The Fit Blog

The blood was pumping fast.  My quads were about to burst.  The lactic acid was overflowing as though it was about to start seeping out of the pores of my legs. Just 5 more seconds in this last set and I was done… possibly for good.  Who would have thought that 12 minutes of work\rest intervals would lay me out like the way it did.  I mean… Just 12 minutes?

That was my first Tabata based workout – a Crossfit oldie but goodie.  20 seconds of max possible air squats, 20 seconds of pushups and 20 seconds of box jumps, each followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeat – 8 times.  And the only thing I thought afterward was, “This is supposed to be good for me, isn’t it?” Can a 12 minute workout really be doing any good? And what does Tabata mean anyway?! So I set off on a quest to find out.

Unfortunately, figuring it all out means getting into the biochemical nitty gritty of things because at the end of the day, it’s all about the ATP. ATP (or Adenosine triphosphate) is a molecule used by our cells for energy. When muscles contract, they use a significant amount of ATP. In order to produce ATP (in an aerobic capacity), our cells oxydise glucose which means that in order for us to move we require a good amount of oxygen. The O2 goes in through our mouth, to our lungs, into our blood, to the muscles that are moving where it oxydises glucose to create ATP, creating CO2 as a by-product that goes back into our blood, back to the lungs and back out through our mouths. And this is why we start breathing heavily when we workout.

For the most part, our aerobic system does all this for us – keeps our muscles energized. However, when we want to use our muscles maximally, we are limited by the aerobic system. We, as human beings, can only take in so much O2 and our cardiovascular system can only move the O2 around so quickly. The state at which we are supplying oxygen to our muscles at the highest rate our bodies can handle is called our VO2 Max. While our muscles can typically operate at levels requiring a substantialy larger amount of oxygen, our VO2 max just can’t supply it all for us. So when we’re lifting really heavy or doing a high volume of highly muscular work, our aerobic system is unable to support the effort and our bodies turn to our anaerobic system for further energy requirements for our muscles.

The anaerobic system creates the additional ATP by way of glycolysis or oxidative phosphorylation – two ATP synthesis methods that require energy packets pre-stored in our muscles. Unfortunately these energy packets are in limited supply which means that we typically have a maximum of around 2 minutes of maximal work during which time lactic acid builds up and causes that good ol’ burning muscle sensation. After anaerobic energy is depleted, fatigue will set in and max work is no longer possible. Any work from here on out will likely be mostly of the aerobic kind.

Ok – have I lost you yet? What it boils down to is that our bodies are only so efficient at using oxygen for muscular energy and we can therefore only keep up at a high intensity for a relatively short duration. If it weren’t for this constraint, we could run a 5k at 100m sprint speeds. But while we will likely never be able to run a 5k that fast, we are fortunatly able to increase our cardiovascular and oxidation efficiency through regular bouts of high intensity interval training (HIIT). By practicing workouts consisting of intervals of high intensity followed by rest periods, it has been shown that we can increase the ability of our cardiovascular system to transport oxygen to our muscles and increase the ability of our muscular cells to use the oxygen for ATP synthesis. In short, HIIT training can help us attain better endurance.

So this is where Tabata comes in. Tabata is actually the name of the Dr. who first described the 20 seconds of maximal work followed by 10 seconds of rest. Dr. Izumi Tabata of the Department of Physiology and Biomechanics at the National Institute of Fitness and Sport in Kanoya City in Japan conducted a study in 1997 to look for an ideal ratio of work to rest for interval training in order to keep someone in a VO2 max state, maximally stressing both the anaerobic and aerobic systems throughout the entire workout.  He found that the ratio of 2:1 was best and described the multiple sets of 20 seconds on, 10 off methodology as being most efficient.

So there you have it. Tabata is the name of a guy who took interval training to the next level by suggesting the most efficient way to do HIIT and train one’s endurance levels. And with that, it makes sense why we should subject ourselves to the hellish HIIT workout every now and then. The Tabata is a short, intense workout that can have a significant impact on one’s overall fitness level.

2 Comments | In: crossfit | tags: hiit, hit, interval training, intervals, tabata. | #

In the December “Question of Strength” article on T-Nation, Charles Polquin discusses his view of Crossfit.  He gives 6 reasons why he “can’t recommend CrossFit training, especially for those seeking the highest levels of athletic performance”.

