achieving and maintaining an ideal weight. Lifestyle and what you put in your mouth accounts for the other 80% of success in achieving health and vitality.

Skipping meals shuts down not only our metabolism furnace, but similarly like horses we need water and constant feedings to keep the gut moving and healthy. Skimp on meals or skip meals and you will no doubt experience unpleasant gut "happenings" or "not happenings."

Malnutrition is a common diagnosis of us fat Americans. Oxymoron I know. But think of classic documentaries like "Supersize Me" or maybe just reflect on we eat to fill our bellies versus nourish our beautifully designed bodies.

Need help?

Just ask, I can and will... if you're willing to change.

Upcoming Summer Group Session

Don't forget to sign-up for my summer group classes starting soon!!! Fill out the registration form located right here on my blog (right hand side tool bar). I have a classes for both ADULTS and YOUTH! It is never too late to get into shape for the summer!

Three Classic Weight Loss Stories

December 2009, I have an opportunity to expand my services outside the Sports Center again. This time it's an insurance company that has a fitness room in their building. Of the 90-some employees, six ladies sign up to train with me. My baseline and recurring test numbers revolve around simply a weekly weigh-in and 5-site circumference measurements. Could have gone more tech but a third party is doing the bodyfat percentages, besides women want to know two things with fitness results: weight loss & size or inches lost.

I tell clients in this demographic that one of three things will happen with embarking on a fitness/ weight loss program with me. The following are three distinctly different real world stories.

JD

Started and ended at the same weight over the course of 2 months. Even though JD didn't experience an overall weight loss over the Christmas Holiday season she lost a total of 2 inches. What happened? JD was consistent in her workouts, She did the strength training and the interval running on treadmill as well as elliptical and recumbent bike. However, she didn't clean up her diet. Bright side was she lost inches primarily in the waist, didn't gain weight over the holidays, improved her stamina, balance, coordination and gained strength. Age mid 30's

KB

Took off like a jackrabbit! She lost 5 pounds the first week. She did the same workout routine as JD (5 days a week, about 40 minutes each day). The difference. KB got serious about her eating habits. It became a lifestyle. Sure KB hit plateaus with weight loss and losing inches. But overall she steadily improved. After 3 months KB lost 20 pounds, lost a total of six inches on her body circumference measurements with the majority being in hips and thighs. I now have her on a 5K race training routine (keeping in mind she has exercise induced asthma) in addition to challenging her on strength training. KB proudly wears better fitting clothes- and she should be proud. Age just under 50.

JP

The most classic story and such a great story to tell; JP made sure that I went easy on her. She gave me the laundry list of limiting conditions. Specifically, HER RUNNING DAYS ARE BEHIND HER, so just walk on treadmill and negotiate speed & elevation. With JP the workouts were modified to activities that were appropriate for her fitness level. The first six weeks JP gained 2 inches overall and gained 5 pounds. Her strength and stamina improved and arthritic knee pain was alleviating.

Here's what happened:

Increased activities stimulated increased appetite, but she didn't have the eating habits corrected yet (and yes it is a lifestyle change which takes time).

People new to strength training or re-introduced after a long hiatus will store more water in the muscles as it requires water uptake to allow the muscles to recover.

Together the increased appetite without diet modification and water intake for recovery makes for weight gain.

Next, JP turned the corner. She cleaned up her diet more than she thought she needed to… until we had some talks about the crap that is packaged and sold to us as "food" or rather belly fillers. As JP's weight began to drop and lost some inches, her confidence increased. Being in a group setting with colleagues who were also experiencing life changing results for the better, and a few ladies starting to run intervals or do the 5K training program I set up for them; JP had a "What-If" moment and tried running on the treadmill. She did just fine and the arthritic knee felt good. No flare ups. When I called JP out and reminded her what she said from the beginning about how I would not get her to ever do (RUNNING); She proceeded to reflect and we had this talk.

