Summer is over, now get your fitness back on track!

Fitness and health are often compared to that of a roller coaster or set of stairs rather than a slope or straight line as we all wish it could be. What this metaphor refers to is a regression or plateaus that occur during a plan to achieve a goal. Many things can get in our way as we attempt to lose 10 lbs. or make strength gains, some of which completely derail your program, such as an injury or surgery, while some are expected but can be avoided like a training plateau. During the summer months, our biggest obstacles are distractions and libations.

There aren’t many things I like better than a cold maragarita on a hot summer day, but when I decide to drink alcohol, I’m putting my training and diet on the back burner, at least for a short period of time. Now that the summer months are over we can easily start making excuses for not working out or following our nutrition plan because, hey it’s Oktoberfest or football Sunday, or the crush, etc. Instead what we should be doing is making new commitments and goals to get back on track, first starting with a plan.

The best thing to do is identify what your fitness and/or health goals are at the moment. From here you make a S.M.A.R.T. Goal and create a timeline of which you would like to achieve said goal. Restarting is always difficult though, so my advice is to find or create a support group to help each other stay on track and motivate one another to do your best.

If you want to run more, join a track club. If you want to lose weight, join a boutique gym. Many gym and training facilities do weight-loss programs in the fall to help prepare for the holiday season and restart their current member who let things go a bit during the summer.

The most important thing to remember when getting back on track is that consistency is key. No matter if your workout is 15 minutes or 50, the important thing is that you are creating a habit. As I always say, it’s easy to workout when you want to, the days you don’t want to are what make the biggest gains. Going from thinking about to doing something every day is the important step every one must make personal progress, so stop reading about how to restart and go for a run!

200 Days: Recovering from ACL Repair

The morning of my surgery was surprisingly calm. I slept soundly. The dogs went into their crates easily. Signing in was quick. Considering that my leg was being cut open and parts of my knee would be missing and/or replaced when I woke up, the whole energy of the waiting area was mellow. When it was my turn to head back for prep, I felt excitement. The thought of being able to move and play sports without fear of buckling my knee was the only thing on my mind. After changing into my surgical outfit everything really slowed down. It felt like every couple minutes someone new would ask me a few questions, always preceded with, “who are you and what are we doing today?” I actually really appreciate the attention to detail. After receiving two signatures on my knee, repeating the answer, “Josh Kober. Left ACL Reconstruction” about 25 times, and about 60 minutes later I was being walked to the operation room. Being greeted by 5 or 6 people, some washing hands, some sticking things on my body, and the anaesthesiologist letting me know he gave me “something to take the edge off.” The room is as white a room you’ll ever see. Everyone is moving and talking; I was very impressed by how much work was going into my well-being. It was impressive how deliberate every movement and word said accomplished a task. As I lay there looking up at bright round lamps, I can hear the slight sound of music coming out of a small speaker in the ceiling. I think to ask what would be on the sound track, but before I could utter a word, I’m waking up.

It truly did feel like I went to bed and awoke the next morning. I remember dreaming or at least felt as if I had been dreaming that I was late for work. Feeling my eyes opening wide then blinking and trying to organize my thoughts and senses all at the same time. My nurse was reassuring me that everything was fine and the operation was successful. I couldn’t believe it was over so quickly even though it took almost an hour longer than expected. As I became more aware, the nurse offered another dose of dilaudid and warned that the numbing would fade and pain would start to show itself. He wasn’t lying. The car ride home was comfortable and climbing two flights of stairs up to my bedroom proved easier than expected, probably because I couldn’t feel a thing. I made my way to bed assuming my position that I would be in for the next 4-6 days.

My first week of recovery was underway. Lots of Percocets, sleep, and ice would be the next week or so. Lucky for me the Masters was starting the next day so I would be thoroughly entertained watching Tiger win in what will be remembered as one of the best Masters of all time. This was the perfect distraction from the fact I wouldn’t be touching a golf club for at least another 3-4 months.

Preparation was crucial for week 1. Know that you will have trouble getting up and down. Have a clear path from the bed to the restroom. Stay ahead of the pain with your painkillers, and do yourself a favor and buy some still softeners!

5 Reasons why couples who train together, stay together

It doesn’t take a doctor telling you how go exercise is for your health for you to realize the many benefits, but one that doesn’t show up on any medical exams is how exercise improves your life socially. This list will focus on the ways that exercise, specifically with your significant other, will improve your relationships with said loved one.

