Strickland Fitness

Consult a physician before beginning any exercise program. Be sure to read the tips at the bottom of this post!
Ok Challengers….The time has come!!!! Let the challenge begin.
You should have your maximum heart rate from a previous post. Calculate 50%, 65%, 80%, and write down each of those numbers (you will need them for the entire challenge). You can also use the formula 220 – your age = Maximum heart rate. Your Challenge for today is….
Using any cardio apparatus of your choice (bike, running outside, treadmill, etc.), beginners or just starting exercise challengers do cardio program A. Intermediate or have been exercising challengers do cardio program B.

Cardio Program A: work for 20-30 minutes on your cardio apparatus. Raise your heart rate to at least 50% of your max heart rate. Maintain that heart rate making sure it doesn’t fall below 50% and doesn’t go above 65%. Even if you feel you can go higher, stay in this zone. We will raise it later. If you are tired at 20 minutes stop; otherwise work for the entire 30 minutes. If you can go the entire 30 minutes and feel ok, you will move to cardio program B next time. If you can’t find your heart rate, use the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale at the bottom. Stay between 11-13.

Cardio Program B: Work for 20-30 minutes on your cardio apparatus. Raise your heart rate to at least 50% of your max heart rate. Maintain that heart rate making sure it doesn’t fall below 65% and doesn’t go above 80%. Even if you feel you can go higher, stay in this zone. We will raise it later. If you are tired at 20 minutes stop; otherwise work for the entire 30 minutes.
If you can’t find your heart rate, use the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) scale at the bottom. Stay between 13-15.

Always exercise with intensity but comfort ability. Stop if you feel dizzy or nauseous. Once you have completed this challenge, put a check in the October 1^st box of your calendar. Great job!!

 Perceived Exertion Scale

 The following is a scale which you can use to describe and/or rate your level of exertion.

6

7 – Very, very light

8

9 – Very light

10

11 – Fairly light

12

13 – Somewhat hard

14

15 – Hard

16

17 – Very hard

18

19 – Very, very hard

 

Tips For Beginning Your Fitness Program

 

Proper preparation for a fitness program is essential in order to achieve the best results.  The following tips will not only help you when starting a new fitness program, but help you to stay consistent with it over the long term.

Following is a list of general principles:

1. Prior to beginning an exercise program, speak with your physician, especially if you have a medical condition such as diabetes or high blood pressure, are overweight, sedentary, over 35 years old, have any heart problems, or have a history of heart problems in your family.

2. Set achievable, measurable, attainable, realistic goals.  Write them down and keep them someplace visible.

3. Wear comfortable clothing that will absorb perspiration. Choose clothing that won’t restrict your movement, and remember that this is about fitness, not fashion. Wear good athletic shoes that provide plenty of arch support. Dress for the climate.

4. Choose and schedule times to work out that fit your daily routine. There really isn’t a time of day that is any better than another, but it helps to pick a time when you usually feel energetic and your schedule allows for consistency.  If you have a busy lifestyle, put your workouts into your schedule just like any other appointments or responsibilities that you have.

5. Track your workouts in a log or notebook.  This helps ensure that you consistently challenge yourself to do more in your program, allows you to see the progress you are making, and gives you a record to monitor so you know when to build variety and progression into your program.

6. Warm up for 3 – 5 minutes with a light activity that targets all the major muscle groups prior to beginning your fitness program.

7. After your workout, finish with a cool down phase of 5-10 minutes.  This is also a good time to incorporate any stretching into your fitness program.

8. Consistency is the key with any fitness program designed to achieve lasting, long term results.  Start with small steps, but keep moving forward with your program consistently.

9. Do not go overboard with your fitness program.  Exercise is like anything else, and too much of a good thing can be detrimental.  Give your body adequate rest, not only by getting a good night’s sleep on a consistent basis, but by varying your exercise routine so that you do not suffer from repetitive use injuries.

Use of any knowledge from this website is voluntary. By reading this post, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the disclaimer in the about section of this website. Thanks for participating!

 

 The next thing you will need to do for the October challenge is know how to monitor your heart rate during exercise, both resistance and cardio. If you have a heart rate monitor in the closet, dig it up. If you don’t have one, don’t despair. Most cardio machines at the gym have sensors on them for you to check your heart rate. Make sure you know how to use it. The third way is to take your pulse manually. Place the tips of your first two fingers lightly over one of the blood vessels on your neck, just to the left or right of your Adam’s apple. Or try the pulse spot inside your wrist just below the base of your thumb. Count the pulse for 10 seconds and then multiply by 6. So you should at all times be able to, using one of these methods, check your heart rate. Next time you are working out, try stopping and seeing if you can get it. Once you have this down, put a big check mark in the box for Sept. 17^th. Great Job!!!

