Today's Special - 28/11/15

I've seen a lot of posts regarding people's daily workouts on social media recently, and while these posts can be truly inspiring, we shouldn't necessarily be doing a certain workout just because our #wcw or #mcm does it! 

I'm posting today's training to highlight a training principle called SPECIFICITY! What does this mean? Simply put, if you want to get faster, stronger or more efficient in a given sport or movement, you have to work that movement, or parts of it in your training!

Todays session was based on Accessory Work - movements/exercises that will help strengthen my main lifts, decrease bilateral differences in strength and recruitment, and improve my skating! I finished with a little burner to help with conditioning, with low reps of power-based movements (just like the energy system I use in hockey) to avoid overtaxing my system! The big picture here: #alwaysaskwhy! Train in a way that is safe, efficient, and conducive to your goals, not your friends's goals or those of your social medial idol. If you want specific results, use the principles of exercise science to achieve them!

Today's Special - 28/11/15

Warm-Up

• Joint Mobility & Dynamic Movement

Accessory Work 

A1. Goblet Squats

A2. Bent-over Single KB Rows

B1. Single rack KB Lunges

B2. Floor Press

C1. Single leg Glute bridges

C2. Prone Hollow Body Hold  

C3. Hollow back rocks

Finisher

5 Rounds of:

• 5 pistols to box/side
• 5 KB Swings
• 5 toes to Dumbbells

Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.. (#alwaysaskwhy)

We're all guilty of it, all gym goers: the 'Meathead Moment'. That moment you decide you're going to do (try) something awesome (crazy), just because (you think) you can. It might be a new movement, or one you were able to do years ago. It might be a crazy back squat PR, it might even be a super intense conditioning workout you saw on TV or read about in men's health. Whatever it is, there are a few things you should consider before you jump in with both feet...

1. Does it hurt?

I'm not talking about your ego here, or about DOMS. I'm thinking more along the lines of pinching, pulling, zapping, popping, or tearing pain. Real discomfort (not feelings of effort), either during or following your movement attempts.  In the CrossFit world, where I live, its not uncommon for an athlete to tell me that their shoulders hurt, but that they'd like to try the Handstand Push Ups/Kipping Pull Ups/Muscle Ups in the WOD anyways, as if working through the pain helps earn them status, or even moves them closer to their movement goal. I'm not sure where this line of thinking originated, but I wish it would go away already! My thoughts are this: if a movement pattern hurts, its probably not a great idea to keep repeating it exactly the same way with the hope that the pain will just go away (whats the definition of insanity again?). STOP. Take a step back, analyze the movement, and figure out what you're missing - e.g. strength, stability, mobility, an intact joint capsule.. Whatever it is, in the short-term, its time to stop and work regressions, or get that nagging injury properly treated so you're in a better position to complete the movement safely and efficiently. From what I've heard, your first muscle up certainly isn't worth a rotator cuff tear, or the the months of rehab work that go along with it.

2. Is it conducive to your goals/training program (..by the way, do you have goals and a training program?)

If you're currently following a training program, chances are it was designed by yourself or trainer with certain goals in mind. I think it follows logically, that if you've set certain goals and have been putting work into achieving them, they're probably pretty important to you. So it always baffles me, when an individual with clearly defined goals and methods to achieve them attempts to do something at the gym that is completely incongruent with their program, or even worse, something that is detrimental to their health and progress. I get that it can be cool to post a video on Instagram of yourself doing something physically challenging, but is it really worth it if it compromises all of your hard work? Before trying something crazy at the gym, its certainly worth it to go through a risk:benefit analysis rather than jumping right in! If the chances of injury outweigh the benefits of the movement, you should probably skip it for now! 

If you don't yet have specific goals for your health, fitness, and training, it might be worth it to take some time to sit down and carve them out, for the benefit of your own progress, sanity and accountability (more on this in an upcoming post). If you're in a position where you're working with a trainer, or following general programming at a gym, I implore you to ALWAYS ASK WHY you're doing a specific movement or workout! I have seen way too many people practicing handstands (with poor technique) or running miles on miles when they really just want to get strong. If there is something that seems unsafe, incongruent with your goals, or just ridiculous in your program, please don't just do it because someone told you to! There is no point wasting your time and effort or risking your health on movements or workouts that will not aid your progress! 