You know when you get to a certain point where you're at your heaviest and limiting health conditions arise, it's easy to hide inside yourself and accept that the days of fitness and being healthy are over.

It's only until you start thinking about how you take care of yourself directly affects everyone who is important to you. Being overweight comes with the burden of lack of self-esteem.

The paradox is it takes self-esteem to better yourself. This is why it is so difficult to start a fit & healthy lifestyle, in addition to the programming (habits) people have been submitting themselves to for so long.

Thankfully momentum works in both directions (like a pendulum). If you can muster up enough courage and self-preservation to commit to taking back your life, there will be immediate and encouraging results. And as the body adapts to the challenges of exercise along with eating to nourish, you will stop fighting your body and start to become in-tuned with yourself.

As JP said, "I have just experienced a new kind of freedom, realizing I can run again."

Wow! Fitness related to a feeling of freedom.

She followed up, "I was trapped inside my own body for so long." "Now it makes me wonder what else I can do." The whole emotional side of making the transition to a healthy lifestyle is that we need to address our self worth. Are you emotionally prepared to spend time and energy on improving yourself? You should be. After all you are worth it. And to put it bluntly, you are worthless to everyone else if you become so sickly out of shape that you become the one who needs cared for on a variety of levels. Contribute to others by contributing to bettering yourself.

In 3 months, JP lost 14 pounds and 6 inches. Age Lower 50's.

* Just prior to posting this, I happened to visit with JD. She is working out on her own now. The eating habits are still an issue. But she is now off of her cholesterol lowering medication. Next goal is get her blood pressure under control and go off those meds. She replied she's not sure if that will ever happen because it's genetic (whole family has high blood pressure).

My response, "JD don't play that card!" High blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes... all of these are reversible. Just need to follow the white rabbit to a new world of thinking.

Fitness During Pregnancy

This topic is so big and so very important that I recruited an expert to guest write. Erin is a nutritionist as well as a nurse and proud mother of a charming 1 yr old.

Erin Blackwell Igo

Fitness in pregnancy can be challenging thing. You are not only responsible for your own well-being, but now you are entrusted with the sole responsibility of growing another human being. For some people, pregnancy can be a very difficult time. We spend our entire adult lives trying to be "fit" and maintain an ideal weight. Then one day, we wake up pregnant and are told we must gain weight, let our abdomens grow so we can't see our toes, and buy new HUGE clothes. This can be a struggle in two different ways:

1. We are so excited for it to be socially acceptable to gain weight that we take "eating for two" literally and gain too much.
   

or

1. We know that we are supposed to gain weight, but have such a hard time giving up our normal jean, that we decide to restrict our diets which can cause substantial harm to the baby.
   

   
   

   The International Organization of Health has set the following pregnancy weight gain guidelines:
   Underweight women- 28 to 40 lbs
   Normal weight women- 25-35 lbs
   Overweight women 15-25 lb
   Obese women 11-20 lbs (although, this is under scrutiny as many studies are showing that obese women can have healthy babies without gaining any weight).
   

   
   This weight should not all be gained in the first week. We shouldn't pull out the ice cream claiming we need to gain 35 lbs. In fact, in the first trimester weight gain should only be about 2-5 lbs and caloric intake does not need to be increased. If you are hungry- you are lucky! Eat! But continue to make wise choices. Because calcium and protein needs are greater during pregnancy (protein needs increase to 60 g/day), choose to have a glass of skim milk or opt for a protein snack. After the first 16 weeks, weight gain should average one pound per week and you can increase your calorie intake 300 calories per day. Once again- this shouldn't be seen as opportunity to eat a candy bar everyday because there are 300 extra calories to consume. Add two healthy snacks a day- yogurt, cottage cheese, a handful of nuts, or even a tablespoon of peanut butter.
   
