Workout of the Day 01/28/10

Don't have much equipment try this workout, all you need is a barbell. It's a guaranteed good sweat. If you have bad form take a rest otherwise you risk injury. Push yourself or get a few partners to join you and battle it out. Post your times on the blog.

750 REP BARBELL WORKOUT

- Complete 50 reps of each exercise before moving on to the next

- Goal is to finish as fast as possible with proper form

1) Push Press

2) Squats

3) B/O Rows

4) Alt Forward Lunges (25/leg)

5) High Pulls

6) Side Lunge (25/leg)

7) Supine Chest Press

8) Supine Skullcrushers

9) Deadlifts

10) SA Side Bends (25/side)

11) Front Raise

12) Alt Step Back Lunges (25/leg)

13) Sit-ups

14) Floor Sweepers (25/side)

15) Bicep Curls

8 Step Plan: Goal #4

So here we are already at the halfway point of the 8 Step Plan. Remember only keep moving on each week if you have completed the other goals and are staying consistent with them. If you haven't, stick with it, make it a habit, and then move on to the next one. The previous 3 Goals have all been more diet related, which are often the hardest changes to make, but it's still only part of the puzzle. The other important part is exercise of course so without further ado here is the first exercise goal of the 8 Step Plan.

Goal #4: Perform Strength Circuit 2x/week

Strength Circuit:

1. Barbell Back Squat

2. DB Bench Press

3. DB Step Ups

4. Chin Ups

5. Walking Lunges

6. Push Press

7. V-Sit Ups

Perform each exercise for 30 sec. Complete as many reps as you can in that time while keeping proper form. Rest 30 sec. then move onto the next exercise. Use a weight that is challenging. Complete the whole circuit 3 times through. *NOTE: Focus Fitness does not believe in putting any person under weight until they can efficiently move their own body weight. If you cannot perform a proper squat or push up with just your body weight DO NOT get under a loaded bar. Take the time to learn proper alignment and mechanics and then add weight.

Why Do It?- There are countless benefits to strength circuits, here are a few:

- increase lean tissue (muscle), which in turn elevates metabolism

- burns more calories both during and post workout as opposed to "steady state cardio"

- increase bone density

- for many more benefits and a more detailed look at circuit training visit our blog archive and

read the articles "A Closer Look At Circuit Training Part 1 and 2."

How To Do It- All you need is a little bit of space, a bar, and some

dumbells so if you don't have a gym membership don't sweat it.

- it is very important to do everything correctly so if you are unsure how to perform any of the

exercises feel free to contact me at the gym @ 488-6611 and as usual drop any

concerns, questions, or anything else to comments. See you next week. Go Get It!

Team Event Circuit for "Believe In The Goal Foundation"

Alright guys here's the events for the team circuit we will be having for are "Believe In The Goal Fundraiser Event" in early April 2010.

TEAM EVENT CIRCUIT

1) Sled push/pull (66lbs)

2) Burpee Chin Ups

3) Tire Flips

4) MB Get Ups (10lb ball)

5) Box Jumps (2 foot box)

6) Zig Zag 6 cone shuffle pattern

7) Snake 2 foot hurdle hops (9 total hurdles)

- Particiants will be at each station for a total of 5 minutes. There will be a 1 minute rest between stations. One partner works while the other rests so there is only one person going at a time. Total reps will be counted by adding the total you performed together.

- During the day of the event teams will consist of 4 participants teamed up in partners. There will be two stations of each exercise set up to accomodate this. Total reps will be counted by adding all four participants reps together. The goal is to perform as many reps as possible in your team of 4. There will be volunteers on the day of the event there counting your every rep so you can just focus on task at hand.

- Train hard and good luck to all.

Workout of the Day 01/18/10

Here's a great workout for you to try with a small group or team. It's short, challenging, and it keeps your heart rate up.

