PoliceLink

Balancing Out a Workout

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 09:04:00 -0800

Having a muscular – skeletal strength imbalance can cause injury and other complications in your performance athletically or on the job. Here is a question from an officer seeking to improve his performance keeping balance in mind.

“Stew, I have a question on how I should be progressing with opposing muscle group exercises. The last 3 set Dip/ Pull-up workout was on the “assist” machine, my dips increased to 8-10 per set and my Pull-ups are (stuck) at 6 per set and struggling. Should I be getting “even/equal” increases in strength and development of these "opposing" muscle groups? Should I worry if I’m not?”

In a nutshell, no, I would not worry about it too much, but it is something to consider on how you tackle the next few months of your workout. Depending on your athletic history your push muscles could be stronger than your pull muscles. I know people who are just the opposite. In fact, a buddy SEAL of mine who was a heavy weight crew captain could do pull-ups all day. In fact, at 230lbs he could still do 30 pull-ups. However, he could not bench press his body weight for 1 rep. So he had the opposite imbalance of the push / pull muscles.

Dips are likely just easier for you than pull-ups. Typically, dip max rep sets will double pull-up max rep sets. One thing you can try is to mix in another push exercise like pushups into the workout and you might find that the numbers are closer to even. But you should still balance out the workout with a few more pulling exercise reps like dumbbell rows or machine pull-downs.

He continues, “Also are there inherent problems with assist machines? Is there something else I should be doing? I have tried changing up the set order pull-ups first, dips first, alternating, but see no difference.”

The assist machine is like a Gravitron; they are great for getting in reps of pull-ups or dips when you cannot do them with 100% of your body weight. But over time as you lose body weight and you get stronger, the ability to do non-assisted pull-ups and dips will be created.

If you think about the muscle groups you are using for both exercises you actually use your chest, triceps, and shoulders mainly for your pushing exercises (dips, pushups). For pulling exercises like pull-ups and pull-downs it is mainly back, biceps, and some smaller rear shoulder muscles. These have the ability to be super strong, but are usually not due to lack of work or athletic history of use. This simple truth is – If you do not practice pull-ups, you likely will not be able to do them – especially if you are overweight.

Some ideas on working push – pull muscles together in balance is to create your workout so you complete sets or circuits that equal each other. For instance, I like to do a push – pull – leg – ab exercise circuit with different exercises. For instance:

1 minute of each exercise:

• Set #1 – pull-downs, bench press, leg press, abs of choice

• Rest with 3-4 minutes of cardio

• Set #2 – pull-ups, dips, squats, abs of choice

• Rest with 3-4 minutes of cardio

• Set #3 – Dumbbell bench press, dumbbell rows, wood chopper squats, weighted abs of choice

• Rest with 3-4 minutes of cardio

• Set#4 – Lightweight Shoulder Workout and MJDB#2

See links for how to do the Set #4 workouts

www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/shoulder.htm

www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/MJDB.htm

If you are a beginner, use an assist machine for the pull-ups and dips set and light weights for all the other exercises. If you are intermediate level, repeat Sets #1-4 a second time. If you are advanced, try a 3rd round of above for a balanced workout.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He specializes in military and law enforcement fitness, particularly Special Operations units. Please feel free to email him at Stew@stewsmith.com with any comments or questions and visit the PoliceLink Fitness Online Store if seeking a fitness program for military, law enforcement, fire departments.

Pull-ups: I Want to Do More - But Man They Are Hard!

Thu, 06 Jan 2011 11:10:00 -0800

The Pull-up is the great equalizer when it comes to hard exercises to master. Questions from how to do more, how to do any, how to ace pull-up fitness tests come in all the time. Over the years, we have created and used many workouts (like the ones below) to improve pull-ups, but one of the first elements you should consider before doing pull-ups is: How much do you weigh?

I had an email the other day from a 30 year old man who is 270 lbs and can do 9-10 pull-ups. Naturally, I am impressed because when I put on a 60-70lb vest or back pack and try to do pull-ups (I weigh 200lbs), I cannot perform but 1-2 pull-ups and I can do 25+ NO KIP pull-ups on my best day. But, he is not happy with that performance and asks, “Stew, I can do 9-10 pull-ups, but the second set drops to 4-5, and the third set drops to 2-3. Do you have any recommendations to build up my overall numbers as well as my workout sets?”

First of all, most people who weigh 270lbs cannot do any pull-ups. If you think about it the pull-up (and the dip) is the heavy weight lifting exercise of the calisthenics category. To complete a rep, you have to move your entire bodyweight with your arms / back muscles up and down over a bar. In my experience, there are three steps to building more pull-ups:

Build a Foundation: The more you weigh, the harder this exercise is. If any of your present bodyweight is fat that you would like to lose anyway, then start on a path of weight loss through moderate eating and cardio training to lose some of that extra weight. Also work the muscles of the pull-up: grip of the hand / forearm, biceps, rear deltoids, and lats (latissimus dorsi) after you have burned out from your pull-up workouts. This will help you fully develop all the muscles in primary and supplemental workouts to better your ability to do pull-ups. If you cannot do ANY pull-ups, then start off with pull-downs on a lat machine, try assisted pull-ups on a Gravitron machine, or have your workout partner spot you and lift you over the bar. Once over the bar, hold the flexed arm hang for 5-10 seconds then slowly let yourself down to a 5 second count. The more you control your weight on the DOWN, the quicker you will be able to perform an UP pull-up on your own.

Sample Workout for Foundation Building:

Repeat 3-4 times (every other day)

Pull-ups – max or pull-downs 10-15 reps (moderate / heavy weight)

Bicep curls – 10-20 reps

Dumbbells Rows – 10-20 reps

Rest with cardio or abs of choice for 2 minutes

Build Upon the Foundation: Once you can get to the level of strength that you can perform a pull-up and your goal is to get more reps (20+), it is now time to turn the pull-up workout into an endurance and muscle stamina workout by doing multiple sets and build up to a failure point. One of the best ways to do this is to do a pyramid workout. This is a simple workout to create but difficult as you will be able to get a warm-up, max out, and a cool-down all rolled into a great workout:

Each level gets more difficult that the previous set. Start off with 1 pull-up. I like to add in other exercises to balance out the workout and provide a good opposite muscle group rest. Pushups, dips, and/or sit-ups make a great addition to the pyramid set. So the first set would look like this: 1 pull-up, 2 pushups, 5 sit-ups. With NO rest, go to level 2 of the pyramid and do: 2 pull-ups, 4 pushups, 10 sit-ups. Continue to level 3: 3 pull-ups, 6 pushups, 15 sit-ups or abs of choice. The goal is to go until you fail at pull-ups, THEN repeat in reverse order until you get back to level 1.