   Some people follow another train of thought. Instead of "I get to gain 30 pounds??? Bring on the bacon!" they think "I have to be fat and gain how much??" This is normal. In my first trimester I gained 5 lbs, couldn't fit in to any of my clothes, and felt like a fat slob. I knew that the fetus weight was about an ounce at this point and had a really hard time justifying how large I was getting so quickly. But, this is how the weight gain plays out by the end:
   

   
   8 lb of baby
   3 lb of amniotic fluid and placenta
   2 lb of uterus
   4 lb of extra blood
   3 lb of extra breast tissue
   5-10 lb of "maternal stores"
   

   
   So even though that fetus is 1 oz and you have gained 5 lbs, that is 5 lbs of extra fluid and tissue that is being laid down to appropriately create and develop another organism. The hardest part to swallow is the 5- 10 lbs of "maternal stores." It is a pleasant way of saying "fat." This is necessary, though (unless you are already overweight or obese.) The belief used to be that this fetus was a parasite- it took everything first and mom got the leftovers. This is true in terms of vitamins and minerals, but not calories. Studies have shown that if mom doesn't have a high enough body fat percentage, the baby will break down mom's muscle tissue to use as energy while mom's body uses the calories consumed to increase her body fat. This is not good for your baby's developing brain. While you aren't looking forward to laying down 5-10 lbs of fat, it is good for your baby. Also, if you cautious not to lay down more than that- you will be able to easily get rid of it by breastfeeding and chasing your baby around within the first year.
   
   The last thing is exercise. It is important to exercise during pregnancy, but I cannot stress enough that every person is different. Some women can run marathons while pregnant (although, I don't recommend it), while some can't find the energy to walk down the block. I am an avid runner and before I was pregnant I ran about 20 miles per week. By the 4th month, I had stopped all together. I was TIRED, and the extra weight made me feel like I was running through mud. So, I switched it up. I walked a lot, I did prenatal yoga, and most importantly- I did what felt right. If your body is screaming, "Stop! This is too much!" then it probably is. As you gain weight, the activities you do burn more calories. Therefore, you can take it down a notch and still have an equally as effective exercise routine. Also remember, the point of exercise during pregnancy is not to lose weight- it is to be healthy.
   

Monty Moran's Notes

Thanks Erin. In addition, I would recommend the protein intake increased to at least 60 g and up to 120 g per day depending on your lean body weight. More lean body mass requires more protein. Go with whole milk, there is a reason why it started out that way… more proteins and healthy fats that all work together to nourish the body. Obviously omit if milk allergies are an issue and those with diabetic conditions definitely need to stay away from skim milk because it's basically white colored sugar water. Healthy fats are vital for baby's development and NO – healthy fat in meals does not beget fat moms.

After bouncing some theories off of Aaron Jones (a chiropractor here in the Fargo-Moorhead area) we agreed I should address a few more things. With exercise, I wouldn't recommend starting a running routine during 2^nd trimester and on. However if you are a runner, keep these things in mind as you progress through your pregnancy term:

You will gain weight which obviously adds a form of resistance training to your running.
Your center of balance will change which will change your running mechanics.
Like Erin said, you may not have the energy to run like you did and may need to either cut the mileage back or cut the frequency down to recover between runs.
There are other options or complimentary activities such as yoga, Pilates, strength training, biking and so on.
With strength training, the same issues apply. Weights may not be as heavy but higher reps can suffice. Certain exercises will not be comfortable to perform for obvious reasons.
Luckily, maintaining a fitness routine is somewhat easy as it is a way of your life, your body changes gradually and fit people are more in tune with their bodies and know what works or as Erin said, "I did what felt right."

As far as taking vitamins & minerals consult somebody who knows what they're talking about, mega vitamins are not the answer. Quality, absorbable, well balanced, non-toxic vitamin/mineral supplements should be sought after – with that said, by all means don't go shopping in the Wal-Mart aisles for anything health related.

If you are not in a fitness routine and want to start (even during pregnancy) consult your OB/GYN and a competent fitness professional to put you on the right track and monitor your progress.

