Have you ever wondered what that big foam cylinder in the corner is at your gym? Okay, so we know that you know what it is. But do you know how versatile and truly beneficial it is? Let's find out...
Spring, despite not really having sprung yet, is a time of year when we can feel all sorts of aches, discomforts, strains, tightness. We're living a more active lifestyle with winter behind us, and our bodies are beginning to pay a price. Bootcamp workouts are total-body, so you may even feel like your entire body is one big sore spot! Enter the foam roller. The first thing you should do is NOT think of the roller as a tool for rehab alone - it's a lot more than that.
Using your own body weight as pressure, placing an affected muscle on the roller will allow you to massage it. For example - if your back is stiff or tight, laying on the roller face up, feet flat on the floor, will allow you to roll gently back and forth across the roller, loosening up your muscles and breaking down scar tissue build-up from minor tweaks and injuries. This is also known as Myofascial Release. You may have heard this term being used by certain specialists such as Physical Therapists. When an injury is caused, or you haven't been stretching enough, this tightness (when the fascia and the muscle tissue stick together) will usually result in decreased range of motion. Using the roller to break down this scar tissue will allow blood to flow to the area and aid the healing and recovery process. In doing so, you'll also be softening the muscle tissue, which is an ideal supplement to stretching.
Yes - you can use the foam roller to stretch! As you get experimental and creative, positioning yourself all sorts of ways on the roller and feeling it hitting your chosen target spots, picture what's happening. To put it one way, imagine yourself as a ball of dough, and the foam roller is the rolling pin. As you 'roll' on the roller, you're gradually softening and lengthening the fibers and tissues, similar to the effects of stretching. In fact - the foam roller can boast success in stretching certain parts that stretching alone is difficult to target. IT band? Simply lay on the roller on your side, roller under your hip, and slowly move up and down the roller as it massages your outer thigh. Glutes and Piriformis? Sit on the roller, cross one leg over the other knee, putting pressure on one side of your buttocks. Roll back and forth. Voila! A new you!
So whether you use it for rehab, massage, or stretching, add the foam roller to your exercise routine and enjoy. Smaller versions are available, so that you can have one at home for use anytime. Play with it, feel it's benefits, and get creative. It's just about the cheapest all-'round masseuse-turned-chiropractor you'll find! Be warned - you will be heard moaning with pleasure!
Monday, May 23
Monday, May 16
Ultimate Bootcamp Diet - Introduction
What, how much and when should I be eating when doing fitness bootcamp workouts? In this blog series labeled Ultimate Bootcamp Diet, we'll be inviting our Fitness Trainers, local nutritionists and other health experts to weigh in to help create the best diet for you.
Introduction
Fueling your vehicle is straightforward. Isn't it? You simply read the instruction manual, drive into a gas station and put the appropriate fuel in the fuel tank.
There is a gauge that tells you when you're nearing "empty". The fuel pump automatically shuts off when filling up your tank at the station. In new vehicles, you're even guided on ways to drive to optimize your fuel economy performance. It would be simple if fueling your body was as simple as filling up your vehicle's gas tank.
Some "hard core" fitness enthusiasts I know have convinced themselves that their body is simply a machine. Fill it with the right fuel, and it's performance will be optimized. Once performance is optimized, a lean sexy body emerges.
If it's as simple as pumping the right amount of fuel into our "tanks", why aren't we all happy with our bodies? All we have to do is follow a healthy diet plan, get plenty of sleep and be active. Simple. Right, world?
The only simple fact about our bodies is that they are complicated machines. We have sad, happy and lonely emotions that trigger eating patterns. We have senses of sight and smell that beg us to stop at the bakery. We have sociological factors that tell us how to eat when amongst company. We have genetic dispositions that make us more or less susceptible to hunger. We have hormonal and many other physiological factors that fluctuate throughout life. We have past histories with food and diets that effect how we eat today. We metabolize food at different rates. We have different likes and tastes. We have different culture and lifestyles. We are complicated machines and we all have different nutritional requirements.
In this blog series labeled Ultimate Bootcamp Diet, we'll be sharing with you easy diet tips, investigating certain foods that can improve your performance, calculating how many calories you should be eating, how to go about safe weight loss and proposing diet challenges that can help you learn new, healthy eating patterns and habits.
If you have a specific question about your boot camp diet, please email us with your question. It could be featured in our next Ultimate Bootcamp Diet blog post.
Introduction
Fueling your vehicle is straightforward. Isn't it? You simply read the instruction manual, drive into a gas station and put the appropriate fuel in the fuel tank.
