Intense Eight-Week Cardio Challenge-Week 1

Get set to sprint your weight off, speed up your metabolism, and gain more energy. This cardio challenge is an eight week program that screams for intensity and consistency, and most importantly, will help you build a solid foundation. Each cardio workout will be super intense and will increase in intensity each week. It is important that you work at a high-intensity (about 80 to 85 percent of your MHR) because ultimately each workout will help you burn so many calories. High intensity workouts are so effective because of the effect it has on the fat/weight loss process. Since fat and weight loss are a direct result of a caloric deficit (total calories burned versus total calories consumed), these intensity workouts will enable you to lose fat more quickly. Plus, after each intense workout, your metabolism stays elevated for 24 to 48 hours, burning more calories, and over time, can mean greater fat and weight loss.
Your performance in this cardio conditioning program depends only on you, your level of fitness, your determination, and what you want to accomplish. It’s just you and the clock, the course, and the goals you’re trying to achieve. The goal of this challenge is to reach higher levels of cardiovascular fitness, mental toughness, and functional strength than you have ever attained. Most importantly, if you stay consistent with this program and keep your intensity elevated, you will lose weight and maintain a healthy weight.

CARDIO CHALLENGE: WEEK 1

MONDAY:
30 minute Treadmill Run> Speed: 5/Incline: 3%
15 minute Step Mill> Speed: 7

TUESDAY:
30 min Step Mill> Starting Speed: 7/At each 5 minute mark increase the speed by 1
*Use the following as your guide/*make sure to decrease the speed or keep the same speed if you have difficulty completing this cardio challenge
0-5 minutes> Speed: 7;
5-10 minutes> Speed: 8;
10-15 minutes> Speed: 9;
15-20 minutes> Speed: 10;
20-25 minutes> Speed 11;
25-30 minutes> Speed 12

WEDNESDAY:
30 minute Elliptical> Use the same guide for speed/time as above
15 minute Step Mill> Speed: 9

THURSDAY:
35 minute Treadmill> Starting Speed: 5/Incline: 3%; At each 5 minute mark increase speed & incline; try to use the following guide if possible
0-5 minutes> Speed: 5; Incline: 3%
5-10 minutes> Speed: 6; Incline: 4%
10-15 minutes> Speed: 7; Incline: 5%
15-20 minutes> Speed: 8; Incline: 6%
20-25 minutes> Speed: 9; Incline: 6%
25-30 minutes> Speed: 7; Incline: 4%
30-35 minutes> Speed: 5; Incline: 3 %

FRIDAY:
Rest Day

SATURDAY:
25 minute Treadmill> Use the following as your guide/If you have difficulty, decrease the speed
0-5 minutes> Speed: 5; Incline: 4%
5-10 minutes> Speed: 6; Incline: 6%
10-15 minutes> Speed: 6.5; Incline: 8%
15-20 minutes> Speed: 7.0; Incline: 10%

20-25 minutes> Speed: 7.5; Incline: 6%
20 minute Stair Climber> Start Speed: 8/Increase the speed by one at every 5-minute mark

SUNDAY:
30 minute Step Mill> Start Speed: 8/Use the following as your guide
0-5 minutes> Speed: 8
5-10 minutes> Speed: 10
10-15 minutes> Speed: 12
15-20 minutes> Speed: 9
20-25 minutes> Speed: 11
25-30 minutes: Speed: 8

Listen To Your Heart And Play Your Music

"When you are born, your work and your music are placed in your heart." -Kahlil Gibran

I want you to stop and point to yourself. Now look at where you pointed. Your finger (most likely) is pointing right at your hear...this is who you are. The constant beating of your heart is a symbol of your infinite connection to everything that surrounds you.

Your left brain calculates, figures things out, analyzes, and comes up with the most logical choices for you. It thinks, thinks, thinks. Your right brain represents your intuitive side. This is the part of you that goes beyond reason and analysis. It's the part that feels things, that sensitive to love, that's emotional about what's important to you. Your right brain allows you to tear up when you see a sad movie or bask in the beauty of a glorious day. So in a nutshell, your left brain can analyze it, while your right brain lets you feel it.

So do you know how you would respond to a certain situation in your life? Which is most important to you, what you know or what you feel. Generally, what we take care of first depends on the situation and circumstances that we are in. Your logical side can be figuring out exactly how you are supposed to act in a relationship when things are collapsing, and then again, there are times when what you feel will supersede what you know. Understand that if you are feeling fearful, scared, lonely; or on the other hand, thrilled, loved, an ecstatic, these will be dominant forces you'll act upon...and these are the times when your right brain is right. Remember, that your right brain will always lead you passionately to your purpose.

