Come Hiking With Me at South Mountain

Come hiking with me as I have a great time in the beautiful nature God created by getting a good cardio workout in at the same time. I recorded my view of part of the Telegraph Pass Trail at South Mountain in Phoenix, AZ. It was so beautiful outside yesterday I had to be out in it after my Girevoy Sport practice.

Remember as long as you are active every single day, in some capacity, that is what matters to make a difference in the way you feel, look, and in your overall well-being. I love hiking and Arizona is packed with great trails. I'm lucky to live very close to some of the Valley of the Sun's best ones. No matter what you do as long as you do something for no less than 30 minutes you will be well on your way to become as healthy as you can be. Just the mindset it takes to be pro-active and do something will be far greater than if you weren't. It will be a complete mind/body connection. The rest will be your spiritual and for me, being out in nature, really allows me to truly connect with God's beauty and awe.

So take a quick journey with me- and breathe in the cool fresh air- sharing the awesomeness of the trees, cacti, desert trail, rocks, blue sky, and bright rays of sun.

Sorry about the shakiness of the camera. The trail is pretty steep and I was moving at a really good pace. Next time I'll bring my good Sony video camera instead of the Flip Video cam. That way it will be much, much better quality. Anyway enjoy!

Health Benefits of Raw Eggs

I came across a great article by Dr. John Claydon and it looks very good on explaining the great benefits of eating raw eggs. I do this and if you read on Mercola.com Dr. Mercola has some great advice regarding eating raw eggs as well as the quick testing methods for a healthy or unhealthy egg. Sick eggs only come from sick chickens. 1 in 30,000 eggs contains salmonella and the chances of you eating that many in your life are very slim. This is explained much further on those 2 websites.

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"The process of cooking eggs destroy the very goodness that our bodies so desperately need as the nature of proteins and fats is altered when exposed to heat. When cooked, the egg protein changes its chemical shape; it is often this process that can be the cause of allergies. Generally when eating raw eggs, any incidence of egg allergy will disappear.

Surprisingly, in spite of ‘bad press’ raw eggs, organic or at least from a known source of healthy free-range chickens, are an excellent health tonic. The regular consumption of raw eggs will do wonders for your overall health. Exceptionally easy to digest, raw eggs provide a wonderful boost to the immune system, and a completely balanced nutritional package. A good immune system is one of several things the body needs to overcome cancer."

For the rest of the article please CLICK HERE.

I eat raw eggs by blending them into a post workout recovery smoothie as follows:

1. 1-1.5 cups of filtered water
2. Fruits are usually 1 cup of strawberries and pineapple and/or some blueberries
3. 2 tblspns of Virgin Coconut Oil. Always get Virgin as it is unrefined and promotes health.
4. Blend first the above ingredients together well and then add 4 whole organic raw eggs. I blend for no more than 2 seconds, because the egg protein is very fragile, and then drink right out of the blender pitcher.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Emeril's Lentil Salad with Braised Greens and Sunny Side Up Eggs

Emeril's Lentil Salad with Braised Greens and Sunny Side Up Eggs, Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse

 

Leigh Beisch/Getty Images

2 bunches Swiss chard

1 bunch beet greens

1/2 cup olive oil

3/4 cup diced onion

3/4 cup diced carrots

3/4 cup diced celery

1 pound French lentils, rinsed well and picked over

6 cups Emeril's All Natural Vegetable Stock, homemade vegetable stock, or low sodium chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning

3 ears sweet corn, roasted over and open flame, kernels removed

1/2 cup small-diced red bell pepper, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

1/2 cup small-diced yellow bell pepper, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

1/2 cup chopped parsley, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish

2 lemons, juiced

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons thinly sliced garlic

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

6 to 8 large eggs, at room temperature


Wash the Swiss chard and beet greens well. Pat dry. Cut the ribs from
the leaves, chop into 1/2-inch pieces, and set aside. Cut the leaves
into 1-inch strips and reserve separately.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium
high heat. When hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, Swiss chard ribs
and beet ribs, and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes. Add the lentils, bay
leaf, and the black pepper. Toss to coat lentils
then add 6 cups of the vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer and cook
covered, stirring occasionally, until lentils are just tender, about 20
minutes. Take care not to overcook or lentils will become mushy. Set
lentils aside to cool to lukewarm in the cooking liquid, then strain in
a colander.
Reserve the cooking liquid for braising the greens.

