Don’t Move a Muscle…

Don’t Move a Muscle!

During this phase of our T3 training program our T3 clients have “enjoyed” one session per week of Isometric Exercises.

We have gotten some good feedback on the Isometric sessions so I thought I would share with you what Isometric training is and why it can be an important part of your training program,

What is Isometric Training?

Every muscle in your body contracts several different ways.  One way for our muscles to contract is concentrically.  A concentrically contracting muscle is being shortened.  Think of curling a dumbbell up to your shoulder, you are shortening the bicep muscle group when you are concentrically lifting/curling the dumbbell.

Another way for our muscles to contract is eccentrically.  This is when our muscles are contracting and lengthening at the same time.  Think about that same dumbbell bicep curl that I mentioned and now lower it until your arm is straight.  You are contracting and lengthening the bicep muscle group as you are lowering the dumbbell.

A third way for your muscles to contract is isometrically.  This type of contraction happens without the muscle(s) changing length.  The muscles are static in a particular position.   A few good examples of isometric exercises when done correctly are:

Hardstyle Planks

Split Squat Holds

Squat Holds

Chin Up/Pull Up Holds

Push Up Position Holds

Band Pull Apart Holds

Farmers or Suitcase Kettlebell Holds

The term “holds” is a dead giveaway for an isometric exercise.

What makes Isometric training beneficial?

One of the main benefits of Isometric training is activation.

The body is able to activate nearly all available motor units in the muscle or muscle groups which is difficult to do with the other two types of contractions.

If you have ever held an isometric contraction for 6-10 seconds, you will know exactly what I mean by “able to activate nearly all available motor units in the muscle or muscle groups”.  Creating as much muscular tension as possible will activate more motor units and therefore help you to become stronger.

Back in the 1950s, researchers Hettinger and Muller found a single daily effort of two-thirds of a person’s maximum effort exerted for six seconds at a time for ten weeks increased strength about 5% per week, while Clark and associates demonstrated static strength continued to increase even after the conclusion of a five-week program of isometric exercises.

Another benefit of Isometric Training is if you have an injury or a “sticking point”, (think midway through the push up when your lower back begins to sag) you can train in that particular joint range risk free while improving strength.

Isometric training is used widely in physical therapy settings to retrain the muscle(s) to activate.

Isometric training is another way to help you get stronger.  At Pinnacle we are always looking for ways to make you stronger, more resilient and help you reach your goals more quickly.  At Pinnacle we are always looking for ways to make you stronger, more resilient and help you reach your goals more quickly.

Don’t Wait for Things to be Just Right

I was at a Leadership Corpus Christi application (talk to me if you are interested in applying) function two weeks ago and was introduced as a personal trainer to one of the applicants.  She immediately told me she that she needed to start doing more “fasted cardio”. 

My first thought was, “why is she telling me this”? 

When introduced to a financial advisor I don’t immediately tell them I need to deposit more money into my Roth IRA, but she and many other people I meet feel the need to immediately tell me these things when they find out what I do for a living. 

My second thought was, “why was she waiting to fast before doing cardio”? I know some of the research about fasted cardio but I was more interested in WHY she wasn’t just getting the cardio done, fasted or not. (This is how my crazy mind works!) 

Why not get the cardio done, regardless of how much she ate or didn’t eat?

Why do we need to wait for things to be “just so” before we start or continue with what we have set out to do?

When we wait for things to be “just right” we usually wait too long and miss the opportunity and we suffer. Sometimes we suffer mentally (anxiety and frustration) and other times we suffer physically (health and quality of life).

Getting started doesn’t need to be a huge leap into the unknown. Getting started can look like:

• Research
• A Phone call
• A Walk
• Showing up to Your Next Scheduled Training Session
• Throwing Out the Junk Food in Your Pantry and Refrigerator
• Pouring the Sodas down the Drain or into the Garbage Can Outside.
• Packing Your Lunch
• Prepping a Meal or Two for the Week
• Scheduling and Sitting down for a Success Session/Assessment
• Waking up Early
• Going to Bed on Time
• Writing out Goals

Don’t wait for things to be perfect before you begin.  Otherwise you may never start!

