Limiting factors of life

Reading, do you do it?

2 1/2 year through college and a few things hit you. Here's 3 of them that I believe apply to life and training.

1) Going it alone

People don't like to do things alone. While it may not be great, it does help to be ready to do activities by yourself. Whether training alone in the gym or out somewhere, self-confidence and ability is key. Do it yourself and do it well.

But, that doesn't mean partners need to be completely off limits. They can be motivating and helpful for the stuff you may not know. Just don't become completely dependent on other people.

2) Learning & reading

If you're reading this, good start. It helps to pick up a book, read an article, browse websites, or anything to increase your knowledge. There is so much information, how could you not? Especially if it gets you closer to your goals.

Will knowing more really be bad? I'd expect it to help you progress in one form or another.

3) Fear

The big bad one and the most important. People are often scared about little details which are made worse than they truly are. Trying something new, going out of your comfort zone, new exercises, different food, unfamiliar places, you name it.

If there was no fear, imagine how great your potential really would be, the things you can accomplish.

And honestly, what's the worse that could happen? You do it wrong? Who will judge you? Someone you don't know? Is it really so bad to mess up sometimes?

We learn by mistakes and we get better because of them.

The difference between the ordinary and the great are little, but make a world of difference.

Which one will you live each day as?

Ordinary and being content with average?

Will that make you happy?

Bee's knees (not really)

First, the bee...

Fuzzy guy.

...then the knees...

Not sure why a
photo like this exists.

If I planned this correctly, that was silly enough to get you through the rest of this post.

Although bees aren't part of it, knees are, so let's look, shall we?

Actually, look was the wrong word. Rather, let's test.

Test 1: While standing barefoot, look ahead or close your eyes. Next, stomp the bottom of your forefoot into the ground. Pay attention to where the shock is felt most on your leg.

Repeat, but this time strike your heel and focus on where vibrations are being felt.

Now if it worked for you the same as it did for me, in the former scenario the bulk of the impact was concentrated in and around the calf muscle. With the the latter variation, most feeling is around the hamstring.

There's a problem with the latter case. The shock from the initial strike being sent to your upper leg also made a stop to your knee, and it's taking quite a bit of stress from the upward traveling shock.

Test 2 is much simpler. Just jump. (I hopped off a step)

First land on your forefeet, then switch it up and try landing directly on your heels.

Did landing on your heels feel uncomfortable? Unnatural and possibly painful?

Not good. It's like trying to reach and grab an object with the part of your palm near the wrist instead of the finger tips first. Feels awkward and weird.

Where does this all lead?

Answer: running mechanics.

If you're a runner - sprinter or long distance - and repeatedly striking your heel into the ground stride-after-stride, damage is occurring and a future injury won't be far behind from it. Even if no injury occurs, aches and pains in your joints and muscles will still be bothersome.

The most common problem causing heel strike style is use of running sneakers with too much support.

Try progressing through shoes with less support.

For your body, the switch can make a world of difference.

Don't take it for granted

This bad boy.

Or girl?...thing?

The human body of course.

I believe most people are under the assumption the human body is weaker than it really is.

Hogwash!

The body is quick to adapt, is stronger than we know, and more efficient than any machine.

Such as,

• The human heart beats 1.9 billion times by the age of 50 (average 72 beats per minute x 60 mins. x 24 hours x 365 days x 50). My high school physics teacher told our class how enduring the human heart is and there isn't a machine to date that can replace it's efficiency.

• Get a spoon and put peanut butter on it. Now, try washing it clean with your hands and water. Not easy huh? Now use your tongue. Tasty? Yes I know, but also not too shabby to clean with. And no soap needed! Your tongue is more abrasive than a sponge. Cool? Very.
  

• Shoes, yuck. Nowadays, shoes have way too much support than what is necessary. Go back a couple hundred years and see what they were wearing. Probably the bare essential, only something that offers protection for the bottom of the foot and that's all. I bet they didn't have shin splits, sprained ankles, or bad knees. Honestly, you don't wear bulky gloves on your hands all day, so why restrain your feet which have just as important fine motor movement functions? Absurd I say!
  

• Movement. What of it? It's functions in an X-fashion, meaning when your leg foot takes a step forward while you're walking or running, your right hand will swing forward. Go sprint and try not allowing that to happen. It's tough and awkward. Even in the most basic movement - crawling - this fashion of movement is present. (I crawled on the floor to make sure)

Only a few examples, but I think they're great ways to think about the body.

It's not some flimsy squishy bag of bones. Rather, it's a vehicle of amazing potential.

But, it comes down to how you want to treat it and use it.

Will you use it for it's most simplest purposes?

Or, will you use it to achieve great and wonderful things?

The choice is yours.