The pyramid does a nice job of getting you to the next level of pull-ups – usually in the 15-20 range.

Next Level of Pull-ups: If your goal is to get well above the 15 rep mark, then you need to change up the workouts a little more and start hitting failure zones more often in your workouts. For this I like to fail on multiple sets of sub-max reps. This means I do a super set of several exercises in circuit form but do 8-10 sets of all sub-max effort reps. For instance, If I can do 15 pull-ups, 60 pushups, 60 sit-ups, I recommend trying the following super set workout:

Repeat 8-10 times (try this workout 1-2 times a week)

Pull-ups 10 reps

Pushups – 25 reps

Sit-ups – 25 reps

Run or bike for 1-2 minutes for an active recovery

Another harder type of workout is to fail at every set. This one requires max effort every set, but I only recommend doing this one 1 time a week in conjunction with a pyramid or super set workout for the other two upper-body workouts of the week:

Max OUT Workout: Repeat in circuit fashion until you reach the following numbers:
100 pull-up, 200 pushups- 300 abs of choice: So set 1 would be pull-ups until failure, drop to do pushups until failure for 1-2 minutes, then roll over and do sit-ups for 1-2 minutes (depending on your timed PT test). For additional challenge add in a ¼ mile run at your goal 1.5 or 2, or 3 mile run timed run pace to help with muscle memory of the timed run pace required to get your goal time.

*Note – most special ops candidates I work with can do this workout in 4-5 sets. Some have even done the 100,200,300 in 3 sets!

Another one of my favorite pull-up workouts I like to do is the 8 count bodybuilder pushup and pull-up pyramid. This is a great way to simulate an obstacle course when you do not have one to train on:

Start 20-30m away from a pull-up bar. Drop and one 8 count bodybuilder pushup or pushup burpee – then get up and run to the pull-up bar and do 1 pull-up. Run back to starting area and do TWO 8 count pushups/burpees, get up and run to pull-up bar and do 2 pull-ups. Continue up the pyramid until you fail at pull-ups, then repeat in reverse order. This one is hardcore even for people who can do 20+ pull-ups, but it is a great way to work the entire body with a workout designed to make your pull-ups better.
As you can see at first it takes strength to be able to do a pull-up. Once you have the initial strength to do one pull-up, it becomes an endurance exercise to be able to perform multiple reps and multiple sets without fail. I hope you grow to enjoy pull-ups as they are an essential part of staying in great shape.

Mastering the
FBI Fitness Test

Upper and Lower
Body Workouts

A Workout
Routine for You

The ABC’s of Hydration and Eating for Police Fitness

Stew Smith — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 07:39:00 -0800

When to eat and what to eat are constant questions that affect your fitness performance, weight loss / gain goals, as well as overall health. I was recently challenged with a question by email that asked, "What should I eat/drink before, during, and after my workout? My goal is to perform better in my running, swimming, PT test and following spec ops training." The answer will vary depending on your goal, but understanding After, Before, During (ABD's) of Workout Nutrition will better help all groups reach their fitness goals. I saw the" ABD's of Recovery Nutrition" at a recent Mid-Atlantic NSCA Regional conference given by Paul Moore, MS, RD, CSCS of Fitness4 Pros and thought it was a brilliant way to discuss nutrition throughout the training cycle.

This understanding of what foods / drinks work best for performance gains requires a constant search for the individual. Here are some suggestions that will help you figure out WHAT to eat, WHEN to eat, as it all depends on your individual likes / dislikes and goals.

For the Performance Fitness Goal: If you are preparing to ace a fitness test, compete in a race, or another athletic event, sports nutrition is vital to your performance. You have to experiment with immediate energy of carbohydrates of fruits, juices, sports drinks, protein and fat sources to find what works best for you. Keep track of what and how much you ate and drank, and how you slept that night on your best performance days. Often these in combination will set you on an optimal performance path. Repeating those optimal performance days is obviously your goal to make it through tough training programs and fitness entrance testing. You may even be exercising for more than one session per day and for several hours a day. If so, you really need to eat / hydrate well and usually larger quantities of quality food will help you recover from the multiple workouts per day. For instance:

AFTER WORKOUT: This could be a few of your regularly scheduled meals depending upon the time of day you choose to work out. The fitness performance group needs to immediately focus on carbohydrate replacement as well as protein consumption for both glycogen stores and muscle repair / growth for the next workout respectively. Find what carbohydrates and proteins work best for you but I would make sure that these meals are not only a post workout meal but also a PRE-workout meal for the next workout later in the day or early the following day. Supplements tend to come into play during the post workout nutrition game. I am not personally into supplementing daily other than some omega 3 and 6 capsules and some multi-vitamins rich in all the B vitamins especially. For a quick fix and in replacement of food in a pinch, I will take some whey protein powder with some chocolate milk. See list below of quality carbs / protein sources that work great as post workout meal ideas.

BEFORE WORKOUT: If you are training for long, tough training programs coupled with a high intensity effort for testing your maximums in calisthenics, miles of running, and hundreds of yards of swimming, you need to eat a majority of carbohydrates no less than 45-60 minutes prior to exercise sessions. Choose low fiber, low fat, low/medium on the glycemic index for immediate and sustainable carbohydrate energy. I personally like baby carrots, bananas, and apples for performance testing pre-workout snacks. In fact, many of my weekly 4 mile timed beach runs and 2 mile ocean swims at SEAL training were preceded with these fruits / vegetables. I often joke that baby carrots and apples helped me get through SEAL training.

DURING WORKOUT: Unless you are working out for extended periods of time to get used to 8-10 hours of training at Special Operations School, food intake during normal 1-2 hour workouts is not needed. However, during high intensity training off and on throughout the day, you should be eating a higher carbohydrate diet but mixed with some light protein snacks as well. The carbs are there to fuel you through the rest of the workout day and the protein comes in to assist with added calories but to also help you recover when the day/long workout is complete. Consider this an endurance athlete approach to training. You need to be able to sustain high repetitions of body weight movements, some strength /power for moving heavier team building objects, and endurance as well as the calories to handle many miles of running, rucking, or swimming.

Great ideas are:

Carbohydrate Options: Multi grain breads and pastas, cereals, vegetables (romaine lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, carrots), fruits, (tomatoes, strawberries, apples, berries, oranges, grapes, and bananas ) make great carbohydrates for energy. However, if you need to add some calories for either weight gain or weight maintenance due to high calorie burn rates, add in a limited amount of post meal milk shakes, or a great mix of both carbs / protein is chocolate milk.