GROUP CIRCUIT RHIETS (REPEATED HIGH INTENSITY ENDURANCE TEST)

1) Clap Push ups 10 X (modified regular push-ups)

2) Box Jumps 10 X

3) Lateral Leap Jumps 12X

4) Mountain Climbers 25 X

5) MB Twists 20 X (10/side)

6) Dips 12 X

7) Sled Push/Pull in Plank 12 X (6/arm)

8) Flying Burpees (one length)

19) Sit & Reach 10 X (5/side)

- Repeat the same exercise for the given amount of reps every 30 seconds for 3 minutes (Total of six sets)

- Rest time is whatever time you have left over after completing the given amount of reps in the 30 second time period

- To modify the workout change the reps if to easy or to hard

- Good luck to you all

8 Step Plan: Goal #3

Congrats on coming back for goal number 3. This means that you are now properly hydrating yourself and eating your vegetables. Sounds like two small details, but they make a huge difference so keep up the good work. Now moving on to the third goal of the 8 Step Plan.

Goal #3: NO FAST FOOD

Why Do It?- Here are some negative aspects of fast food:

- high in sodium (salt)

- high in calories

- high in refined sugar

- high in unhealthy fats (saturated and hydrogenated)

- high in oxidized fats

- low in dietary fiber

Here are some of the health conditions that are linked to these negative aspects:

- hypertension (high blood pressure)

- diabetes (Type II)

- high cholesterol

- heart disease

- obesity

- many types of cancer

How To Do It- Most of it will come down to good old fashion will power, but here are a few tips to help:

- Verbally commit to it, tell people that are around you on a regular basis that it is your goal

- Be accountable to yourself, at the end of the day be honest and hold yourself accountable, if you don't no one will

- Keep healthy foods readily available, cut up vegetables and fresh fruit and have them in the fridge and ready to go. Most people eat "bad" because it's convenient, so make healthy foods more convenient to you by always having them around.

- Make it a habit. Eating "bad" can be unlearned just like it was learned and eating healthy can be learned. At first it will be hard, but the longer you go the easier it will become.

- Make the change gradually. Just like how this 8 Step Plan makes small changes that add up to a big difference, if you are someone who eats fast food five times a week then quitting cold turkey may be very difficult. If this is the case try cutting back to three times a week, then once a week, then none.

I have noticed that usually at this time I wish you good luck and tell you I'll see you next week. This week I would like to make a change. Lets get rid of good luck because really luck has nothing to do with it. It has to do with courage, hard work, commitment, and self respect. If you have all these things, and everybody does they just need to use them, then who needs luck. These changes are going to happen and you are going to reach your goals because you are going to make them happen. So instead of good luck lets say Go Get It!

I will see you next Monday! As usual any questions, concerns, progress updates, or anything at all can be posted on comments or e-mail me at ajzeglen@gmail.com.

Workout of the Day 01/12/10

Get your sweat on try this workout did it with are lunch group today. The goal is to finish the workout as fast as possible only resting when necessary. You must finish all the reps or distance before moving on to the next station or exercise. Good luck post your times and compare yourself to others.

WORKOUT

1) Box Jumps 20 X

2) Run 0.4m

3) Burpee Chin-ups 20 X

4) Run 0.4m

5) Tire Flips 20 X

6) Run 0.4m

7) Ab bench crunch with MB toss 20 X

8) Run 0.4m

9) SA Sled Rows in Plank 20 X

10) Run 0.4m

11) O/H MB Walking Lunges 20 X

12) Run 0.4m

8 Step Plan: Goal #2

So hopefully you have been successful with the first goal of the 8 step plan which was to drink 3 litres of water per day. If you haven't been, stick with it and get that goal completed before moving on to the next one. Don't worry you won't fall behind. You want to make drinking 3 litres of water per day automatic. Remember we want to successfully make multiple small changes over time instead of one giant change that we can't maintain. So that being said once you have made drinking enough water a habit here is the second goal.

Goal #2- Eat 1 cup of vegetables with every meal

Why do it?- Vegetables contain many vitamins and minerals that are antioxidants which aid in everything from fighting stress, to maintaining healthy eye sight, to reducing the risk of certain types of cancer

- Most vegetables are high in fiber which helps the body's digestive system function properly which in turn leads to healthy weight loss

- The high fiber found in vegetables will also make the body feel satiated (full longer), meaning you are less likely to snack constantly between meals

- Alot of vegetables have a high water, low sugar content making them fat free and low in calories

- Almost all vegetables are alkalines as opposed to acids (meats, grains). Keeping your body's PH balance at neutral or base alkaline will aid in your body's ability to lose fat. *NOTE- this does not mean that you should not eat protein and carbohydrates. It just means that you should eat vegetables with them.

