Bodyweight Training - And Real Functional Fitness

Bodyweight training- and real functional fitness

Most trainers and fitness gurus and so called hard guys only read about functional fitness they have no idea what functional fitness really is. Reading about functional fitness and working as a labor for a few months does not make them an expert.

You want an expert on functional fitness you find a laborer that trains and is extremely fit. Flipping tires, pushing wheel barrows, pulling a weighted sled for an hour 3 times a week is not labor intensive. This type of training is for the pencil pusher. The non laborer.

I have watched men hit a tire with a sledge hammer to build some core strength try breaking up some rock and then tossing it in the back of a truck.

I seen a video's of MMA training camps where they were pushing wheel barrows with weight plates and the wheel barrow had two wheels on the front, where's the strength building in that ?

A wheel barrow with one wheel is twice as hard and will work a ton of stabilizing muscles. Watch a laborer who fills a wheelbarrow full of stone weighing 300 to 600 lbs using a shovel in a one wheeled wheelbarrow. Think of the stabilizing muscles of the core and the grip strength it takes to move this wheelbarrow and he will do this all day long 8,10,12 hours a day.

I have seen videos of men pulling weighted sleds with 50 or 100 lbs on them, try using a pallet jack and pulling a 2,000 lb pallet around a warehouse or on a loading dock. Who's getting the better workout ? The man pulling the weighted sled or the man pulling around 2,000 lbs.

 

How about the man the loads and unloads a 48' tractor/trailer full of truck tires. Check out the man that has a job as a furniture mover, picking up all odd objects bending , twisting, reaching, climbing steps backwards holding on with their finger tips these are some of the jobs that the average man does to make a living.

Do you think a man has to have a high level of functional fitness to do this day in and day out? What the average laborer does in a day would cripple the fitness guru, if I needed back up in a situation that took heart and real strength it wouldn't be pencil pushing 3 time a week functional fitness trainer.

I have seen college football players,weight lifters, wrestlers, so called tough guys fail in the world of labor they were just not functionally fit and if they were they were for a short period of time and couldn't handle the work day in and day out.

This is where body-weight training will separate the men from the boys.The fact is that a lot of people will tell you that you won't get strong using body-weight only exercises and the fact is that using your own body-weight can and will get you to a different level of fitness that most people will never know. A level of functional fitness that will never let you down. You will go longer. You will stay stronger longer. You will become more explosive and faster. You will become more athletic.

Here's a workout that will build some functional fitness.

You need a 50 to 100lb sand bag or heavy bag and 10 yards.

With the bag on the ground bear crawl around the bag 10 times as fast as possible.
Shoulder the bag and run 10 yards put the bag down bear crawl around it 9 times
shoulder it with the other shoulder continue this until you reach 1 then go back up
to 10. 

Remember to switch shoulders each time.

Source John Grube B.C.S

Crossfit Training Becomes More Popular With Women

Crossfit is the hottest fitness craze today, but how does it work and can everyone Crossfit? Crossfit Clearwater training is exactly that. Crossing various types of workouts in order to maximize the exercise, this exercise involves muscle and strength training, aerobics, endurance and balance testing, and flexibility to increase agility. It can be very extensive and is not recommended for beginners.
Training with crossfit is often thought of as a strength and conditioning methodology of exercise. There are crossfit machines that claim to have this ability, but do lack some components and no machine can handle it all. CrossFit routines maintain that the best way to work the body is to never focus on just one area, but rather by focusing on the entire body. CrossFit Clearwater Programs use €free weights, kettle bells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars and many calisthenics exercises. CrossFit may call on athletes to skip, run, row, climb ropes, jump up on boxes, flip giant tires, and carry odd objects. They can also squat and bounce medicine balls against walls.€

You Won't Get Bulky. Remember with Crossfit Clearwater: your bodyweight depends on the amount of calories you eat & expend. Strength training will make you gain muscle & lose fat. But you'll stay at the same bodyweight unless you start eating more. 