Client Performance Results

In the attached pdf's are two compiled data sheets for overall results of my clients.
It's brutally honest. Some are some amazing numbers. While the high school boys typically re-tested during the first two weeks of their sport starting, resulting in down numbers from fatigue of coming in right after practice to test out. Oh well.

If you are looking for results in performance, I can deliver.
Personal records and phenomenal increases in strength, vertical and speed happen all the time with me and my clients.
Enjoy!!

Cormax West Personal Training Client Performance Results- Overall

Cormax West Personal Training Client Performance Results- Age groups

Oh and let me know when you are ready to get serious and train with a real pro, ME!!

P.S. When Emily Gunkelman came out of college basketball and decided to train for the WNBA with me she went from a 12" vertical to 24" in 4 months. I went with the younger girl for most improved because... well I don't know ?? My bad, Em.

Dedicated to your performance

Unorthodox

Recently a member of the Sports Center approached me and acknowledged that he has been watching how I train my clients and the things I have them do. He proceeded to let me know how "unorthodox" I am. My response. Yeah I am. And the results we get are "unorthodox" too. Lose 5 pounds in a week. Lose 20 pounds in 4-6 weeks. Clients losing 60 pounds in 4-6 months. Adding over a foot to vertical jumps. Decreasing sprint times in terms of percentages. Doubling & tripling strength. 0 pull-ups to 3 in 3-4 months. Flexibility increase. Injury decrease. Confidence through the roof by looking, feeling & performing better.
It's just what I do. I am good because I have passion for it. It's my life. I like changing people's lives for the better because I can.

5 Consecutive Long Jumps

I do the jumping knee tuck or hops before I perform any explosive or fast movement. Reason is to lay down muscle motor neuron pathways related to the activity to be performed. Basically telling the body, "Ok we're gonna go hard and fast! Be ready!"
You will never see me hold a stretch before an activity like this. I would be sending the wrong body readiness message as in, "Relax, go easy."




This idea of performing 5 consecutive long jumps (5CLJ) came from a coach at the University of Wisconsin- Lacrosse. The average person should be able to broad jump their own height in distance. He has sufficient data that correlates one's long jump ability to speed. He had a group of world class time 400M sprinters at the time I discovered him. They were jumping around 11 feet. Which is amazing!



But we do 5CLJ's because it brings in a bigger athleticism challenge. The ability to land from an explosive jump, re-coil the muscles and spring forward again repeatedly requires: coordination, the exploitation of the plyometric effect on muscles and tendon and overall body strength (think armswing, core muscles to re-align the body mid-air and obviously legs & glutes).

Those studs from UW-L were jumping 55 feet in the 5CLJ. The end of the tape in my videos was at 45 feet. I have some work to do I guess.

Lat Pulldowns Behind Neck

Back to basics.
The lat pull-down behind the neck.
Look at Mikael's form & technique.

• Upright posture
• Chin up and head straight forward
• Appropriate hand grip width to allow for full range of motion
• While pulling down focusing on rotating the shoulder in towards the spine
• While letting the weight up she is controlling it, smoothly and allowing her shoulder blades to rotate up and out... hmmm kinda like angel wings.

When doing this exercise the goal is not how much weight you can do. Rather, it's a mind-on-muscle thing. Feeling the movement. Keeping perfect alignment.

Somedays you just need to go into the gym and connect with your body. Not worry about weights, reps, speed or heart rate. Simply connect. The whole mind, body, spirit thing comes alive when you allow yourself to have one these days.

Side Plank Combo

Can you hold a plank from every basic angle? Are you bored holding forever? What's the point if you can hold a plank for 2 minutes or more? Move on you've graduated to challenging yourself with more difficult variations.




First off, a plank is simply holding your body straight as a board. Think when you are at the top of a push-up movement and arms are straight. That's a plank. Most common mistake is letting the mid-section droop (which is a sign of weak core or abs, back and hips) or over compensating and rounding the back or piking the body up. Most common measurement of progress is how long you can hold the position.

