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FIT TIP: WORKOUTS TO PREPARE FOR AN OBSTACLE COURSE RACE

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FIT TIP: WORKOUTS TO PREPARE FOR AN OBSTACLE COURSE RACE

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BY JAMES WHITE

With a variety of courses that range from beginner "sprint" level to advanced spartan challenges that involve mountains, frigid water, fire and plenty of obstacles, you need to be prepared for anything. You can be sure to expect plenty of climbing, crawling, running and carrying. With that in mind, this post will discuss the most effective workouts to prepare for an obstacle course race.

If you are preparing for your first obstacle course race, it's important that you have a basic foundation of strength and conditioning. This includes training for at least a few months with free weights and some running. You don't need to be the world's strongest man or a marathon runner, but you should be working out consistently.

The three keys to setting up workouts that prepare you for obstacle course races are: strength training, running, and obstacle specific training. How you set up your week depends on your schedule and how much time you plan on devoting to your workouts, but generally you want to work out at least three days per week. It's best to give yourself at least 6 weeks to build a solid base of strength and conditioning before a race.

As a coach it's my job to create workout programs for my clients. One of the most important aspects of a program is simplicity. Each single element of a routine serves a purpose. There is no fluff. Everything is included for a reason, to help you accomplish your goal of completing an obstacle course race.

Let's take a look at some workouts.

WORKOUT 1-STRENGTH TRAINING FOLLOWED BY INCLINE RUNNING, CRAWLING, AND CARRYING

A simple and effective way to structure a workout to prepare for an obstacle course race is to start with a few big lifts; squats, presses, chin-ups, dips, deadlifts. Perform a few sets of each lift. Ex. (3 sets of 6 reps of squats, overhead presses and chin-ups) Once you complete the lifting portion of the workout head over to the treadmill or an outdoor hill if you have one available. If you have never run hills, you need to take it slow at the beginning. Let your body adapt with a few minutes at a time. One good way to incorporate hill running into your routine is with intervals. For every minute of incline running, you walk a minute to give your body a chance to adapt to the new stress.

After incline running you will perform a circuit of crawling, carrying and dragging. For this portion of the workout you need a sled for dragging, some weights to carry and space to crawl. If you don't have a sled just do the carrying and crawling. This part of the workout is generally between five and ten minutes. You don't need more than that after the strength training and incline running.

The entire workout should last about an hour. Thirty minutes for the strength training portion, twenty minutes for the running and the rest for the obstacle course specific training. Always warm-up for a few minutes and cool-down with some stretching for the hips, hamstrings and calves especially after the incline running.

WORKOUT 2-STRENGTH TRAINING, RUNNING, AND BODYWEIGHT CIRCUIT

This workout has less focus on strength training (only two lifts) and more time spent on running and bodyweight training. For this workout you will choose one lower-body exercise (squat, step-up, deadlift) and one upper-body exercise (overhead press or bench press). Perform 3-4 sets of each exercise for 6-8 reps with a few minutes rest between sets.

After your complete the strength training, you want to find an area you can run and perform pushups, squats and crawls. A park or playground would be ideal but if you are in a gym you can use any open floor space. If you have access to a pullup bar, that would be ideal but it's not essential. Do what you can with what you have available.

There are two ways you can approach this part of the workout, depending on the space you have available. If you have a big open area you will run between circuits of bodyweight exercises. When you are limited by space, you will have to improvise the running a little bit and do more quick sprints between calisthenics.

The bodyweight circuits will consist of high-rep sets that will tap into your muscular endurance as you move right into running under fatigue. This will prepare you for the conditions of an obstacle course race. A typical circuit will consist of pushups for high-reps until you are close to failure, bodyweight squats to failure, then finish with bear crawls for time or distance.

For this workout the strength training is shorter, so the second half of the workout will get more attention. The purpose of the running and bodyweight circuits is to perform a lot of quality work while under fatigue. Rest as little as possible, but if you need to take a quick breather to be sure you aren't performing the exercises with improper form and risking injury. Training should be hard, but it's meant to build you up, not hurt you.