 

  Women have lower testosterone levels than men. Muscle mass & strength depend on your testosterone levels. The only way women can get as muscular as man is by using steroids or pro-hormones. There are many Benefits for Women taking Crossfit Clearwater training. I wrote about the reasons to starts strength training in the past. They're the same for women:
 * Less Fat. More muscles, decreased body fat at the same bodyweight.
  *Balanced Physique. Many women are skinny in the upper body & bulky in their legs. Strength training will balance your physique.
  *Increased Bone Density. Lifting weights prevents osteoporosis.
  *Blood Circulation. Helps combat cellulites on thighs & gluts.
  *More strength
  *Fun. Women really like sports from my experience, especially when they have fun while getting results.
How Women Should Train. There is no difference with this workout. You want to work out the same as men do. Women want to do the same exercises, same sets, and reps. Same Crossfit Clearwater Florida programs. If your goal is toning up & losing fat, strength is your tool. Focus on getting stronger on the Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift, and Overhead Press & Pull-up. Get on the beginner strength training program.

Some results include. The difference in testosterone levels will influence the results you'll achieve as a woman. In general: Increased muscle mass, but less than a man. You will also see a decrease in body fat. 16% for women is the same as 10% for men. Also you will enjoy an increase in strength, but again less than a man.
In terms of physique, look at the women at CrossFit. They're athletic, in shape & not bulky. Their secret is simple: training hard, consistently & eating healthy.

 Source Alex Sanders / Crossfit Clearwater
 

Training for Obstacle Course Races

 Sourced By Pete McCall, MS  McCall has an MS in Exercise Science and Health Promotion

Wading through chest-high water, running up muddy hills, climbing over walls, swinging on monkey bars and crawling through mud might seem like challenges for soldiers in basic training, but these are just a few examples of obstacles from popular racing events that have significantly changed the recreational fitness landscape over the past few years. While standard running distances like 5 kilometers (3.2 miles), 10 kilometers (6.4 miles), or a 26.2 mile marathon primarily challenge aerobic endurance, obstacle course races provide a greater fitness challenge by requiring upper-body strength combined with anaerobic power. Individuals who exercise frequently and value physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle also enjoy testing themselves with demanding fitness challenges. For many, completing a challenging obstacle course provides a sense of accomplishment that traditional running races can’t offer.
What is an Obstacle Course Race?
An “obstacle course race” is a generic term for a type of running race that has exploded in popularity in recent years. A typical obstacle course run can range from 5 kilometers (3.2 miles) to 10+ miles in length and feature numerous obstacles like mud pits, ice baths, tunnels, walls or even the occasional fire pit. Events such as Warrior Dash, Spartan Race and Tough Mudder are examples of races with specific themes and specially designed obstacles. Fans of AMC’s The Walking Dead can even sign up for races that require participants to dodge zombies while running an obstacle course. Creative people with an artistic bent can participate in color runs, where participants wear all white and are splashed with vibrant colors between the start and the finish of the run. The Boot Camp Challenge at the Marine Corps Recruit Training Depot in San Diego allows participants to run a scaled-down version of the obstacle course used in basic training, with verbal “encouragement” offered by real Marine Corps drill instructors.
For adults who played competitive team sports up to and through college it can be tough to find the same sort of athletic challenge once they’ve entered the professional working world. Obstacle course races provide a worthy athletic outlet because athleticism and strength are required to successfully overcome many challenging obstacles. This allows for the emergence of an inner warrior not easily expressed at home or in the workplace. Training for and participating in obstacle course races also allows competitive individuals to have the experience of a challenging competition without the logistics of committing to a team practice or an extensive game schedule. In many races, participants are encouraged to support and help one another; for example, the Tough Mudder events are not timed and the start includes an oath that encourages participants to work together to overcome the obstacles and achieve success.
Marketing Opportunity
If you are looking for unique ways to market your personal-training services or boot camp, it might be a good idea to offer a conditioning program to help individuals train for an upcoming obstacle course race in your area. Registration for races includes both individual and group options, making them a perfect opportunity to design a small-group training program. Training for a challenging goal in a group environment can develop friendships, which can help an individual participant develop the self-efficacy to establish adherence to regular exercise.
If you want to use an upcoming event as an opportunity to promote your fitness business, start by researching events in your area. Make sure that you pick one that is an appropriate skill level for your participants. Keep in mind that some obstacle course events feature obstacles that are difficult and could cause extreme injury if done improperly. (Although events don’t require participants to do the obstacles and offer ways around them, it can be easy for a participant to get caught up in the moment and try something above his or her skill level.)
Training for an obstacle course race involves more than just running. Many obstacles require participants to have the upper-body strength to lift their own body weight, the coordination to climb over walls and the flexibility to low-crawl through tunnels or under barbed wire (seriously). Most races will list the majority of the obstacles online, leaving room for a few surprises on race day. Another factor is that some obstacles will require teamwork to overcome, making it important to include various partner and group drills in the training program. Review the race course and then design a workout program to prepare participants for the demands of the competition. Most event websites list training tips for how to prepare for the race; however, if you want to brush up on ideas to create a progressively challenging conditioning program, it might be helpful to check out the ACE Sports Conditioning workshop to learn how to design energy system-specific exercise programs.
Planning a Conditioning Program

