milafit (original) (raw)

Race #2 Down

Posted by n0tes on 2011.08.27 at 15:58

I just completed the "Ruckus Run". I received free entry into the race--the perks of working at a gym.

In short it was a four mile "obstacle style" race. There were cargo nets to climb, mud hills to run up, mud pits to run through, walls to climb over, nets to go under, ab crawls, afew things to jump over, and I believe that's all there was. My heat was the last of the day at 1:00 p.m. They determine the overall winner by having a "championship" heat. (so the top runners from each heat run it twice)

It wasn't nearly as hard as "The Original Mud Run"--which was insane. It was definitely an experience. It was set up outside of Crew Stadium (MLS Soccer Team in Columbus) in the parking lots and surrounding RV camping area. That is to say it was primarily on asphalt over trails/dirt/mud. I much prefer to run in the woods, but it conveniently close to downtown. The obstacles on this race we not too difficult overall. I was filthy dirty but I intentionally splashed and sloshed through the mud. So, would I run it again? Yes, but I would register WAAAYY in advance because it was not worth the "late registration fee" by any means. If they come to your area go out and give it a shot. It is most definitely acceptable as a "novice" or very first obstacle course. My next race is the "Hell Run" in about 3 weeks.

Here's my face following the race:

Mud Run

Posted by n0tes on 2011.03.27 at 14:29

I am going to participate in this http://www.theoriginalmudrun.com/mud-run-columbus . Sweet right? haha I'm pumped. It's a decent distance run (10k). But, it won't require any training beyond what I will be doing for the triathlon. (I intend to train running up to a 10k). I love the spring/summer/fall for all of the races that come up! But, I am really excited to do a "just for fun" race with my friends. They have others in other states so if it's available in a state near you, get a group of friends together!

Anyone else signed up for a race?

Coming soon:
-product reviews (clothing, shoes, equipment, DVD's, etc)
-new exercises of day
-training plans

Triathlon Training

Posted by n0tes on 2011.03.09 at 23:06

I'm starting training for a triathlon in June to prepare me for Marine bootcamp! I feel it should be mentioned, I intend to enlist. Anyways, I am also training with a group preparing for a half marathon in May. Although, I will not be participating, I intend to go on the group runs on the weekends until they hit the 10 mile mark. At this point marathon and half marathon training are a bit monotonous and counter productive to my other fitness goals. (not to mention, I need to increase my anaerobic capacity and running distance will not accomplish this)
My current fitness goals are:
bench pressing my weight (120 lbs for a round number, I already met my goal of squatting my weight--max 3 rep squat is 140lbs)
performing 5 consecutive chin-ups
70 sec flexed arm hang (perfect score on Marine PT)
improved running speed
increase muscle, lose fat (easy once I start training! and necessary so I have something to spare going into bootcamp)

What are everyone else's goals? Have you met any of your recent goals?

Exercise of the Day: Day #3

Posted by n0tes on 2010.12.05 at 23:01

Romanian Deadlifts

These are pretty killer. If you want an amazing butt, back of leg and lower back work-out these are for you.

Start out with the weights at side as such

begin to move your bum backwards, maintain a straight back, and flex the knees slightly with your chin up--facing forward
note: the closer you hold the weight to your body, the easier it will be

continue moving down until back is parallel with floor, and hands/weights are almost to the ground

come up slowly maintaining the same posture.

Muscles Worked:
-hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors

Tips
-keep a slight bend in knees
-feet forward about hip width apart (not quite shoulder width)
-focus on keeping back straight and using muscles of the butt and posterior (back) of legs
-as the hamstrings, glutes, and spinal erectors are commonly ignored, these will make you kind of sore so be sure to stretch following and keep stretching the next day to alleviate the pain farther.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

List of Exercise Pet Peeves.

Posted by n0tes on 2010.12.05 at 21:39

I have a list of "exercise pet peeves" that for whatever reason society promotes and people go along with it.

working-out everyday is good for you
- actually, the body needs time to recover, especially from new stressors (like taking a new class or performing a new lift). in weight lifting in particular it is best to take 48 hours rest. to work around this work one area of the body on one day and another the next. So Monday and Wednesday do upper body work and Tuesday and Thursday work the lower.
- this leads to overtraining which increases the risk for injury, among other things like depression

females shouldn't lift weights and should do tons of cardio
- ladies, if you want lean muscle and the metabolism boosting benefits then I suggest you hit the weight bench
- light weights with lower reps can be just as beneficial as higher weight with lower reps. however, doing both in succession (over a period of months) one can keep the body guessing and avoid plateaus

cardio burns more fat/calories than weight lifting
- cardio typically does burn more calories than weight lifting, however weight lifting leads to more muscle mass which leads to more calories burned through-out the day

personal trainers act like Jillian Michaels on the Biggest Loser
- so not, most are encouraging and want to make exercise fun for you. they'll push you, but not to tears.

weight lifting is bad for children
- actually quite the contrary, it's good for them. the running, jumping, and general play that kids do cases more stress to the joints than weight lifting.

crunches are the best ab work-out
- no, no, no. do three sets of 2 minute planks and let's talk.

bicep curls will get rid of my "wings"
- nope, that "flabby" spot is actually the triceps. doing tricep exercises along with bicep exercises will yield greater results.

only training the muscles one can see
- leads to imbalances which lead to injuries. hamstrings, glutes, lower back, back, and triceps are some of the most neglected muscles of the body.