Committed to Your Success,

Adam

COOPERTITION

I know COOPERTITION isn’t really a word but I like what it stands for.  It combines the best of Competition and Cooperation.

Many times we think of these words as separate but when they are combined in a positive environment they can lead to great things.

While I was at my Mastermind meeting in South Carolina we were told by the leaders of the Mastermind group that they were tracking our numbers (business finances, total number of clients, retention, clients lost etc.) and they ranking us based on those results against each other and others within our organization of fitness business owners.

GAME ON!!!

Hearing this little piece of information raised the stakes of our meeting to another level!  We all want the best for each other and COOPERATE to help each other succeed but at the same time there isn’t one of us who wants to be in second place or worst last!  We are all COMPETITIVE and want to win.

When you combine the best of cooperation and competition you get COOPERTION!

I want you to compete against each other in and out of the gym.  Challenge yourself against someone who you think is stronger than you.  Challenge yourself against someone who you know shows up to every workout and busts their butt every time in the gym. Challenge yourself against someone you know is doing their cardio on their days off.  Challenge yourself against someone who is planning their meals weekly to ensure their success.

Knowing all of our clients if you let that person know you were competing against them they would gladly cooperate and let you know what they were doing to succeed.  The fastest way to success is do what other successful people are doing.

Who are you going to challenge?  How are you going to measure your success?  Get started today!

I am the type of person…

I am the type of person…

This past weekend I offered a 1-hour Goal Setting workshop to anyone interested in getting 2015 started off with a plan.  Everyone seemed to get some clarity on what they want to accomplish this year and a few strategies on how to go about it.  I had never done goal setting in a group before but it seemed to work really well.

One of strategies we talked about that I think had a profound affect on me as well as some of the participants was the idea of “who do you need to be to accomplish your goal?”

The author of an audio book that I am listening to for the second time now tells a story of being at a funeral of a family friend whose older brother had died and the younger brother was giving the eulogy.  It was common knowledge that the two brothers did not get along and had not spoken in years but still the younger brother was up there giving the eulogy.

The younger brother gave a touching eulogy and didn’t bring up even one negative story about his deceased older brother.  After the funeral the author went over to the brother who had just given the eulogy and asked, “I know you and your brother had not gotten along in years. It must have been tough not to say anything bad about him.”  The younger brother replied by saying, “I am not the kind of person who speaks ill of the dead.”

Because this man sees himself as someone who would never speak ill of the the dead he would not allow himself to say or act in any other way.

How does this story relate goals or new years resolutions?  Well, who do you need to be or not need to be to reach your goals.

Do you need to be the type of person who enjoys vegetables?

Do you need to be the type of person who does not drink soft drinks?

Do you need to be the type of person who gets 8 hours of sleep?

Do you need to be the type of person who enjoys waking up early?

Do you need to be the type of person who hugs their kids more?

Do you need to be the type of person who prepares their meals?

Do you need to be the type of person who saves 10% of their salary each month?

Even if you are not this type of person NOW, you can change and become that person. You are not stagnate!  You can be whoever you need to be to make your goal a reality.

If you don’t know who you need be lets set up a time and talk.

Who do you need be to make your dreams a reality?  Why not try being that person until your dreams come true?

Give a shot and let me know what happens.

I hope 2015 is off to a great start for you.  I look forward to seeing you in the gym soon.

Committed to Your Success,

Adam

Your 28-Day Challenge

I have a challenge for you.  

 

Beginning August 1st through August 28th lets change ONE habit to help you become a healthier, happier and more fit Pinnacle Performer!  

 

It is really simple, all you need to do is pick ONE habit/behavior you would like to change and focus all of your energy on either eliminating an unhealthy habit or add just ONE healthy habit.  

 

Be sure to pick only ONE habit and make sure it has some bite. Don’t choose something that won’t have much impact on your life.  Pick a good ONE and do your best to stick to it! 