You must believe that there's an intuitive, invisible presence that is always with you. It is funny but I see this presence inside me as a little nagging creature that keeps reminding me when I have lost my sense of purpose. This little guy is in all of us and he is so important because he is our daily reminder who urges us to get on with what we showed up here for (our purpose in life/living it out the way your heart urges you to) because we won't be here forever and we aren't promised tomorrow. Your invisible companion may be nagging but he is helping you...he will prod you when you're spending another day doing what somebody else has dictated if it's not a part of your passion in life.

Nine out of ten times, you will know when you're off purpose because of your thoughts of frustration. What is difficult for many of us is that we might not always act on this knowledge, because our left brain has not mustered up the courage to do the bidding that our right brain knows is our destiny. Our intuitive inner voice keeps urging us to play the music that we hear so that we won't die with it inside us. While, our left brain says, "Wait a minute. Be careful, don't take risks, you might fail, you might disappoint all of those who have a different view of what you should be doing." But then our right brain (invisible companion) speaks even louder by turning up the volume...trying to get us to FOLLOW OUR DREAM.

Unfortunately many of us tend to listen exclusively to our left brain, which will ultimately turn us into pretenders, or even worse, commuters...getting up every morning going with the crowd, doing THAT JOB that brings in the money and pays the bills; and getting up the next morning and doing it all over again. How many of you feel like this is what your life consists of ? The music inside of you fades almost to point of being inaudible...but, on the other hand, that constant companion always hears the music and continues tapping you on your shoulder. How many of you know what I am talking about?

As individuals, we tend to be set in our ways and we can be so hard-headed...we feel that constant nagging reminder but we never truly apply it to our lives unless something serious occurs. The attempts to get your attention may take the form of an ulcer, or a fire to burn up your resistance, or being fired from a stifling job, or being brought to your knees with an accident. Usually these accidents, illnesses, back luck situations will get your attention...BUT NOT ALWAYS. You don't have to choose the fate like Tolstoy's character Ivan Ilyich who stated, "What if my whole life has been wrong?" Don't forget, you have the key to everything...you can press that play button at anytime.

Listen and express the music that you hear...most importantly, ignore what everyone else around you thinks you should be doing. You must be willing to accept that others may see you as having betrayed them, but you must embrace the fact that you haven't betrayed YOUR MUSIC...YOUR PURPOSE. Listen to your music, and do what you know you have to do to feel whole, to feel complete, and to feel as if you're fulfilling YOUR DESTINY.

You will never be at peace if you don't get that music out and LET IT PLAY. Let the world know why you are here, and DO IT WITH PASSION!

The Trainer And The Terrorist

I am always being sent funny jokes, poems, questions, and letters about being a trainer from different people. So I want to share a question that was sent to me by one of my favorite people (you know who you are...THANKS FOR ALWAYS MAKING ME LAUGH :)

Q: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TRAINER AND A TERRORIST?

A: YOU CAN NEGOTIATE WITH A TERRORIST!

Your Action Plan To Nutrition Part 4

I want to begin this section by discussing and listing foods that contain what is called COMPLETE PROTEIN-which is, they provide all the amino acids necessary to produce usable protein. Examples of these foods are milk, eggs, meat, fish, and various vegetable products, such as soybeans. You must understand that these foods contain differing amounts of usable protein per weight. For instance, even though a food might contain 10 grams of protein, you body may be able to use only a certain percentage of it- only 7 or 8.5 grams.

The following is a chart that shows the percentage of protein in various foods and what percentage of protein your body is actually able to use for building muscle.

Eggs- 12% Protein by Weight/94% Net Protein Utilization
Milk- 4% Protein by Weight/82% Net Protein Utilization
Fish- 18-25% Protein by Weight/80% Net Protein Utilization
Cheese- 22-36% Protein by Weight/70% Net Protein Utilization
Brown Rice- 8% Protein by Weight/70% Net Protein Utilization
Meat and Fowl- 19-31% Protein by Weight/68% Net Protein Utilization
Soybean Flour- 42% Protein by Weight/61% Net Protein Utilization

For example, an egg contains only 12% protein by weight, but because of the specific balance of amino acids present in the protein, 94 percent of it can be used by your body. And then if you look at soybean flour, 42 percent of it is protein, but the makeup of that protein is such that your body is able to use only 61 percent of it. So it is important that you understand that there is a big difference between how much protein a food contains and how much of that protein you can actually use to build muscle.