There is a gauge that tells you when you're nearing "empty". The fuel pump automatically shuts off when filling up your tank at the station. In new vehicles, you're even guided on ways to drive to optimize your fuel economy performance. It would be simple if fueling your body was as simple as filling up your vehicle's gas tank.Some "hard core" fitness enthusiasts I know have convinced themselves that their body is simply a machine. Fill it with the right fuel, and it's performance will be optimized. Once performance is optimized, a lean sexy body emerges.
If it's as simple as pumping the right amount of fuel into our "tanks", why aren't we all happy with our bodies? All we have to do is follow a healthy diet plan, get plenty of sleep and be active. Simple. Right, world?
The only simple fact about our bodies is that they are complicated machines. We have sad, happy and lonely emotions that trigger eating patterns. We have senses of sight and smell that beg us to stop at the bakery. We have sociological factors that tell us how to eat when amongst company. We have genetic dispositions that make us more or less susceptible to hunger. We have hormonal and many other physiological factors that fluctuate throughout life. We have past histories with food and diets that effect how we eat today. We metabolize food at different rates. We have different likes and tastes. We have different culture and lifestyles. We are complicated machines and we all have different nutritional requirements.
In this blog series labeled Ultimate Bootcamp Diet, we'll be sharing with you easy diet tips, investigating certain foods that can improve your performance, calculating how many calories you should be eating, how to go about safe weight loss and proposing diet challenges that can help you learn new, healthy eating patterns and habits.
If you have a specific question about your boot camp diet, please email us with your question. It could be featured in our next Ultimate Bootcamp Diet blog post.
Thursday, May 5
What is the best fat burning exercise - Running or Sprinting?
Cardiovascular exercises such as jogging, stair climbing and the elliptical machines are a staple in many people's workout regime. But they might be missing out on a valuable exercise that not only burns calories, but burns more fat: sprinting.
In a recent Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise publication, a study of 10 runners and 10 sprinters who worked out over a 6 week period revealed that the sprinting group lost 6.6% greater fat mass than the running group.
The Study
The sprinting group put on their sneakers to workout 3x per week for 6 weeks (they same weekly frequency as the runners). They sprinted at their maximum effort for just 30 seconds, and took a 4 minute recovery. They did this Sprint :30/Rest 4:00 routine 6 times per workout session. At the end of the 6-week study, they lost 12.4% fat mass.
The running group's exercise duration was longer - anywhere between 30-60 minutes per workout session - but at a moderate intensity of about 65% of their VO2MAX. At the end of the 6-week study, they lost 5.8% fat mass.
Why does sprinting work?
At Ultimate Bootcamp we use sprinting in various ways...but all ways are used to push you into an anaerobic exercise state. During anaerobic activities, instead of relying on carbohydrates, fats and proteins - all of which require oxygen to create the energy to contract muscles - your body is finding energy to perform activities in the absence of oxygen. Your body only has a limited supply of energy that can be created in the anaerobic state, which is why our bodies can only sprint for a few seconds at a time.
These high intensity, anaerobic exercises only burn about 40% fat for energy vs 50% fat for energy in aerobic activities. So how do we burn more fat performing anaerobic activities?
Exercising in an anaerobic state burns fat for energy for longer durations...even after you stop exercising! This is one of the reasons why the Sprint 30 second Workouts burned more fat than the Running 30 minute workouts.
Jill Tomich is the busy Co-Founder of Ultimate Bootcamp and a Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant who would rather sprint for 180 seconds than run 30 minutes any day of the week.
In a recent Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise publication, a study of 10 runners and 10 sprinters who worked out over a 6 week period revealed that the sprinting group lost 6.6% greater fat mass than the running group.
The Study
The sprinting group put on their sneakers to workout 3x per week for 6 weeks (they same weekly frequency as the runners). They sprinted at their maximum effort for just 30 seconds, and took a 4 minute recovery. They did this Sprint :30/Rest 4:00 routine 6 times per workout session. At the end of the 6-week study, they lost 12.4% fat mass.
The running group's exercise duration was longer - anywhere between 30-60 minutes per workout session - but at a moderate intensity of about 65% of their VO2MAX. At the end of the 6-week study, they lost 5.8% fat mass.
Why does sprinting work?
At Ultimate Bootcamp we use sprinting in various ways...but all ways are used to push you into an anaerobic exercise state. During anaerobic activities, instead of relying on carbohydrates, fats and proteins - all of which require oxygen to create the energy to contract muscles - your body is finding energy to perform activities in the absence of oxygen. Your body only has a limited supply of energy that can be created in the anaerobic state, which is why our bodies can only sprint for a few seconds at a time.