 

This doesn’t need to be something you do for the rest of your life. It could turn into something you do for the rest of your life but for now lets just focus on 28-days beginning August 1st.

 

Below are a few ideas of what you can add and/or what you can subtract that will give you a healthier life.  Yours habit does not need to be on this list. Create your own.

 

Some ideas of habits to start for 28-days might be:

• Eat breakfast with more than 20 grams of protein everyday
• Make every scheduled workout
• Do Cardio on the days in between training
• Eat only organic veggies that are apart of the “dirty dozen“
• Drink a glass of water fist thing in the morning
• Read for “X” number of minutes
• Taking your Omega-3 Krill Oil
• Eating a vegetable with every meal/feeding
• Eating protein with every meal/feeding
• Drink a cup of unsweetened green tea 
• Purchase your groceries at a farmers market
• Get 8-hours of sleep

 

Some ideas of habits to stop for 28-days might be:

• Watching TV
• Smoking
• Adding sugar or artificial sweeteners to drinks
• Drinking soda, diet or otherwise
• Running around the house with scissors (just seeing if you were still paying attention)
• Desserts
• Hanging around negative people
• Eating anything with high fructose corn syrup
• Fried food
• Drinking Alcohol 

 

I dare you to pick that one habit/behavior that you don’t want choose because you think it is going to be too hard and stick to it for 28-days.  The bigger the risk the bigger the reward!

 

If you choose to accept the 28- Day Challenge please let me know what you are adding or subtracting. I would like to help you along the way. 

 

If you think changing one of your habits will impact your body and you want to take measurements before we start and after let me know and we will schedule a time to take measurements (Body composition and tape measurements of arms, hips, and waist).

 

Lets end the summer what some healthy positive changes!

 

Make it a great week!

 

Committed to Your Success,

Adam

 

P.S. Tell me the habit you are changing and I will tell you mine!

 

P.P.S. If you have a friend or family that would like to do this with us invite them along.  The more the better!

Beach to Bay Prep 2.0

Adam Farrell here from Pinnacle Performance and Fitness.

I hope your week is off to a productive start and you have your workouts and meals scheduled for the week.

Beach to Bay Prep

If you are running in the upcoming Beach to Bay marathon I wish you luck. The four-plus miles may be a little tough on you if you haven’t been putting in the time. For a successful and less painful race I have added a few tips that will help you perform better and recover faster.

1. Hydrate: Pre-race check your urine color. You want it to be a light yellow like lemonade. Don’t drink too much and get water logged, just enough to take the dark orange color out of your urine. Research has shown that just a 2% reduction in hydration can lead to a 20% reduction in performance.

2. Roll Your Feet: While standing or sitting place a tennis ball, softball, or golf ball under one of your feet and roll the bottom of your foot against the ball. If the bottom of your foot is really tender use a softer ball. You may want to work up to a more rigid ball later. Roll behind your toes, the arch of your foot, the outside of your foot and the heel. If you find any bumps (trigger points) roll on them for about 30 seconds until they release. Spend 2-minutes on each foot.

3. Don’t carb load the night before: The 80′s are over and so is carb loading for a 5K or anything under an hour run/walk. Research shows that we want to begin the process of carbohydrate loading several days before. For 4-plus miles you don’t really need to carb load at all. Eat a healthy non-greasy meal the night before and you will be fine.

4. Eat a light breakfast: You want to eat a light breakfast with minimal fiber. You don’t want to run on an empty stomach and you don’t want a full bloated stomach. Bananas and peanut butter usually do the trick.

5. Encourage others: Every person you pass give them “atta boy/girl” or “keep it up”, or my personal favorite, “TIGHT GLUTES, TIGHT ABS, SHOULDERS BACK AND DOWN”!!! Just kidding about the last one. Encourage those who are struggling a bit. We all need a little encouragement.