Protein Options: Meats, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, almonds, beans, milk, milk shakes with additional whey protein powder (optional), peanut butter. I personally eat brown rice and lima beans in between workouts during snack time, or have a few servings with a main course of meat or fish for a good balance of plant and animal protein.

Fat Options: Fish, nuts, olive oils, omega 3 fortified products (milk, margarine, peanut butter). Typically, I get most of these fats from nuts and fish, but I also supplement the omega 3 fatty acids most important to longevity / healthy recovery.

The ABD's of HYDRATION: Not only does the performance group need to super hydrate due to hard workouts especially during excessively sweaty workouts, but you need to add electrolytes (sodium potassium, magnesium, calcium as well. So foods / drinks rich in many of these elements are essential to your recovery from significant water / electrolyte loss. Personally, if I can wring out my shirt after a workout, I will add more of these "salts" into my post exercise diet. Sure you can add sports drinks but stay away from the "energy" drinks that are loaded with caffeine as these are not what you need. Sports drinks with sodium, potassium, carbohydrates (sugar) are your best bet for hydration during and after hard sweaty exercise. But bananas and water are also sufficient in most cases. Here are some ideas for hydration:

After Workouts - One of my favorite post exercise snacks is a can of chicken noodle soup (Campbells Noodle O's) as it is loaded with potassium, sodium, carbs, protein as well. In fact it has about 3-4 times the potassium of a banana and about 5-6 times the potassium of Gatorade. If you are not sweating much nor in arid environment, water will be enough to hydrate you.

Before workouts, do not drink too much if you are doing significant running as the bouncing will potentially cause cramping.

During workouts, sip water or carbohydrate / electrolyte mix every 10-15 minutes to maintain high intensity performance training.

A ballpark equation for daily consumption of liquids for highly active person is:

50-75% body weight in lbs = oz per day of H₂O

Finding the right mix of carbohydrates, protein, fats, electrolytes and water all depend on your age, sex, weight, activity level, and goals. Every day you have a killer good workout / test scores and feel great afterwards, make a note of everything you did that day. Very often it is the formula that works best for you and your fitness performance goals.

Good luck with your nutrition / performance fitness program and I hope you see improvement soon. Workouts can be easily obtained at the PoliceLink.com Fitness eBook Store. Send me an email and I may post it up as an article next week. You can contact me at stew@stewsmith.com.

Fitting Workout Recovery Time Into an Officer's Schedule

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 07:46:00 -0700

This series of emails comes from a police officer / instructor who understands the importance of recovery, but has a hard time fitting it into his training plan. We all need to actively pursue a recovery period in our high tempo training cycle, otherwise we will break down, burn out, and likely get injured over time. Here is his email.

Stew, I know it's important to have some kind of periodization to come off of high rep calisthenics and intense cardio routines in order to recovery. But what if you need to stay in high levels of endurance and have a high aerobic output for the demands of your profession? For example, being a cop. I have to stay in fighting performance levels...for every day of the year...especially as a defensive tactic instructor. My life depends on it because I'm always "in the playing season". So for the sake of recovery, and wanting to gain some muscle mass in the off season, how do I effectively deal with the above problem, when my profession demands that I stay in "in season" shape all year long? Whenever I've tapered, I've found myself getting slow and de-conditioned, which I've felt every time I had to wrestle someone to the ground or chase someone.

ANSWER: When you recovery it does not mean that you get out of shape or in your case fighting shape, it just means you change something in your training to allow for joints to recover, muscles to grow, and any injuries to heal. This can be as simple as replacing running with a non impact option like swimming, rowing, biking, elliptical gliding for example. Or it can be a 4-6 week cycle of lifting moderate weight in place of high repetition calisthenics. But there are a few things that MUST remain a constant for you to see results from any recovery period: sleep and nutrition. If you are missing out on 6-7 hours a night of sleep and/or skipping meals or eating poorly, you will quickly have the same symptoms of over-training – even without training hard. You can maintain a high level of fitness for long periods of time as long as your nutrition, hydration, and sleep are in order.

One thing is for sure, it is just a matter of time that you will break down if you do not recover. For me personally, when I was in my 20’s, I stayed in top shape year round and the only thing I changed was decreased running, added more swimming, and replaced cals with lifting. I did this in the winter to put on some weight for cold water dives, but stayed in top shape. Once in my thirties and now forties, recovery has to be part of your planning. Every meal you eat is for recovery from the last workout / hard day and to prepare you for the next one. Every minute of sleep you get has to be good enough to allow your body to grow and heal.

After four years of high rep calisthenics, super sprint bouts, long dist cardio, and full contact MMA training, I’m starting to feel the wear and tear. I’m also never able to focus on gaining some bulk, which is essential for becoming a breacher / entry-man.

ANSWER: I would just change it up. When you are not teaching a group of trainees for a week or more, take a few days off from MMA workouts. Having down time should not degrade your performance in your job if done right. In fact, it will make you perform better. It may simply mean you have to really focus on nutrition - eat well so you can maintain a high op tempo.

So in your case:

1 - focus on good eating - see ideas at www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/abdnutrition.htm

2 - Recovery - www.stewsmith.com/linkpages/recovery.htm (mix of hydration, nutrition, sleep)

3 - Workout - make a small change to help you with things that wear you down like running (impact) and high reps (joint pain). I still workout hard even though I am "taking it easy from high reps". I swim or bike vs run for cardio and I lift moderate weight for medium reps (8-12 reps) when lifting weights vs high rep calisthenics.

Let me know if you think this might work for you. I would like your hear your response…Stew

Thanks Stew.......The most difficult thing for LE is, unless you work swing shift, your going miss sleep. At least in our city (between court, mandatory hold-over, and family needs) you're often getting by on 2hrs of sleep for the shift. We suck it up, but in terms of recovery, it is a set back especially when you are on a jury trial which lasts for several days in a row.

Nutrition is something that really stays consistent for me. I try to pack a lunch and the wife and I are big on clean eating. Hydration; I always have a water bottle on me. Changing the Workout. Now that seems to be tricky for me to. I have come to a place where I'm pretty much letting go of the typical "Mon-Fri" workout schedule.

I've thought of making my workouts fit my life schedule. What I mean is maybe training hard on days I know I'm going be getting good sleep the night of. If its going be a 2hr night, in my car, waiting for court in the AM, then I may skip training that day or do something light. This just makes it impossible to stay consistent on WO's like your Navy Seals, 12 weeks to BUDs or the SWAT workout (which I have both and often can’t keep up on due to the scheduling issues and lack of sleep).

What do you think of this? These are the only issues I see that may need to be addressed, at least for most of the guys I work with. Thanks for all your help Stew!