It always is and it always will be.

Alright, it's not that good.
But who knows, keep at it!

This blog summarized in 2 words.

I'm so lazy, but yet I find the will to post (aka, procrastinate reading for my classes). If I have to summarize this blog in 2 words, they would be:

Lift smart

Yes, that's it.

If you come by here, you know I stress efficiency, quality, proper warm-ups, etc.

Although, it brings up a new question. Why the blog?

The answer to that and other exciting adventures are in the weeks ahead, stay tuned!

Have a good weekend everyone...

...and thanks for stopping by.

Lessons from Ninja Warrior

Fact: Ninjas are cool.

I like the show Ninja Warrior (including the women's version). Not familiar with either? Here's a clip from each of the series. Each clip shows all the obstacles the contestants have to go through.

He's a fisherman.


Ignore the annoying
English announcer.

It doesn't look easy, but seems like plenty of fun. I'd prefer doing events like these for charity instead of those 5k walks/runs.

But, that's another topic altogether. If you checked out the clips, you can actually learn bit and pieces of what attributes are needed to succeed. Will they make you an instant

NINJA WARRIOR?!

No, probably not, but they're definitely important aspects of physical strength and athleticism. With a little assistance from our good ol' friend weight training, we're good to go.

Lists are easy on the eyes, so let's roll with that.

Grip strength reigns supreme:

- Stages had various forms of hardcore hand clinging. While it was more emphasized for the men than women, it's equally important to both sexes. If you can't hold on to it, forget trying anything else.

- If you're going heavy on overhand deadlifts & pulls, enough said. Other tricks of the trade are plate pinching, farmer's walks, and thick handles (done by wrapping a hand towel around a handle).

It's all relative pull-ups:

- There's a lot of hanging for the men. Pulls - horizontal & vertical - are great for the body, not to mention people don't do enough of them.

- A combination of pull/chin-ups, lat-pull downs, and/or rows are a simple start.

Stamina:

- Getting through 1 obstacle doesn't call for celebration. Going through a series of them is physically exhausting.

- Conditioning workouts are key here. A session can be anywhere from 4 to 20 minutes. If you're going for an hour, chances are the intensity isn't enough.

Need to know how to use the body:

- There's a lot of switching between unilateral & bilateral work, meaning the hands/legs are working independently & together at various points of time. An example of unilateral coordination is seen in the very first video's initial obstacle, side-to-side jumping, and bilateral in the second where the woman does the hop rocket (both legs working in conjunction to explode into the air).

- Bilaterals are typically done with any barbells, while unilateral can be done in a number of ways such as dumbbells, kettlebells, ropes, pistol squats, 1-handed push-ups, so and so forth.

- Compound lifts are an excellent way to use the body as one whole working system.

Power/rate of force development:

- It's how fast you generate strength in a given time. Faster you do it, the better and more strength you can bust out. It's most evident in the massive broad jumps and hops that are performed. No point in having strength if you can't be quick with it.

- Plyometrics, sprints, medicine ball slams/tosses/throws, & Olympic lifts all improve power/ROFD.

Working in more than 1 plane of motion:

- Contestants have to move their feet around more than just going forward. They go all over the place! This is also seen in sports such as football and tennis. The players are constantly changing directions.

- Variations of regular lifts like lateral lunges, lateral step-ups, rotational movements, side-to-side pull-ups, and as well as sport-specific drills are performed in different planes.

Balance, coordination, speed, & agility:

- As you can see, the contestants are not fumbling all over the course. Rather, they're moving along it with excellent precision and grace.

- Unilateral work again. Balance can also be improved by simply balancing on 1 hand or foot and going through motions with the other. An example such as a 1-handed push-up position while moving a light weight plate around on the floor.

- Speed goes back to power/ROFD.

Mobility:

- Just seeing how their ankles are positioned at certain instances shows they've got great mobility.

- This is too expansive to cover in this post, but use what's listed in the dynamic warm-up here as a basic starting guide. Youtube channels such as these - 1, 2, 3, 4 - also list more movements to use. Check them out.

There you have it.

Hopefully I covered everything and you can apply some of this information to your own training to help with progress.

Cause above all things, the take home point of this post was...

...ninjas are cool.

Except this one.

A conclusion

What it means to be strong.

Why did I do this series?

For one, I thought it would be informative to share what I learned in my psychology class and how it combines with what I've known about most women's beliefs on exercise.

Helpful, but it's the least important aspect.

Survival of the fittest is an interesting statement. Physical abilities aren't humans' most vital need in present times.

But, if it came to it, women aren't equipped with strength. It's a problem, a big one.

As we age, we get weaker. It's a fact. And recall, I mentioned at the end of part 1 that the purpose of the muscular system is for movement.