The day two exercise is a tricep dip. Normally, I would use the bench at the gym, but I am trying to show the exercises in a home setting. These can be done using a couch (as I have), bed, or heavy chair.

To begin sit on the couch (or whatever you are using) and place your arms at your side, palms pressing against the couch, fingers hanging off, pull your lower body forward maintaining the "seated" position as seen in this picture: (hips parallel to ground)

begin dropping your hips to the ground using your upper arms to control the motion and maintain most of your body weight.

continue dropping until upper arms are parallel to the ground

following this, in a controlled motion return hips to being parallel to the ground.

Primary muscles used:
triceps

Tips:
-if this is too easy a simple modification is to lift one leg off the ground OR to put both legs out straight in front of oneself
-if this is too difficult, place more weight onto one's feet
-other modifications include adding weight with plates, dumbbells, or whatever else you can find with some weight to it. just place the weight on the upper most portion of thighs (near pelvis)

Concerns? Questions? Comments?

In an attempt to actually make posts here, I'm going to do an "exercise of the day". Where I will break down the exercise, explain proper form, and explain what muscles are the primary movers.

We're going to start with the squat:

((after general warm-up or stretching))
We start in an upright position, arms above the head (or in front/at side, for the purpose of example, above head)
begin to move downwards placing weight on heels (females: as if you were peeing in the woods and don't want any on you)

Continue motion downward.
here we are at a half squat: if this is as flexible as you are you may need to stop here.

continue motion downward
the farther down we go, the more hamstring (back of leg) activation we will see
standard squat:

continue downward for increased hamstring activation

continue through full range of motion.
full squat:

come back up in a controlled motion (slowly)

Muscles in use:
-primarily: glutes (including outer thigh)
-additionally: quads, hip adductors (inner thigh), calves, hamstrings

Things to note:
-controlled motion
-weight on heels, not toes/forfoot
-lower you go, the more hamstring activation

Can't do a squat? (or scared of falling?)
-No problem!! Don't worry you can do it!!
-Work up to it.
-Start the motion by sitting (using squat form) into a chair.
-Remember to control the motion (don't just flop) using your leg muscles (glutes/quads in particular) and to sink back onto your heels.
-Once you have that down, you have two options: a lower chair or go it with-out.

More comments/concerns/questions?
-shoot me a comment.

Pedometer

Posted by n0tes on 2010.10.04 at 12:02
Tags: challenge, product review

I suggest everyone buy a pedometer and try to get at least 10,000 steps (5 miles) a day. Keep a log of daily steps and walk as much as possible.

It doesn't have to be expensive, better off going cheap since they can fall off/get sent through the wash/etc. I purchased mine at Wal-Mart. It's my fourth one. The first I purchased cost 7,itwasblue,andithadmorefeatures−−countedcalories,steps/mileage,setgoal−−butitdidn′tproperlycountallmystepsanditwasratherlarge.Thesecond,Ihadboughtformyboyfriendbuthegaveittome.Itwas7, it was blue, and it had more features--counted calories, steps/mileage, set goal--but it didn't properly count all my steps and it was rather large. The second, I had bought for my boyfriend but he gave it to me. It was 7,itwasblue,andithadmorefeatures−−countedcalories,steps/mileage,setgoal−−butitdidn′tproperlycountallmystepsanditwasratherlarge.Thesecond,Ihadboughtformyboyfriendbuthegaveittome.Itwas5, black, and it worked well. It simply counted steps/mileage and set a goal. I washed it in the washer. I purchased another 5model,exceptitwasblue..itdidn′tseemtoaccuratelycountthestepseither,IdidsomethingtothisoneIcan′tremember.ThenextoneIpurchasedanother5 model, except it was blue.. it didn't seem to accurately count the steps either, I did something to this one I can't remember. The next one I purchased another 5model,exceptitwasblue..itdidn′tseemtoaccuratelycountthestepseither,IdidsomethingtothisoneIcan′tremember.ThenextoneIpurchasedanother5 black one and it is the one I currently have. It's lasted me awhile and I really like it.

Image:

Exercise Planning

Posted by n0tes on 2010.10.04 at 11:43

My race is coming up in 13 days. It's pretty exciting, but I'm somewhat nervous. Anywho, I need to work out a training plan for myself following the race since I've developed a bit of muscular imbalance. I'll be working on increasing the strength of my outer thigh and glutes as my adductors are overly strong.
So while I'm doing my planning, which I enjoy, does anyone else want a personalized three month plan?

p.s. Rope Training did happen, but I still need to capture some images.

Blood Work for Life Lab

Posted by n0tes on 2010.09.05 at 14:47

I received my blood-work results. Normal overall, cortisol levels were slightly elevated. Cortisol is hormone that breaks down proteins. Elevated cortisol levels can lead to weight gain. It's also a part of the "fight or flight" instinct. Anyways, from what I've read runners usually have higher cortisol levels, estrogen raises cortisol (started my period within a couple days), and it's elevated by stress (I was a little stressed over the blood work and getting light headed). As it was only slightly elevated and taking into consideration all of these factors, I'm not concerned.

My race is coming up!! just a little over a month!!