I am now going to list good sources of protein and the protein rating of these foods.
Eggs (whole)- 100 (Protein Rating)
Fish- 70
Lean Beef- 69
Cow's Milk- 60
Brown Rice- 57
Soybeans- 47
Whole-grain wheat- 44
Peanuts- 43
Dry Beans- 34

On this list, you can see that the value of whole eggs are given. You want to continue to eat your egg whites but try to include a couple of egg yolks in your scrambled egg dish. The yolk actually contains as much protein as the egg white, as well as the majority of the vitamins and minerals. You also may notice that rice, wheat, and beans give you less usable protein than eggs or fish. The reason for this is that they have some of the essential amino acids that are required for complete protein. But, you could combine two or more sources of this low-quality protein to obtain high-quality complete protein. It is the combination that will give you the right amount of amino acids that you need. Understand that you need to assemble a complete "team" of amino acids, which means that by adding just a small amount of the right food to you your eatin plan you can make a big difference. You will need to be very specific in your food combinations in orer to end up with complete protein.

Below, I am going to give you some recommended protein sources that you want to consider including in your nutrition plan.

Fish- few types of fish are high in fat. Shellfish is low in fat, but high in cholesterol. Salmon and trout are actually beneficial to eat occasionally because of their oils. Canned Tuna packed in water, not oil.
Chicken/Turkey- remove skin, which is high in fat.
Eggs-egg whites are lower in calories, but whole eggs have more protein and are much more nutritious.
Nonfat Milk (instead of low-fat)- non-fat milk is 50 percent protein and 50 percent carbohydrate, whereas about 2% of low-fat milk is fat.
Milk/Egg/Whey Protein Powder- supplementation that I will be discussing later in this action plan. Good source of protein that can be included between your meals and before/after workouts.
Beef- stick to lean cuts...eye of round steak or lean ground beef.
Pork- lean cuts only; avoid pork foods like sausage and bacon.
Cheese-you will need to check a food guide for lower-fat cheese.

Dobbins, B. The New Encyclopedia..ppgs. 706-708; ppgs. 744-745.

Fun Pictures

Two Nutrition MVPs- Salmon and Spinach

SALMON FLORENTINE

6 ounces center cut salmon steak

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup packed fresh baby spinach leaves

1/4 cup *Marinara Sauce

1 tablespoon *Red Pepper Almond Pesto

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Season the salmon with pepper.

Heat an ovenproof saute pan and spray with vegetable oil spray. Sear salmon 1-2 minutes per side. Remove pan from heat.

Top the salmon with fresh spinach, Red Pepper Almond Pesto, and Marinara Sauce.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Workout- 07/23/07

"Challenges are what make life interesting; ovecoming them is what makes life meaningful."
-Joshua J. Marine

Warm-up and Stretch- 5 minutes
Muscles Worked: FULL BODY BLAST

Round One: Two Sets (No Rest Between Exercises)
1) Sit-ups- 25 times
2)Burpees- 25 times
3) Push-ups- 25 times
Rest 30 sec and Repeat

Round Two: Two Sets (No Rest Between Exercises/Use Challenging Weight)
1) Two-Motion Lying DB Chest Press (2=1)- 10 times
*Always start your two-motion from the bottom/press half way/go back down to start point/press full
2) Squat Jump with Medicine Ball Toss- 15 times
3) Push-ups- 10 times
4) Three-Step Squats (one side at a time/use body weight for 1st set/use moderate dbs for 2nd set/3=1 rep)- 15 times each side
5) One Lap Sprint with Ten (10) Squat Jumps at each corner- Goal Time: under 1 min
Rest 30 sec and Repeat

Round Three: Two Sets (No Rest Between Exercises/Use Challenging Weight)
1) Two-Motion Standing DB Shoulder Press (2=1)- 10 times
*Always start your two-motion from the bottom/press half way/go back down to start point/press full
2) DB Front Raises- 15 times + DB Lateral Raises- 15 times
3) MB Push-Ups- 10 times each side (One arm on M.B./Opposite arm on floor)
4) Four-Step Squats (One side at a time/1st set-moderate weight/2nd set-increase weight/
4=1 rep)- 12 times
5) One Lap Sprint with Fifteen Squat Jumps at each corner- Goal Time: under 1 min 30 sec
Rest 30 sec and Repeat