The Tough Mudder series feature courses with approximately 25 obstacles spread out over 10 to 12 miles (due to the variability of the event venues it can be difficult to have the exact same course at each different location). This means that a participant can expect to perform one obstacle about every 0.5 mile or approximately 1 kilometer (0.6 miles). If participants are expected to overcome an obstacle every 1 kilometer or so, it becomes more important to emphasize high-intensity intervals for running as opposed to the long, slow distance training typically performed for endurance events.
A combination of climbing over obstacles and running at high bursts of speed requires the ability to work at an intensity near the second ventilatory threshold (VT2,) commonly referred to as the onset of blood lactate (OBLA). To prepare for the specific metabolic challenges of running an obstacle course race, a conditioning program should alternate between circuits of three to five strength exercises, with minimal rest periods between each exercise, and bouts of high-speed running following a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocol.
The following sample workout demonstrates how to use strength training combined with HIIT running intervals to prepare for an obstacle course race. Other training options include using equipment like heavy medicine balls, weight sleds, heavy tires, stair running and sandbags. The idea is to create dynamic and unstable loads to prepare the body for the challenges it will face during the event. As with any training program, ensure that the exercises are the appropriate skill level and intensity for your participants and offer modifications when necessary.
Sample Workout to Prepare for an Obstacle Course Race

Exercise	Intensity	Work Interval	Recovery Interval	Repetitions
Warm-up: -Plank -Side plank -Standing hip hinge -High knee skips -Lateral shuffles -Backpedals	Bodyweight (BW) BW Jogging Jogging Jogging	30 sec. 30 sec. 30 sec. 10 meters 10 meters 10 meters	1 min after circuit	Perform BW exercises as a circuit – 2-3 times Perform jogging drills as a circuit – 2-3 times
Strength Circuit 1: -TRX Push-ups -TRX Back rows -Medicine ball overhead slams -Mountain climbers	BW BW 3-5 Kg BW	45 sec. 45 sec. 45 sec. 45 sec.	90 seconds after circuit	2-3 circuits
Running Drills: -80 meter sprints -50 meter sprints	High High	10-15 sec. 8-10 sec.	30-45 sec. 30-45 sec.	5 5
Strength Circuit 2: -Medicine ball lunge to chest pass -TRX Suspended knee-tucks -Squat jumps -Inchworm walkouts -TRX Suspended lunge	3-5 Kg BW BW BW BW	45 sec. 45 sec. 45 sec. 45 sec. 45 sec.	90 seconds after circuit	2-3 circuits
Running Drills: -90 meter shuttle run -200 meter run -40 meter sprints	Hard Hard High	20-25 sec. 30-40 sec. 10 – 12 sec.	30-60 sec. 60-90 sec. 10-15 sec.	5 5 8
Cool Down / stretching: -Calves -Hamstrings -Hip flexors  -Triceps		30 sec. 30 sec. 30 sec. 30 sec.		1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2