Hierarchy Of Fat Loss

I am posting this link because I think that everybody who exercises or is interesting in starting an exercise program MUST READ IT.

Alwyn Cosgrove is a sort Demigod to me and many others who incorporate resistance and metabolic training into their workouts.  After many years of experience training the average Joe Bloggs to top athletes, Alwyn has seen proven results in fat loss exercise programs and has detailed this in his brilliant article.

For those of you who are new to exercise and want to get started, please DO NOT start a running program and think this is how you are going to see quick results.  Instead of getting injured and seeing no improvement in your fat loss - read this article and then adopt the following hierarchy as the way you must always workout. Then and only then will you see the results you want in your body.

Alywns 5 Factors For Fat Loss Training:

1. Metabolic Resistance Training:  3 of my favourite words and my favourite way to exercise. I love it. And so does everybody else who I introduce this to.  This is how AC describes this type of workout:

"Our goal is to work every muscle group hard, frequently, and with an intensity that creates a massive “metabolic disturbance” or “afterburn” that leaves the metabolism elevated for several hours post-workout."

2. High Intensity Anaerobic Interval Training: Otherwise known to many of us as Hiits (High Intensity Interval Training)  why go for a 1 hour low intensity run, when  you can do a Hiit workout in 20 mins!   AC  "It burns more calories than steady state and elevates metabolism significantly more than other forms of cardio. The downside is that it flat-out sucks to do it!"

3. High Intensity Aerobic Interval Training: "essentially a lower intensity interval method where we use aerobic intervals."

4. Steady State High Intensity Aerobic Training: "Tool number four is just hard cardio work. This time we’re burning calories — we aren’t working hard enough to increase EPOC significantly or to do anything beyond the session itself. But calories do count. Burning another 300 or so calories per day will add up."

5. Steady State Low Intensity Aerobic Training: "There isn’t very much research showing that low intensity aerobic training actually results in very much additional fat loss, but you’re going to have to really work to convince me that moving more is going to hurt you when you’re in fat attack mode."

He then goes on to detail how to make this work within your time frame so that you get the BEST RESULTS for fat loss.

Enjoy this read, you won't regret it!

(image from www.cartoonstock.com/ directory/d/dusted.asp)

15 Seconds Of Tabata Fame!!

Click here to see the video segment of Jane and I on Global TV last night.
Bear in mind I sweat like a man - totally gross I know! I possess a healthy hydration system :)
It was so much fun to do, and hopefully it will highlight a few of the benefits of incorporating metabolic training into your resistance training schedule.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Sweat and Grunting on Global TV

My fellow fitness colleague Jane Clapp from Urbanfitt, invited me to her studio last week to take part in a Tabata style class.  Along with 10 or so other victims clients we embarked on a crazy workout that left all of us ready to hit the deck in a puddle of sweat.  It was so much fun, but bloody hard work.

The reason for my invite was because Jane was being interviewed by Global TV Health Watch for a segment on Tabata and how it can be incorporated into your workout.

As a follow up to the workout, Global came to my house yesterday to interview myself with the kids, to demonstrate how I, as a busy parent, can manage to juggle raising the kids, working from home, doing my blog and still fit in workouts.

It was lots of fun, my kids who were nervous at first really loved the idea of being on camera, my oldest boy now thinks he is famous!!

This will be aired tonight on Global News around 6.15 - 6.45pm.  Check it out and if you miss it I will post the online version tomorrow.  I don't have cable unfortunately, so I won't see it until the following day either!!

I will be around Dewson School Friday at 4pm if anybody wants autographs :)  (snigger snigger!)

Thanks Jane for the invite - you rock!!

Underground Yoga

Everything is going underground here in Toronto, it seems to be the cool new thing to not know where you will be eating until an hour before you leave the house, armed only with a password and a savage hunger.  Well it seems now that the yoga community have joined this mysterious society in the form of Yoga Happenings.

Using social media systems like Twitter and Facebook, yogis from around the city will find out just one or 2 hours in advance where the yoga class will be held.  Its aim is to target all levels from novice to advanced, hoping encourage yoga enthusiasts to lose ties with their regular instructors, schedule and venue, to try something new.