Both of these workouts are great options to include in your training program as you prepare for an obstacle course race. Mix it up and try them both. Each workout can be altered to suit your needs for the day. Give yourself time to build up to the race (at least six weeks) so you have a solid foundation of strength and conditioning and specific training with running, crawling and carrying.

One final suggestion to prepare you for the obstacle course race is to be sure and do some outdoor climbing, whether it's hills, mountains or even just stairs if you have no hills nearby. You want to be prepared to climb while outside in the elements as that's one challenge of nearly every obstacle course race you will encounter. Train hard and enjoy your race!

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fit tip: workouts to prepare for an obstacle course race

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FIT TIP: WORKOUTS TO PREPARE FOR AN OBSTACLE COURSE RACE

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BY JAMES WHITE With a variety of courses that range from beginner "sprint" level to advanced spartan challenges that involve mountains, frigid water, fire and plenty of obstacles, you need to be prepared for anything. You can be sure to expect plenty of climbing, crawling, running and carrying.

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BY BOWFLEX INSIDER TEAM

In our #TransformationTuesday series, we chat with real Bowflex owners who have not only experienced major successes in their fitness journey, but have overcome major hurdles. This week we interviewed Jerry, a 74-year-old Green Beret and Vietnam veteran who turned his life around by working out six times per week with his Bowflex strength machines.

"I have followed this routine with my Bowflex machines for just over a year now. I weigh 180 lbs. and am in the best shape of my life - at 74 years old!"

Jerry: Well, my story is a long one. When I was 25, I spent about four years as a bodyguard for a Las Vegas casino owner. Afterward, I came back home to California and like a lot of young men, I started drinking and not watching the food I ate.

Fast-way-forward to 2003. I was a little overweight for my size (6'3") - 195 lbs. - and was still quite the drinker. One day, I was not feeling well and went to the doctor. After some tests, the doctor told me that two of the four valves in my heart were not working, and they never would be.

My doctor also said that I had to quit drinking or else I would probably die. I went home that day and threw away every last bottle of liquor. That was the last time I drank. I am happy to say that I have not had a drop for 16 years.

After that experience, I wanted to be as big and healthy of a man as I could. My mother always spoke to the important of being the best you can be; your second best isn't good enough. So I started looking into an exercise routine. In years past, I had purchased a Bowflex Power Pro home gym. It was compact, easy to use, the construction of the machine was top quality, and I got great results out of it. I used my Power Pro home gym off and on until about 2016, when I had to take a couple years off to deal with Nam issues. At that time, I was still not doing everything I needed to and had congestive heart failure.

By January 2018, I looked at myself in the mirror and could not believe what I saw. I was up to 218 lbs., and I looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Oddly enough, that night I dreamt about my mom and my former karate instructor. They gave me a good intervention, and it really inspired me. The next morning, I woke up, looked in the mirror again, and thought, "time to wake up and change my life."

I hated going to the gym, so I turned my spare bedroom into a home gym in order to have the freedom of working out whenever I want. I dusted off my Bowflex Power Pro and purchased a Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE that would allow me to change weights and pulleys faster. At first, I wasn't sure what kind of routine to do. I just wanted things to stick this time. So I went to bodybuilding.com to help with my supplements and workout programs. Then, I put together a 6X per week workout routine.

I do arms (Monday), arms again (Tuesday), Chest (Wednesday), Shoulders (Thursday), Back (Friday), and Triceps (Saturday or Sunday) for 1-1.5 hours per workout.

I have followed this routine with my Bowflex machines for just over a year now. Today, I weigh 180 lbs. and am in the best shape of my life - at 74 years old! Plus, over the past year I have only missed two days of my workout. I feel good, and I look pretty good too.

I just had a doctor's appointment a month ago and the heart doctor said I did an amazing thing - I now have three heart valves and almost my fourth valve working again! I still have an irregular heart beat and that won't change, but at least I am getting better.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a pair of SelectTech dumbbells which I now use for my Saturday/Sunday routine. The SelectTechs are top-quality construction, and changing weights is super-fast. I'll also be adding a Bowflex SelectTech 4.1 Bench soon, and will donate my old bench and old free weights to the Wounded Warrior Project.