ANSWER: Yes sleep is your biggest killer and it was ours too in the SEALs. To be recovered enough to perform, you have to make sure you are not overtraining with workouts AND eat perfectly. Adding more water and amino acids from protein (all kinds animal and nuts) will help you with your recovery even without much sleep. BUT in the long run the lack of sleep will break you down. So get some sleep victories when you can each week. I have long stopped the Mon-Fri workout routine and have found I can get my harder and longer workouts done on Saturday and Sunday after a good night’s sleep and usually before my kids even wake up. Then, I take a few days during the week when I am busiest as my days off.

I like to do a workout BEFORE a long work day or perhaps a quick weight room lift or cardio in the middle of a 18-20+ hour day. It really helps wake you up and increases performance when your body naturally wants to slow down. That is why it is hard to go to sleep after a workout usually – it speeds up the system.
I hope this email volley makes sense and will help you with your training and the way you think about training over the course of the year.

Good luck with your training programs. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at stew@stewsmith.com.

The Importance of Breathing

Stew Smith — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 10:10:00 -0700

Breathing – of course it is important in everything we do. From athletic performance, shooting, and relaxing, we all have had to control our breathing in some fashion. But did you know that you can speed up and slow down your central nervous system by learning some breathing techniques? Did you know you can fail a running test one day and by learning to breathe properly you can pass it the next day?
I never really thought about how important breathing is until I compared it with two other things we need to do in order to stay alive. We have all heard that “you can live for weeks without food and only days without water”. But did anyone ever add “and only minutes without air”? It is true. We breathe more than 20,000 times a day. It is the first thing we do when we are born and the last thing we do when we die, so it makes sense to become good at breathing.

Over the past five weeks, I had the honor to work on a contract with the 4th Infantry Division training soldiers to be better performers both as soldiers and as citizens. This program, run by the Magis Group, is all about performance optimization and helps military and law enforcement personnel deal with the stresses of their job and gives them tools to integrate back into society. One of the many tools the soldiers take away from the training is the different types of breathing skills.

The types of breathing that we teach are skills used by professional athletes, NASA astronauts, skilled marksmen, as well as avid runners or swimmers. The following skills will help you relax, pep yourself up, as well as maintain performance as needed for the job you have to do:

Relaxing Breath – Has anyone ever come up to you and said, “Relax – take a breath”? Often when we get spun up, anxious, or nervous about something, we get to a point where we just react and not control our words or actions. By simply breathing FULL inhales and exhales for a few minutes you can slow down your nervous system and this will allow for you to think clearly, fall asleep, or calm your nerves from a stressful day. Here is how you do it. Inhale through your nose for 3-4 seconds opening up your entire lungs. Make sure you get the bottom part of your lungs full of air then slowly exhale through your mouth for 6-8 seconds. Your breath ratio is 1:2 inhale to exhale. Measure your pulse and you will see a difference in your beats per minute. Try this before you go to sleep for a few minutes and you will find yourself falling to sleep faster.
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Wake Up Breath – Have you ever sat through a long presentation or class struggling to stay awake or had long hours of the night shift or guard duty? Here is a way to stimulate your nervous system without having to use caffeine or nicotine. Breathe in and out of your nose as fast as you can but very shallowly for about 15-30 seconds using only the top of your lungs. It should resemble a young child about to have a temper tantrum. Basically you are spinning up your speed up side of your central nervous system. Your heart rate should increase and a slight sweat should start to form as you feel the blood increasing its flow to your brain.

Running Breath – Ever see people running across a finish line of a PFT huffing and puffing uncontrollably. When you learn to breathe, you will learn to run better. Typically, good breathers use a pattern of 2-3 steps per inhale and 2-3 steps per exhale. This enables your body to get the needed oxygen to your brain and muscles as well as the carbon dioxide out of your system which will help you regulate your heart rate and perform better. This type of 1:1 ratio of inhales to exhales will allow for you to not only perform better physically, but also engage the thinking part of your brain at the same time. This type of breathing can be used tactically and in emergency situations at home or abroad where your ability to help someone and think how to respond to the situation is required.

Breathing is just one of many skills that can be used to increase your performance, regulate your central nervous system or just relax from a stressful day. Your body needs the ability to recover after any tough workout or stressful day / event. Breathing is a tool I would recommend mastering.

Good luck with your training programs. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at stew@stewsmith.com .

Fat Reduction Goals and Nutrition Tips

Stew Smith — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 10:04:00 -0700

When to eat and what to eat are constant questions that affect your fitness and health goals as well as your weight loss desires. I was recently asked a question by email that asked, "What should I eat/drink before, during, and after my workout? I am 40 years old and my goal is to look better and be healthier. I need to lose weight in other words." The answer will vary depending on your goal, but understanding After, Before, During (ABD's) of Workout Nutrition will better help all groups (performance athletes, weight losers, general health clients) reach their personal goals. I saw the" ABD's of Nutrition" at a recent Mid-Atlantic NSCA Regional conference given by Paul Moore, MS, RD, CSCS of Fitness4 Pros and thought it was a brilliant way to discuss nutrition throughout the training cycle.

This understanding of what foods / drinks work best for fat loss and health gains requires a constant search for the individual. Here are some suggestions that will help you figure out WHAT to eat, WHEN to eat, as it all depends on your individual likes / dislikes and goals.

For the Health / Fitness /Body Fat Reduction Goal: If you are trying to drop some unwanted pounds and get healthy, proper nutrition and a well arranged workout plan are vital to you achieving that goal. You have to experiment with the types of exercise that will create a good caloric burn as well as find sources of lower calorie foods that work best for your energy level. Keep track of how you feel during workouts whether they are higher intensity resistance training or lower intensity cardio as these will typically measure if you are eating enough quality foods. If you have significant weight (40+ lbs) to lose, Try some non impact cardio options like biking, elliptical gliders, swimming, aqua-jogging, rowing etc. See some workout ideas at related article: Non Impact Options

THE FAT BURNING WORKOUT: If your goal is to burn fat, your workout should get you into a fat burning zone by the time you are finished exercising for the day. The arrangement of your workout should be calisthenics or weights first followed by steady, aerobic cardio of your choice. Basically, go hard the first half of your workout and burn your blood sugar (anaerobic activity burns glycogen) as your prime energy source first. This can take about 15-20 minutes of intense workout depending on the amount of food you have eaten before the workout of the day. Once you are feeling burned out from that section of anaerobic activity, it is now time to go aerobic and get into fat burning mode. BEST FAT BURNING TIME - immediately after waking before having any food.