1. Sex Drive

   Testosterone helps males both in the weight room and in the bed room. HIIT workouts and heavy weight lifting has been shown to increase testosterone levels in males. Increase in “T” means an increase in sex drive. Now introduce your wife or girlfriend into the gym where you can put your muscles on display while she strokes your ego with the occasional glance at your biceps. Sexual tension will be so high that the car ride home might be too much to handle.

2. Confidence

   This is a benefit to anyone who practices regular exercise but couples who workout together are not only confident in themself but will walk confidently together knowing they are proud of themselves as a whole. We are arrogant creatures by nature, and while it may be annoying to have other guys look at your girl, there is always a bit of satisfaction knowing you have something they can’t have.

3. Accountability

   The days when you don’t feel like doing anything, lethargic, tight and sluggish are the days you need to be sure together your workouts in. Even if you just stretch or perform corrective exercises, just doing something productive when you don’t feel like it will make the biggest difference in your training. Having a training partner like your significant other can be the motivator you need to get up off the couch and just do something. Sometimes just watching your partner get ready for the gym is enough to change your mind.

4. Endorphins

   Exercise has been shown to help curb stress and increase the release of endorphins. Simply put, move around and you’ll be happy. Even if you and your boo just go on a walk around the neighborhood, the circulation of blood through your body and slight increase in heart rate will fire some endorphins and put you both into. a positive mood. Hell, you might even find this sparks good, constructive conversation. Instead of going to happy hour, try a new fitness class at a boutique training studio.

5. Security

   No, not the strength to protect each other, which I guess could be benefit number 6. What I mean is learning to be secure with your strengths and weaknesses. You and your mate will most definitely have different strengths just as you do in personality, work ethic, etc. Training together can teach you to be secure with him or her being better than you at something. Being a highly competitive person myself, I actually love when Lisa is better than me at something. It motivates me to get better while being proud of her for being such a bad ass.

Diversify your training to maximize results

If you wish to improve range of motion one might think to start doing yoga. If your goal is to increase core strength you might think Pilates, and if you want to improve your strength you might wanna do CrossFit 7 days/week. If your goal is to improve your overall fitness you are doing yourself a disservice by doing the same workouts day in and day out.

The truth is most people should be diversifying their training disciplines on a weekly and/or daily basis. Finding time to squeeze in classes or workouts of multiple training styles will increase your overall fitness while also helping avoid over-usage injuries. Diversification will also help you stay stimulated and goal oriented. You can more easily see where adjustments need to be made to improve muscular balance, both antero-posterior and bilaterally.

Changing out your normal routine is as simple as signing up for a multi-discipline training facility, joining ClassPass, or making it a point to try a new workout style every month.

How to tackle your diet on Super Bowl Sunday

It’s late January. You have been hitting the gym 5 days a week and while you are feeling stronger and more energized, the visual results haven’t been what you expected when you decided to never eat a carb again. Monday workouts are no longer something you look at as a “great way to start the week.” Your somehow skinny friend has been enjoying beer and nachos during the NFL playoffs while you have been avoiding a social setting where you might break your dry January streak and ruin all the hard work you have been putting in. Still, your pant size hasn’t dropped a singe-digit to the odd-number scale. Super Bowl Sunday is this weekend and along with a hopefully great game comes an equally as great spread. Dry January will be over and your no-carb diet is hanging on for dear life. Is it time to give up and indulge as any true American should, or do you stay the course and pray this all pays off come Memorial Day?

I’m here to tell you, enjoy yourself!

Goals are not reached in a linear manner. Weight-loss, strength gains, and flexibility don’t improve on a daily basis over the long-term. Not all aspects of your training will increase at the same rate so we can’t expect one day of indulging (or over-indulging) will ruin your progress. If anything, this might be exactly what your body and mind need. Like a mini vacation from the routine of eat healthy, workout hard, drink protein, sleep 8 hours. Much like returning from a vacation and feeling motivated to kick-ass at work, sometimes a vacation from your fitness and diet program motivates you to get back in the gym and doing an extra set of everything.

Come Super Bowl Sunday, start your day with a long run (60+ minutes) with some hill sprints thrown in or a dynamic METCON workout at your local fitness studio (i.e. Fast as F*ck | @glidetrainingco) to establish an increased metabolic rate for the rest of the day. Then show up to the party with a 6 pack of your favorite beer, enjoy some wings, and hope you win some money in a super bowl pool. Then Monday morning do a workout to get the week started off great.

Why training for performance works

Most people develop fitness goals that revolve around image, measurements, or to "feel good." Specifically, after people are past their glory days of athletic competition, the desire to train tends to go by the wayside and is replaced with social eating, drinking, or binge-watching the newest Netflix show. Don't get me wrong, I have watched The Office in its entirety too many times, and everyone knows how much I enjoy a good Sunday brunch with friends. I won't try to pretend that exercise is my life and nothing matters more than how much I can deadlift . I do love fitness, but I to go through ruts where I simply can't convince myself that doing a workout to maintain a healthy weight or that avoiding IPAs to fight off a beer belly, are actually worth the effort. 