Polquin is a World respected Canadian strength training coach who has trained and/or consulted numerous world class athletes and professional sports teams.  His views of Crossfit are well stated in this article, but unfortunately his criticisms are nothing new and have been disputed many times in the past.

One of Polquin’s main arguments is that Crossfit utilizes high rep workouts with Olympic lifts which means that form and technique are lost and that oly lifts are best suited to low rep sets where explosive powere can be maximized.  He says,

[high reps and short rest intervals shouldn't be used] with Olympic lifts, where it’s difficult to maintain proper technique with high reps. And it’s especially difficult when supersetting Olympic lifts with deadlifts, or any other multijoint exercise. If you want confirmation, just watch CrossFit trainees do these lifts in videos on their website.

The Olympic lifts should be used to develop power. If you want to develop muscular endurance, you should use simpler movements.

He makes good points and doesn’t lie, but unfortunately misses the point somewhat with what Crossfit is all about.  Crossfit utilizes the oly lifts because they produce the most power (distance*force over time).  There are simply no other exercises that produce the same amount of power that a clean and jerk or snatch does in a single rep.  Strung in sequence and with speed, these workouts generate enormous power which is key to Crossfit’s success.

The other point that Polquin misses is that Crossfit isn’t meant to be “muscular endurance” training nor is it meant to replace an athletes periodized program.  Crossfit is meant to increase fitness in a broad and multi-domained approach – as much as possible.  The goal of a crossfitter is to be inclined to no athletic specificity, but to be functionally good across the board.

Read Charles Polquin’s take on Crossfit on T-Nation, here.

Read some Crossfitters’ responses to this and Polquin’s previous comments on Crossfit, here in the Crossfit forum.

2 Comments | In: crossfit | tags: charles polquin, crossfit. | #

Mashable’s Open Web Awards is nearing an end.  The finalists were announced earlier this month and voting will continue until December 14th when the winners are crowned.  Of the 25+ categories, there is a dedicated category for Sports and Fitness related sites.  The 3 finalists include FitFiend and Gyminee, which are both health and fitness social networking sites.  Both are also relatively new on the scene – in fact, FitFiend is still in Beta.

FitFiend describes itself as a “social network devoted to health, fitness, and athletics. It is a community that connects FitPros and FitFiends.”  The site allows users to track workouts and connect with other people (be them fit pros or “fiends” – which I assume is someone totally obsessed with fitness… hrmmmm).   One feature that FitFiend seems to promote, and which seems to be helping the community site, is the whole pro to client connection.  It’s the Linked-In of the fitness world, perhaps moreso than the MySpace…

Gyminee, on the other hand, seems to be a bit more mature of a website, probably due to it’s relatively longer existence.  Gyminee offers much of the same as FitFiend but also includes food tracking, challenges, detailed workout programs, iPhone support and a PRO version, among other things.  From a design perspective, Gyminee is stunning, in comparison to FitFiend.  Again – this is likely a result of the maturity of the application.

However, the Open Web Awards are nary complete and it’s ultimately up to the community (and circle of influence that the site owners have) which site will be the victor.  Regardless of which site wins, both have gained immensly from simply being finalists for the competition and their membership has likely increased as a direct result.

No Comments | In: exercise tools, fitness | tags: FitFiend, Fitness Websites, Gyminee, Mashable, Social Networking. | #

A conversation recently came up over at twitfitter on the relative differences of Crossfit and other newish intensity based fitness programs (like p90x and kettlebells) and whether or not fitness programs like Crossfit will take over the globo gym and behind the back wrist curls will become a thing of the past or perhaps they’re just a fad.

I took the position of Crossfit being superior to the others and took a quick jab at curls in general being an inefficient exercise.

I thought the conversation was pretty good.  See for yourself over at twitfitter, here.

No Comments | In: crossfit | tags: crossfit, hiit, kettlebells, p90x. | #

I was hard up for some food this evening, so had to make a trek out in the snow to the grocery store to find some healthy snack alternatives. Near the deli aisle, I spotted what at first looked like a pack of peperoni sticks, but what turned out to be turkey sticks! Yes, the Old Style (the brand name) Kielbassa Turkey Snack Sticks are a turkey based kielbassa that actually tastes rather good.