3. Did you earn it?

Our bodies are really great at getting us from point A to point B! In the grand scheme of things, movement goes a little something like this: we tell our body what we want it to do and our body finds the path of least resistance to get us there; this is especially true in the case of an unfamiliar or awkward task. We're all really good at 'cheating' movements, and very often, we don't even realize we're doing it; if we hit the given start and end positions, we assume we did everything in the middle right! Often this is not the case! With sound coaching/training, technique work, and lots of 'perfect practice', we can teach our nervous system, muscles and joints the most safe, efficient, and ideal way to perform a given movement and give our tissues time to adapt...but that takes time and effort! I have seen numerous examples of people who did not 'earn their movement' over the last year, and I'm sad to say that most of them involve injury. A really common example occurs when people rush into lifting heavy, without taking time to build up tissue resilience and a proper movement pattern. Evolutionarily, our bodies are designed to help us avoid getting stuck under heavy objects, and as humans, we build 'neural' strength much faster than our joints and muscles adapt to new movements or weights, putting some of us in a very precarious position. As a result, some people up their weights too quickly and end up with strains, sprains, and in some cases, even disc injuries...and these injuries are certainly NOT the most catastrophic events that can possibly occur in these situations. Another common example are shoulder injuries that occur when individuals that do not have the raw strength to complete strict pull-ups or dips are taught to kip in order to enable them to do more work in a given period of time. This enables the individual to put a tonne of force through their shoulders at a very high speed, and often in an uncontrolled manner, teeing them up for injury! In either case, the time (and money) the athlete ends up investing in rehab far outweigh the time and effort it would have taken to learn the movement properly. So next time you step up to a barbell, pull-up bar, or even a set of rings, ask yourself, 'Did I really earn this?'

So why am I saying all of this?

What makes this information so important that I felt the need to write about it? There are two answers to this question!

Time!

  Having dealt with several injuries myself, I know how horrible it is having to take time off of training, especially when you're close to reaching your goals! Mentally and physically, it hard both to be out of the training world, and to work back in when you're given the green light! This is particularly true for trainers whose livelihood depend on being able to move properly! Think of each movement you perfect and all of your cumulative training experience as an investment; don't put all your pennies in one basket! 

Motor Patterning and Permanent Damage! 

Before you even start to try a new movement, know that our bodies are really great at learning and "remembering" movement patterns, the exact way we perform them. Repetition only strengthens this memory, and it only takes a few reps with a compensation or lack of activation in a given position to send us down a path to inefficient movement and potential injury! Moreover, soft tissue injury (sprains and strains) takes quite some time to heal, and in many cases, never returns to its pre-injury condition! With a shoulder injury like I mentioned above, your overhead mobility and strength could be limited permanently! 

So...

Take your time, work your drills, and keep your inner meathead satisfied with marvel movies!  

Photo from: http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/attachments/sidewinders-bar-grille/134833d1431899077-meathead-meathead.jpg

Why the Nike Women's 15 km Race?

For many years, people who know me well have heard me (repeatedly) say "I hate running!". I have always enjoyed short-duration, power based activities such as 50-100 m sprints, sled pushes, powerlifting and Olympic lifting and have found running long distance to be not quite as fun. We all have things we're good at and we generally like to do those things. I am without a doubt, a fast-twitch type person. In elementary and secondary school, I succeeded in sports like baseball, volleyball, and track and field events such as long jump and relays. In fact, I remember a very sunny elementary school afternoon when track and field try-outs were held; every student completed every event and then the teachers selected the top performers. I got to the 800-m run station and thought to myself god I hate this! I think I was in grade 4!  Add to this some of my physical characteristics, such as short little legs, heavy muscular shoulders, bilateral congenital hip dysplasia and a history severe sprains of both my ankles, and you'll understand why I have always believed I was not 'designed' to run long distance.

Flash forward 20-something years and I'm training for Nike Women's 15 Kilometre race; that's right, that just happened! Why you ask? I had 3 major reasons

1. I have been trying to convince myself for the last 20 years that I could be a superhero! I already have a technology-obliterating forced field. I figured if I added aerobic endurance and mental stamina to the package, I might just be unstoppable... Honestly though, I really wanted to test my physical and mental capacity.

2. Working with Nike as an NTC trainer has been a true highlight of my career thus far. Working with the Nike Women's team is ridiculously inspiring - the effort they put into every last detail of their events and their dedication to promoting women's fitness is unrivalled. When I heard that they were hosting the Nike Women's 15 km race, I had to sign up, if only to acknowledge their hard work and dedication to women's fitness. The experience is going to be epic... Get ready!

The Toronto NTC Trainers with the amazing Jess of the Nike Canada Women's Team.

​3. It was time to put my money where my mouth is. Every week, I train a hundred or more women who are striving to reach amazing fitness goals. I push them...hard....every time I see them. I tell them their abilities should be diverse; they should be able to jump high, lift heavy and push hard. I tell them they have the mental and physical strength to push themselves in ways they never though possible, as long as they train in a way that is periodized, with proper form and recovery. All of this is true, and so I wanted to prove it. 