Use of any knowledge from this website is voluntary. By reading this post, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the disclaimer in the about section of this website. Thanks for participating!

 Ok, here is the first tool you will need for the October Challenge. For any fitness program, the biggest element is nutrition. Whether you want to gain, lose, or maintain weight, this will have to be looked at. Create a food journal that you can keep track of what you eat and drink, when you consume it, and how much specifically you consume. I will not be looking at anyone’s journal so be honest with yourself. Now starting at the beginning of the next day of reading this, start journaling. It shouldn’t take long and you should create an easy way to do it to be sure that you do it every day. Write down everything!! There are many websites and iphone apps out there that can track your intake for you for free. If you don’t know how to count calories, this might be the way to go because later you will need to know the specific amount of calories you are taking in. Again, just figure out the system that works best for you to be sure you do it every day!

Next, print a generic calendar from your computer for the second half of September and the whole month of October. Keep this calendar next to your computer. Once you have found your food journal entry procedure, put a big check mark in the box for the 16^th! Great Job!

Use of any knowledge from this website is voluntary. By reading this post, you agree to the terms and conditions outlined in the disclaimer in the about section of this website. Thanks for participating!

Starting October 1^st is the Strickland Fitness Strictly Fit Challenge. This is a one month program to help you kick start your fall and help you take steps toward your fitness goal. If your goal is to lose weight, burn fat, gain muscle, or kick your workout into the next gear, this program will definitely help.  I will teach you about nutrition, resistance training, cardio, fitness level assessment and much much more.  All you have to do is read each day’s blog entry for the day’s exercise suggestion.  I will prepare you for the gym or your house if you don’t belong to a gym. You will learn new exercises and how creativity can boost your workout, change your daily routine, and elevate you from a plateau.

There will be a 2 week prep period starting Wednesday Sept. 16^th.  This prep period will be designed to prepare you with all the tools you will need to participate in the challenge. Visit the blog daily for new information.

So the next step is to make the commitment. All it takes is an email to me stating your goal and your commitment to your goal for the next 30 days.

You can comment on the blog about your experience with each day’s suggestion and how you are doing in the challenge. There might be some days that are hard and others that are easy. Whatever the case, share it with the community. If you have any questions regarding a post, put it in the comment section and I will be sure to answer it with the next day’s entry and suggestion.

There will be variations in the workouts to help tailor them towards different goals.

You have until Sept. 30^th to enter yourself into the challenge.

The next day’s blog post will be up by 9:00 pm P.S.T.

Some workouts will be emailed to you directly so be sure to email me your entrance.

If you happen to miss a post, you can go to the October Challenge Tag on the right to get all back posts. Good Luck!!!!

This 30 day program is not intended to treat or diagnose. If you have any concerns, you should consult a physician immediately.

 

Disclaimer: Chad Strickland, Strickland fitness, and any other associated business, entity, or person is not liable for any damages from the use of any information available on this site. Any use of the information provided by this site is voluntary. By use of any knowledge from this website, you voluntarily release, forever discharge, and agree to indemnify and hold harmless Chad Strickland, Strickland Fitness, and any other associated business, entity, or person from any and all claims, demands, or causes of action, which are in any way connected with my participation.  You should consult a physician before starting any exercise program.

I had many requests to post more about working the butt. The key is to make mind-muscle connection. If you are trying to work your butt, you have to be focused on working it. For example, when you do a bicep curl, your focus should be on contracting the bicep to raise the weight. It makes a huge difference to the muscle when you consciously think about what’s happening rather than letting the body go into auto-pilot. Do the same for your gluts.

Let’s put this concept to work. When doing a squat, try concentrating more on your behind rather than your quads. Imagine you are being pushed up from the squatting position to the standing position while squeezing your gluts. Activating the muscle with the mind will activate the muscle in exercise.

Here is a great butt exercise. Stand on a 12 inch high box with one leg. One foot should be on the box and the other should be hanging off the side right next to the box. If the right leg is on the box, lower your left foot (bending your right knee) until it touches the ground and then push through the right foot to raise to the staring position. Try not to let your left hip drop below your right. Keep your pelvis square the whole time. Really focus on lowering with the muscle and rising with the muscle. Don’t bounce the left foot off the ground. The most important aspect of the exercise is making sure your knee that is bending stays in line with your foot. Look down or in a mirror to be sure the knee is not collapsing inward. Go up and down 20 times focusing on the right glut. Do 20 on the other side with your left foot on the box and the right hanging off. Do 3 sets of 20 on each side. This a great exercise to activate the butt before moving on to other exercises.

I will post some more specific exercises for getting the perfect pair of buns.