It's never too late to restart your life or reshape your body, and I am proof. I owe it all to Bowflex, bodybuilding.com, hard work, and fun - because you've got to enjoy yourself while lifting weights. Good luck and if I can do this, anyone can - just work at it!

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BY BOWFLEX INSIDER TEAM In our #TransformationTuesday series, we chat with real Bowflex owners who have not only experienced major successes in their fitness journey, but have overcome major hurdles. This week we interviewed Jerry, a 74-year-old Green Beret and Vietnam veteran who turned his life around by working out six times per week with his Bowflex strength machines.

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THE MOST ASKED QUESTION IN FITNESS: CARDIO OR STRENGTH?

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THE MOST ASKED QUESTION IN FITNESS: CARDIO OR STRENGTH?

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BY TOM HOLLAND

Which should you do first, cardio or strength?

It's one of the top fitness questions, one that I am asked almost daily. Innumerable articles have been written on this "Great Debate." Instead of discussing the pros and cons of doing one before the other, however, what if you simply mixed the two together?

To be honest, I find the debate to be a complete waste of time for the vast majority of people, for those whose main goals are to lose some weight, build some muscle and increase their overall health and well-being. What matters most is not in what order you do your cardio and strength; but that you DO both of them. Consistently.

So if the number one reason people cite for not exercising is lack of time, wouldn't it stand to reason that you would try to maximize your workout time and efforts? What better way to do so than to combine your cardio and strength routine, rather than do them separately?

This is especially true for those of you who are working out a few times per week, doing cardio one day and strength training the next. If you do them separately and exercise four times per week, that means you are engaging in both twice.

Frequency of exercise is a big determinant of your overall results. The more cardio you do, the more calories you burn and the more weight you will lose. When you lift weights three times per week instead of two, that extra day makes a big difference over time.

Thus, I am a huge proponent of combining cardio and strength workouts. I do it myself. When the goal is to get the greatest results in the shortest amount of time with the least likelihood of injury, this approach makes complete sense.

The obvious next question is, "So exactly how should I combine the two?"

There are literally an infinite number of ways to do so. That's great news, because you can create your own personal program utilizing the modes of cardio and strength moves that you enjoy. It also allows for constant variation of your workouts, which will keep you from plateauing and also from getting bored with your routine.

Here are two simple frameworks I use to combine my cardio and strength workouts into one:

ALTERNATING

This method is a simple back-and-forth of cardio and strength. For a 30-minute session I would alternate between doing 5 minutes of cardio and 5 minutes of strength. For example:

5 minutes Max Trainer

5 minutes upper body with SelectTechs

5 minutes Max Trainer

5 minutes lower body bodyweight

5 minutes Max Trainer

5 minutes core exercises

CIRCUIT

Another way I like to combine the two is by utilizing a circuit format. One of my favorites is a simple yet super-effective four-part circuit, performing 60 seconds of the following exercises:

A sample 20-minute workout might look like this:

You could repeat this circuit five times through for a total of five sets of each exercise, or change to a new move every round.

The bottom line is that combining your cardio and strength into one continuous workout is not only "okay," it's a really smart way to get the results you are looking for in less time.

And it's fun!

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the most asked question in fitness: cardio or strength?

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THE MOST ASKED QUESTION IN FITNESS: CARDIO OR STRENGTH?

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BY TOM HOLLAND Which should you do first, cardio or strength? It's one of the top fitness questions, one that I am asked almost daily. Innumerable articles have been written on this "Great Debate." Instead of discussing the pros and cons of doing one before the other, however, what if you simply mixed the two together?

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TWIST ON A FAMILY STAPLE: TURKEY SPAGHETTI

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TWIST ON A FAMILY STAPLE: TURKEY SPAGHETTI

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Published : 3 Jul 2019 10:17:44
Categories : Healthy Recipes

BY BRANDY GALES

Every mom has this same dilemma, no matter how many years you have been parenting. What do I make for dinner?