I often rant about training with trainer who 'knows their stuff; NOT just someone who has a few certifications under their belt. I'm talking about trainers who have spent years in the gym doing the work themselves, who have studied and further researched the concepts they have learned at certifications, who compliment that experience with a deep and thorough understanding of exercise physiology AND the ability to apply that knowledge soundly when they program for or train their clients. There are not a lot of trainers who fit this description and even fewer who I would recommend unconditionally. Given my history of injury and unique needs, I went to a great friend and even better trainer, Fréyja Spence.  Having never run farther than 5 km, and not wanting lose my muscle mass and strength, I knew I needed an expert. Fréyja not only runs herself (amazingly well), she also is the developer and leader of Darby Training System's Informed Runner course; a course focuses on teaching coaches how to assess and program for their running clients. Fréyja studied Human Kinetics at the University of Guelph and has completed a large and diverse range of certifications including DTS-Advanced Lifting, GBT-Animal Flow and ISI-Functional Nutrition, just to name a few. She has also spent years in the gym herself, experimenting and building on the information she received in those certifications. She KNOWS her stuff!

Fréyja  Spence, Owner of Spence Coaching and Darby Training Systems Lead Instructor

My program began with a running assessment, and several weeks of run technique re-patterning before I got anywhere near running distance. Over the last 9 weeks, as a result of Fréyja's program, I have changed the way I run, and have worked up to a 14 km distance with no pain, injuries or even muscle soreness. Her program was well-laid out, organized based on sound  training principles and most importantly, took into account other factors in my life, such as my school and exam schedule, my strength training, stressors and time restraints.

I organized my own cross-training, being sure to train alternate energy systems and focusing on exercises that helped build stability, that reinforced the activation of and strengthened the external rotators of my hips, and helped to build tissue resilience in order to prevent injury. The short of it is, I'm here, I'm ready, 48 hours before race day, and I'm excited to run farther than I ever have before.

Now I know I got your attention with the Toronto Nike Women's Weekend and 15 km race, but there are some deeper messages within this post; a few key points I want to emphasize:

• Believe you can do it! With proper training or programming, almost anything is possible!

• Your program should be more than a list of exercises or distances; it should take into account your fitness level, nutrition, injuries and lifestyle. It should change based on your feedback 

  (which means your trainer should communicate with you) and should fit well within your daily routine:

• Invest in a good trainer! Ask for their certifications, experience, references and reasons why they're prescribing certain exercises (#alwaysaskwhy)! If they know their stuff, they should be able to answer those questions, in a simple, concise and logical way. If they use big words and jargon, I would probably find someone else to work with!

That's all for today! I do want to send a HUGE thanks out to Fréyja for getting me ready for race day and I want to encourage you to get out there and get after it! If I can run 15 km, anything is possible!

J

5 Reasons to Make Your Vacation a #Traincation

Foreward: I wrote this blog post while I was away on vacation about a month ago, and at that time, my colleagues and I had not yet "officially released" our most recent venture: the Adaptation Fitness Urban Retreat running in Toronto June 1st - 5th 2015.  This urban retreat is a great way to dedicate some of your 'own time' to reframing your wellness goals and programming. I think after you read this post you'll come to realize that training while your on a vacation or staycation is really beneficial; its an investment in your fitness and health. The Adaptation Fitness Retreat has the added benefit of introducing you to some amazing resources you can access on your wellness journey in Toronto! There are bios for both of my colleagues Paluna Sanataria and Nathalie Niddam on my 'Guest Contributor's' page, and scheduling/registration details on the 'Shop Small but Mighty' page. Just something to consider! Check it out, its going to be an amazing week that will get or keep you on track to reaching all your wellness goals. 

I recently had two precious weeks off from my crazy schedule – as a Chiropractic student, personal trainer, CrossFit coach, NTC trainer and an individual that enjoys being strong and well-conditioned, I keep myself pretty busy. I was super stoked to have two weeks to myself to train and relax; in fact, I branded by time off as a #traincation – 2 weeks where I could be selfish and focus on my programming, goals, training and recovery.  I spent my second week off in Las Vegas with my hubby, and as we were preparing for our trip, we were both surprised by the number of people who asked us if we were going to take time off from training and splurge on junk food while we were away.  Now, I recognize I’m a little bit biased, as training is a way of life for me, but here are a few good reasons why I think it makes sense to turn your vacation into a #traincation:

Gainzz!