How to do it- Here are a few tips to help you out, along with a list of good choices to get you started: -Next time you go grocery shopping load up on the veggies, in general they have a long shelf life and you can even buy them frozen which is a great choice because they will not lose their nutrients over time

- Prepare the night or the week before. Cut up your favourite vegetables and keep them in bags or containers in the fridge so they are ready to go for the next day or week.

- Throw some of your favourite vegetables together and mix with low fat salad dressing (think pasta salad minus the pasta).

-Here is a list of some vegetables that are either high fiber, high alkaline, or both:

-broccoli

-carrots

-cucumber

-peas

-mushrooms

-peppers (red, yellow, orange, green)

-spinach

-lettuce

-cabbage

-eggplant

Give this a shot for the next week and remember to still maintain your water intake. Good luck! Post any questions, comments, or motivation for others to comments. See you next Monday!

Workout of the Day 01/08/10

Killer Cardio

Complete the following exercises for the prescribed amount of reps in any order you choose as fast as you can (keep good form!)

Bike x 3 miles (medium resistance)

Row x 2000 m (hard resistance)

Sled Shuttle x 10 (88 lbs. on sled, 1 shuttle=15 yard sled push, 15 yard sprint, 15 yard sprint)

Burpees x 30

Sit Ups x 100

Skipping x 500

Mountain Climbers x 100

Box Jumps x 100 (24 inch box)

Good Luck! Post times to comments.

New Years 8 Step Plan To A Healthier You

Welcome to 2010 and the first day of the New Years 8 Step Plan to a Healthier You! Every New Year many people make the resolution to lose weight, get in shape, eat healthier and so on. Lets be honest, for most people this lasts a couple of days to a couple of weeks at best and then they fall off the wagon. The main reason for this is most people find it to be too much of a drastic change to their lifestyle. They go from one end of the spectrum to the other overnight and find it overwhelming, discouraging and hard to maintain. The fact is that making overnight resolutions will not work and they are not an effective way of getting things done. But, with attainable goals, a good plan and some hard work anything is possible. This is an 8 week challenge that will provide you with the plan, the hard work is up to you, and in the end the goals will become reality. How it works is every Monday for the next 8 weeks you will be given a goal for that week to complete for the next Monday. The goals will be reasonable, attainable pieces to the fitness puzzle that when put all together at the end of the 8 weeks will make for a healthier you. So lets get started.

Goal #1- Drink 3 litres of water per day

Why do it?- There are countless benefits to being properly hydrated here are some:

-increased energy

-water is nature's greatest anti-oxidant

-increased mental alertness and clarity

-lubrication of joints

-proper transportation of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients to your body's cells

-helps control body weight

-improves digestion

-aids in strength and flexibility

-slows aging process and makes skin look and feel younger

-decreases chances of developing diseases such as breast, bladder, and colon cancer

How to do it- Here are some tips to help you reach your first goal:

-buy a water bottle to carry around with you while at home or work. You will drink more water if it's always readily available to you.

-add some lemon to your water for a little bit of flavour. Lemon is also an anti-oxidant and the flavour will help your body absorb the water and hydrate faster.

-start every day by drinking a tall glass of water as soon as you wake up. This will help kick start your body's systems including your metabolism.

-drink a tall glass of water with every meal. This will help aid in digestion and keep you from drinking high calorie drinks while you eat.

* the 3 litres of water per day goal does not include water consumption for exercise. If you are already participating in an exercise program drink 1 cup of water for every 15 min. of exercise. If you are not yet participating in an exercise program don't worry, be patient, follow these 8 steps and we will get you there.

Good Luck! Post any questions, concerns, or motivation to comments. Work hard and see you next Monday.

Workout of the Day 01/01/10

Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years. Here is an appropriate workout for you to start off 2010 with a bang and sweat out all that booze.

The Hangover

100 Burpees
125 DB Swings (40 lbs. db)
150 Box Jumps (24 inch box)

*Complete the workout in the exact order listed, finishing all the reps of one exercise before moving onto the other. Good luck! Post times to comments.