Goals dependent on a scale, mirror, or an arbitrary feeling of "goodness" lack something that fuels most people, a deadline. Deadlines help keep people focused. Whether you are in college and you have a research paper due or you work in sales and meeting a required quota based on a specific timeline with the possibility of reward or punishment will help to motivate individuals. When weight-loss is a goal we tend to see people struggle to maintain motivation because of the constant swings in weight from day to day, the length of time it takes to reach said goal, and the ability to so easily to return to the initial weight after achieving that target weight. 

Goals based on image can be very dangerous because many develop or already have issues seeing their positive traits. These people can slip into a state of body dysmorphia where they never think they "look good" or can never be thin enough. What you look like shouldn't be a goal, but a positive bi-product of your healthy habits. Eating healthy, fresh foods that aren't only following your proper caloric intake but are full of vitamins and minerals will yield a healthier-looking you. Not only will your body composition improve but your skin, hair, and overall aura will resemble your efforts. All these changes come with time and you will come as a result of consistency over time.

Having performance based goals doesn't mean you have to train for some crazy event like the CrossFit Games or an ultra-marathon. What performance training relates to is training with the intent to improve. For some, improvement might be to set a PR in their 1600m.  For others it means they want to do be able to do their first pull up before the end of summer. Targeting a performance-based goal has value in the mind and heart of the trainee. The great thing about these goals is they can increase in value. The longer you train for a specific performance-goal the more invested you become and the more likely you are are to make decisions revolving around achieving your goal. Unlike weight related goals, performance goals aren't complete until the day of competition or you have achieved what it is you set out to do. When we start feeling better about the way we look or we get near our goal-weight it is common to see a relapse and a false sense of achievement. 

Having a goal with a deadline like a competition or a specific date with a reward at the end will help maintain focus until the end. There is less chance of rewarding yourself prematurely. It would make me feel really dumb if I decided to have my post-race beer the night before a race then didn't finish my race the next morning. Performance training not only keeps me accountable, it also drives me to get up early on Sundays, fueling my competitive spirit. 

Performance is all about competition. Whether it is intrinsic, climbing your first 5.11 rock wall, or  social, scoring the winning goal for your vavi league, competition will drive you much more, and more sustainably than other motivators. Performance goals tend to have a reward that we are proud of beyond others. Achieving a feat breeds confidence in one's self. People tend to brag to friends and family as well as social media when they accomplish something new. It is an amazing feeling to say to yourself your hard work paid off, and even better to tell others.

Stay focused. Work hard. Train efficiently. Eat for Performance.

To The Top

Toned in 20! Day 1

Hey guys! So excited for #tonedin20! Check our Facebook page every day for the next 20 days for a workout of the day!  

Post a selfie doing the exercises of the day each day to win a prize at the end! 

Each workout will be a little bit different, but they will all target your arms, abs, butt, and legs to get you bikini (or swim trunk) ready!

TODAY'S WORKOUT: 

10 exercises.....

:45 per exercise/:15 break in between

x2

1. Mountain Climbers!  

Focus on maintaining your tempo throughout the whole :45. Keep your core tight and keep your shoulders square over your hands. 

2. Plank with hip extensions

Focus on maintaining your pelvic tilt- so no sagging in your low back and no arching when you lift your leg!  This exercise is meant to work your booty and your core! 

3. Squats

Focus on keeping your weight on your heels, chest up tall, tight core!

4. Sumo Squats

Wide stance, toes turned out, chest up tall, shoulders back, tight core: working your inner thighs and booty!

5. Reverse sit-ups

Slowly lower yourself back into a reverse sit-up until you feel like you're as far as you can pull yourself back up, keeping your elbows wide! *for more support, have a partner hold your feet!

6. Bicycle Crunches

Keep your elbows wide and chin up so you don't pull on your neck!

7.  Ab Wipers

Maintain your pelvic tilt, slowly lower your legs to either side, pausing in the middle *to increase difficulty, perform with straight legs

8.  Thrusters 

REALLY focus on making sure your back doesn't sag on the jump out, keep your core tight, and shoulders over your hands!

9. Hydrant Kicks

Pelvic tilt, "PEE ON THE HYDRANT", "KICK THE HYDRANT" ;)

10. Glute pulses

Make sure your hands are shoulder width, and focusing on glute contraction NOT using your low back :)