Most people who are interested in fitness are familiar with the concepts of strength and resistance training to increase the size and strength of their muscles. These are important for health and the aesthetics of having a healthy-looking body.
In order to ensure that your muscles and body do not only have the appearance of health but are also athletic, many people study the theories of Plyometrics.
Plyometric exercises are a type of training which improve the explosive strength and power of your muscles and body; it emphasizes their reactive power by improving the stretch reflex.
The stretch reflex is the ability the muscle has to contract following a period of lengthening. By reacting and switching gears faster, a muscle will gain more power output. Running, jumping or throwing are all actions that are preceded by a moment of stretch. The ability to flex back with a quick reaction will make you faster and more powerful. These are the principles of plyometrics.
The idea of plyometrics was introduced by Dr. Donald Chu of Stanford University. He developed the idea during his extensive studies and training in physical therapy, kinesiology and physical education.
Here are some examples of plyometric exercises:
Ankle Bounce
Stand with the knees slightly bent, feet together. Jump as high as possible, keeping the hands on the waist. Once landing on the balls of the feet, repeat.
Drop Jumps
With the arms at the side of the body, drop from the standing to the one-quarter squat position and jump explosively. As you jump, throw the arms upward. Land and repeat.
Squat Jump
Similar to the drop jump but with the hands clasped behind the head. Lower down to a parallel squat position and jump vertically. Land and repeat.
Plyometrics are an excellent compliment to weight training and one should always establish their strength routine prior to beginning plyometric exercises. These exercises should be performed about twice a week on a soft surface, such a mat or outdoors on the grass.
While performing the exercises, one should have the shortest possible contact with the ground and emphasis height or distance.
We integrate a variety of fitness methods into our workouts at BOOTCAMP 619 to ensure that our athletes are strong, fit and healthy!
With Thanksgiving and Black Friday behind us, the holiday season is now in full force!
Holiday parties, desserts, mall food… they are all potential potholes on our road to our perfect body in the New Year.
However, there are plenty of great ways to avoid the down-side of holiday cheer.
You may think it’s too early… Why not just wait until I start that New Year’s Resolution to lose those extra pounds? Well, the answer is clear – why gain them in the first place? Even though you may be busy with holiday parties and year-end work, most people do have some extra time for themselves over the holidays. Spend it productively and get a jump on the rest of the crowd.
Step to the Front of the Line
Gyms are often deserted during the holiday season. Exercise can be one of the first things people drop off their busy schedules to spend more time at the mall or holiday parties. Use that to your benefit! While there may be long lines at the department stores, there’s no waiting at the stair machine. Get in a quick workout before heading out to your daily activities. If there’s no time before, it can be a great stress-reliever after a long day of work and holiday activities.
Personal Shopper
Everybody can use a little help. Santa has elves. You can get a fitness professional to help you too. By working with a personal trainer, you’ll get the attention and education that you need to get more challenging workouts. A fitness professional will make your workouts more effective and give you the motivation you need to have that extra willpower that we all lack during the holiday season.
Follow the Reindeer
Join a class! A group can really motivate you to challenge yourself. It is likely that class sizes will be down this month before the big post-holiday push. It will give you a chance to try something new without the crowd and be ahead of the rest when the holidays are over.
Dasher has Dancer, Prancer has Vixen
Get a serious exercise buddy. Make sure to choose someone that is as motivated as you are or you may not get the desired results. Make a commitment to push each other even harder than you may have pushed yourself. Find someone that shares the same fitness goals, is encouraging and committed and is around the same fitness level.
A close friend, partner or spouse could be a good choice. It is a great way to spend more one-on-one time together during a season when we are often invited to group activities.
Get Out of the Gingerbread House
Watch your diet and make sure that you enjoy your seasonal treats with moderation. Choose a few items that you may not mind cutting out this year and enjoy those that you do without stuffing yourself. You won’t miss the discomfort you feel after the meal… or the pants that don’t fit on January first.
Above all, keep fitness on your mind during the holiday season. Your health is not something to take a vacation from. In the end, a good healthy lifestyle will reduce stress and make you feel great. Enjoy your holidays and have a healthy, happy New Year!
Come in and see Chris Keith, San Diego's best personal trainer, today to get a jump on your New Year's fitness resolutions!
There are a lot of foods that you find in the grocery store that bill themselves as “low calorie” or “diet” foods. They are packaged in attractive boxes with lots of eye-catching graphics of thin, athletic-looking people. They may be low in calories but many of those boxes have another thing in common – they are small! Think carefully about these kinds of packaged foods. Anything can say that it is “low calorie” if it shrinks down the portion small enough.
The problem with these foods is that they often just leave you hungry. About an hour after you pull one of those diet meals out of the microwave, you want another one. By the time you are full, you will have consumed as many calories as you would have by eating something far more satisfying.
However, there are a lot of foods that you can add to your diet that will fill you up and still be low in calories and healthy.
Lean Proteins and Fatty Fish
Chicken, turkey, salmon, mackerel and tuna are great sources of protein. A diet higher in protein will leave you with a fuller, more satisfied feeling. Fatty fishes, such as salmon, are also high in omega-3 fatty acids which, besides lowering cholesterol, also hasten the metabolism rate. Omega-3 fatty acids alter the level of leptin — a hormone that directly influences metabolism and determines whether you burn calories or store them as fat.