AFTER WORKOUT: Here is where you can stay in fat burning mode a little longer. If you delay eating carbs immediately after your workout for another 30-60 minutes you will be fine and actually still be using fat as your primary energy source. Throughout the next several hours of the day your metabolism will be higher thus burning more calories than having NOT exercised that morning. After a while, you will need to eat good carbohydrates (fruits / veges) and a protein serving to recover from the workout. Limit the carbs in a day and try to eliminate sugar. Find what carbohydrates and proteins work best for you and your energy requirements for the day (work, home, kids, etc). Supplements tend to come into play during the post workout nutrition game. I am not personally into supplementing daily other than some omega 3 and 6 capsules and some multi-vitamins rich in all the B vitamins especially. For a quick fix and in replacement of food in a pinch, I will take some whey protein powder in milk. You still need to prepare for the next workout session by eating something even though you are trying to lose weight.

BEFORE WORKOUT: If you are working out to lose weight and get healthier, depending on your workout intensity, you may not need to have a pre-workout meal. If your goal is to get into fat burning mode, the fewer carbs you eat prior to workout will decrease the amount of time and effort required to get into that fat burning / low glycogen mode). If you like to work out immediately after you wake up, you are at your lowest in blood sugar for the day. Now is the time to take a short burst of intense exercise then follow it with what I call conversational pace cardio. If you can talk and be a little winded you are in prime fat burning zone.

DURING WORKOUT: Unless you are working out for extended periods of time to get used to 8-10 hours of training at Special Operations School, food intake during normal hour long (or shorter) workouts is not needed. Just drink water to stay hydrated and if you are sweating profusely in the humid, summer heat. If sweating profusely, you should follow with a serving or two of electrolytes to replace what you lose while sweating.

Great ideas for protein, carbs, and fats are:

Carbohydrate Options: Multi grain breads and pastas, brown rice, cereals, good carbs like vegetables (romaine lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, carrots), and fruits, (tomatoes, strawberries, apples, berries, oranges, grapes, and bananas ) make great carbohydrates for energy. Stay away from white breads, pastas, rice and any flour baked products. Sugar is your killer - eliminate sugar drinks / replace with water and unsweetened drinks if you can or seriously limit them.

Protein Options: Meats, fish, chicken, eggs, nuts, almonds, beans, milk, milk shakes with additional whey protein powder (optional), peanut butter. I personally eat boiled eggs and salads in between meals during snack time, or have a few servings with a main course of meat or fish for a good balance of plant and animal protein.

The ABD's of HYDRATION: Any group who works out needs to hydrate during workouts to stay cool and avoid over-heating / dehydration especially during excessively sweaty workouts, but you also need to add electrolytes (sodium potassium, magnesium, calcium as well.) Foods rich in many of these elements are essential to your recovery from significant water / electrolyte loss. Personally, if I can wring out my shirt after a workout, I will add more of these "salts" into my post exercise diet. Sure you can add sports drinks but stay away from the extra sugar / electrolytes if you are not sweating. Sports drinks with sodium, potassium, carbohydrates (sugar) are a safe bet for hydration during hard sweaty exercise. BUT if you are not sweating profusely, there is little need for these sports drinks during exercise unless you are in a desert environment where you do not sweat as it evaporates immediately. Bananas and water are also sufficient in most cases. Here are some ideas for hydration:

•After Workouts - One of my favorite post exercise snacks is a can of chicken noodle soup (Campbells Noodle O's) as it is loaded with potassium, sodium, carbs, protein as well. In fact it has about 3-4 times the potassium of a banana and about 5-6 times the potassium of Gatorade. If you are not sweating much nor in arid environment, water will be enough to hydrate you.
•Before workouts, do not drink too much if you are doing significant running as the bouncing will potentially cause cramping.
•During workouts, sip water or carbohydrate / electrolyte mix every 10-15 minutes to maintain high intensity performance training.
•A ballpark equation for daily consumption of liquids for highly active person is:

50-75% body weight in lbs = oz per day of H₂O

Good luck with your nutrition / performance fitness program and I hope you see improvement soon. Workouts can be easily obtained at the PoliceLink Fitness Ebook Store. Send me an email and I may post it up as an article next week. You can contact me at stew@stewsmith.com.

Recovery Tools of the Trade

Stew Smith, CSCS — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 10:37:00 -0700

"Recovery and Maintenance," We hear these terms often in just about every area of our lives: from improving your fitness and athletic performance and handling stressful professions to maintaining your health with a strong immune system. Typically, most people in the military / law enforcement fitness and health genre ask about how to get stronger for Fitness Tests while working long and stressful hours. While recently, many military members and police officers ask about recovery and maintenance plans to better perform at their job in combat situations.

Here is a sample email from a Marine who asks a familiar question, "Any advice for what should be staple supplements in addition to a healthy diet when looking to gain size, strength, and aid in recovery?"

Yes, many of us want to get bigger, stronger, and faster AND have energy to live another day. Part of the answer to the question above is in the question, but true recovery comes in several critical areas and if one is lacking, your fitness, nutrition, maintenance, performance training plan and overall health can be in jeopardy of yielding less than optimal results. Life in general, hard workouts, and stressful professions involved in life and death situations create a rush of stress hormones that the body has to deal with in order to create a healthy, living organism. The effects of a few of these hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) create immediate survival mode energy. It does not matter if you are worrying about not being able to pay a bill to having bullets shot at you, the same stress hormones create alertness and energy to deal with the problems, but these hormones can also be detrimental to your recovery and wellbeing if not dealt with properly. For instance stress / stress hormones:

Suppress the digestive system

Alters immune system

Weakens reproductive system

Decreases muscle growth

And Controls mood, motivation and fear, however, the following areas are recommended for TRUE Recovery and Maintenance from stress:

Food - aka Meal Plan, Diet or whatever you wish to call it. What you put into your body matters for mind and body performance, as well as your ability to recover. Foods rich in protein/good fats (amino acids, omega 3 fatty acids), carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, anti-oxidants, multi-grains) all are required for you to healthfully deal with balancing out the stress hormones in our bodies.

Great samples of Protein / Good Fats:
Boiled eggs
Nuts - Peanuts, almonds etc _ source of GOOD fats too
Beef Jerky - watch for MSG
Salmon / Tuna / Chicken - source of good fats too
Peanut butter packages

For carbs:
Any fruit - banana, apple, orange, grapes, etc
Vegetables - carrots, green leafy items,
Multigrain breads / pastas - also source of protein

What about Supplements? I am not a fan of supplements. For me personally, a multi-vitamin and omega -3 caplets and just good eating are the BEST thing for recovery from stress and workouts as well.
Every now and then when I cannot get REAL food I will drink a Muscle Milk / whey protein shake. I like to drink chocolate milk after a long and hard workout as it replenishes sugar, proteins, fat quickly and easily. I basically treat supplements the same way I do MREs. I would not eat an MRE if I had a restaurant / cafeteria available, but would when it is the only thing I can eat for a meal / snack, I will grab a supplement drink or bar. Eating more calories per day (good calories of carbs, fat, protein) along with workouts will increase weight. Those who have difficulty gaining strength / size typically need to add both carbs and protein to their diets and focus on sleep / proper recovery in between workouts.

