difficulty – advanced

Perform the following barbell exercises without putting the bar down in between and taking no rest

10x dead-lift  

10x bent-over-row

10x straight leg dead-lift

rest 1 minute, repeat. Total 3 sets

REST min 5 minutes

10x clean

10x front-squat

10x push-press

rest 1 minute, repeat. Total 3 sets

Kitsilano Personal trainer Alex Ackerley of Better-Bodies health Solutions

Difficulty – easy.

Complete these body-weight exercises. As may reps as possible in each work phase.

20 seconds max squats

10 seconds rest

20 seconds max dips

10 seconds rest

20 seconds max squats

10 seconds rest

20 seconds max push ups

repeat.

Total 4 minutes work

Too easy for you??

try three separate Tabata sets using each exercise on its own.

That’ll do it!

Why not try getting the kids involved in the process? Have them mixing, baking and decorating with you!

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

- ½ cup butter, softened

- 1 cup Sucanat (Unrefined Cane Sugar)

- 2 tsp Vanilla

- 2 Eggs (Organic/Free Range)

- 2 cups Spelt or Whole Grain Flour of Choice

- ¼ cup Large Flake Rolled Oats

- 1 tsp Baking Soda             

- 300g Dark Chocolate Chunks/Chips

- 1 cup Pecans or Walnuts, chopped

- 2 Tbsp  Hemp Hearts 

Directions:

1.Beat butter, applesauce, eggs, sugar and vanilla till light & fluffy. 

2.Mix in flour and baking soda by hand until well blended. 

3.Stir in chocolate chunks/chips & nuts/seeds.

4.Drop by tsp onto un-greased cookie sheet, 2 inches apart . 

5.Bake in preheated 375degree Fahrenheit oven for 10-12 minutes, or till lightly browned. 

6.Transfer to cooling rack

7.Once the cookies are cooled, decorate with natural icing!! 

Our group from last years Warrior Dash

Check out this workout.

Having taken part in last years Warrior Dash in Whistler, we at Better-Bodies know that while it’s a blast. It is also pretty demanding, particularly if you want to get a good time to impress your friends and yourself.

In this workout, you’ll be mimicking the energy demands of your obstacle/trail/assault course race. Encompassing upper body strength, hill running endurance, speed and agility.

This time-attack workout consists of 8 three minute stages, totaling 24 minutes of work.

Complete these 4 exercises as quickly as possible.

5 squats,

5 push-ups,

10 jump lunges,

5 pull-ups

run for 2 minutes.

The remainder of the 3 minute stage is your rest before the second stage begins.

(The quicker you do the resistance exercises, the more rest you get)

Perform 8 stages.

Go get em!

If you want to train with Better-Bodies, be it for the Warrior Dash or just to get back in to shape. Contact us today to book your consultation.

Move Better, Look Better, Feel Better

So without further adieu,

Day 3, Back/Pulling

Warm-up

When performing  a back or “pulling” dominant workout I like to warm up with the rowing machine. It provides a great total body warmup and really focusses on the muscles of the posterior chain (calves, hamstrings, glutes, lower and upper back).  Aim to do at least 1000m which should take no more than 5 minutes at an easy cruising pace.

Strength

Pull-ups – the king of upper body exercises in my mind. People with poor shoulder health can rarely perform pull-ups. Likewise, people who perform pull ups will rarely encounter shoulder injuries. Since adding them to my workouts, a problematic shoulder has improved vastly for me. (NB – I spent a lot of time and effort with basic rehab exercises before resuming any kind of shoulder resistance work). Bottom line, if your shoulders are healthy and you want them to stay that way, get in to some pull ups.

Perform 5 reps from a full hang with 1 second pause at top and bottom. Start off with  wide grip, move to neutral grip and finish with narrow grip. No more than 5 reps each with plenty of rest as we want to leave something “in the tank” for later. If its way too easy, add some weight or band resistance.(if you cant perform more than a few pull ups  here’s your homework….every time you enter the gym or walk past a pull up bar, get up there and knock out as many consecutive reps as you can. In a month, you should be up to speed).

3 sets, 5 reps

Functional Conditioning

Perform the below as a circuit, no rest between exercises. Rest 3-4 minutes between sets, or better yet hop on the treadmill and run for three minutes.