One of the creators is JP from Octopus Garden Yoga, who I have practised with on numerous occasions.  I think the idea of this society is exciting, but not sure if being spontaneous and being a yogi really work - I can imagine it being a little stressful, but hope I am proved wrong

image from dentisttx.com.

How To Keep Kids Active.

My son's are both celebrating their birthdays this week, the oldest will be 7 and the youngest 3.


For the 7 year olds party, he decided that he wanted a soccer and hockey theme. We all went to the local park and 12 kids played both sports stopping only for pizza and cake.  It was great to see the passion and excitement they all got from playing sports and it made me think how easy it really is to keep your kids active, providing you keep things light-hearted and interesting.


Here are two great articles giving ideas of how to keep kids moving, revisiting some of your old playground games, involving yourself in their activities and making things FUN!!!


10 ways to de-sissify your kids.
Revisit the Playground by Nick Grantham (who happens to be one of the best strength coaches in the UK) 


Recently The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) and ParticipACTION released new guidelines for the amount of exercise kids need each day, 90 minutes per day - Active Healthy Kids Canada suggested only 12 per cent of young Canadians actually meet the current recommendation.



image from soggyfruit.files.wordpress.com

National Bike To Work Week

Now that the good weather is upon us, its a great chance to pump up your tyres for Bike To Work Week.  We are lucky here in Toronto that there are some bike lanes (not enough though!) that make commuting through the city not to challenging.  I have a bike seat attached to mine, so I can sling my 3 year old on board and we cycle all over the place.

I have tried to get my husband to cycle to his place of work, but he comes up with so many reasons why he can't or won't, probably similar to the ones here - where you will also find answers to those poor excuses.

here is a map of Toronto's cycle paths and a link to the facebook page.

So saddle up and crank up that cadence.

short sport skirts

I love this product, my friend at the gym wears one of these skirts and they look so stylish, yet are so practical.  The Canadian Outlet, currently has a 50% sale on, so check it out for some great bargains.


The philosophy of the the company is that fitness can be fashionable, flattering and most of all functional.  The women who created the product are busy mothers, who also run marathons.  They claim these skirts are great for  5k, marathon, ultra-marathon or ironman triathlon or our own everyday "ironmom" triathlon: run, school & soccer. 



The skirts are made with a special sweat-wicking fabrics, our runner tested, high performance running skirts are very comfortable.  Unlike shorts, there is nothing to bunch between the legs.  These skirts are made without any interior seams that could cause rubbing and chaffing of your unmentionables (ouch!).  The running skirt and attached brief stays put in all the right places...the skirt doesn't flip up and the briefs don't ride up (no, your bum doesn't show).   The athletic skirt is made with compression shorts with longer inseams that stay put and don't ride up when you workout.


Nobody said you couldn't look good while you exercised :)

I'm Leaving Home To Join The Circus!!

Well I did leave home for an hour last night to go to circus school.  

In an attempt to try out some new and fun fitness activities to compliment all these hard workouts I am doing, I decided to give trapeze and silks a try.  My two friends, Ali and Mandy and I  all went to Upside Downside Circus, ran by Zoe Gould for an introductory class.

After a warm-up Zoe had us straight on the trapeze, doing a few tricks, then onto the silks (which are actually not silk, but a two-way stretch polyester - which makes them very bouncy!).  We had such a brilliant time, it was so much fun. We surprised ourselves by how well we did, we expected bigger failure I think.  And I highly recommend you trying something fun like this too, it made us feel young and daft, like big kids!

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of how this introduction class went:

This was called a birds nest, it felt great!

 Mandy doing the splits on trapeze

Ali hanging around in the silks

this was called sleeping beauty or a corpse (you decide!)

Finally we ended the class learning how to climb the silks, we were all pretty intimidated by it, but managed to get our heads around it. It was so much fun climbing to the top of the room!  I fear now that our days out with the kids in the park will never be the same - WATCH OUT MONKEY BARS, HERE WE COME!!

Dragon Boat Team Workout Sessions

A friend of mine is a member of The New Dragons, who are the current -23 National Dragon Boat Champions! As a fund raiser for the Club Crew World Championships in Macau, the team are offering fun and challenging outdoor fitness classes, which are adapted from their own training techniques.