Ok, so here's what's going on this video.

Shaun is holding a side plank on one elbow with one foot on a bosu ball, while holding his other leg up in the air to create more instability. With his other arm I have him doing a row with a light jumpstretch band.

Effect: With the progressive resistance from the band and the fast explosive pull, he's training to be powerfully fast as swimmers need. And being put into a position of instability, many various muscle groups are firing to maintain balance and control. Something to think about as when you are in the water there is nothing to brace you besides the water.

Remember this is only one aspect of a complete training program, don't just do these types of exercises. Be sure to incorporate strength, muscle stamina, cardio for heart and lungs, balance and coordination. Eat right and sleep well. Perform phenomenally!

Hanging L-Raise

So you think you have abs?
I mean you can do 50 sit-up crunches right? Yeah that's pretty awesome. Congrats!
Now get real.
Mikael gets bored doing full hanging leg raises- where her feet touch the bar she is holding onto with her legs straight the whole time. So we upped it a notch. Stop half way back down and go back up. Is it cheating or easier? Phhht! Hardly! The strength it take to reverse the downward motion and lift back up from an "L-shaped" or 90 degree angle is phenomenal. You won't see many people be able to do this. Probably 5% of your gym's population or less. The other 90% are still doing their killer 50 crunches on the floor. Oh and the remainder 5% can do hanging leg raises and are working on L-raises.

21 Universal Rewards of Success

21 Universal Rewards of Exercise
The number one reason that most people are out-of-shape is that they don't exercise enough.

I've often wished that I could give each and every one of you a personalized pep talk to get you up off the couch and into the gym, day after day. So here's my pep talk in bullet form - 21 rewards that you will gain from regular exercise.

Do yourself a favor and print this list and post it where you'll see it every day. When you need motivation or encouragement simply read over this list and feel your motivation soar.

1. You'll reset your body: Exercise has been described as a giant reset button. A good workout will block appetite swings, improve your mood and even help you sleep.
2. Your clothes will fit better: Consistent exercise will tone and tighten your body, causing your clothes to not only fit better but to also look nicer. Also exercise ensures that soon you'll be trading your clothes in for smaller sizes.
   
3. You'll be less stressed: You have enough stress in your life - it's time for a break. A good workout invigorates your muscles, leaving you relaxed and less stressed.
   
4. You'll have more energy: WebMD tallied research studies and concluded that 90% of them prove exercise increases energy levels in sedentary patients. Next time you feel fatigued, fight it will the most powerful tool available: exercise.
   
5. You'll be stronger: Exercise improves muscle strength and endurance, two things that you use throughout each day. When you exercise consistently you'll be pleasantly surprised when difficult tasks begin to seem easy.
   
6. You'll be less likely to binge: Exercise has a powerful anti-binge effect on the body. This is due in part by an increase in sensitivity to leptin, a protein hormone, which has an appetite-taming effect.
   
7. You'll burn calories: You know that excess body fat is made up of stored and unused calories. Fight back by burning loads of calories with fat-blasting workouts.
   
8. You'll be more confident: Who doesn't wish they walked and talked with more confidence? A consistent exercise program will do just that. As your body becomes more fit, watch as your confidence sky-rockets.
   
9. You'll have fun: Believe it or not, exercise can be extremely enjoyable. Remember how fun it was to run around as a child? Tap into your inner child as you find a mode of exercise that gets you excited.
   
10. You'll reduce your blood pressure: Exercise has been proven more effective than medication in reducing blood pressure to normal levels. A single workout has been shown to reduce blood pressure for the day and regular exercise reduces overall blood pressure in the long run.
    
11. You'll lose the jiggles: Regular exercise tightens flabby arms, legs and waistlines. So wave goodbye to the jiggles with a solid exercise program.
12. You'll increase insulin sensitivity: Researchers at Laval University in Quebec discovered that exercise improved insulin sensitivity dramatically. Peak after-meal insulin levels dropped by more than 20 percent after as little as 3 weeks of consistent exercise.
    
