It’s dynamic functional movement time! Who’s excited? Lets dive right in, shall we?

10 min warm up: Jog, jumping jacks, jump rope, bike, etc…

5 rounds for time of:

10 Dumbbell dead lifts with moderate to heavy weight – DEMO

8 Push ups

 6 Pull-ups or Lat pull downs with heavy weight- DEMO

4 Dumbbell thrusters with heavy weight – DEMO

Then,

10 min stretch.

Thats it! Short and sweet. Rest and repeat.

I don’t know about you but it seems like no matter what kind of gym or fitness center you go these days to regardless of how fancy their machines are or how buff their trainers may be, months and months and often years go by and every one still kinda looks the same… No doubt as a nation, and southern california in particular, people are more active than ever and really seem to be making a point to exercise more frequently. Now, don’t get me wrong: anything is better than nothing, but I’d be willing to bet that just behind (or perhaps right in front) of the obvious health related benefits of exercise is the desire to look good naked. This is a powerful motivator, however all too often this motivation get misdirected and stuck in a routine like pattern of the same low-intensity redundant training programs. This is why I am a firm believer that the best routine is no routine at all! The reason is that our bodies, from an evolutionary stand point, are designed to adapt in an effort to conserve as much precious energy (body fat) as possible. So, what happens after a few weeks of the same old same old? You guessed it: Adaptation. What does this mean exactly?  It means your body is saying “cool, I got this. No need to shed that body fat anymore.” How can this “adaptation” or plateau as its more commonly referred to be avoided? Oh, just the 3 most important factors for getting results:

INTENSITY

Lets face it; intensity is tough. Especially when you’re current life situation isn’t just right for a hard workout. Not enough sleep, not enough water, not enough food, too much food, long week, long day, fight with girlfriend/boyfriend, laziness etc… Here’s the bottom line: Your body physiologically responds to intensity. Meaning, when you wake that central nervous system up with a set of 21 thrusters, immediately you start secreting growth hormones. Which by the way are a huge contributors for burning up body fat and building muscle. However, this kind of “hormonal response” is rarely achieved through chronic cardio and single joint exercises. It’s done through dynamic, compound, multi-joint movements that leave you sweating and gasping for breath. Kinda makes sense huh? Obviously your body is going to need to make some changes to be able to handle that kind of exertion… This doesn’t mean long drawn out workout however, 45 minutes tops. Short and sweet. Hormone levels significantly drop after 45 minutes of intense exercise. So, get in, get out, get results! Ok, that was a little cheesy…

VARIATION

21 Thrusters is definitely intense. No argument there. However, If you’re doing them 3 times per week your body will eventually adapt to even the most rigorous of exercise. That’s why you MUST have variation. Going back to that adaptational evolutionary survival mechanism I mentioned earlier regarding redundant routines; no matter the scale of your training you need to change everything about it almost weekly in order to avoid this pesky adaptation. Whether its rep range, amount of weight, shorter breaks or any and all of these, the best way to insure progress (after you’ve mastered the intensity aspect of course) is to keep your body guessing. Keep it chasing that elusive plateau that will never quite come because before your body can adapt you’ve already changed your routine and sent it on yet another wild goose chase.

CONSISTENCY

Last time we did all body weight training and I’d like to continue that for this week as well.

ONE MILE RUN – Intervals – under 10 min.

3 rounds for time of:

20 (each arm) Plank with single arm raise – Push up position, stabilize hips, raise one arm straight up and back down.

10 hindu push ups – DEMO

5 burpees with push up – DEMO

Then,

1/2 MILE RUN- Intervals – 5 minutes

Then, 3 rounds for time of:

20 24” box jumps – DEMO

 15 Body weight squats - DEMO

16 alternating lunges – DEMO

15 Leg raises – DEMO

Then,

10 min stretch

Thats it! Congrats! Rest and repeat.

To your health,

Justin Schollard

Sunday morning Bootcamp.

Let’s get ready to move our bodies! All too often body weight training (calisthenics) gets overlooked and underestimated. So called strength trainers and recreational strength athletes scoff at the idea of wasting their chest and triceps day with mere push ups. Well, I don’t know when the last time you dropped down and did a hundred push ups was but I’ve been exercising for 11 years and it still gets me every time. As do 100 pull ups or squats or just about any body weight exercise you can think of. Yeah, anyone with a trace of exercise proficiency can make a dozen push up, squats or pull-up (though I doubt pull ups) look easy. But it’s when you start to get north of 50 that separates the men from the boys, and  women from girls. Me? I love weights. Don’t get me wrong. Weight training has been a huge part of my life for over a decade. However, I would never sacrifice the ability to move my own body weight around with strength and ease even if it meant that I could bench press a truck. Thats why it’s so important to be facile in all aspects of exercise. Never sacrifice your speed for strength nor your strength for speed. In this instance choose to be a jack of all trades and a master of none. I don’t want to be Lance Armstrong OR Arnold Schwarzenegger. I want whatever is in the middle ground; strength, endurance, speed, agility, power, flexibility etc… Be dynamic and enjoy the benefits of training in all modes of fitness. Not a one trick pony.

And now for your workout:

ONE MILE RUN – Intervals. Try and get it under ten minutes.

3 rounds. One minute at each exercise.

24” Box Jumps - DEMO

Burpees (guys with a push up, girls without) – DEMO

Squat Hold – Drop down into the squat position and hold yourself there for the minute. Chest up, back straight, hips below your knees!

Bicycle crunches - DEMO

Then, 3 rounds for time of:

8 Pull ups or body weight row (whatever is available) – DEMO(S)

16 Push ups – DEMO

24 Alternating lunges – DEMO

10 min stretch

Thats it! Rest and repeat.