Beans
Lentils and soy beans are high in fiber and a good source of protein. They spend a longer amount of time in the digestions process and make you feel fuller, longer. They are a perfect meat-alternative for protein.
Low-Fat Dairy Products
Non-fat Greek yogurt is higher in protein than other styles of yogurt and is a great source of protein and calcium. Some studies show that people who are calcium deficient can release a hormone that causes fat to store in the body.
Green Vegetables
Spinach, asparagus and broccoli have a fat-burning effect on the body and a low calorie density.
They are not stored as readily as fat because most of their calories are burning off in digestion. The fiber in these foods provides roughage and contains antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that help you feel full.
Green Apples and Pears
The fiber-factor in these fruits help you feel fuller after eating them. They are an excellent source of vitamins and a perfect, portable snack.
Citrus Fruits
Grapefruit is a delicious option that is currently in season, as well as guava. They are rich in Vitamin C which helps the body process fat faster and stimulates amino acids which speed up the body’s fat burning potential. Lemon and lime are great seasonings for meats and fish.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great breakfast for energy - it is a complex carbohydrate which takes longer to digest and releases energy slowly, keeping you feeling full for longer. It also keeps blood sugar and insulin levels stable, which helps prevent fat storage. Oatmeal provides more protein per serving than any other grain. Mix it with low fat milk, soy milk or almond milk for a richer flavor.
Come into BOOTCAMP 619 for not only a great workout, but counseling on good nutritional habits.
agility: the power of moving quickly and easily; nimbleness
Who wouldn’t want to be a superhero? Even if their alter-ego was not the most popular, seemingly not the brightest or most attractive, once they came out of that phone booth in their superhero costume, everybody loved them! Even though they might have dropped their books or tripped down the stairs in their regular form, it was always an act; they were never clumsy.
Good agility is key to their success and is also important in truly meeting your fitness goals.
Agility is the ability to move quickly and change directions while maintaining control and balance. Good agility requires a combination of speed, balance, power and co-ordination.
Try some simple exercises to improve your agility, improve your reflexes, range of movement and become generally more athletic.
The Flash: Speed
A simple test of foot speed and agility, this activity gives an indication of the amount of an athlete’s leg muscle twitch.
Using a flat, non-slip surface, a stopwatch and some long sticks (or a 20 rung rope ladder if you have access to one), run the following course.
Start by placing the sticks about 18 inches apart (or lay down the rope ladder evenly). Start running from one end to the other without touching the sticks or rope. Start timing yourself when the foot first touches the ground between the first and second stick. Stop timing when you finish. Rest for two minutes and repeat until fatigued. Track your improvement by watching your time and number or repetitions.
Catwoman: Balance
Start by placing a towel, cone, or other object two to three feet in front of your feet. Place your feet together, hands on hips, and your torso upright. Lift your right foot off the floor and balance on your left leg. Attempt to keep the right foot off the floor throughout the exercise. Begin reaching your right hand forward toward the object in front of you, allowing your left knee to bend. Continue reaching until your hand is a couple inches above the object on the floor. Pause for one second at this point. Return to an upright position, maintaining your balance on the left leg.
Repeat this exercise about ten to fifteen times.
Hulk: Power
Place your towel flat on the ground and then put the medicine ball in the centre of the towel. Bring the ends of the towel one at a time over the top of the ball as a “bag.” Start the exercise with your feet shoulder-width apart and your weight shifted on to your right foot.
Twist your body to the right with your hands grasping the ends of the towel and the ball positioned behind your right shoulder. While keeping your arms straight, swing the ball out away from your body toward the front and then to the left in a wide arc, while bending your legs and 'sitting' into a shallow squat position as the ball reaches the middle of the arc in front of you.
Continue this arc until you finish the swing with the weight shifted onto your left foot, with your hands still grasping the ends of the towel and the ball now behind your left shoulder. Immediately swing the ball back to the starting position, and repeat the swinging motion back and forth for a total of 10 to 15 repetitions on each side. Begin this exercise in a slow manner, and progress in speed (while still maintaining good control) over a period of several weeks. Perform two to three sets.
The Nightcrawler: Coordination
If you are not accustomed to running, start out by doing some jogging for a couple of weeks. Then, add zig zag running in between your regular runs. If you run on a track set up a course with cones that you can run between in zig zag motions quickly. Once you get used to the zig-zag running, use small objects (make sure they are not ones you could trip on!) to set up varied patters on a small course, such as numbers and letters (figure eight, an “S” shape, a cursive “E,” etc.) and see how fast you can improve your speed.
Good agility will not just benefit you in your workout routine, but in daily life by helping you prevent spills and injuries. No one likes a klutz!
Come into BOOTCAMP 619, get into great shape and find out what a “Spiderman” is!
the ability or strength to continue or last, despite fatigue, stress, or other adverse conditions
Endurance comes in a variety of forms – sustained physical determination, mental fortitude, emotional strength. While “stamina” refers more to the ability to last through a powerful physical stress, “endurance” is the kind of resilience necessary to complete a prolonged physical stress such as a marathon.