These high intensity, anaerobic exercises only burn about 40% fat for energy vs 50% fat for energy in aerobic activities. So how do we burn more fat performing anaerobic activities?
Exercising in an anaerobic state burns fat for energy for longer durations...even after you stop exercising! This is one of the reasons why the Sprint 30 second Workouts burned more fat than the Running 30 minute workouts.
Jill Tomich is the busy Co-Founder of Ultimate Bootcamp and a Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant who would rather sprint for 180 seconds than run 30 minutes any day of the week.
Wednesday, May 4
Stretches to Increase Hip Mobility and Decrease Knee Pain
Although it's 30+ years away, I often dream of what my active retired life might look like: living in a sunny beach town, paddle boarding, golfing and taking long walks every day. In order to get there, it's important that I not only stay active now, but truly learn how to take care of my body. Ultimate Bootcamp Trainer Ashley shows us how to take care of one of the most important joints in our body: our hips. Enjoy ~ Jill
By Ashley Maheris
Think of all of the muscles, tissues and ligaments in your legs as intricate cords and wires to a powerful machine. Every strained wire or twisted cord further stresses the passage of information contributing to the machines efficiency.
What does this mean?
Tightness in your ankles or achilles can be the reason for your knee pain. Restricted calves can limit the flexion of your ankle, which could leave you with sore chins and hamstrings after a run. A tight IT band (which runs from your outer hip to outer knee) could limit your range of motion in your stride and often causes internal rotation (inward collapse) of your knees.
So how do we prevent, or heal these issues? Stretching.
My favorite muscles to stretch are my hip flexors (the area where your pelvis meets the your femur). These hips are powerful players, they contribute to the strength of your lower abs and they are the antagonist muscles to the biggest movers in your body- your glutes. Loose, flexible hips lets you squat deeper and more efficiently, jump higher and stride longer. Take care of these hip capsules by relieving them with stretches everyday.
Hip Mobility and Stretching Routine:
Start with a few minute warm up to get the muscles loose and more susceptible to stretching.
Finish with some deep breaths and a pat on the back. You're doing your hips - and every muscle that is connected to them - a big favor!
Personal Trainer Ashley Maheris enjoys practicing and promoting fitness, nutritional well being and athleticism. She's a fan of physical therapist Kelly Starrett's blog "Mobility WOD" where he teaches folks how to "perform basics maintenance" on themselves through a daily video. Read more about Ashley...
By Ashley Maheris
Think of all of the muscles, tissues and ligaments in your legs as intricate cords and wires to a powerful machine. Every strained wire or twisted cord further stresses the passage of information contributing to the machines efficiency.
What does this mean?
Tightness in your ankles or achilles can be the reason for your knee pain. Restricted calves can limit the flexion of your ankle, which could leave you with sore chins and hamstrings after a run. A tight IT band (which runs from your outer hip to outer knee) could limit your range of motion in your stride and often causes internal rotation (inward collapse) of your knees.
So how do we prevent, or heal these issues? Stretching.
My favorite muscles to stretch are my hip flexors (the area where your pelvis meets the your femur). These hips are powerful players, they contribute to the strength of your lower abs and they are the antagonist muscles to the biggest movers in your body- your glutes. Loose, flexible hips lets you squat deeper and more efficiently, jump higher and stride longer. Take care of these hip capsules by relieving them with stretches everyday.
Hip Mobility and Stretching Routine:
Start with a few minute warm up to get the muscles loose and more susceptible to stretching.
- I use a thick band and hook the end around a stationary object (like a pole) and I kneel with one leg inside of the band. I pull the band up near the top part of my thigh and turn so that my hip is parallel to the pole. I move away from the pole as far as I can, letting the band tug on my leg, pulling from the inside of my thigh. I then actively push my hip forward (almost lunging), stretching the hip and holding it at the maximum point of extension for about 15-20 seconds. I slowly release this stretch, while still hooked in the band and relax for about 10 seconds.
This “contraction-relaxation” simulation opens up the socket by temporarily dislocating the hip capsule. Additionally, the resistance of the band allows me to really create some space between the ball-and-socket joint and restore some of that free mobility or “slack” in the muscle. (This is key for those of you that have desk jobs as those hip flexors can really shorten up from sitting all day!)
- Then I use a baseball, or lacrosse ball and I lie on top of it (face down) positioning the ball in my hip socket. You can experiment with the amount of weight you want to put on the ball but the more you give, the better you will feel after. This can sometimes feel painful at first. Roll in small circles, mimicking a deep tissue massage. I would spend at least 2 minutes here, and then switch to the other hip.
Finish with some deep breaths and a pat on the back. You're doing your hips - and every muscle that is connected to them - a big favor!
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