These classes are to be held on Sundays at 3pm @ Winston Churchill Park, Toronto - starting April 25 until July 18th. Classes cost $15 per session, with the 5th session being free.

I can't make the first session, but plan on testing out my fitness levels the following week. Hope to see you there!! It should be lots of fun.

see after the jump for more information:

Crossfit Newbie

(Crossfit Muscle-up at Santa Cruz facility)

On Saturday afternoon, my pal over at Urbanfitt, Jane Clapp, invited me to try out a Crossfit session at The Academy of Lions facility in downtown Toronto. I was keen to give it a go, as I have read so many positive and negative reports on this style of fitness - I wanted to forge my own opinions.


As we sat in the car waiting for the class to start, slurping on our javas, we see our instructor for the day, Sara-Clare, screaming encouraging CF participants who were struggling down the sidewalk with a kettlebell in each hand - it was like something out of Full Metal Jacket! This was going to be interesting!!!


I loved Sara-Clare, she had the perfect energy and knowledge to make this a memorable class.  This is how the class was broken down:
warm-up:  
300 reps skipping
pvc tube shoulder mobility exercises 
10 leg swings forward/back each side
10 legs swings across body each side


my thoughts: loved the pvc tube shoulder mobility exercises, one called figure 8 was amazing.


dynamic session:
10 kipping pull-ups
10 dips using the rings
10 sit-ups - using a round mat to support lower back


my thoughts: if the exercises were out of your scope, resistance bands were used. I tried kipping and it was surprisingly tough!! It certainly didn't feel like cheating, but rather a totally different exercise to regular pull-ups.  I think I could have lived without the sit-ups even with the lower back support. I am just not a fan anymore!


the workout:
3 - 5 rounds of
20 kettlebell swings
15 box jumps
10 sit-ups
5 burpees


my thoughts: This was tough!  I wasn't on top form starting the session, but still tried my best. Completing 5 rounds felt great and the instructors were really encouraging.


We all have people we look up to and the fitness & strength professionals who I admire have pretty strong views on Crossfit because of its programming, claiming it to be senseless and random - and ultimately unsafe.

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Alwyn Cosgrove notes that this "all over the place" programming can be dangerous:
"A recent CrossFit workout was 30 reps of snatches with 135 pounds. A snatch is an explosive exercise designed to train power development. Thirty reps is endurance. You don't use an explosive exercise to train endurance; there are more effective and safer choices.
"Another one was 30 muscle-ups. And if you can't do muscle-ups, do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips. It's just random; it makes no sense. Two days later the program was five sets of five in the push jerk with max loads. That's not looking too healthy for the shoulder joint if you just did 120 dips 48 hours ago."


Mike Boyle adds, "I think high-rep Olympic lifting is dangerous. Be careful with CrossFit."


And here's Charles Poliquin: "If you try to do everything in your workout, you get nothing. CrossFit is different, and maybe even fun for some people, but it's not very effective. No athlete has ever gotten good training like that."




The WODs come straight from CF headquarters, but it's up to individual trainers to decide how they're used. Many of these trainers are officially certified by CrossFit, but that means less than it seems. For $1,000, you can earn CrossFit's Level 1 certification in a single weekend course. (Level 2 costs $500, and subsequent certifications cost $250.) That includes lectures and hands-on demonstrations, but no written test.
No one argues that CrossFit workouts aren't challenging. They sure as hell are. The question is over the disconnect between "hard" and "smart." The truth is that every veteran strength coach I interviewed who's familiar with CF had serious reservations about its programs.

Click here to read the rest of this article from tmuscle.

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I won't be joining the Crossfit community for the following reasons;

• even though I loved my workout, but I don't love the lack of structure - I like to program my workouts and see results over the 4-6 week period. 
• Its too bloody expensive
• I think maintaining that type of workout 5 x per week is just not maintainable.  I don't see anywhere in the program that leans towards hypertrophy, the need to build lean muscle mass.

but that doesn't mean this method of training is not for you, just make sure;

• you find a method of exercise that works for you, do it, if something doesn't, drop it.
• if something injures you, either you're doing it wrong (therefore learn to do it properly) or it's not for you, either currently or at any stage in your training. Always make sure you trust and believe in the instructor. Are they safe? Are they educated?
• just because someone else doesn't agree with what you are doing does not mean that they have no valid opinions. You can still learn from them.