12x Plank row – Push up position, wide feet, with a dumbell in each hand. Perform a push up then pull one dumbell up to your body drawing your elbow back past your waist, put it back down, push up and repeat on the other side. Focus on keeping your hips still throughout the movement.

12x Bent over row – stand with barbell, feet square and shoulder width apart. Engage your core and lean forward to at least 45degrees, bending the knees slightly and sticking your butt out to maintain a straight lower back. The bar should sit at about knee level, pull elbows back until the bar hits your belly-button (some are closer to the floor than others here ) Pause one second at the top, let it down swiftly but under control and repeat.

12x Wide grip seated cable-row. Exactly what it sounds like. Pause at beginning and end of each rep and use full ROM.

landmine is a term used to describe placing a barbell with one end wedged between two heavy plates. This is the fulcrum and it stays on the floor. The other end of the barbell is your weight and is great for for the following single arm exercises among others.

Perform these as a complex – meaning no rest between exercises, don’t even put the bar down, simply switch hands and get on with it. The sooner you’re done, the sooner you can put it down.

8x Bent over row – face away from the fulcrum, lean forward to at least 45degrees with core engaged, flat back.

8x Cleans- Facing the fulcrum, set up with the bar centered between your legs at knee-level in a squat position. Hold in your right hand with “thumb towards you” grip. accelerate the weight upwards using your legs, sneak your elbow underneath it and catch softly on the right shoulder with soft knees (your palm should now be facing the other way). Lower the bar slowly and carefully back to the beginning and repeat.

Alex Training one of his private clients in kitsilano

20x Alt press- Press with your right arm until fully extended and bar is in front of your face, switch hands and drop to left shoulder. To develop power production, add a little hop through knees and ankles to accelerate the bar while finishing the movement with your shoulder and elbow, to keep up a good tempo you should always keep your other hand in the catching position at the top of the movement. Maintain slight flexion in the knees, weight in the toes and above all a neutral spine alignment. 

Core-

4 – minute plank. Complete in as few attempts as possible (contract quads and glutes to lock out knees, elbows directly below shoulders).

Injury management –

20x Side lying adductor for groin 1 minute rest, perform 3 sets.

seated hip-flops mobility exercise 2 minutes

I/T – band rolling 2mins per leg.

20x Lying Chin-tucks 3 sets

(These exercises are specific to my own injury history, if you have identified injury considerations for your program, insert them here.  A physiotherapist or exercise professional is the best person to consult when choosing post-rehabilitative exercises)

Better-Bodies Nutritions Quinoa stuffed peppers

Here’s a tasty way to get some “super-food” in to your evening meal or even as a cold lunch item.

Ingredients:

1 cup dried Quinoa seeds,
4 fresh peppers (Hollowed out)
1 bunch green onion (chopped)
¼ cup Crumbly goats cheese
¼ cup dried dates (chopped)

Step 1:

In a saucepan, bring to boil 2cups of
Water (add chicken stock here for extra
Flavor). Add Quinoa, turn down heat,
cover and let stand for 10 minutes
stirring occasionally with a fork.

Step 2:

In a bowl, mix the Quinoa, 75% of the
cheese, green onions and dates. Stuff the
Peppers. Top with the remainder of the goats
cheese.

Step 3:

Carefully place the peppers in a [reheated
(400deg) oven. Place them so that they are
propped up as they like to fall over! Bake for
20 mins or until skin blisters.

Serve as a side with a chicken breast for a healthy
And delicious dinner!

Kitsilano Personal Trainer Alex Ackerley

Ok, training day number 2. Upper-body time. Rather than split the workout in to chest, triceps, and biceps…. This is usually common amongst guys that are hitting the gym for aesthetic reasons or simply because its what their buddy taught them when they were 16. We’re categorizing our upper-body workouts with a little more functionality and balance in mind. Put simply today is about pressing and day #3 is about Pulling. Pressing movements involve the pecs, delts, triceps primarily. When performed in standing positions they also involve the legs and core. In fact, our ability to produce a forward pressing movement in a standing position is almost always limited by the stability through our lower body and core. It actually has very little to do with what your 1RM on a bench is. That said, we are going to use various pressing angles, ROMs and tempos to ensure that you can produce a powerful athletic press in most positions you’ll find yourself in on the field.

Warm-up
15 x Bi-lateral band abduction 2 sets

12 x Push-up to up-reach (lift one hand off the floor and turn the body to reach up to the ceiling, hips, feet and shoulders should all rotate at the same rate, lower your hand back down to the ground under control)

6-10 x Plyo Push ups 2 sets

Strength
4 x Heavy top half incline press 2-0-2-2 (max weight)
8 x Power full incline press 1-0-1-0(aprox 75%)
Perform as a superset, repeating 3-4 sets total resting at least 2 minutes between sets.

Functional Conditioning
8 x Standing one arm cable press 1-1-2-0
(cable set at elbow height, hold handle in right hand, stand with right foot back and heel off floor, left foot forward. Press using hips and shoulders to rotate right side forward until arm is fully extended. This movement is powerful and should be a heavy load)

20 x Barbell corner alternating shoulder press 1-0-1-0
(Feet square, one end of barbell on your shoulder, other end on the floor wedged in a corner to prevent it sliding away. Press with your right arm until fully extended and bar is in front of your face, switch hands and drop to left shoulder. To develop power production, add a little hop through knees and ankles to accelerate the bar while finishing the movement with your shoulder and elbow, to keep up a good tempo you should always keep your other hand in the catching position at the top of the movement. Maintain slight flexion in the knees, weight in the toes and above all a neutral spine alignment. 20 reps should take no longer than 30 seconds, if it is use a lighter weight.)

Perform these two exercises as a super-set. Rest for two minutes between sets and repeat 3-4 times.

Direct arm work to finish
max Dips maintaining good form
max Kneeling OH Tricep extension weight to achieve minimum 15 reps
2-3 sets should be sufficient to ensure you have a hard time picking up a towel to shower with!

Core-

4 – minute plank. Complete in as few attempts as possible (contract quads and glutes to lock out knees, elbows directly below shoulders).

Injury management –

20x Side lying adductor for groin 1 minute rest, perform 3 sets.
seated hip-flops mobility exercise 2 minutes
I/T – band rolling 2mins per leg.
20x Lying Chin-tucks 3 sets

(These exercises are specific to my own injury history, if you have identified injury considerations for your program, insert them here. A physiotherapist or exercise professional is the best people to consult when choosing post-rehabilitative exercises)

Personal training, Sports conditioning, Exercise rehab, vancouver, kitsilano

Now you have your goals laid out in front of you, the next thing to consider when planning a program is time;

How many times a week can you work out?

How much time can and should you spend working out?

When deadlines are involved, how much time do you have before you need to reach your goals?

Answering these three questions will help you lay out a schedule. It’s important to have a written schedule so that you can have something to answer to and be accountable for.

NB – Over-training, if you think you are over training, you’re probably not. You may be under-eating, or under-sleeping. Sensations such as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and post exercise fatigue are very common at the onset of a new training program. Give it one month and your body should be taking your new program in its stride!

Lets assume that unlike me, you don’t have the time to get in to the gym 5-7 days per week. For most of us, three times per week for 1-1.5 hours is going to fall somewhere within the acceptable balancing act of work, play and family time.

How do we split these days up? We’re going to separate muscle groups in order to ensure we’re getting enough rest for adequate muscle regeneration.

So let’s assume a three day split. Allow one day rest between each day (although with adequate muscle group separation, the following workouts can be on consecutive days with little or no cross over)

Monday –

Soft tissue rolling – I/T Band 2 minutes each leg
Warm-Up –
Stair mill 10 minutes
3 x 10m Walking lunges
10x Vertical jumps (max height, pause between reps)

Strength –
4 x Barbell Squats, increase the weight until you feel close to your max weight, perform up to 3 sets at max, stopping if your form deteriorates. Rest 2minutes between sets. 2-0-2-2

8x (single dumbbell) Goblet squat (touch elbows to knees) 3-0-1-0 x4 sets

Conditioning –
24x (dumbbell) Step Ups – 24x (dumbbell) Split Squats 1-0-1-0 rest 1minute repeat. 3 rounds, total.

Agility ladder – 40 seconds on 20 seconds off, do as many lengths as possible, varying your foot patterns each time. Total work time 5 minutes. Focus is on foot speed and accuracy of foot placement under fatigued conditions. If you’re tripping on the ladder, slow down!

Injury management –

20x Side lying adductor for groin 1 minute rest, perform 3 sets.
seated hip-flops mobility exercise 2 minutes
I/T – band rolling 2mins per leg.
20x Lying Chin-tucks 3 sets

(These exercises are specific to my own injury history, if you have identified injury considerations for your program, insert them here. A physiotherapist or exercise professional is the best people to consult when choosing post-rehabilitative exercises)

Workout day number 2, coming up…

Goal #1 Play effectively, to do this I will need to be aerobically fit, Anaerobically conditioned, fast, and strong. In order to achieve each of these goals I will require various training methods.

Aerobically fit, Anaerobically conditioned. Rugby’s energy demands are complex.  We play for two 40 minute halves in which there is no rolling substitution like in North American Sports.  So you need to be able to run, jog and sometimes walk intervals for 40 minutes. The more running and less walking you can do, the more effective you will be. But wait, it gets better! In between getting yourself around the field you will, at some stage be required to perform various amounts of tackling (full contact, no padding or helmets here!), rucking and mauling (similar to an offensive line block in NFL/CFL) as well as ball handling and or kicking (this can require the handling skills of an NBA Basketball Player or the ball striking/dribbling skills of a soccer player) all while the bad guys are trying to do the same to you.While these skills are key, they are taken as granted here. We’re concerned with physical readiness and that will entail effective skill performance under fatigue. Each of the contact skills, rucking, mauling and tackling will require elements of explosive power and core strength. These will each demand their own attention in the gym.

Personal Training helps you stay in shape for recreational activity

Goal #2 Play regularly, to do this I will need to reduce injury risk by maintaining muscle balance around all of the key joints in the body – namely, shoulders, Hips, Knees as well as my back and abdomen which control the lumbar spine.

Special attention should be paid to known pre-existing injury risk areas. In my case, these are, left knee, right shoulder, left ankle groin and neck. All sites of old injuries, some from skiing, some from soccer and some from rugby.

Each injury will have its own treatment protocol, but will focus on joint balance and stability. A pre and post workout injury mitigation section will be crucial to my workouts. It doesn’t matter how strong my squats are, if my left ankle stops me from running I wont even make it on the field!

Add to this the already considerable injury tolerance required by the nature of the game and you realize why significant time should be devoted to preventative and rehabilitative exercise.

Next post, I’ll go in to detail about program design. Taking in to consideration the day to day stuff we non-professionals have to deal with like work.

Alex Ackerely, Personal Trainer and Sports-Scientist for Kitsilanos Better-Bodies Health Solutions is putting his know-how to the test and attempting to go injury free this Rugby season.

Kits Personal trainer Alex Ackerley playing Rugby for the Vancouver Rowing Club

I’m just going in to what will be (by my reckoning), my 20^th season of rugby. Now I don’t have any grand ambitions of representing Canada or rubbing shoulders with those bearded chaps just returned from the world cup as I have done in previous years. This year I’m returning my old Club down in Stanley Park to link up with some old friends and play just for the enjoyment of the game and of course a few beers in our great Club House on the Water at the VRC.  Somewhat more of a relaxed attitude and I think I like it!

Now this doesn’t mean I don’t want to play as well as I can. And as most of you will know, Rugby of any level is not without it’s injury risks. Anyone whose played with me over the years will also know that I have a few Glass-Like tendencies!  As such, I’m always very keen to get in to the very best shape I possibly can before taking to the field.

So over the next few posts I’ll be going through the steps necessary for me to Bullet-Proof as best I can, my body for the upcoming season. Further more, I’ll track my progress through the season as I deal with the bumps and bruises and juggle them with the full-time  job of Personal Training at our studio in Kitsilano.

I’ll start off with an outline of the considerations necessary to plan out a thorough Pre-habilitation athletic conditioning program..

1. Identify your goals – Succesful participation, impactful on the field as well as resistant to injury.
2. Identify the facets of physical fitness required  – Aerobic, Anaerobic conditioning as well as strength speed and power, injury resilience.
3. Identify methods of staying on track – structured training program with variation and multi disciplinary focus including addressing of underlying injury risks. In season, a key consideration is flexibility in your schedule. You will probably need to shuffle your days as bumps and bruises require extra rest of certain muscle groups.
4. Basic Program outline is this – Address historical predetermination to injury while safely ramping up intensity of exercise in order to match the level of performance I want on the field, aim to continue to improve fitness levels in-season. Not just maintaining .
5. Enjoy the season, no injuries, winning championship, having laughs with the guys.

Stay tuned!