6. Lose the New Shoes:  Don’t wear a pair of new shoes for your run.  Make sure you have logged a good amount of time in your sneakers before race day. New shoes can cause blisters and possibly hurt your knees.

7. Ice any sore joints or muscles: Ice any sore joints or muscles post race as soon as you can. Icing will help take the inflammation out and get you back on your feet for more training.

If you are not running join the after-party at the park across from McGee Beach where the Coliseum once stood.

Committed to Your Success,
Adam

8-Week Beach to Bay Training Program

For the last few years I have been tinkering with the idea of creating a program for our world famous Beach to Bay Relay Marathon.  This year I am going to to do.  I hope you will join us.  Details are below.

Are you tired of walking most of your Beach to Bay leg?  Have you started training for Beach to Bay before only to get injured a week or two into your training?  Do you wait till the last minute to start training but don’t really know what to do?

Pinnacle Performance and Fitness has the answer to all these questions and more.

Join us Saturday March 23^rd at Pinnacle Performance and Fitness for the initial of our 8-Week Beach to Bay Training Program meeting.  The meeting will start promptly at 7am.  Yes, 7am.

There you will receive your training/recovery equipment.  Learn more about the program and ask questions.  You will also want to wear training clothes this will be your first day of training.  The meeting will last one hour.

The cost is $89 for Pinnacle Performance and Fitness clients.

For non-Pinnacle Performance and Fitness clients the cost is $149.

Invite your friends, family and Beach to Bay teammates.

Your 8-Week training program will take place T/Th/Sat (T/Th 5:30pm and Saturday 8am) beginning March 26th at the park near where the Coliseum used to be, across from Magee Beach.  Each session will last one hour.

Walkers to runners are encouraged to join us.  All abilities are welcome.

Space is Limited Register by email Adam Farrell at info@pinnacle-cc.com.

Benefits:

Receive a Progressive Customizable Running Program that will Challenge you up to Race Day.

Learn Proper Warm Up Techniques to Keep you Injury Free.

Develop Double and  Single Leg Power Crucial for a Successful Race.

Discover Hydration Techniques that Will Keep you Ahead of Other Racers.

Discover There is More to Running Than Just Logging Miles.

Learn Race Day Tips to Ensure a Fun and Successful Race.

Learn Strategies for Smooth Transitions.

To register email Adam Farrell at info@pinnacle-cc.com.

Space is limited. Register Today!

Want to Stink this Winter

Here is a guest post from one of my mentors and one of the foremost experts on Strength and Conditioning/Sports Performance Training Mike Boyle.  Coach Boyle is the U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey Strength and Conditioning Coach.  He trains and coaches pro athletes in his facility in Boston, MA.  Take what he says seriously.  He has the years and experience to back up his words.  If you want to discuss this post let me know.  I know a few parents who may find this offensive.

Catchy title? 

This article is for all you parents who are trying to help your 
kid get in shape for a winter sport. I spoke with a mom the other 
day who inspired me to write this. There is a saying I use often 
in my talks. It is in fact the title of this article.

If you want your child to perform poorly this winter I have the 
answer. The answer is cross country. I have had countless parents 
over the years tell me that they can’t figure out why little Janie 
or Johnny had such a bad winter sports season. They worked so hard 
in the fall, running all those miles.

Lets get some facts straight. There are no team sports where you 
run for miles at a time. 

Even if you actually “run” miles in a game, those miles are actually 
a series of sprints interspersed with a series of walks or jogs. In 
the case of a rare sport like ice hockey, you actually sprint and 
then sit down. Running long distances does not prepare you to run 
short distances. 

There is a concept in sport called sport specific training. The 
concept basically means that from a conditioning perspective the 
best way to condition for a sport is to mimic the energy systems 
of that sport. If the sport is sprint, jog , walk, than the training 
is sprint, jog , walk. Makes perfect sense

There is another very large concept to grasp here. 

It is simple. 

Train slow, get slow. 

The reality is it is very difficult to make someone fast and very 
easy to make someone slow. If you want to get an athlete slow, simply 
ask them to run slower, longer. Simple. They may be in shape, but it 
is the wrong shape.