Running Resources

(image from etalk.sgu.edu)

I have always enjoyed hitting the pavement (weather dependent) and have done so many races I have lost count.  Its only in the last year or so I have stopped running so much.  A little bit of knowledge can be a problem I have found.  Its basically an excepted fact that running is not the optimal exercise to do to build up lean muscle mass, use your time effectively and to see physical results in your body.  And its true for me, now I do more resistance training with weights and pump out the metabolic work, my body has totally transformed. BUT now that I don't run so much anymore, unless its interval training or sprints, I find that my goal fix has diminished!  When you are a runner its easy to say 'ok my next race will be the 10k in 2 months time', or '4 month training plan for that 1/2 marathon' - now I struggle to have something to get fit for - and getting fit for no reason, for me, is a bizarre concept...........regardless, I still do enjoy running and there is something liberating about going out for a long, slow run and clearing the mind (and escaping the children too!)

Are you a true runner? Test yourself on this quiz and see if you make the common mistakes lots of us have!
Want to track your progress? Is your pace improving, the number of miles or distance - then check out Runstoppable, its free and will do all this and more! Its a great resource for those of you that don't own the Nike system or can't afford the Garmin with its fancy GPS technology (which I might add doesn't work on a Mac - phhfff!!) and fancy price tag.

Despite the little debate that goes on in my head about running, I may start clocking in more miles, especially now the weather is good, but I will make it just a small part of the system I use now - that really works for me!

Turkish Get-Up

(www.costumes.org)

No I am not talking about the clobber worn by the Turkish, I am referring to an exercise technique.  Frank from Frankies Training Lab, has produced a brilliant instructional video, breaking down the components of this exercise.

I hardly ever include this in my workouts, but know that it is a super benefical exercise to do.  Check out this video and let me know what you think.  Yesterday I did a few sets of these in the house, using dumbbells as I don't have any kettlebells (yet!) and it felt intense and awesome!!!

Make sure to start including this in your workouts!  And don't forget to check back on Wednesday for a great giveaway.

what is kipping?

(images2.fanpop.com)

well where I come from kipping was something we did in front of the tele after Sunday Dinner! - "don't wake Dad up, he's kipping".  But in fitness terms, kipping, is a form of pull up that some people consider cheating. It uses multiple muscle-group and requires a hard cardio output, its something akin to how gymnasts would train for the rings. So how to do a kipping pull-up? Starting in the pull-up position using your hips and feet to rock yourself in a continuous movement up and down - basically using momentum. I have tried to do kipping and the results were unfortunate - embarrassing and that was only in front of the kids, not ready to try this at the gym yet.


Here is a video that explains the full technique, people doing up to 100 of them!
The reason I have seen this exercise promoted is to encourage you to use your whole body to increase your work capacity, which in turn increases your power output. 


Do you think its cheating - have you tried it with any success? I am still on the fence with this one as I don't really think I can comment until I actually achieve one!!

its been validated: start interval training NOW!

Slow steady-state cardio - forget it!! thats what the experts have been saying for ages now. Interval training is a must in your workout for optimal use of your time and to see positive fat loss results.


and if you are interested, check out this article confirming again how interval training can help you with fat loss which provides you with the tools and information to build your own program!! this is a great resource!

People do the craziest things

Thanks to fellow blogger Truth2BeingFit for this great video for an inventive workout on the treadmill.


I love doing my interval training on the treadmill (pre-broken-toe!) but would never think of doing this crazy stuff - I have visions of making a total arse of myself, but still think I might give it a go when the gym is nice and empty.


What do you think?

ditch the crunches

(image from purplemotes.net)

Its widely accepted now that doing a hundred ab-crunches is not the most effective way to obtain a flat belly.
Over the next few weeks I will post some alternative methods for working your abdominal area more effectively using functional (full-body) movements that will strength your core and stabilise your spine.

This week we will look at Mountain Climbers - of which there are a number of variations to suit all levels.

Basic Mountain Climber

Mountain Climber using TRX of course you need TRX suspension rings to do this, and its one of the products on my list to buy. You can check out the product here.