Place the warm lentils in a bowl and add the sweet corn, the red and
yellow bell peppers, parsley, lemon juice and the extra virgin olive
oil. Toss well to combine and adjust seasoning if necessary. Set-aside
until ready to serve.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the
remaining olive oil. When hot, add the garlic and crushed red pepper
and cook until fragrant, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the chard and beet
greens, in batches, stirring between additions, until the greens wilt
slightly. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add 1cup reserved stock.
Continue to cook until greens are just tender, 3 to 4 minutes longer.
When ready to serve, cook the eggs.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium low heat. Add the remaining 2
tablespoons of olive oil and gently crack 4 of the eggs in the skillet.
Season lightly with pepper to taste and cook, undisturbed,
until the white is set, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the eggs from the pan
and repeat with the remaining eggs.

To Serve:
Serve the lentils in shallow bowls, topped with the
wilted greens. Place egg on top of greens and garnish with diced red
and yellow pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Drizzle with lemon
juice to taste and serve immediately.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Kettlebell Training 101

Kettlebell Training 101:

Rule number one- Don't Get Overwhelmed!
 
Kettlebells have been around for a few hundred years and have survived among many different cultures. The main culture they derive from is Russia. Kettlebells have made their journey into the U.S., post cold war, around the mid 1980's and then the mainstream over the past decade.
 
Most women begin with either 8 or 12 kilo where most men begin with 12 or 16 kilo. It shouldn't take long to progress to the next size bell if you practice regularly.
 
There are 2 general schools of thought when it comes to Kettlebell practice- "Hard Style" and "Girevoy Sport". We generally practice a blend of both.

1. Hard Style- more explosive, very crisp, power oriented, trains usually for certain number of reps and sets in various Swings, Snatches, Cleans, Presses, Turkish Get-Ups, Sots Presses, Bent Presses, and more.
-made popular by Pavel Tsatsouline

2. G.S.- much more fluid & graceful, more relaxed, strength endurance oriented, trains usually for time and number of reps in a given time limit in either the jerk & snatch or long cycle clean and jerk(which is pretty much simply a clean and jerk movement)
-Girya = kettlebell lifter = competitor in Girevoy Sport

Russian Kettlebells are the single best piece of training equipment that will show you the most muscular strength and endurance, joint stability, cardiovascular strength and endurance, power, agility, coordination and simply the ultimate overall fitness conditioning that your body could ever receive. If there is one training piece of equipment that I can use for the rest of my life and never anything else again regardless if it was a sophisticated machine, tractor truck tire(for flipping), cables, ropes, dumbbells, barbells, medicine balls or whatever- the Kettlebell would be it!
Kettlebells are, simply put, a tool. There are many tools out there and many roads to fitness. This is just one of those tools and will take you down a great, great road.

Example Kettlebell Fitness Workout:
6 Minute Swing Set w/ one hand switch

3 Min. Single-Arm Press or Push Press Set

One-Arm Cleans 16kg(35lbs.) 25R/25L 1 Set

Renegade Rows 20x(10R/10L) 1 Set

1-3 Min. Planks as a finisher


Then:
8-12x Tabata Sprints on Treadmill
-4 min. of total sprinting. 20s sprint followed by a 10s rest times 8-12.


Optional:
1. 15x Pushups
2. 15x Diamond Pushup on MB
3. 15x Suicide Pushup
Take a 3 minute break and then perform it again if you can.

-Always finish with some yoga based stretching.

 

If your focus is not specific Girevoy Sport practice for competition then try to keep every workout different and constantly changing. You will certainly practice the same movements, but don't ever just do the same things over and over. This way your body continues to change and not plateau. I gave you a good mixture of things to do in today's workout. Feel free to expand upon it and practice some of the things we did intermixed with other exercises. Try to keep all strength training workouts to about 45 min.- give or take. This way your intensity will remain high. When you stretch out the time intensity lowers and you run the risk of overtraining.