Round Four: Two Sets (No Rest Between Exercises/Use Challenging Weight)
1) (#23) Two-Motion Incline Chest Press (2=1)- 10 times
*Always start your two-motion from the bottom/press half way/back down to starting point/press full
2) Barbell Upright Row- 12 times
3) Two-Motion Push-ups (2=1)- 12 times
*Always start your two-motion at the bottom/push half way/back down to start point/push full
4) DB Step Taps on 17" box- 25 times (one leg at a time/slow and controlled motion)
5) (#25) Two-Motion Close-Grip Shoulder Press (2=1)- 10 times
*Same form for all two-motion exercises
6) DB Front-To-Side Shoulder Raises (2=1)- 15 times
7) Box Jumps on 17" Box- 25 times (controlled/fast as possible)
Rest 30 sec and Repeat

GOOD JOB! CHALLENGE YOURSELF AT ALL TIMES!

Push Yourself To The Next Level

"When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: GIVE UP OR FIGHT LIKE HELL."
-Lance Armstrong

Never give up in what you believe in. Keep your mind and your emotions (YOUR PASSION) in alignment behind your hopes, your dreams, your destiny. Once everything is aligned then it is time for action. DO IT! FIGHT!

"Play hard and win big. The more you train, the more you gain."
-David Beckham

I love this quote. When you train with intensity and determination...you become a winner overall. Not just in the gym but in LIFE! Don't forget that in order to win you must WORK- mental, emotional, and physical. Most importantly, understand that YOUR WORK never ends. And that is the BEAUTY OF IT ALL...you will appreciate and embrace your VICTORY overall.

"I've never been afraid to fail."
-Michael Jordan

I believe it was through Jordan's persistence and determination that helped him to be so successful. In the ninth grade, Jordan was cut from the basketball team and he experienced a sense of failure in his early years. I believe that his experience of failure was a blessing in disguise for Jordan...it made him stronger and determined to make the team the next year. He worked so hard and never gave up on his dream and ended making the team the next year and the rest is history. I think that he knew if he failed at one point during his basketball career he would win in the end because of his perseverance. Never be afraid to fail...we all have failed at one point or another, it is what you do after you fail that is the most important. Don't ever give up!

You are beaten to earth?
Well, well, what's that?
Come up with a smiling face,
It's nothing against you to fall down flat
But to lie there- that's disgrace!
-Edmund Cooke on persistence

How Foods Work Together

1) Is it important to have greater energy and vitality? The answer is YES!
2) Do you want to sleep better? The answer is YES!
3) Is it important that your body should heal faster and recuperate faster after a hard training session or week? The answer is YES!
4) Do you want to perform at your highest peak? The answer is YES!

I am including some suggestions on nutrition that you may want to consider. It will be challenging but also worthwhile, especially if you see changes in your energy and your body. It is very important that you understand how your body works...timing and combinations of certain foods can make such a huge difference in weight loss, how your body functions on a daily basis, and just feeling good each and every day. It is crucial that you are not combining the wrong foods at the wrong times, and even though the foods are healthy, they could be cancelling out each other's beneficial effects. So the concept is how foods work together to keep you healthy.

Food Groups:
Group A: Proteins, vegetables, and fats (meat, fish, vegetables, nuts, and oils)
Group B: Carbohydrates (grains, pasta, beans, rice, potato)
Group C: Sweet fruits, fresh cheese (such as cream cheese), and sugar and other sweeteners
Group D: Acidic fruits (citrus, berries, etc.) and sour dairy products (yogurt, buttermilk)
Group E: Sweet dairy products

Rules:
*Foods from Group A combine with each other plus ONE from group B.
*Foods from Group C combine with each other plus ONE from group B.
*Foods from Group B do not combine with each other but combine with Groups A or C.
* Foods from Group D do not combine with each other or any other group. They must be eaten alone.
*Foods from Group E combine with all of Group B and C but none of Group A.

The Big No-Nos:
1) No alcohol. Drink lots of water instead.
2) No dessert. It impedes the absorption of your dinner nutrients.
3) No aged cheeses or vinegar. Aged cheeses have a high fat content. Vinegar is pure acid, which cannot mix with anything else-and you can't eat a meal of vinegar alone.
4) No processed foods, or as few as possible.

Gracie, R. Superfit (2004). p. 209-211.

