— Leave a Comment

How do you Maximize High Intensity Training for Accelerated fat loss?

Use heavy weights

Of course heavy is relative to the levels of your capabilities. Lifting technique improvements can certainly make for a safer and more powerful exercise. Progressive resistance is fundamental to strength training philosophy.

Body-weight can be heavy enough especially if you perform the reps as fast as you can

Body weight can be heavy enough if you perform the reps as fast as you can or get more work done in a shorter period of time than your last workout (aim for progress)

Training the mind to train the muscle and burn fat

Why do some people not go nearly as heavy as they can? Perhaps to play it safe and I understand that. More vulnerable populations (like if you’ve had shoulder surgeries) will have to watch it especially. That being said, the healthy workout population should consider this…

Lower the size of fat cells, while increasing the density of muscle cells

Lower the size of fat cells, while increasing the density of muscle cells

Maybe people don’t go heavy because they don’t want to bulk up. I’ll say that some people are more prone than others in this bulking regard. Most often it is the opposite — once people train heavier, they get lowered body fat and denser. It’s likely due to the reduced reps and volume.

Central Nervous System for fitness, cognitive function and mobility

We train movement patterns at Orangetheory Fitness in Seattle. For example, a common exercise is the squat and goblet squats with a weight do make the booty go good.

Goblet Squat keep your core tight and drive through heels

Goblet Squat keep your core tight and drive through heels

The heavier we go relative to our overall 100% max is similar to doing a push pace at 84% or higher on the treadmills. In other words, by increasing the intensity there are many ways that the exercise recovery will produce beneficial body adaptations.

So next time you select a training weight, think about what is 80% of what your overall maximum capability would be and go from there.

Squeeze the weight

You will activate more nervous system pathways by squeezing the weight and focusing on full body tension during every multi-joint exercise.

Stay tuned…

 

Orangetheory Fitness Seattle Orangetheory Seattle Power of the Mind Sports & Athletics Weightloss Now
— Leave a Comment

Fat loss and fitness secrets: Manifest the coach in all of us

To accomplish anything worth accomplishing, you have got to have the right attitude

Back in college, I recall doing an internship at the Environmental Protection Agency’s Seattle headquarters and my mentor would often mention her coach. This coach, of course we’re not talking about luxury brands here (but that’s alright too), was delivering professional services to help with motivation and overall career success.

attitude

The many different faces of coaching

When I used to think about coaches, I would think about the middle age guy who had a son on the baseball team and was the person who took us through drills and practice. Now I realize that coaching is so much more than that. We have the opportunity to coach other people in all aspects of life.

You're about to get coached

You’re about to get coached

The practice of self-coaching and taking action today

Unhappiness and disappointment seems to have a way of creeping into our bodies… if we let it. At some point, maybe you realize that thinking about your problems isn’t worth the time when you could be doing something. You could be steaming some broccoli and even that is small step towards wellness.

Coach others by unlocking the power and confidence that resides within us all

It’s not about telling you what to do…  it is about bringing new perspective and making people excited about their potential. I realized that when you are coaching yourself, then you will be able to coach others. You will be able to coach upwards, to your clients, to your peers, and to your subordinates by listening and reflecting a side of this person that they have yet to realize.

beauty

 

What a gift it is to somebody when they feel that motivation deep inside, that they have the opportunity to make action, and that their new perspectives are the catalyst for success in any particular realm.

Your presence can be a gift to others

I acknowledge my own challenges. If I want to be accepted by others, then I should practice unconditional acceptance of others. To coach others, coach myself. To love others, to love myself. And so on…

The best coaches know themselves well. Their self-awareness is practiced, their philosophies tested, and they put in the work.

All great coaches started somewhere. If you want other people to be able to feel like they can be their best selves, then take a moment each day to coach yourself to be your best self.

start

Power of the Mind
— Leave a Comment

Six Powerful Perspectives for Fitness / Fat Loss

Have you fallen into the “weight loss trap?”

A common experience for people who have the number one goal as “weight loss” will view the success/failures of their efforts in a one dimensional way. Let us expand our views on Fitness, so that we can all experience the effect of fat loss.

Perspectives of Fitness — tools for the journey

Think about some ways you imagine fitness to improve lives in general. Mentally list off some ways that people experience the benefit of fitness.

We all benefit from fitness. I’ll get to the idea of fat loss as an effect later.

1. We all benefit from fitness no matter the body type

It’s true that everybody has a different body shape. Gains in fitness can be significant for all. Fitness is is simply worth pursuing.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero like this

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a hero like this

Take a look at the picture above. The arms and shoulders are highly developed and probably only just a small part of our body image programming.

How many thousands of ways have we seen unreachable body types in media since youth? Images can be pervasive in ways I’m sure you’ve seen those before/after YouTube videos of models.

2. Fat loss related to stress management

The goal of fitness is to improve the working mechanisms in the body so that when we are at rest or in action– we tend to deal with stress better.