For me on those days that my kids are going "Mad Max Thunderdome" on my beautiful pottery-barn furniture. I know we will need something hearty and comforting to refuel them, and help me feel more relaxed. For me that is my Ground Turkey Spaghetti.

Ground turkey (93% lean) produces much less liquid fat than cooked than hamburger. It has a lighter flavor than hamburger while retaining the meaty, savory quality. It also cooks more quickly and allows the robust flavor of the spices to come through. I love to use this protein in many of my dishes!

TURKEY SPAGHETTI

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 30-60 minutes

Total time: 40-70 minutes

WHAT YOU NEED

At least 1 lb Ground Turkey

At least 30oz (2 small cans) Tomato sauce

Chopped or quartered Mushrooms (yes you read that correctly- I sneak them in).

2 cloves Fresh minced garlic

¼ tablespoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon Cayenne powder

¼ tablespoon Italian seasoning

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon Red pepper flakes

WHAT YOU WILL DO

1. Place olive oil in your pan and allow to heat up.

2. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and sauté on medium heat. Once you can smell garlic cooking that is enough.

3. Add and Sauté ground turkey, breaking it up and stirring as it cooks thoroughly. Drain the minimal liquid fat if you prefer, or keep it, like I do, and use it your sauce.

4. In a large sauce pot add another teaspoon olive oil and lightly warm up the mushrooms.

5. Then add tomato sauce, chili powder, cayenne powder, Italian seasoning and salt and pepper. A ladle at a time, gently fold in the cooked ground turkey.

6. Bring tomato sauce to a boil for only 1-2 minutes, so it doesn't burn.

7. Reduce to a simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour.

8. Remove from heat and leave covered. Allow to cool 10 minutes prior to serving.

9. Fill another pot with water and a pinch of salt (*always salt your pasta water). Add your 1 lb of dry spaghetti noodles and cook to preference. I like my noodles to still have a tacky chewy quality to them. However, after having kids we have to cook the noodles to be very soft.

10. Drain and place noodles in a bowl, apply your spaghetti sauce (a pinch of Parmesan if you like) and as my daughter would say Eat, Eat!

*when cooking any pasta, salting the water allows you to flavor your pasta evenly. The pasta absorbs the salt while cooking as opposed to it just sitting on top on the noodles at the end.

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twist on a family staple: turkey spaghetti

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TWIST ON A FAMILY STAPLE: TURKEY SPAGHETTI

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Published : 3 Jul 2019 10:17:44 Categories : Healthy Recipes BY BRANDY GALES Every mom has this same dilemma, no matter how many years you have been parenting. What do I make for dinner? For me on those days that my kids are going "Mad Max Thunderdome" on my beautiful pottery-barn furniture.

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IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY AGAIN: AMIE’S STORY

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IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY AGAIN: AMIE’S STORY

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BY BOWFLEX INSIDER TEAM

A few years ago, Amie Henderson of Chattanooga, Tennessee, wouldn't recognize the woman she is today. Now 77 pounds lighter, Amie is the healthiest she's ever been, but she would tell you that change did not occur overnight. In fact, her journey began eight years ago.

In 2010 at the age of 37, Amie suffered a heart attack that required double bypass surgery. Following her procedure, she relied on a pacemaker, defibrillator and cardiac rehab to help her recover, but was still missing key pieces in her long-term plan. Amie initially had success shedding pounds, but struggled to maintain her weight loss as old habits began to creep back in.

It wasn't until June 2018, when Amie saw a picture of herself, that she realized her weight was putting her at risk for another heart attack. At that moment, she made herself a promise to start making healthy lifestyle changes.

This time things were different. Amie's son Luke assured her that she would see a big difference by using their Bowflex Max Trainer M7 cardio machine her husband had recently purchased to make exercising easier to fit in. She knew that hard work was ahead, but was cautiously optimistic.

Although at the start of her fitness journey it was difficult, day-by-day Amie built up her endurance, while her son helped hold her accountable. Now, the minute she gets home, Luke is there to keep her motivated to exercise - no excuses. As a result, Amie has developed a strong commitment to working out and maintaining a healthy diet.