Fun Workout- Combo of 01/30/08 and 02/02/08

"Keep adding, keep walking, keep advancing: do not stop, do not turn back, do not turn from the straight road." -Saint Augustine

ROUND ONE: No Rest Between Exercises
1) Straight-Legged to Heels-to-Butt Sit-ups- 15 times
2) One Crunch/Hold Crunch in Up-Position/Hip Raise (2=1)- 15 times
3) Straight-Legged to Heels-to-Butt Sit-ups- 20 times
4) Two Crunches/Hold 2nd Crunch in Up-Position/Two Hip Raises (4=1)- 12 times
5) Straight-Legged to Heels-to-Butt Sit-ups- 25 times
6) Three Crunches/Hold 3rd Crunch in Up-Position/Three Hip Raises (6=1)- 10 times
7) Core Plank (make sure hands are apart and feet are apart)- 1 minute
8) Wide-Position Push-ups (4th position)- 15 times
9) Core Plank (same as above)- 1 minute
10) Diamond-Shape Push-ups (make a diamond with your hands)- 15 times

ROUND TWO: No Rest Between Exercises
1) Windjammer Race (Palms-Down)- 2 min/Goal: Men: Level 8-9 and Women: Level 7-8
***Must Win In Order To Move On!
2) Bent-Over DB Punches to the Floor (make sure your stance is wide & knees bent/elbows in/chest down)-40 Total/Goal Weight: Men: 20#-25#/Women: 15#-20#
3) Alternating Squat Push-Press (Use the same weight used for Bent-Over Punches)- 40 Total
4) Repeat #2 and #4- To complete TWO SETS THRU!
5) Windjammer Race (Palms-Up)- 2 min/Same Level as stated in #1
**Must Win In Order To Move On!

ROUND THREE: No Rest Between Exercises
1) M.B. or Plate Stand-Ups- 15 times (Goal is to use no weight/make sure feet do not move)
2) One Crunch + One Sit-ups/Heels to Butt (2=1)- 15 times
3) Right-Side Corkscrew + Hip Raise+ Left Side Corkscrew + Hip Raise (keep legs straight at all times/4=1)- 15 times
4) M.B. or Plate Stand-ups- 20 times (Goal is same as #1)
5) Two Crunches + Two Sit-ups/Bringing Heels-in-to Butt (4=1)- 12 times
6) Two>Right-Side Corkscrews + Two Hip Raises + Two>Left-Side Corkscrews + Two Hip Raises (keep legs straight at all times/8=1)- 12 times
7) Traveling Forward Burpee + Backward Burpee (stay low in a squat position/try to jump as long forward and as long backward/2=1)- 10 times/Rest 45 seconds/Repeat to complete a Total of Two Sets

ROUND FOUR:
1) (#34) Cybex Universal Row (palms-down)- 3x10-12 reps/Rest only 15 seconds between sets
*Goal Weight: Men: 7-9 plates/Women: 5-7 plates
2) Traveling> Two Forward Burpees + Two Backward Burpees (same as above stay as low as possible/DO NOT COME UP FROM YOUR SQUAT POSITION/4=1)- 8 times/Rest 45 seconds/Repeat to complete a Total of Two Sets
3) Cybex Shoulder Press (palms-in)- 3x 10-12 reps/Rest only 15 seconds between sets
*Goal Weight: Men- 5-7 plates/Women: 3-5 plates
4) Traveling> Three Forward Burpees + Three Backward Burpees (same as above/stay as low as possible/STAY DOWN/6=1)- 6 times/Rest 45 seconds/Repeat to complete a Total of Two Sets

THE END!
YOU DID IT! WAY TO PUSH AND WAY TO FINISH THIS FIGHT!

*Definitions of certain exercises will be located on the right side of the blog

The Formula

I was given this message from a trainer in Tulsa, Oklahoma about seven years ago, and I now want to pass it on to you.

THE FORMULA
The formula is that wonderful feeling inside that tells you that you can do anything. The Formula is GOD given; we all have THE FORMULA you just have to find it!

*The feeling you experience when you know your purpose in life
*That burst of energy...the last mile of the race
*Experiencing the best workout ever and knowing you gave your all
*Running your first race and finishing no matter what place
*Coming up with a successful business plan in the middle of the night
*Overcoming that intense muscle fatigue...biking up that impossible hill
*Reaching your goal when others thought you would fail
*When you know you have done the impossible