I’ve said in some of my previous posts, and I firmly believe that you’re only as strong as what you can recover from. In our everyday lives, training, especially a hard session, can sometimes feel like one more thing we have to get through in a day. It can be greatly influenced by, and in some cases can contribute to the stress we all experience on a daily basis. Furthermore, stress, time constraints and busy schedules may even influence our ability to recover from these sessions and negatively impact our progress.  However, when you go on vacation, many of these constraints disappear. With a lighter (or non-existent) workload, lower stress, time to nap, and no strict limitations on the timing and length of your training or meal prep, imagine how great your sessions and recovery will be. Does this mean you have to be training maximal effort while you’re away at the cost of some R&R? Certainly not! Even working a strategic deload program will help you to keep the wheel greased and prevent losses so your motor patterns are still grooved when you get home!

Training will help you maintain a routine

Have you ever found it really hard to ‘reintegrate into society’ upon returning from a vacation. I mean, when did getting up before noon, skipping a morning cocktail and staying awake for afternoon meetings become so difficult? These are all nice things to do while on vacation, and there certainly is a time and place for them, but indulging EVERY day while you’re away can make returning home seem like a daunting task. Getting up to exercise each morning at a reasonable hour, can help you maintain a routine, and can even provide you with an acceptable reason to skip out on a night of messy drinking and eating and the hangover that comes with it!

Getting up or making time to train while you’re on vacation can also help reinforce a new routine you might have established in preparation for your vacation. I know a lot of people who become really motivated to train and eat clean so they can look good on their beach vacation. Unfortunately, for a lot of these people, this training routine falls by the wayside as soon as they hit the beach, not to be seen again until the next annual trip. Sticking to your exercise routine while you’re away can help you reinforce those newly established patterns and return home feeling healthy, fit, recharged, and ready to take your training to the next level.

Training at a local gym allows you to meet the ‘locals’

Its always nice to meet new people, and it can be great to surround yourself with and learn from people who may train differently from yourself. Another great benefit of meeting new people involves finding new places! Getting to know the local ‘gym rats’ can lead to great suggestions for restaurants, activities, spas and even stores that are off the beaten path. While in Las Vegas, my husband and I trained at Iron House Gym, and got ‘inside info’ about all kinds of great places where we could eat, shop, and sightsee while avoiding ‘tourist traps’. You can also start a pretty sweet T-shirt collection…. See mine below:

Foreign places often present different training opportunities

Now I’ve used the phrase ‘training’ throughout this post, and I think that it’s important to highlight that when you’re on vacation, training doesn’t have to occur strictly within a gym.  Trying new activities to simply keep active while you’re away, like hiking, surfing, snowshoeing, treetop trekking, even jogging can lead you to explore and discover areas of your destination you may not have otherwise seen. It may also lead you to try an activity that you really enjoy and can work into your routine back home. I’m pretty infamous among my friends for not liking nature – I’m afraid of snakes, scorpions, sharks, spiders, and jellyfish, not particularly in that order. When my husband and I decided to hike through Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire while in Las Vegas, I thought I might have a mild panic attack. Especially upon sight of the first lizard. But in the end, I really enjoyed it, and I worked up a great sweat. On top of this, we got to see some absolutely astounding scenery, and to enjoy some quality time together, minus our i-devices. We’re now thinking of planning hiking trips back home in Ontario over the summer, which I think is an added bonus!

Valley of Fire, Las Vegas Nevada

You won’t feel like you need a vacation to recover from vacation

We’ve known for a long time that health behaviors tend to correlate, or occur in a cluster. For example, when you buy yourself some personal training sessions and start training hard, it often becomes easier to moderate your intake of unhealthy food, to decrease alcohol consumption, or even quit smoking. Experts say it takes a period of CONSISTENT effort to form a habit, and even a short departure from that effort can break it. Thus, completely ditching your diet and training regime while you’re vacay-ing can lead you to return home feeling unhealthy, bloated, exhausted, and unmotivated.  Additionally, exercise physiology studies tell us that detraining/deconditioning can begin to creep up as early as three days without exercise, especially if you’re new to training. You can imagine how these effects can snowball into a lack of motivation to train upon your return home, making it harder and harder to get to the gym, studio or track. If you do get into the gym, movement patterns that you had mastered before you left can feel awkward or rusty, leading to a setback in your training program. Training while you’re away will keep those movement patterns so fresh and so clean, and may even lead you to make better food choices. Training and moderating your eating while you're away will enable you to return home ready to get back to reality!

Training while on vacation doesn't mean you don't get to relax! Keep that routine running so its easier to get back in the swing of things when you get home #GTL

So next time you decide to book a trip, check out gyms, studios, or even local activities and commit yourself to keeping active! Your mind and body will thank you! And don't forget to check out the Adaptation Fitness Urban Fitness Retreat