To your health,

Justin Schollard

Since yesterday’s post was all about building muscle it only seems fitting that this week’s workout follows suit. We’re going heavy! Obviously heavy is relative. for some that may mean 100lbs and for others 20lbs. Just make sure you pick a weight thats challenging to lift without causing you to sacrificing proper form. We always want to strive for walking our edge without falling over.

And now for your workout:

10 minute warm up: Jog, jumping jacks, bike, jump rope, etc…

5 rounds with a 90 second rest in between each round:

Reps are: 12, 10, 8, 6, 6

Goblet Squats – Go relatively light for the first round. Then progressively get heavier. – DEMO ( A dumbbell works as well)

Seated Rows – Again, moderate weight for the first round. Heavier as you go. – DEMO

Then, 5 rounds  with a 90 second rest in between each round:

Reps: 12, 10, 8, 6, 6

Standing dumbbell overhead press – DEMO

Decline Push up (no weight) – DEMO

Alternating lunges with dumbbells – DEMO

Thats it! You might want to give yourself a few days before repeating this one. Make sure you eat with in an hour after your workout. Even better, bring a banana or some other fruit to eat immediatly upon fininshing. There are many reasons why a post workout meal is so vitally important. I will lay them out in a future post.

To your health,

Justin Schollard

It seems like almost every time we hear a fitness professional speak about exercise and diet it is on the topic of “weight loss” or “fat loss” of some kind. Granted, I would agree that most of us out there could stand to lose a few. However, if you’re at all like me packing on those pounds of muscle can be challenging at best and down right next to impossible at worst. Well, this post is here to help answer some questions with 4 great tips to start incorporating into your routine now.

1) EAT MORE FOOD!

I am blow away by the amount of guys and girls (girls rarely ask to “bulk up” but I have had a few) who say they’re too skinny and want to put on muscle, then look at me like I’m crazy when I tell them they need to be eating 3 times the amount of food as they currently do. The fact is that most of us can’t have it both ways; you can’t train like an animal and then eat like a bird. At least don’t expect to build muscle if you do. Bottom line: Examine your caloric intake. If you’re an average size male (between 160-190lbs) then you need to be eating around 3,000 calories a day in order to be anabolic (building). However, not all calories are created equal so this doesn’t mean go load up on bunt cakes and fro-yo. Organic meats, Veggies, nuts & seeds, beans, fruits etc… That’s how you eat to put on the muscle without storing a bunch of body fat in the process.

2) TRAIN YOUR LEGS!

I see a lot of disproportionate training routines out there. Guys especially love to work the “glam group” (chest and arms) but nearly faint trying to squeeze out even 10 squats with nothing but their own body weight as resistance. Shame. Yeah, its exuasting training legs, I get it. But that’s the very reason why it is so crucial to any fitness routine, especially muscle-building. The fact is that your hips have the potential to unlock massive hormonal responses when trained intensely. Nothing wakes up your central nervous system like deadlifting a couple hundred pounds, and that’s what triggers your body to release the hormones that are responsible for hypertrophy (building mass). Squat, lunge or deadlift every week with heavy weights. Trust me.

3) CUT DOWN ON CARDIO

Despite what you may have heard you cannot build muscle and lose fat at the time. At least not in any significant amounts. So pick a direction and go there. In this case its the direction of building muscle. After you’ve reached your 5, 10 or 20 pound goal then bring back the cardio and “trim up” a little. This is called periodization. For example; 8 weeks of heavy weight training and increased caloric intake to pack on as much muscle as possible, followed by 4 weeks of lighter weight training, increased cardio and decreased caloric intake to trim off the body fat you most likely gained during your building phase.

4) REST

Muscles grow at rest. Period. So if you’re exercising too much (more than 4-5 days per week) most likely you’re body is exerting too many calories via exercise that could be going toward building up your sore muscles at rest. Once you reach your goal then sure increase the number of days you train, but for the purpose building muscle choose quality over quantity. For example: Train with intensity 3 times per week with heavy weights for no more than an hour.

ONE MILE RUN – Intervals. try to get it under 10 minutes

3 rounds of:

1 minute of burpees- Guys with push up, girls without – DEMO

30 second side plank – Both sides – DEMO

1 minute squat – Hold the squat position for one minute

Then, 3 rounds of:

1 minute of thrusters – Guys 15-20lb dumbbells, girls 5-10lb dumbbells – DEMO

1 minute of bicycle crunches – DEMO

1 minute of body weight rows – DEMO

Then,

10 minute stretch

Thats it! Congrats! Rest and repeat.

To your health,

Justin Schollard

Here we go:

10 minute warm up: Jumprope, Jog, Bike, Power walk, Jumping Jacks, hulahoop… Any and all are great.

5 rounds for time of:

10 Dumbbell Thrusters (guys 25-40lbs, girls 10-20lbs) – DEMO

10 Body Weight Rows - DEMO

Then, 5 rounds for time of:

30 Mountain Climbers - DEMO

15 leg lifts – Lay flat on your back and raise both legs in the air. Repeat 15 times. 

10 reverse flys (5-10lb dumbbells) – DEMO

Then,

10 minute stretch

———————————————————————–

Thats it! Congrats. Rest and repeat.

To your health,

Justin Schollard

The other day I stumbled upon this amazing video of a women who literally cured her MS through HEAVY vegetable intake… Think that’s crazy? Still don’t believe that all the physical changes you desire can be yours if you just clean up your diet? Still think that medication and surgery is the only viable option to treating disease? Still think that things like vitamins and minerals  and eating vegetables are just “whatever”? … Watch This

The center of it all

The proper food pyramid