How to Transform Your Physique #84

Boy, time sure is flying by. Pretty soon snow will be here. I am already thinking about ways to jog/run the hill in the winter time. There is no way my root hog will be left out in the garage during the winter.  Or, if it is it will be covered up and not used with all the sand and salt.  We continue to really like the lawn mower push with the Root Hog. It really blasts your upper body as well as lower body. 

I have really noticed that it's getting harder to drop that last portion of bodyfat compared to 5 years ago. Ah, it sucks getting old. ;)  I have been working very hard with hill running and the root hog.  And, of course mostly bodyweight strength training.  I again notice I don't need to eat very much to sustain myself.  It also reminds me of how much I used to eat when I was younger. I would blow up like a blimp if I ate that much today!

My son is going off to college this week. I've trained him since he was 12 down the basement in our home gym. I will miss our Saturday workouts.  I told him he is going to have to scope out someone to spot him he can train to spot and work out with as well (maybe).  I had something like 4 different training partners when I was in college.  Typically they had no set routine and were game to train the way I was. The result was always good gains for them because it was consistent hard training with the basics.  No magic formula needed.  I told him he could just add sets to get his work in if necessary as it becomes very dangerous to go hard to the end of a set with someone who doesn't know how you lift let alone with NO spotter whatseover.  Not smart.  He'll be better equipped though overall as I have seen the weight room.  My son has recently learned the role of proper nutrition in overall body composition.  He's learned it at a much younger age than me. Much younger.  As a teenager, forget it.  I ate everything and anything. ;)

How To Transform Your Physique #83

My training and diet are still on target. I am now down below in bodyweight before my vacation. But, I am sure my muscle is up a bit as well.  My son tried the oatmeal that I make and liked it. He needed a good food item for breakfast when he goes away to school.  A tub of oatmeal lasts longer and is better than a breakfast cereal.  It's just plain Quaker Oats cooked in the microwave. I add cinnamon and a few raisins.  I go exactly by the serving of 1/2 cup.  It's long burning stuff and it fills you up nicely.  And, of course, lots of fiber.

Fred Fornicola is a trainer.  Wait, you say. You knew that. No, Fred Fornicola IS a REAL trainer.  Fred is constantly thinking about how to make workouts effective given constraints thrown at him that might come with each individual. He's one trainer I would trust to train my kids.  And, for me, that's a big deal. Safety while being effective is always part of his equation. As I have said plenty of times, you can not train if you are injured!  Fred's latest article on running is spot on. In fact, I took his advice and went to a local neighborhood BIG hill (grass!) and talk about a good cardio workout without the joint stress.  I loved it. He's also been firing suggestions my way to help with my lower back.  It's been much appreciated Fred, thanks!  Frankly, Fred knows his stuff and long time Cyberpump readers are probably aware of this already.  Fred tells me he's going to start up an online training service. If you are looking for some help in your training even for a short period of time to get back on track, contact Fred.  I give him the highest recommendation.  You can visit his site at http://www.premierepersonalfitness.com/

The hill running was a great change of pace as well. I did 7 trips up and down the hill. I think it was somewhere around 75-100 yards up the hill. Yeah, it's a pretty big hill. It's not a nice grade to it as well. It's only 5-7 minutes from my house.  I walked the first one and then had about a 50% speed up and not an all out gut busting full speed sprint.  I focused on having good running form.  It was an excellent workout and I was done in about 15 minutes.

How to Transform Your Physique #82

Fred just posted a video on YouTube of a drop sets example. Check it out:



Last post I mentioned I would share a video example of squatting. I wasn't saying to not squat.  What I was saying is that very heavy squats done improperly for low reps will kill most people if they do it for awhile.  If not now, later they will pay the price.  Again, some people can get away with murder lifting with bad form.  Most cannot.

Here is an example of how squats can mess you up long term. This guy is a nationally ranked powerlifter.  Watch how he back lifts this heavy squat and gets hip tuck in the bottom.




Fred sent me a good quote:

"Use exercise as a means of improving your health and functionality. When certain types of exercise become counterproductive to these means, it's time for you to reevaluate and consider." - Fred Fornicola

I live by this quote!