The bonus? Not only are these things pretty tasty, each serving (just under a stick) is only 2g of fat and has “only” 360mg of sodium (lots, but small compared to most meat sticks). The Kielbassa snack sticks also pop a good 7g of protien and only 1g of carbohydrates.

Combined with some cheese sticks and some crackers, I’d say we have a fairly good zone snack on our hands (despite the arguably high salt content).

Some low carb, low fat turkey kielbassa with some cheese and crackers makes a great Zone snack.

1 Comment | In: Uncategorized, nutrition | tags: diet, high protein, kielbassa, Paleo diet, turkey, turkey snack sticks, Zone diet. | #

Lance Armstrong is going to attempt to win the Tour de France for an eighth time, coming out of retirement for the 2009 cycling season.

With seven consecutive Tour wins from 1999 to 2005, Armstrong is an icon around the World, known for an ability to fight not only severe lactic acid build up, but undeniable odds, also winning a serious battle with cancer in 1996.

Armstrong has also dealt with a very weak relationship with the French sports community. The guy has been accused again and again of using banned substances in previous seasons. In fact, the Tour de France organizers, the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), said in October that his return would be “embarrassing.” In his memoir, Every Second Counts“, Armstrong talked about the countless times that he’d get surprise visits from anti-doping specialists to make sure he wasn’t using.

And he never was. Despite wild claims otherwise, Armstrong has never tested positive for banned performance enhancing substances. Yep – it turns out he’s all natural power and win or lose in 2009, I’m certain he’ll give us a display of pure fierceness that we’ve come to expect from the man.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | tags: cycling, Lance Armstrong, Tour de France. | #

There’s an old joke that goes something like this: a man walks into a bar and asks the bartender why his head hurts.  The bartender responds, well you just walked into a bar.

Ok – not a real joke – I just made that one up (as if you couldn’t tell).  But let me now segue into the premise of this post.  That is, the pull-up bar.

Next to some floor space and a barbell, in my opinion, the pull-up bar is the next most important item on any home gym builder’s shopping list.  What kind of bar to get and how much one should spend, however, is a little tricky.

Let’s first look at why a pull-up bar is so super good to have at your disposal:

• Pull-ups are entirely functional, natural movements.  Think about it for a sec – the ability to pull is fundamental to our existence.  Our bodies were made to climb and I can guarantee you that at some point throughout your genealogical history, one of your ancestors was in a life or death situation, having to pull themselves up over a ledge or something.  Fortunately for you, they were able to do it.
• Pull-ups work a broad range of muscle, from shoulders, traps, biceps, triceps, forearm, grip and all sorts of core.  Add kipping and intensity to your pull-ups, do more work in less time, and you’ve suddenly got a strength workout combined with a fierceness that tests both the anaerobic and aerobic systems and can leave you gasping for air.
• A pull-up has many variations and progressions, from jumping pull-ups to L-Sit pull-ups and muscle-ups, there’s a variation that is accessible to all – even the weakest of us and the exercise can always provide additional challenges for the strong.

These were just a few of the reasons why pull-ups second to few exercises and the pull-up bar should be added to the top of your list of “to get” items for your home gym.

Now, what kind should you get?  There’s those bars that can be squeezed between a door frame and others that hang on the top of the frame.  The former is likely a waste of money and the latter is not very versatile and is likely costlier than the best pull-up bar in the biz – yes, I’m talking about a cheap, homemade pull-up bar.

When I say cheap, I’m talking about a low cost versus cheap as in my car fell apart after 3 days use cheap.

The biggest problem with many store bought pull-up bars is that you can’t kip on them.  While some of you may say, I don’t need to kip, true, you don’t – in fact, you don’t need to do anything.  But I’d have to add, if you want to get strong, you’d be far better off if you did or at least did most of the time.  I won’t get into why (beyond what I have said already), but here’s a great discussion of kipping versus not kipping.  If you don’t know what kipping is, watch this.

The next biggest problem with store bought bars is the cost.  You’re looking at at least $30 for the better of the kinds of consumer bars.  What you can build at home can cost as little as $20 and half an hour of your time.  The results, however, is a pull-up bar that can hold multiple people and allow you to kip and do clappers (if you ever could do clappers in the first place, that is).