Amie limits her carb intake and aims to work out at least 30 minutes a night by lifting weights and using the Max Trainer settings like fat burn, calorie burn and stairs.

With her son's encouragement and past experience as motivation, Amie has stuck to working out and maintaining a healthy diet. She finds that creating a series of realistic goals helps keep her motivated. For example, she is only 23 pounds away from reaching her goal of gradually and safely losing 100 pounds.

"I've been sticking with it because I honestly feel a whole lot better," Amie said. "But I've decided that I am not going back because I have already made it this far."

In the past Amie didn't pay attention to nutrition facts or know much about healthy eating. Now, her diet includes salads, protein shakes and healthy snacks. Occasionally, she and her son treat themselves to a cheat meal as a reward, but don't make it a part of their routine.

As a result, Amie's overall lifestyle has improved. In the past, she hated traveling and walking because she would get too tired, but now she enjoys visiting new places and taking long walks. She even likes trying on new clothes. These successes serve as a powerful incentive to continue on her healthy lifestyle.

Amie's advice for those going through something similar, especially if you start feeling discouraged, is to remind yourself that it gets easier and you are getting stronger. Stick with it and don't give up - you will get results.

When Amie sees other people struggling with their weight and health, she hopes her story serves as an inspiration to begin or restart their fitness journey and never give up.

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IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY AGAIN: AMIE'S STORY

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BY BOWFLEX INSIDER TEAM A few years ago, Amie Henderson of Chattanooga, Tennessee, wouldn't recognize the woman she is today. Now 77 pounds lighter, Amie is the healthiest she's ever been, but she would tell you that change did not occur overnight. In fact, her journey began eight years ago.

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WHY YOU NEED TO PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION

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BY BOWFLEX INSIDER TEAM

Growing up, we were always taught to be nice to others and to treat others the way you would like to be treated. However, the message to be kind to yourself as you would to others somehow got lost along the way for some of us. On days when all is going smoothly, our self-esteem may stand tall, but it is the days when everything goes wrong that we tend to be the hardest on ourselves. Our mental self-image can become muddied with negative thoughts.

Everyone struggles with being too hard on themselves. Being mindful of how you can continue to grow is healthy. However, constant doubt, shame and disapproval of one's self is toxic. You need to shoot down this inner monologue because a toxic mental image will limit you from growing and succeeding in life. So how do you practice self-compassion?

MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness begins with being self-aware of how and when you are negative or positive with yourself. By being mindful, you can take actionable steps to turn the negativity off when you are judgmental. You are going to make mistakes, but it is how you react to them that really matters and helps allow for self-compassion. For example, if you messed up at work, the mindful approach would be to acknowledge the mistake, and instead of thinking "you could've done better" think "I acknowledge I made a mistake and am upset about it, but I will grow from it." In doing this, you are embracing your mistake with compassion and allowing growth from it versus wallowing in it.

COMMON HUMANITY

Empathy is ingrained in our basic humanity. Being kind to others allows us to be kind to ourselves. One of the easiest ways to change your outlook on self-criticism is by equating how you treat a loved one to how you should be treating yourself. For example, if your best friend didn't get the job they were interviewing for, you would act empathetic and compassionately toward them. Whereas if this were you, could you say you would do the same? If we treat ourselves with the same level of empathy as we treat our loved ones, there isn't room for toxic negativity.

PRAISE YOURSELF

You are worthy of love. Simple as that. There are so many reasons to praise yourself and be proud of who you are becoming. Make yourself see this by writing loving affirmations to yourself, taking yourself on a solo date and using the word "no" when doubt arises. It is proven that acts of self-kindness make you happier, healthier and provide a stronger overall well-being. Give yourself permission to treat you the way you deserve to be treated. This can be applied to fitness goals and body image as well. While society may have their idea of what "healthy" means, a healthy lifestyle and fit body come in all shapes and sizes.

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WHY YOU NEED TO PRACTICE SELF-COMPASSION

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BY BOWFLEX INSIDER TEAM Growing up, we were always taught to be nice to others and to treat others the way you would like to be treated. However, the message to be kind to yourself as you would to others somehow got lost along the way for some of us.