Valslide Mountain Climber again this is another product I must buy, portable and inexpensive, great for on-the-road workouts.  This would be a great exercise to do as Tabata or 30:30 splits.

Stability Ball Mountain Climber this comes from a great video from Craig Ballantyne at Turbulence Training. 6 minutes ab workout without a single crunch in site.  This exercise doesn't look as challenging as it feels - try to cheat on this exercise and you will just fall off the ball.

Cross Body Mountain Climber I use this exercise loads in my workouts - I normally time myself to see how many reps I can do in 1 or 2 minutes.

Let me know if any of this work for you.  Or do you have any other favourite Mountain Climber exercises?

When yoga and push ups unite!

there was a time that I could do this pose!!

I love trying new exercises and the push up is one of my all time favourites, so I am always on the look out for new variations.

Its been a while since I have been to a yoga class, but still remember my sun salutations with fondness, they are both therapeutic and challenging all at once.  This is why I just love the Hindu push up.

Give it a go and let me know what you think!!


(images from healthhabits.files.wordpress.com and cftampa.files.wordpress.com)

Tabata ideas

(image from sfuk.tripod.com)

I found out this week, by sneakily reading a friends facebook page, Gymboss (the wee little gadget that I just LOVE) has its own iPhone app.  My hubby has downloaded it for his gym sessions. I still think the small clip-on version is better than taking your iPhone to the gym, but its somewhere to start.

There are loads of ways to use the Gymboss, but I thought I might post some Tabata ideas to help you along the way. Remember that Tabata is about flat-out rock-hard work. You may not be able to finish all 8 rounds - AND you should try to perform as many reps as possible in the 20 secs work set. And yes making funny grunting noises is permitted!

Bodyweight squats  although when I do the squats rather than walk around for 10 seconds, I hold the squat in the down position, your legs will just burn.
Sprints  I forgot just how hard it is to sprint - it seemed so easy when I was at school!
Try these exercises too, burpees, squat jumps, lunge jumps, dumbbell or kettlebell swings, exercise bike (for some reason this one just kills me! - I keep the cadence about 120 rpm with high resistance)

My friend Jane over at Urbanfitt.com has a great article on Tabata thats worth checking out too! And I believe is bringing Tabata to Toronto! I might just head over and try one of those classes!

Whats your favourite Tabata exercise?

Short on time

Today I literally had 20 minutes to workout and I still need to adapt my workout for my broken toe. This is the workout I came up with and I loved it!!! Why not try it and let me know what you think.

After a 5 minute bodyweight warm-up, I went to the smith machine where I basically did 10 x 10 squats with some fun exercises inbetween with no rest, here's how it looked:

10 squats (145lbs)
2 mins straight-arm plank
10 squats
1:30 mins side-plank right side
10 squats

1:30 mins side-plank left side

10 squats

8 chin-ups on Smith machine

10 squats

1:30 mins cross-body mountain climbers

10 squats

35 tricep dips on bench

10 squats

2 mins straight-arm plank

10 squats

8 chin-ups on Smith machine

10 squats

25 incline push-ups with feet on bench

10 squats

1:30 mins cross-body mountain climbers

then I collapsed on the floor in a heap - it was good!!

now I know there are going to be people (or purists) out there who are shouting at me to get off the smith machine and I totally get their argument.  The natural movement of a squat is not linear, it has up and down movements as well as forward and back, the smith machine inhibits this somewhat. BUT at my gym there is no squat rack and I had a fun, effective workout regardless. If you are interested read this discussion group for more info on the problems with smith machines.

(image from totallytwitterpated.files.wordpress.com)

100 push-ups

I recall watching an episode of Mad Men, where Don Draper was doing his daily 100 push-ups before he hit the hay. I loved it, I seem to remember myself doing something similar with sit-ups as a teenager.  Then I remembered an email my brother sent to me, challenging me to see if I could do 100 push ups,  I started the challenge, but I think he forgot to commence!!

So, how many push ups can you do?  Do you want to take up the challenge to do 100 push ups? This program here takes you through a progressive program over 6 weeks.  Let me know how you get on!!

And there is even an iPhone app for it!!