Endurance Sports
Endurance training is quite a broad term. It's often used interchangeably with terms like "aerobic", "anaerobic", "strength" and "speed". The objective of endurance training is to develop the energy production systems to meet the demands of the event.
Endurance events consist of many thousands of muscular contractions over an extended period of time, whereas Strength or Power training requires very few maximal or near maximal muscular contractions.
Mental Endurance
Mental endurance is quite the same as physical endurance. It is the ability to keep mental focus in the face of great stressors. By improving their physical endurance, one often finds improvement in mental and emotional endurance. A healthy body is key to a healthy mind.
Endurance Market
An endurance market is one in which the strong survive. Financial staying power in difficult times brings the truly strong to the surface as the rest wash away. This is not so different than physical endurance for sports and fitness. The athlete with the most endurance may not lead the pack in the start of the race, but will come out first in the end.
Endurance Coach
Useful exercises to boost muscle fitness like endurance and stamina, include push-ups to improve endurance of arm and shoulder muscles, like biceps, triceps and deltoids, or squat-thrusts to improve endurance of gluteal, quads and lower-thigh muscles. Alternatively, try cardio-aerobic activities such as stepping, power-walking, exercise-cycling, squash or jogging to improve lower-body muscular endurance.
Muscular Strength versus Muscular Endurance
Muscular endurance and strength are related, since endurance requires a certain amount of baseline strength in order to maintain continuous tension or perform repetitive contractions against resistance.
Likewise, some increases in strength may occur as endurance improves. However, the primary difference between muscular strength and endurance is that muscular strength is expressed as the maximum amount of force that a muscle can generate in a single contraction, while muscular endurance is a measure of how many times you can move a given weight before fatiguing.
BOOTCAMP 619 is the perfect workout for improving your endurance. With improved endurance, you will find more energy and strength to meet any challenge life brings forward.
I have been surprised and happy to see the number of people in the gyms lately! The holidays can often bring on the fitness doldrums. The message seems to be getting through to people this year, so don't miss out!
What comes to mind when you think of turkey, cranberries and sweet potatoes?The holidays? A meal that usually consists of most people’s entire week’s caloric intake? Maybe.How about some foods that are actually on Chris Keith’s awesome foods list?
It’s true.
These are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. The problem with holiday dinners is not in the main ingredients, but in the way we prepare them. If you are careful on how you prepare your holiday dinner, it doesn’t need to get in the way of your fat-burning goals.
Turkey
If you are looking for a lean cut of meat, turkey is hard to beat. A three-ounce serving of skinless white meat contains 25 grams of protein, barely three grams of fat, and less than one gram of saturated fat. Turkey is also a good source of arginine. As with other amino acids, the body uses this one to make new protein. Arginine is also the raw material for making nitric oxide, a substance that relaxes and opens arteries. Whether foods rich in arginine help keep arteries open has prompted both research and debate.
Do eat white mean turkey.
Don’t eat the dark meat or skin. They have the bad fats and unnecessary calories.
Cranberries
Cranberries are packed with dozens of different antioxidants. Cranberries have properties that neutralize unstable molecules that can damage DNA, proteins, cell membranes, and cellular machinery.
Do make your own cranberry sauce with orange juice or zest (and a little honey if necessary) to keep sugar intake down.
Don’t eat the canned stuff!
Sweet potatoes
These orange colored un-potatoes are related to the morning glory, not the white potato and are an excellent source of vitamin A, beta carotene, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber. They have a low-glycemic index and are on my list of good carbs.
Do eat them in moderation.
Don’t use a sweetener. They are naturally sweet so enjoy their real flavor!
Don’t be one of those people crowding into the gym after New Year’s to shed all the extra holiday pounds. Many of the foods that grace a Thanksgiving table are healthy on their own but they are dragged down by the company they keep. Brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows destroy the natural goodness of sweet potatoes. The benefits of pumpkin and pecans are overwhelmed when these foods are baked into pies with cream, eggs, butter, and sugar. It doesn’t have to be that way. Don’t get stuck on the “traditional” ideas for holiday dinners – they really don’t bear much resemblance to the original meal anyway – try looking up healthier recipes that everyone can enjoy and start the new year out ahead of the pack.
Don't wait until the New Year to start your fitness plan! Come into BOOTCAMP 619 now and get a jump on the rest! Look great in that new outfit for NYE 2009!
I am a former college and professional baseball player that woke up 7 years after his last competitve game and realized I had gained 40 pounds. Thanks to Chris Keith 30 of those pounds are gone. In the process I learned about fitness, weight training and diet. Diet was something I never concerned myself with in the past and now it is the focus of my attention.
I am a personal trainer and fitness boot camp instructor here in San Diego with over 15 years experience in redefining physiques and enhancing the health of my clients. I have an incredibly equipped personal training and group exercise facility here in San Diego right next to USD.
Most people who are interested in fitness are familiar with the concepts of strength and resistance training to increase the size and strength of their muscles. These are important for health and the aesthetics of having a healthy-looking body.
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