More Tips >>>

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Hydration - Being dehydrated increases cortisol levels and stresses the body. Also electrolyte imbalances will create fatigue and an inability to properly function mentally or physically. After sweaty workouts - (ring out sweat out of or salt stains on clothes type of sweat) I like to eat a can of chicken noodle soup (Noodle O's personally) as it is loaded with potassium (3-4 times that of a banana plus protein / carbs). Those are my only supplement I use regularly. Water is the best source of hydration but the body will pull water from nearly everything that enters it. However, foods / drinks high in caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol all negatively affect your hydration levels as well as increase stress hormone levels. A general rule of thumb for active people is 50-75% body weight in pounds = ounces per day of H₂O.

Sleep - The best training plans will not work if sleep and rest between workouts are neglected. Without adequate sleep (eight hours a night), there is not enough rest for muscle cell growth and repair. In fact, when you sleep, growth hormone is produced and protein synthesis in the muscles occurs IF you eat foods with protein during the day. For adolescents especially, sleep is critical as growth can be impaired if quality and quantity of sleep is lacking.

Lack of sleep can also affect your mood and increase hormonal stress levels which will have a negative impact on performance. Now, one night of missed sleep is not going to have many negative effects on your performance, but several days in a row or a few weeks of interrupted sleep combined can lead to similar symptoms of a stressed out / over-training syndrome.

In the military or law enforcement professions, sleep may not occur at regular intervals and the quality may be lacking. But those who work hard during the day or exercise will have an easier time falling asleep compared to those who do not.

Exercise or hard physical work: Exercise and physical work are great OUTLETS for stress to be released from the body. The body produces stress hormones in order for the body to react and survive. If you do not physically RELEASE these stress hormones they will interrupt your sleep and long term health.

Clear your mind of intrusive thoughts - One trick is to go to a "happy place" and breathe deep / slow breaths when you are bombarded by stressful thoughts that may or may not occur or have occurred in the past. Your body will react to your brain imagining negative thoughts and keep stress hormones racing through your body. Reverse the trend and think relaxing thoughts of a favorite place, time, event and revisit that. If that does not work for long, write down your to-do list / what bothers and get it out of your head and you will be less stressed.

RECOVERY - In order to maintain health / fitness levels or build upon current levels you have to rest, eat properly (good food), and balance your workouts with periodization programming. Thoroughly understanding cycles of peak performance, maintenance, and recovery are critical to your long term health and longevity.

See The Advanced Maintenance and Recovery Program created for people who have completed physically stressful and challenging training courses like Ranger School, Q course, BUD/S, etc. This program is tough and gets people back into lifting, PTing, cardio workouts (both running and non impacts like swimming) in order to recover from extremely difficult periods of training. Feel free to email me if you have any questions at stew@stewsmith.com

http://www.policelinkfitness.com/adreandmapr.html

Myofascial Release – The Key to Relieving Pain from Over-use Injuries

Stew Smith, CSCS — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:54:00 -0700

Have you ever started off on a run and had aching knees or hips, but soon after a short warm-up jog and light stretch all felt better? Typically this is how most people start off on a run. Unfortunately, tendonitis can flare up quickly if running several times a week for several miles. Myofascial Release (MFR) technique is a great way to relieve the post-exercise soreness as well as help with pre-exercise warm-up as well. There are two ways to do MFR:

1 - The Foam Roller - Maybe you have seen these tubes of foam in the gym and thought it was an abdominal exercise device as it does require positions that work the abs often. I use the foam roller for four main areas that cause me trouble from several workouts each week:

a. ITB - Illiotibial Band - Simply lay on your side like you were performing a side plank pose but place the foam roller under your hip. Place your body weight into the roller and move your arms to roll your body over from the hip to below your knee. This fully "rolls out" the ITB and it will be painful if your fascia needs loosening. I was able to run all summer / fall with a minor ITB syndrome without flaring into a major injury that sidelined me from running simply by rolling out my ITB daily.

b. Lower and Upper Back - This one just feel great! Roll from your lower back all the way just below your neck to feel what I call the "poor man's masseuse". This loosens up the entire back and will also work the abs as you have to stay flexed and balanced on the roller as you move from the top to the bottom of your back. Relax and breathe as you roll.

c. Piriformis / hips - Sit on the foam roller and cross your legs. Lean slightly on the side of the crossed leg and relax into the tender spot. Roll each side for 1-2 minutes until the roll is comfortable.

d. Rhomboids and Mid back region - Place the foam roller parallel to your spine and roll back and forth across the spine and just into the upper and lower back muscles that run along the spine. Roll back and forth for 1-2 minutes and relax with deep breaths.

For more ideas in motion go to Youtube.com and search for foam rollers or myofascial release and get more ideas on how to use the foam roller for other parts of the body as well. Related links - see

self-myofascial-release using foam rollers

2 - The Body Worker - The practitioner of MFR will use knuckles, elbows, other tools to apply pressure to fascia that needs loosening. It is quite painful during the process of breaking up the scar tissue (restricted fascia) of previous injuries, but it is remarkable how muscles, joints, soft tissue of the body can feel after just one session. Many call this deep tissue massage. A helpful link is:

Myofascial- Release

From the book, An Osteopathic Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment (Third ed.) it explains why and how this process works.

"Myofascial release is a form of soft tissue therapy used to treat somatic dysfunction and accompanying pain and restriction of motion. This is accomplished by relaxing contracted muscles, increasing circulation, increasing venous and lymphatic drainage, and stimulating the stretch reflex of muscles and overlying fascia." The author Eileen DiGiovanna continues:

"Fascia is the soft tissue component of the connective tissue that provides support and protection for most structures within the human body, including muscle. This soft tissue can become restricted due to psychogenic disease, overuse, trauma, infectious agents, or inactivity, often resulting in pain, muscle tension, and corresponding diminished blood flow. Although fascia and its corresponding muscle are the main targets of myofascial release, other tissue may be affected as well, including other connective tissue."

I hope this was helpful to you. If you are feeling the sting of a few nagging injuries or simple overuse injuries, give this a try, but you should always visit your doctor before attempting to self-treat or self-medicate.