If a woman is weak at her peak age - around mid 20's - then how will she fare later in life?

It's even worse of a problem since society has become increasingly sedentary.

Strength builds confidence and self-esteem.

It's necessary.

Pictured above is professional boxer Natalia Ragozina. A month or so ago, I read an article on CNN about her. She faced off against an opponent 60 lbs. heavier.

Do your weight +60 and imagine fighting someone that much heavier. It seems impossible to win.

But it's not.

Neither is getting the body you want.

Natalia Ragozina: plenty strong & no bulk.

When Anna Meets Jane, part 4: A Start to the Right Path

Step 1, give those good-for-nothing
weightless dumbbells to someone else.

Not too much fluff in this post, just the information you need to get started. But, a quick recap is in order.

Part 1: There are reasons why women don't like their body.
Part 2: Other minor external reasons exist as well, which are quite significant.
Part 3: Problems are encountered when armed with less-than-optimal information.
Part 4: Better information for you to use.

Let's start with nutrition.

Nutrition

First, here are solid guidelines that anyone can follow. Specifically, the 7 rules of good nutrition.

"1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean protein with each meal.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and vegetables. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals.

5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil).

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout drinks)."

Now don't be silly and try all 7 at once. That's asking for failure. Try one at a time. After you've mastered one, incorporate a second rule into the mix. In other words, can't make a baby sprint if the baby doesn't know how to crawl (let alone stand).

Are the rules set in stone? No, of course not, but they work well for those who have no idea how to eat for fat loss. Also, take note that it's important to eat when you're hungry rather than every 2-3 hours. But, if you consume a regular-sized meal, expect hunger to strike roughly every 2-4 hours at least and if you haven't eaten enough, you'll become hungry sooner than normal.

And what if you don't want to eat vegetables for breakfast? No worries, double up at another meal, like lunch or dinner.

The rules are for guidance.

Now, that alone isn't enough. People have questions.

I look at a lot of blogs and websites to learn more. Some are good, some aren't. The most I come across that are good are exercise-based, while dietary ones are more about listing recipes.

Eh, that's alright, but it could be better. That's why I'm plugging Georgie's site into this post, www.askgeorgie.com. I was going to list Precision Nutrition, but well, you need to pay for that.

Georgie is a Registered Dietitian, the Sports Dietitian for Rutgers' - my university - athletics, lists recipes, but above all that, my favorite part? She discusses how nutrition and exercise interact - a perfect example is here. The two help one another out.

The bonus? You can submit a question which she'll answer in detail.

This should be more than enough to get you started to slim those thunder thighs. But, what about exercise?

Exercise

I wrote a simple beginner's strength training program, which if you're interested in, you can download for free by clicking here (it's a MS Word document). If someone follows it, let me know and I'll write a new one for the next 3 weeks.

All the information you need is in the document, but I'm going to list the dynamic warm-up movements and the program's exercises here with demonstration links. You can watch them to see how they're performed. Click the superscript number to view a video/picture.

Dynamic warm-up

• Standing hip flexor/quad stretch ^{1 I}
  
• Side-lying leg raise ² [let your toes point straight ahead]
• Glute bridge ³
• Wall slides ^{4 II}
  
• Pec stretch ^{5 III}
  
• Split squat w/ overhead reach ^{6 IV}

I: For each repetition, hold the leg for a full 1 second count then release.
II: Keep the back of the hands on the wall and actively rotate/press them into the wall. Good explanation here.
III: For each repetition, hold the stretch for a full count of 1 second.
IV: Minus the bar and stay in place rather than moving back & forth.

The program

• Pull-through ⁷
• Conventional deadlift ⁸
• Underhand seated cable row ⁹
• DB bench press ¹⁰
• Plank [standard version] ^{11 V}
• DB goblet squat ¹²
• Overhand lat-pulldown ¹³
• Standing DB press ¹⁴
• Single-side DB farmers walk ^{15 VI}
  

V: First shown is the standard version. Perform against an incline or spreading your feet apart if the floor version is too difficult. An incline bench works great.
VI: One dumbbell at a time on each side. Hold on your left side for certain amount of distance, then the right side, that's 1 set. Squeeze hard, walk tall & straight with good posture. Set's done when your form deteriorates or you can't hold on any longer.

That's all there is to it. If there are any questions, ask away on this post or shoot me an email at nielkpatel425@gmail.com and I'll be more than happy to help out.

While this concludes the series, I'll write a formal conclusion for the entire series, and express my own thoughts on it all. Expect it Thursday.

Now, for those who do follow this program and advice, that's great! Best of luck! I hope you all enjoyed this. That's all I got.

Maybe you'll look like this by 2011.
One thing's certain, this lady has no jiggle.