Take advantage of what you have...

This past weekend the Lady Knights took a trip to Frankfort, Kentucky for a softball tournament and then we headed up to Cincinnati for a Reds game and on to the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason for a couple of days of fun and relaxation.  But I needed to get in at least one good workout.

The Great Wolf Lodge had a decent fitness center but no free weights.  So, I took advantage of the machine equipment and some good old fashioned jumping jacks to get a sweat going.  Then I knocked out some pushups before hitting the treadmill for twenty minutes at a seven percent incline.

One thing I've noticed from my reading is that running on an incline burns more calories that running on flat ground, so anytime you have an option, opt for some incline.  I've noticed that my legs get a greater workout too!

After my workout I took a nice hot shower and then spent the next three hours learning how to play MagiQuest from some seven and eight year old kids!

Remember, you can get in a good workout no matter where you are or what you have to work with as long as you are motivated to get it done!  Keep working hard and remember to set your goals and work hard and smart to achieve them!

Soreness that makes me smile!

On Monday I had my best lifting workout of the new year.  It wasn't all that different from my other lifting days with one exception:  I did front squats.

That's it!  Nothing fancy, really, but it's been several months since I've attempted any sort of squatting due to the pain and stiffness in my knees.  Thankfully, I've gotten some relief after visiting a specialist and getting properly medicated to help relieve my gout symptoms.

I started with a simple lift of 135 pounds - the standard bar and two forty five pound weights on each side.  I did seven reps just past ninety degrees.  That's much deeper than I've been able to go for a very long time.  The resulting depth and muscle stretch really worked my whole body, but especially my butt and hamstrings.  I've been walking a bit gingerly but the satisfaction of knowing that I've worked muscles I haven't been able to work for a while gives me the confidence and motivation to hit the squat rack the next time I get to the weight room.

Don't have access to a squat rack?  Do your own variation.  Lean back against a wall and then slide down until your thighs are parallel to the ground.  Hold for ten seconds and stand up.  Do seven to ten reps for three sets.  When you get good at this, pick up a small bag of dog or catfood and hold it tight to your chest while you do the exercise.  Soon you'll start to feel the burning in your thighs and you'll see results in no time!

Good luck with your fitness work and have a great weekend!

Combo lifts that rock!!!

As a high school athlete I hated lifting weights.  Actually, I hated everything except for squatting because for some reason I had a knack for putting up big numbers which I was never able to do with bench pressing.  However, a little over a year ago I learned a new and improved exercise that I wish I'd known back in the day.  It's called the Clean Complex and I learned it at the University of Arizona softball clinic.

The lift is actually four lifts in one starting with a shrug to a clean to a front squat to an overhead press.  When done properly you work the whole body and your heart will be racing!  For a guy who never liked lifting, I've come to love this particular lift because it hits all my weak areas as well as my strong ones.  The first thing you will need is a weight bar that you can lift over your head with minimal effort.  Once you get the lift pattern or sequence down you can progress to an Olympic bar and from there begin to add weight.

The first part of the lift is gripping with an overhead grip and standing, letting the bar hang across your thighs.  You will then bend at the knees slightly and then shrug the weight up chest high.  Let the weight drop in a controlled fall back to the starting point.  Bend your knees again and clean the weight, flipping your elbows underneath and allowing the bar to rest on your hands in a front squat position.  Bend into a shallow front squat and then explode up, pressing the weight overhead.  Now, allow the weight to come down and control it back to the starting position at your thighs.  That is one rep!  When starting up our off season program we will do a seven, five, three rep breakdown until we start adding weight and then we drop to a five, four, three.

If I only have time or strength for one lift this is the one I do.  It works every major muscle group and it kicks my tail!  Give it a shot with a no weight.  Use a broom handle if that's all you have until you get it down.  You should develop a good rhythm as I tell my girls:  Shrug it, flip it, squat it, throw it!  Do it again!  As always talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program and good luck!

Wanna see what it looks like?  Here's how I do it:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJWsTaULgac