Strickland Fitness

Training for that Beachin Bod!

Now is the time most people have changed their fitness goals from shedding the winter coat to primping the bathing suit ready body! The question I get is how to do this as fast as possible. The formula is simple and the execution of it is also simple. The hard part is the discipline of keeping to the formula.

So what is the formula: In no particular order….

• Have a low fat (consisting of only good fats: Olive oil, almonds, avocados, etc.) high lean protein (poultry, fish, lean beef), and good carb (legumes, veggies, etc.) eating plan.
• Cut down on alcohol intake. Tough during the summer months, but a beachin body requires discipline.
• Intensify your workouts. Besides eating right, the two other components of a low fat firmed body are cardio and resistance training.
• Concentrate on doing intervals for cardio (read my post about this) as it is much more intense than steady state cardio and burns way more calories and fat.
• Go for it in your workouts. Add a couple pounds to the normal weights you use to exercise or do another set. You should be exhausted after working out.
• Be as active as possible.
• Try creating a fitness competition with a friend. That extra edge will fuel your workouts and you will get the much closer to you goals that much faster. Ahhh, the spirit of human competition!

Mobility and Flexibility = Function

When doing an exercise program, the goal shouldn’t only be to gain lean muscle, lose weight, and burn fat, but also for your body to move as it should. For the body to move in a functionally correct way, the muscles have to be flexible, the mobile joints have to be mobile, and the core has to be stabilized.

In everyday life, we create certain motor patterns. Sometimes these patterns are made of movements around a certain weakness, tightness, or lack of mobility. If you continue to move this way, you run the risk of creating instability in the body followed by chronic pain or injury.

So how de we begin to move in a better way? It all starts with how you begin your workout. The first thing is to prepare the body for stretching to help with flexibility. You can do this by doing a self-myofascial release. Myofascial release is a type of soft tissue massage which incorporates stretching and massage of the connective tissues, or fascia. Imagine trying to stretch a rubber band with a bunch of knots in it. How far would it stretch without the knots? That is what we are trying to accomplish here. You want to get rid of the knots so the muscle can stretch to its fullest range. An example of myofascial release is foam rolling.

The next thing to do is to create mobility in your mobile joints. What parts of the body are supposed to move? These joints are the ankles, hips, thoracic spine, shoulder, and wrists. If these joints don’t move through a full range of motion properly, the body will rely on parts of the body that aren’t supposed to move in order to compensate for the lack of mobility. This in turn will create problems, pain, or injury down the line. For instance, someone who has tight hips usually will have back pain because they are using the lower back to make up for the lack of movement in the hips. Begin workouts with active mobility exercises that will put these joints through their range of motion. An example of active mobility is a split squat for good hip flexion and extension.

The last part of good motor pattern is the stabilization of your core. In all the exercises that you do, there should be no change in the pelvis or lower back (lumbar spine).  The tendency is to rotate the pelvis or bend form the lumbar spine to allow for more movement when there is a lack of movement somewhere else. A good example of this is someone lowering into a split squat and having their upper body move forward instead of staying completely straight. If the hips can’t flex or extend enough, the upper body will move forward giving the person the feeling that split squat is going deeper because that’s what they feel it’s supposed to do. Exercises to help with core stabilization are planks and the conscious effort of keeping your stomach tight and pelvis neutral in everything you do.

Getting rid of the knots, stretching the muscles, active mobilization of the mobile joints and core stabilization are the key components to a body’s functional movement.

How to keep it sexy

With the holidays coming and more things taking you away from your normal schedule, now is the time to gear up your workouts and maintain your healthy lifestyle. Here is a list of things you can do to stay fit through the holidays.

1. Put your workout time into your schedule. Just like meetings, if you don't schedule them, it's harder to make them happen.

2. Get a workout partner or trainer. Having someone to keep you accountable makes all the difference.

3. Switch it up. Don't get bored. Look for new routines, exercises, and programs.

4. Make a new short-term goal. Set a small goal to achieve by the end of the year. This will help you to stay on point with your gym time and you will not be stuck like everyone else making a New Year's resolution. You will be ahead of the game.

5. Find some new healthy foods that you haven't tapped into yet. People think healthy food is boring tasteless food. I like Arugala salad with grilled chicken and avocado. Tasty!!!!

6. Start logging your workouts, cardio sessions, and food intake. This will paint a clear picture on how musc you are putting in and how much you are taking out.

7. Take up a sport you have always been thinking about. Join a league or make a weekly game with your friends. This will get you practicing and working on something you are not used to. All while burning some extra calories.

8. Read up on the new findings in the fitness world. Fitness is always evolving and some of the new thing out there will blow your mind away.

9. Change your music. I noticed the other day that the music I listen to while working out has been the same for months. Putting some new tunes in completely energized me.

10. Stop looking in the mirror and focus on the inside. How do you feel? Get good rest, eat healthy, and stay active. It makes all the difference!

You are the Star

One of the things I have been touching on while working with my clients is how they approach each exercise, set, and even each individual rep. In my previous video I talked about turning off the autopilot to maximize your workouts. Well, the next thing you can do to take it to the next level and make each exercise count is to pretend that you are a 10 million dollar athlete filming a commercial for your sponsor. Think as though while you are working out, there are lights and cameras all around you filming your every move. How do you think your workout will go? What will happen is you will push yourself to the max making the workout that much better.

Here is an example: the other day I had a client do a warm-up lap around the track. I could tell that he was just running because that was the goal. While running, his shoulders were slumped, his feet were dragging, and his brain had obviously shut off and he had gone into auto-pilot. I asked him to run the lap again, but this time to think that he was in a commercial as a highly paid pro-athlete. I also told him to run at the same pace. The difference was astounding. He took off at a much faster speed, his shoulders were back with this chest up, his knees were driving up, and he was thinking about what he was doing. When he came back, I asked why he ran so fast. His response was, “I couldn’t slow down.” We used only 5 pound dumbbells for the rest of the workout keeping the “commercial” concept in mind. By the end, he was sweating, exhausted, and feeling awesome. All this with 5 pound dumbbells!

The next time you workout or do cardio, imagine you are at the top of the game!