Weekend Wrap-Up

Ah, Sunday night, where we relax and regroup for the upcoming week.  Good thing this week is short, as Turkey Day is on Thursday.  Everybody looks forward to Thanksgiving, except the Turkeys; those tasty, tasty Turkeys.

I’m as excited about Thanksgiving as the next person, but what I’m not looking forward to is the lack of a gym!  Both Adelphi and the JCC will be closed, so I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.  I’m currently devising a Thanksgiving morning workout with a friend that will consist of car pushing, kettlebell throwing, TRX using, and anything we can come up with that will make the binge eating more acceptable.  If you’re in the Oceanside area and want to have some fun, let me know!

Here is my weekend wrap up.  I’ll cover a few topics from the weekend, and I hope you find them interesting and useful.

1. That midnight premier of Harry Potter that I went to?  Absolutely amazing, except for the fact that Part 2 comes out in July of 2011.  That’s evil, but if it’s as good as Part 1, then I’m going to be more excited than I was for my first born child.  And I don’t even have a first born child.

2. On Saturday, I met with and assessed new client, a 13 year old boy.  He was really excited to get in the gym and move around, and it was only an assessment.  I know that I’m going to have a blast working with him and teaching him how to exercise, and I’m looking forward to seeing him next week.  The majority of our work is going to be with mobility, body awareness, and movement quality; don’t expect to hear about him back squatting for a while.  I read THIS post by Brian Grasso (via Mike Robertson) a while ago, and I think it’s applicable to anybody who’s working with youth athletes, either as coaches or trainers.

3. I received two e-mails from friends this weekend asking for some fitness advice.  One of them asked about ‘getting back into it’, and the other asked about a multi-purpose shoe selection.  I’d like to share abbridged versions of my response, in case you were wondering the same thing:

Multi-purpose shoes for exercise?  If you’ve read at least 1 post here, you know I have a slight love affair with Nike Frees for training.  You’d be surprised to know that I didn’t flat out recommend Nike Free’s to Shane who e-mailed me.  Here’s why:  The Free’s are sneakers that allow your foot the freedom to move unsupported.  This is great for lifting, and running in straight lines. However, some of the models (3.0, 5.0) feel pretty unstable when you try to move laterally.  I make sure to not wear my 3.0’s if I’m playing any sport that requires agility, and replace them with the Free Sparq’s that i have.  Shane needs a shoe that he can play basketball in, and I think that the ‘running’ models of the sneaker wouldn’t be as safe to wear as the ‘training’ models.  The training models offer stability that you’ll find much more satisfying underfoot.

My friend Jason, who I’ve programmed for in the past, asked me about getting back into planned exercise.  A first year law student, he’s been swamped with school work and has had trouble finding consistent exercise time.  My recommendation to Jason was to try to exercise 4 times a week; two strength training sessions and two interval-based cardiovascular sessions.  He’ll have ample training effect to get through the last month of the semester, and with proper exercise selection can complete the strength training sessions in about an hour and the HIIT sessions in around 20 minutes.  That’s obviously a small time commitment, but one that would pay big dividends.

4. Today I discovered THIS blogpost from Valerie Waters, where she discusses some of her favorite quotes that help her get motivated for a workout.  The list is great, and the motivational video makes you want to get up and move!  I’d suggest keeping this list around for when you need a kick in the pants.

5. Jason Ferrugia has put together a 6 article series that follows the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.  In the series, titled Minimalism, he touches on the basics that often work the best.  If you have the time, sit down and go through the series, or try to read one a day for the next week.  It’s worth your time. 

1. Part 1
2. Part 2 Exercise Selection
3. Part 3 Nutrition
4. Part 4 Supplements
5. Part 5 Meal Frequency
6. Part 6 Support Gear

6. My brother this photo online this week with the caption, “Cool or tool?”  The picture was merely a bottle of Fiji water resting on the cup holder in his car.  While he may have been asking about the square bottle not fitting in round cup holders, or the fact that he drives a Volkswagen Jetta, he was actually asking about drinking Fiji water.  Now, I’ve had Fiji water, and I’ll admit that when I’m in a pinch I’ll purchase that brand; of all the bottled waters, there is something different about it.  However, it’s not the elixir of life like some people make it out to be, and I’m conscious enough to know that water is water.  It doesn’t matter where it comes from, it’s still going to be healthy for you.  You can do your wallet AND the environment a favor and use a refillable bottle.  I fill my 20oz bottle anywhere between 6 and 8 times a day, and I feel markedly better when I do.  I’m usually a drag on days I forget to drink water.  I also look far less pretentious carrying a shaker bottle than I would if I carried a bottle of water that was flown halfway around the world.  Just sayin’.

7. If you’ve been checking the site out for a while, you may have noticed the new blogroll that I’ve put together on the right sidebar.  I thought it was about time that I put together a list of the people that I follow, so you can find other sources of information if you’d like.  The more I learn the more I’ll add to that list, and I hope you find it educational and entertaining.

It’s getting late, and if I don’t get myself to bed soon I’m going to feel like this soccer reporter when I wake in the morning.  Two days of school and then a 5 day weekend; who else is looking forward to that?!