Another problem with a steady state sport like cross country? Injuries. 

Did you know that something like sixty percent of the people who take 
up running get injured? Those are really crappy odds.

Last and certainly not least, who dominates in sports? The fastest athlete! 
The athlete with the highest vertical! Yes, conditioning matters but, train 
for the sport.  Lift weights, jump, sprint. Gain power. It takes years to 
gain strength and power. You can get in shape in a matter of weeks. Most 
kids are playing their sport at least a few times a week in the off season 
so strength and power are much bigger concerns than conditioning.

So this year, don’t give the gift of slowness, 

If you are not a cross country runner, don’t run cross country. 

If you like a nice outdoor run and don’t care about speed, be my guest. 

If you want to get faster and get in great sport condition than train 
the way the best athletes train. Use a combination of strength training 
and interval training to prepare properly.

 

Mike Boyle
www.FunctionalStrengthCoach4.com
www.OnlineBodyByBoyle.com

My Secret Weapon Against Fat

The secret weapon I am going to use to drop a few percentage points of body fat during the Transformation Contest in a meal system called Meal Movement. Two of the most common complaints I hear from our members is 1. I don’t have time to cook healthy meals for myself and 2. I don’t like the way “healthy” food tastes. Meal Movement solves both of these problems with fully cooked delicious breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks that take about 2 minutes to prepare.

I know what you are thinking and I thought the same thing. NO WAY!!!! I know a gimmick when I see one and this is too good to be true. It isn’t too good to be true. I purchased the lunches and dinners last Fall and they not only tasted great and it only took about 2 minutes to prepare. The meals worked great for a quick lunch and a quick dinner after a long day in the gym.

I don’t believe this is a permanent solution to fat loss but it is a great option for people who don’t have time to cook healthy meals and want something that tastes good. Also, if you are someone who struggles with portion control all the guess work is taken out. Everything is pre-measured when prepared.

To see for yourself go to their website MealMovement.com.

Let me know if you have any questions regarding this or anything else with the Transformation Contest.

I am not one for quick fixes, but I believe this could save you time and money at the grocery store.

Committed to Your Success,
Adam

Beach to Bay Prep…

If you are running in the upcoming Beach to Bay marathon I wish you luck. The four-plus miles may be a little tough on you if you haven’t been putting in the miles. For a successful and less painful race I have added a few tips that will help you perform better and recover faster.

1. Hydrate: Pre-race check your urine color. You want it to be a light yellow like lemonade. Don’t drink too much and get water logged, just enough to take the dark orange color out of your urine. Research has shown that just a 2% reduction in hydration can lead to a 20% reduction in performance.

2. Roll Your Feet: While standing put a tennis ball, softball, or golf ball under one foot and roll the bottom of your foot against the ball. The softer the ball the better at first. You may want to work up to a more rigid ball later. Roll behind your toes, the arch of your foot, the outside of your foot and the heel. If you find any bumps (trigger points) roll on them for about 30 seconds until they release.

3. Don’t carb load the night before: The 80’s are over and so is carb loading the night before the big race. Research shows that we want to begin the process of carbohydrate loading several days before. For 4-plus miles you don’t really need to carb load at all. Eat a healthy non-greasy meal the night before and you will be fine.

4. Eat a light breakfast: You want to eat a light breakfast with minimal fiber. You don’t want to run on an empty stomach and you don’t want a full bloated stomach. Bananas and peanut butter usually do the trick.

5. Encourage others: Every person you pass give them “atta boy/girl” or “keep it up”, or my personal favorite, “TIGHT GLUTES, TIGHT ABS, SHOULDERS BACK AND DOWN”!!! Just kidding about the last one. Encourage those who are struggling a bit. We all need a little encouragement.

If you are not going to be running stay away from Padre Island on the 21st in the morning but go to Cole Park around 10am. It is a blast!

Committed to Your Success,
Adam