Have fun and let me know about your progress.

The LCCJ Cornerstone

THE LCCJ CORNERSTONE, by: John Henrici

(Long Cycle Clean and Jerk)

I have formed the opinion that the Long Cycle Clean and Jerk (LCCJ) is the cornerstone of Kettlebell Lifting whether for Fitness or Sport. Although many view the Snatch is the “TZAR” of all KB lifts I will attempt to build a case for the LCCJ.

SWING – CLEAN – SNATCH

There is no argument that the swing is the basic building block of KB lifting. This motion is used for the Clean and the Snatch. The main difference between the Clean and the Snatch is the force of the hip thrust that carries the KB to the overhead lock out position (SNATCH) instead of the rack position (CLEAN). In each case the arch of the KB is the same. The KB passes just in front of the body. In the Clean it is stopped in the rack position; in the Snatch the KB is allowed to continue to the top lock out position. The “basic building block” is simply “stacked up” to whatever level is needed.

THE LCCJ FOUNDATION

The motion of cleaning, in the LCCJ, can be viewed as a “half Snatch”. Thus the Clean incorporates the movement of the Snatch in the LCCJ. So, even though one is not technically doing the Snatch, the Snatch sort of becomes a part of the “compete” movement in the LCCJ. The Clean with every rep places a burden on the core that is not normally enjoyed when only doing Jerks. Combining this “partial Snatch” with the Jerk essentially creates the “ultimate” movement for strength and conditioning.

A STEPPING STONE

Whether training for competition or just challenging oneself, moving up to the next higher weight can be taxing on the lower back and arms if only Jerks or Snatches are performed. If one will begin with the LCCJ at the next higher weight, one can do less RPMs while building core strength in the lower back and legs. The wider – all encompassing – range of motion in the LCCJ will minimize the focused strain on the lower back and arms since the motion alternates between forward and backward stress. At the same time, key conditioning in the core, and cardio ability is also increased.

Foundation of Strength

While you condition the joints and connective tissue at the next higher weight through LCCJ, you are striving for that goal at a much slower (and safer) RPM; usually 4-6 RPM for the LCCJ, instead of 8-10 RPM for the Jerk, and 12-15 RPM for the Snatch. The lower RPM rate will allow the muscles, joints, and connective tissue to strengthen at a safer rate of progression.

Cardio

If you can go ten minutes, with two KBs, in the LCCJ, you can go ten minutes with the Jerk or Snatch. This general “guarantee” of course comes with some caveats. Pace is always an issue once the 10-minute mark is reached. The “assumption” is that if one can do 6 RPM in the LCCJ for ten minutes, s/he can eliminate the clean and do at least 6 RPM in the Jerk alone. Even though elimination of the clean will be felt in the arms (since they are not allowed to “rest” while cleaning); the body as a whole will be conditioned to handle this load. The cardio conditioning alone is worth the investment.

Hand Development

Hand conditioning is something that continually plagues all but the pros. Usually “doing too much too soon” causes hand problems. The fewer RPM at a heavier weight will more gradually build grip strength as well as callusing for the heavier weight. The “Index Lock” (locking the index finger with the thumb) is more easily facilitated coming out of the rack position instead of the Snatch. The wear and tear on the hands from doing Snatches is usually worse than from any other move. If one can do ten minutes of LCCJ at a given weight without having any blistering or tearing, the hands should be sufficiently prepared for the rigors of Snatching.

CONCLUSION

In the arsenal of KB movements, no other exercise embodies all aspects of KB lifting like the LCCJ. Kettebell lifting is ideal for overall health and fitness. It builds core strength. It toughens connective tissue. It hardens muscles. It increases cardio vascular capability. It develops strength throughout a full range of motion. It develops the hands. Anytime one picks up a KB, to some extent they are using all muscles from their neck to their toes. However, the LCCJ is at the top of the list for doing it all so well.

It's not the prettiest set as I did not hold out my overhead lockout long enough and I was looking up on the jerk portion due to my shoulders being tight, but all in all it is a 10 minute Long Cycle set and it felt great!