What you need:

See the pic above.  Drill out 3/4 inch holes about an inch off the ends of the 18 inch 2×6’s.  Clamp them to the joists and drill out holes for the carriage bolts.  Unclamp the boards from the joists and bang each end of your pipe through the 3/4 inch holes (note that I’ve used a inch hole in my own to get the pipe through easier.  Best to get caps for the pipe though to make sure it doesn’t fall out while performing pull-ups though).  Bolt the contraption to the joists where you previously drilled.

Done.  Easy peasy… Now let’s taker ‘er for a ride…

3 Comments | In: crossfit, exercise, pull-up bar, pullup, strength | tags: homemade pull-up bar, homemade pullup bar, pull-up, pull-up bar, pullup bar. | #

I recently moved.  Both my wife and I found ourselves driving a 45 minute commute twice a day and eventually I made the suggestion we move closer to work and we figured there was little stopping us, so we did it.

We’ve been in the house for about two weeks now.  One of my first priorities was to setup a small area in the unfinished basement to workout.

As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have much equipment.  I’m a firm believer that all anyone really needs is a bar, some weight and some space.  That said, I have a pair of rings as well that I abuse on a regular basis.  The grip tape on them has been worn out several times now.

One thing that’s been missing from “my gym” has been a pullup bar.  At my old house, there weren’t many options for putting one up.  I toyed with the idea of a bar that works in a door frame, but from what I’ve heard and read, you can’t kip with those things.  I like to kip.  For me, a pullup bar has to be rock solid.  Also, given my frugal nature, a bar has to be cheap as well.

Fortunately my new house is right around the corner (literally) from a Home Depot.  The other day I picked up the following:

• 2 2×6 cut 18″
• 1 48″ steel pipe 3/4″ diameter
• 6 5/16″ carriage bolts, nuts and washers

That’s all it took for a sweet, totally solid pullup bar that I can kip on till my heart’s content.  I drilled out a 3/4 inch hole in each 2×6 and used the carriage bolts to attach to two joists in the basement.

I also purchsed some $25 rubber matting from Walmart to keep my feet from freezing off in the basement when barefoot and to buffer the sound of the weight hitting the floor.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized, nutrition | tags: home gym, pullup bar. | #

Finally, after lots of work, I’ve finally hit my goal of 10 unbroken muscle-ups.  Frankly, I could have hit this goal months ago, but I’ve been busy (which is also the reason for such infrequent updates in the last little while).  Unfortunately this feat was attained at home and there were no witnesses.  Fortunately, however, I managed to catch it on camera…

1 Comment | In: Uncategorized | | #

Ok – I know I’ve been pointing countless videos of my handstand efforts, but I keep progressing, so I’ll just keep posting.

In an attempt to focus on the following details, I’ve been finding it much easier to maintain balance:

• Arms fully locked out
• Tighten core (abs and glutes in particular)
• Legs together

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

Saw this video linked from Beast Skills. Dominic Lacasse enters the Guinness book of World Records with a 39 second flag hold. Brilliant.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

This past weekend I attended a crossfit certification in Toronto at Moss Armory. In all honesty, I really had no idea what to expect, but I was absolutely blown away by the whole experience. I’ve often read in the comments on the crossfit main site from others who’ve raved about crossfit certs and how amazing they’ve been, and through the course of Saturday morning to Sunday evening, I’ve been completely convinced of the same.
I expected getting squashed by a couple of hardcore workouts, so no surprise there, but for some reason, what I didn’t expect was the professionalism of the whole thing and the incredibly high quality of the lectures and teaching.
It was a brilliant weekend and I encourage anyone thinking about attending a crossfit cert to do it – it’s worth every penny and then some.

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | tags: crossfit certification. | #

Still working on the handstands.  It’s a slow process…

No Comments | In: Uncategorized | | #

I’ve been a little under the weather lately.  But tonight was the first night in almost a week that I decided to head to the gym and do some weight lifting, avoiding any high intensity work in favour of more strength type training.

To my dismay, I saw more crossfit type functional training at the gym than I’ve seen there in a very long time.  It was very nice to see.  There were clean and jerks, deadlifts, floor wipers, kettle bell training and other things going on, but a couple guys were also doing the virtual shovelling (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXvy9sq5wLs) that came up on the crossfit website just a couple of days ago.

Anyway,  I thought it was interesting as the globo gym isn’t known for such training.  Honestly – I didn’t see a single curl being done.  Seems like they should invest in a few more pullup bars and maybe a couple sets of rings.

No Comments | In: crossfit | | #