For more information on programs that will help you pass any physical fitness test, check out the PolicelinkFitness.com Fitness eBook store - and of course email Stew Smith at stew@stewsmith.com for more info or answers to any questions.

Is Technology Ruining Your Workout?

Stew Smith, CSCS — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:31:00 -0700

I often get emails and questions from people about certain programs, gadgets, fitness videos, GPS devices, music, heart rate monitors, pedometers, I-phone applications, you name it. I get to test much of this new fitness technology out and will either decline to write about it or give it a plug.

If you have followed my decade of articles on fitness, you will recall me discussing “moderation”. “Everything in moderation” my Dad would tell me. Usually, he was telling me that because I typically did too much working out or sports when I was a kid in my teens. Once in my twenties, I recall the same phrase used when going out with my friends and having a good time partying. I have used this in my writing often when it comes to drinking alcohol, eating high calories meals, or other less than healthful habits for folks seeking fitness / health advice. Today, I am saying it when it comes to Fitness Technology. Here is an email I recently received:

Stew, I have been doing a few fitness videos to lose weight and it has been a big help to get me moving. I also have a pedometer and try to do 10,000 steps a day on my non-workout days. I now have a fitness app on my phone/mp3 player and use a heart rate monitor to keep me in fat burning mode when exercising. My only problem is after a few weeks, I have made no progress with my weight loss goals. Any advice?

I think you might be distracted by technology. Here is a quick story about me getting distracted by technology. In the mid 90’s, hand held GPS just came out and we used them for the first time in the SEAL teams on some training missions. We launched from a submarine in a Zodiac boat and headed to shore some 15 miles away. Usually, we would just use a compass heading and known speed of the boat to calculate where we were on our course / charts. Well, I had this new GPS device and was fascinated by it. I could see our speed, how far left/right we were off course by a matter of feet. We were right on course and heading into the beach but instead of scouting out a landing zone and focusing on whether it was a friendly beach or not, we landed right in an ambush on the beach. This was my fault. I lost my night vision from staring at this glowing device and had to resort to evacuating the mission area. In the end, I did not need the GPS on that mission.

But back to the question - you certainly do have plenty of fitness tools to use and if you are doing something active everyday that should be enough to see results. However, you do have to take a look at the other side of the calorie equation. I think you are missing this. You can work out hard every day and NOT LOSE any weight IF you are eating higher caloric foods and drinks each day. At the end of the day / week, your weight loss results will generally be a function of how many calories you burned versus how many calories you ate. There are other factors as well, but typically this general equation works.

I think we often get distracted from the basics of fitness, health, athletic performance, and nutrition by the multitude of options we have today. Sometimes the answer to better health or in this case, weight loss, is adding more water to your diet or just saying no to the after meal dessert or alcoholic beverage. I am not trying to knock technology here. I am just saying it is easy to become overwhelmed and not realize it. I am a big fan of technology. It has enabled me to train people all over the world and changed my business significantly in the past ten years.

Some days when you workout, try to go back to the basics of just walking, biking, running, or swimming for your cardio activity. Sure take some music if that keeps you moving, but do some “old school” methods like take your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by SIX to get your beats per minute pulse. After a while of practicing with and without a heart rate monitor, you will find that you will be able to realize (self awareness) when you are aerobic or anaerobic. Do some basic calisthenics or weight circuit for resistance training and mix in upper body, lower body, and abs/lower back exercises together in a way to create your own full body workout. I am sure there is an “APP for that”, but do you really need it? Not all the time, but every now and then it is fine. Remember – “everything in moderation” even technology.

Good luck with your program and I hope you see improvement soon. These workouts and others can be easily obtained at the Policelink.com Fitness eBook Store. Send me an email and I may post it up as an article next week. You can contact me at stew@stewsmith.com.

Ten Fitness Commandments for Law Enforcement

Stew Smith, CSCS — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 11:01:00 -0700

Here is a common misconception concerning military as well as law enforcement training programs. Often people show up to day one of the basic training or academy not in any kind of shape to start off on a group run. Many are overweight with de-conditioned muscles and joints that can't handle any physical activity for long periods of time. Here is an email I recently received:

Hi Stew, I am in the process of applying to the military and was wondering how much should I workout before attending boot camp? I mean, don't they get you in shape?

Ouch!!! It is this type of thinking that causes so many people each year to leave their training programs either injured or unable to pass minimum fitness standards. Not to mention, the extra stress of remedial PT / running programs eat any of your spare time you might have to relax. More often than not, the remedial programs and added physical stress distract you from learning your profession to the best of your ability. This occurs for ONLY one reason. You did not have a good enough preparation strategy.

Anytime you make changes in your life, you have to have a plan, a strategy on how you are going to succeed with your new goals. In this case joining the military or law enforcement is very similar. Your job before you start training is to get in shape and well within height and weight standards. Here is a list of what I call the Ten Commandments of Preparation to Serve:

1. Be motivated: It is not my job to motivate you to serve your country. You have to be motivated and understand that your fitness level could be the difference between life and death for you, your partner, or a victim you are attempting to save.

2. Upper Body Strength - Make sure you can do pushups, situps, and even pull-ups of some form as these exercises will help you climb fences or rope, jump walls, and handle an opponent if needed. Practice with weights, walls, ropes, and fences. Do not assume that you can accomplish these skills without practice. Check out: Spruce Up the Workouts With Dumbbell Movements.

3. NO MINIMUM STANDARDS - It is your job to use or create a plan that will prepare you well within the minimum physical standards of the unit you choose to serve. Minimum standards never helped anyone excel in training. Minimum standards are like getting a "D" on academic work. It is passing but getting through to the next level or training is going require much more work. Statistics show the better you score on the entrance fitness test, the better you are at completing the course of instruction well.

4. Be able to run - You do not have to have marathon experience, but a minimum of 15-20 miles a week is a great base to handle your training programs without over-use injuries like shin splints, stress fractures, joint tendonitis, and others. And take extra precautions if your are just getting back into running.

5. Know the Specialty Tests - Each unit has certain tests you will have to pass - it is your job to do the research and find out what is expected of you during and after training. For instance, if you are planning on joining the Navy, practice swimming. If you want to join the Army, run and put a back pack on and walk fast (ruck march). Many law enforcement agencies require some form of obstacle course or job related standards test, so practice running stairs, sprints, climbing walls, dragging a body.

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6. Be a Team Player - When you are going through training, you will be assessed on how well you work with others. Following orders as well as developing ideas and sharing them with your team are critical skills that you should be able to perform without thinking. If you are in high school, play team sports, join the band, do community action groups. Do something that will help you learn these skills now.