Synergy Kettlebell Training High Windmill and Two Hand Anyhow Demos

Jen Chandler does an awesome job of demoing two of the best movements for flexibility, stability, and they just down right look cool.  Watch Jen use 8kg Kettlebell to practice the High Windmill and Two Handed Anyhow.

These movements are to be performed with very strict form and very slowly in order to achieve the desired results of flexility, strength stability, and core strength development.  Pay close attention to her locked legs and locked out elbow.  Both are vital for completing these movements well.

High Windmill

Two-Handed Anyhow

Activities Will Keep You Ageless

There are a lot of folks who believe they need to wait to exercise and be active until they can't stand what they look like in the mirror or when they get old enough to where their body doesn't work the way they would like it to work.  There are even some folks that believe that they are too old to workout and be intensely active.  I say RUBBISH to those thoughts!!!  It is never too late to be active in some capacity.  It is what you do that matters for you.

Ninety percent of the way you look and feel is based entirely on your eating habits and dietary lifestyle. The rest is then activity related. You can do everything right in your exercise routine, have not so great eating habits, and experience little to no results.

Cardio is the smallest portion of the equation. Many, many people focus on spending hours and hours and hours performing inefficient cardio routines.  One very productive way to produce very high results when being active while performing cardio is interval training.  While performing interval cardio your goal should not be to burn "X" amount of calories while training, but to get your heart rate as high as you can in bursts of highs and lows called intervals. The time can then be condensed to no more than 20 minutes as long as the intensity is high. Most of my clients cardio sessions are only 12-20 minutes long. It's the "afterburn" that you're after.

Normal cardio puts your body into a "steady state" where your heart rate is the same for 30-45+ minutes. You burn a decent amount of calories while performing the workout, and up to about an hour or two post while your body is recovering, but that's about it. The afterburn stops short.

By performing the high intensity intervals you will create an afterburn effect of a higher calorie burnage over a 24 hour period. That's being very productive!  Then as long as you have great eating habits and continue to be active during that 24 hour period you will keep that afterburn going strong in your favor.  The results couldn't come fast enough if you're being efficiently active.

The next piece of the equation is resistance training.  A lot of folks don't perform regular resistance activities and try to depend solely on cardio. You should never leave resistance training out of your regular activity.  This is actually more important than cardio activities.  Resistance training is an absolute necessity. It promotes muscle and keeps your body from losing muscle. The more muscle you have the higher metabolism is and that's a great, great thing!

There are many ways to be active and perform regular resistance activity in order to make it effective, efficient, and fun.  If you're smart about it you can even Kill Two Birds With One Stone by combining cardio and resistance together.  More to come on the specifics of that, but for now begin uping your overall activity intensity.  I encourage you to find a good Boot Camp for a workout you don't have to come up with on your own and rest assured it will definitely be intense enough for you.


As we age it doesn't mean we should be active even if our body isn't cooperating as we would like it. In fact it is very important for longevity to be active in some capacity on a daily basis.  Do what is enjoyable for you and do what works for you.  Some folks really enjoy resistance training while others more cardiovascular.  Other don't enjoy gym style work at all and want to play with Kettlebells and other odd objects such as sandbags, kegs, Indian Clubs, heavy stones, sleds, ungulate thick ropes, and more.  You can even be active by playing your favorite sports.  The point is to always be active every day in some way.

What seems to be common among super seniors is a life-long commitment to natural living based upon a healthy diet of only natural foods; exercise both cardiovascular and weight-bearing, and positive thinking alongside a strong spiritual life.

Some great examples are the people below.  If you are young looking at this pay attention and remember these faces and bodies.  Make a lifelong commitment to yourself to be like them. If you are grown understand that it is NEVER too late.  Start now if need be and work hard every day to be the best you that you can be!

Jack Lalanne 28 yrs old and 72 yrs old

Bob Delmontique Age 70's - 80's

45 yr old Colleen Fisher and her mother 75 yr old Kelly Nelson posing with Bob Delmonteque 

Kelly Nelson at ages 52 and 72.   Doesn't she look 20-30 yrs younger than her actual age?! Wow!!!

 

 

  

Frank Zane (former Mr. Olympia) 20's and Age 60's

Clarence Bass - Age 15 - 70