13. You'll sleep better: Do you toss and turn for hours before falling asleep? Exercise is a powerful sleep aid. Your tired muscles encourage your body to quickly fall asleep so they can get their overnight repair work done.
    
14. You'll lower your risk of heart disease: Regular exercise strengthens your heart and makes it more resilient against disease. A sedentary lifestyle is a major risk factor for heart disease, so rest assured that consistent exercise is your ally against disease.
    
15. You'll feel great: Vigorous exercise releases natural endorphins (happy hormones) into your blood stream that dissolve pain and anxiety. You've probably heard of ‘runner's high', this can be achieved by any great workout.
    
16. You'll lower your risk of diabetes: Studies show that exercising as little as half an hour each day can dramatically reduce your risk of diabetes. If you are at risk of diabetes, or already have diabetes, regular exercise is the most effective treatment for reversing the disease.
    
17. You'll meet cool people: You could benefit from a group of new, energetic friends, right? Gyms, bootcamps, workout centers and even the jogging trail are all great places to connect with fun new friends.
    
18. You'll improve your BMI: You know that maintaining a healthy BMI is key in disease prevention. Exercise is the best way to keep your BMI under control.
    
19. You'll increase your endurance: Do you ever get out of breath when walking up stairs or through the mall? Regular exercise builds your endurance for everyday activities.
    
20. Your doctor will be impressed: How many times has your doctor given you the lecture about losing weight and exercising more? Exercise regularly and get your MD off your back!
    
21. You'll look amazing: Are you happy with the shape and size of your body? Regular exercise works wonders on your physique. Within a few weeks you'll see shape and tone in all the right places.
    

What are you waiting for? Lace up your shoes and get moving!



Guarantee Your Success
The quickest, easiest way to guarantee that you'll meet your fitness and weight loss goals is to work one-on-one with a qualified fitness professional. You'll be held accountable with your workouts and you'll be instructed properly and shown techniques and strategies that will expedite your results. Call or email today to get started on a program that will take the guesswork out of fitness and to set your results on fire.

The Rings: Part 1

Getting bored with push-ups, and the pec deck? Try this.

You’ll need rings from RingTraining.com, a pull-up bar or similar and a wall or something to put your feet on.

Here’s my recommended progression:
Lower the rings to about 2” off the floor. Start on your knees and perform push-ups. Next try chest flyes like you would on the pec Deck or with dumbbells. Then combine the two in a super set where you do as many flyes as possible then proceed right into doing as many push-ups as possible.

Once you gain stability in your arms make it tougher by going on your toes vs. the knees as mentioned above.

Next, try putting your feet on a bench or box. This progression keeps adding weight to your arms- more resistance.

Now before you try doing the feet on the wall version, I’d suggest practicing doing push-ups with your feet on the wall on hands on the floor. There’s a certain element of extra body stability required for this. Plus, you’ll learn that you’ll have to push yourself into the wall with your arms.

Got it down?

Now try the feet on the wall rings flyes and push-ups version. Once that gets easier you can add a weighted vest. And for those of you who are truly phenomenal… no feet! Then join a gymnastics team.

Exercise: Power-ups / Pull-ups

Muscle Software

Here’s a fun video of pull-ups. The first 2 reps are power ups, second two are regular slow and controlled pull-ups.

Interesting thing happened when shooting this. I was planning on doing the slow pull-ups first then go into the power ups. I couldn’t do the power ups on the first attempt after doing the slow pull-ups.

My conclusion, same exact reason we never stretch before sprinting or lifting. Muscles have memory.

Think about it. In order for a muscle to work it takes an electrical impulse from the nerves to start the action. Now think of this nerve-muscle connection as software program. When you mentally prepare to perform an activity that requires speed and power, that muscle software is programmed for high performance effort. Dynamic warm-ups that mimic the motion and speed to be performed are ideal for setting this muscle software up.