Stress is a key element which people experience — whether thin, slim, or carry rotund tendencies… being able to deal with stress is truly an overlooked element of fitness.

Juice from Marlene's market Tacoma, somebody's idea of stress management

Juice from Marlene’s market, somebody’s idea of stress management

You can look at stress as a stimulant in certain ways. After strong stimulus there must be recovery. How quickly do you recover?

3. Whats the deal with cardio

It’s a matter of red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins of humans, carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide from the tissues of the body. Cardio is all about flow, rhythm, and persistence.

Cardio is for Kings and Queens and all of His people

Cardio is for Kings and Queens and all of His people

4. Use your cardio, to grow your brain

Fitness benefits from methods of physical expression. Use challenging movement patterns to enhance the neural circuitry of the brain.

Rear food elevated split squat throwback

Rear foot elevated split squat

5. To advance in fitness, you may have to narrow focus (go faster)

If you are doing HIIT on the treadmill its a good idea to get faster or make a progression on your incline. Getting faster is a sure fire way to burn fat.

“It’s not about how fast you run, it’s about how you run fast”

6. Deliver the nutrients

Consume a vegetable strong, omega+3 focused diet for goals of nutrient density.

Again, just keep it simple.

Again, just keep it simple.

Not everybody needs to lose weight, while every gain in fitness is valuable. Focus on putting the right things in.

Your fitness matters most for your own benefit

Gains in fitness are more valuable than weight loss as a metric for physical progress. Many fitness adaptations are not measured yet should be seen for the benefit it is.

On another spectrum, people with body fat percentage higher than 20% may benefit from weight loss overall.

Find your reason.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Power of the Mind
— Leave a Comment

Why I love Training

Training is about progression

Training is not always about raw strength.

Squatdeep

For example, even though my Squat strength has not skyrocketed in my previous years of training, technique has improved, range of motion increased, I recover faster, and the practice of squatting has become a catalyst for other healthy behaviors within the body and in my life.

Training supports clarity and rest

Sometimes I have so many thoughts in my head it’s challenging to write about a specific subject for the blog, but after exercise I feel the gears in my head running smoothly like a calm mechanical serenity of sorts.

Can you imagine what it is like to transform stress into something else? I can’t say that exercise always brings happiness, even though it can help you ask yourself the questions that ultimately lead to a happier state. In what ways will I guide myself into a healthier being? If I could do one thing right now to improve my well-being, even if it was something tiny, would would it be?

(a: write a blog post)

Training is anti-aging

I feel that we have a destiny in this world and beyond that — I have to think that age plays an important role in the stages of our learning. Since proper training is always progressive in some way (remember it doesn’t have to be linear), you should also realize that aging is not linear either.

aging

What does that mean — Aging is not linear?

The reality is that the signs of youth, vigor, strength, beauty, etc. are more due to internal factors rather than external. To explain further, the health of the cells in your body is dynamic and strongly affected by periods of stress, disease, poor sleeping patterns, caffeine, alcohol, substance abuse, lack of nutrients, loss of nutrients, dehydration, exposure to everyday chemicals, exposure to toxins, exposure to radiation, chronic inflammation, auto-immune disorders, and even more.

Training is a beautiful stimulus.

Not only will training release a cascade of beneficial body-recomposition hormones, it will also affect the way you view the world. How we perceive our own realities will determine the decisions we make about eating for well-being (as opposed to weight loss), it will help us take care of ourselves and love ourselves.

Training can manifest the most profound mental and physical transformations you’ve ever experienced

The world is always changing. There are some things that we have no control over — however we should strive to gain self-mastery in the areas that are most important to our lives (that is– which you value the most).

A holistic approach

A holistic approach

Self-mastery from training is exhibited through perfect technique and form (because you realize that the actual weight matters less than the muscular activation), self-mastery is by resting when you need rest, eating nutrient dense foods, and self-mastery is surrendering yourself to the perseverance of defeating each limiting belief you carry — one by one.

I believe in you.

Power of the Mind
— Leave a Comment

Thoughts on Cyclical Nature of health and wellness

Most of what we know about life.

Is Cyclical

occurring in cycles; recurrent.

The cycles which effect life are mostly out of our control. Therefore, just as you can imagine people going through harsh winters, we must adapt (or move the heck outta there!).

Adaptation occurs through cycles

Sleep. Wake. Eat. Move. Rest. Eat. Sleep

Image

By eating certain foods, we add stimulus into the systems — the cycles become enhanced by antioxidants and energizing nutrients.

Cycle your fruits and vegetables, especially your supplements

Variety of beneficial nutrients is key. Focus on one goal at a time. Such as: Consume kale three times per week.

The following week you will be able to experiment with other fruits and vegetables. Listen to how your body feels when you eat these foods. If you are eating “enough” fruits and vegetables, then you should look very lean in the midsection.

Power of the Mind