So conversely, static or holding a stretch is setting the muscle software up for a flaccid or relaxed muscle that is not geared for activity.

So for a “warm-up,” we need to re-set the muscle software towards high performance activity which is what a good dynamic warm-up does.

A static stretch where you hold a stretch is ideal for the end of the workout when you want to settle the muscles down and increase flexibility.

One aside, I don’t believe in actually warming up. We’re already at 96-99 degrees in body temperature (people do vary). I think that’s warm enough. The purpose of the warm-up is to re-direct blood flow to support the muscles, heart and lungs. Where after eating a meal the blood flow is more focused around the gut. The other purpose of the warm-up is again to re-set the muscle software to have the nerves stimulate the muscles in a high performance mode.

Back to the pull-ups paradox. I had difficulties doing power ups after slow pull-ups because I was in “slow moving” mode. Switching immediately to fast mode created a software error in the muscles and I failed.

I Hit A Plateau

What a cruel world! You implemented a new exercise routine and it's working really well. Strength is up, or maybe cardio stamina is much better, or maybe you've lost weight and inches in the trouble spots. Better yet, all of the above has occurred. Maybe it took only three weeks to achieve, or perhaps the progression has taken four months...Either way, NICE WORK!

Congratulate yourself you deserve to celebrate the victories. I know some celebrate by having a certain fitness goal with new workout shoes as the reward, others it's the cruise they've been planning, or maybe just going out for that juicy steak dinner. Remember goals are dreams with a plan.

But wait a minute, what happened? All of sudden the progress stops maybe even regresses. Party's over. Nothing is working anymore.

Here's what happened:
Psychologically, the mission is completed. You did it. No dream, no goal, no plan = no additional motivation to keep with it.

Physiologically, the body adapted. There's a term for this Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands (SAIDs), meaning your body was producing great fitness results because your exercise routine demanded it to make the necessary changes to complete the routine. The body is phenomenal at adapting to whatever you ask it to do. Then it goes above and beyond your expectations and performs your workout more and more efficiently. Eventually, there's no stress or challenge for the body. Simply stated, you're starting to go through the movements with ease.

Here's the solution:
Psychologically, feed the mind and spirit the right "nutrition and exercise." Have a new dream; turn it into a goal by making plans on how to achieve that special new goal. Make sure there's a reward at the end of this new journey. Be creative. Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over again while expecting new results. There is no such thing as perfect workout. So stop doing the same routine. Boredom should not define your workout experience.

Physiologically, now that you know that your body does adapt... keep challenging it! Sure consistency is the key to achieving fitness success. I mean researchers tell us it takes about 10 weeks for results to really appear. In other words, significant gains in strength, marked improvement in performing movements fluidly, cardiac and lung capacity to increase and for metabolic response to increased workload and possibly decreased caloric intake to illicit fat loss or muscle gain.

GMA workouts don't work except in very rare cases. (GMA meaning General Milling Around.)

Instead, cycle through heavy lifting days and light or long runs and short runs. I never said have easy days. Sure some days may seem easier than others, but that maybe your perspective due to which days you enjoy doing more. Progress happens in spurts, never linear.

You know what WORKOUT is short for right? WORK your butt off in the gym and get OUT.

Monty's Boot Camp

Starting Saturday, March 21, 2009 and every Saturday through May - I will be offering a one hour Boot Camp. This is an intense session that will be located at various park locations around town. If you are looking to get into shape this spring or want to try something new - this is a workout session for you!

Prices
$50.00 (4 consecutive week sessions)
$35.00 (Current Clients - 4 consecutive week sessions)
$15.00 (Per Session)

Call or Text Monty Moran for more details
(701) 261-9636

This is also a great opportunity for those of you who workout at other gym locations or are not interested in a gym membership at this time!! As these will be outdoor exercise activities. Note: Due to weather Boot Camp will be moved indoors at the Sports Center.