7. Learn the ranks - This is a little less physically demanding as it sounds, but if you do not know the ranking system as well as other historical information about your unit, its famous people and its heroes, it is likely you will pay the price in pushups and other extra physically demanding duties. There is a saying in many training programs, "If you are going to be stupid, you better be strong."

8. Eat Right for energy (not drink) - Eating good carbohydrates and protein rich foods like fruits, veges, lean meats is the best tool for energy to exercise and prepare physically for training. Too many people rely on energy drinks which are really just caffeine and sugar to spike your central nervous system, not provide proper sustainable fuel for workouts.

9. Show up within weight standards - Being heavy or overweight will likely challenge you to work harder when running, doing obstacle courses, and staying up with the class physically. If you are one of those bigger muscle guys, who is lean but big, your strength / power will come in handy, but do not let it hamper your cardiovascular endurance. Big guys can run 6-7 minute mile pace too, you just have to work at it prior to your training.

10. Did I mention run? Make sure you can run. You will run from one place to another usually carrying your gear for that event. Running injuries are typically the number one issue for people attending boot camps, spec ops units, as well as police academies. There are plenty of ways to work on your running pace.

Now, there is a lot to consume here, but signing up for service is not just a signature, it is a commitment to train to be your best and protect the weak. Being strong on day one will better ensure that you will be trained to protect the weak.

Good luck with your program and I hope you see improvement soon. These workouts and others can be easily obtained at the PoliceLink.com Fitness eBook Store. Send me an email and I may post it up as an article next week. You can contact me at stew@stewsmith.com.

Core Fitness for Recruits

Stew Smith, CSCS — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 08:32:00 -0700

Soldiers often contact me to update me on what they are doing for physical training. Their fitness training cycles usually vary a great deal from basic training to maintenance training while overseas or preparing to go overseas. Recently, in an AP article that was featured at Today Online, many combat veterans are adding sprints, agility drills and core exercises to build a better equipped combat soldier.

Shorts bursts of sprinting carrying combat loads of 50-75 lbs or more is often the daily requirement when on combat patrols. Preparing for that eventuality can be as simple as setting up some cones to run through with your gear or as complex as obstacle courses like the USMC Combat Fitness Test.

The USMC Combat Fitness Test is the Marine Corps answer to this growing need of combat ready fighters. But, if you are pre-training to join the military, here are some ideas for you to try to build a solid base of core strength and speed / agility prior to joining the military. Active duty personnel seeking to create their own programs should consider adding these types of workouts into their regular PT programs as well.

Basic Foundation of Fitness - Your basic PT / run will cover this one. You still want to do your pushups, situps, pull-ups, dips and some form of cardiovascular fitness like running, rucking, swimming, etc. If you neglect these, it is difficult to add the strength, speed, and agility required in a combat setting. One of my favorite (more advanced) cardio / core / leg workout mixes is the
Run/Leg PT:

Repeat 6-8 times (2-3 times per week)

Run or ruck ¼ mile at goal pace*

**Squat - 20

Lunges - 10/leg

Flutter kicks - 25

*goal pace = pace you want for 2-3 mile run - ie a 14 min 2 mile run = a 7 min mile, 3:30 ½ mile, and a 1:45 ¼ mile running pace. For ruck always keep the pace between 12-15 min per mile with 50+ lbs in back pack

** add weight using a back pack or dumbbells / kettlebell and swing the weight like chopping wood while you squat and lunge. See Wood Chopper Squats and Lunges pictured:

Wood Chopper Squat with Dumbbell

Wood Chopper Lunges with Dumbbell

Additional Core Workouts - As the wood choppers will work the core as well as your legs, one of the best CORE training devices I have ever used is the TRX. If that does not interest you, I would consider working the lower back and upper back with standard calisthenics exercise. See Lower Back Plan - FREE - it works well to build a foundation on which to add more dynamic exercises like the above woodchopper squats and lunges and some of the Olympic lifts. You want to build the core of the body both horizontally and vertically - meaning it is fine to do leg lifts and situps for abs, but you also want to develop the torso through lifting and movement weights like you will be doing with 50-75lb back packs. By working your core (abs, lower back, upper back, chest/shoulders), you will help to build proper posture and alignment that will better carry you when running / patrolling with weight.

Agility Drills - Besides doing 40-60m sprints, adding some sudden stop / starts into the running workout will help you build the speed / agility you need for your future training.

a) Illinois Agility Test - This is one of the most common in law enforcement circles and requires the students to run fast, stop quickly, change directions, and move the body from a laying position to a running stride as quickly as possible. The course is 30 feet long and 15 feet wide. Place four cones 10 feet apart at the 7.5 ft. line and the first and fourth cone at the zero and 30 ft line. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

b) M drills - This is a simple use of cones 10-20yds apart in the shape of an "M". You can run this forward, backward, always looking in one direction as well as starting and stopping the test while in the prone position (on the ground).

c) T- Drill - This one is straight out of the NFL combine that measures agility and takes only a few seconds to accomplish. Always looking in the same direction you can start on your back - get up and run forward 10yds, left side step 5yds, right side step 10yds, left side step 5yds to center, back step 10yds to start position.

These additional exercises / routines can be easily added to any workout to help build a faster soldier who is capable of moving with weight in and out of vehicles, around corners of buildings, or any other place to find cover / concealment.

See these tips and more on fitness at the PoliceLink.com Fitness eBook Store and by reading the Stew Smith Article Archives.

Can't Lose the
Last 10 Pounds?

Think You're Tough?
Train Like a Cop

Fitness for
Cops Over 50

Need to Lose Weight and Get Fit for the Streets?

Stew Smith, CSCS — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 07:23:00 -0700

Often young men and women ask me about training for the military and police officer professions, but unfortunately most of them (about 60% who email me) have to lose weight in order to meet the minimum requirements for the height and weight / body fat standards. The military refused more than 47,000 people due to not passing the height-weight / body fat standards last year.

Typically, those who are overweight are also not meeting the minimum physical fitness standards for the department they choose. Losing weight and getting fit for duty can be extremely challenging and potentially injurious. I generally respond to these eager men and women with a system that has been working for years.

The goals are effective weight loss through increased calorie burning using non-impact aerobic activities like biking, rowing, swimming, elliptical gliding, and walking. But, we also introduce a progressive fitness gain program that will simultaneously prepare them for the fitness testing and daily events at training. Usually if a significantly overweight person tries to "run off the weight," overuse injuries occur and will manifest themselves as knee pain (tendons / cartilage), shins splints or stress fractures, and lower back and hip pain. These injuries will stop you in your tracks and often prevents these unconditioned recruits from graduating basic training programs once accepted at borderline weight / fitness standards.

The program that has been working for years (and is free) is my 45 day plan that slowly introduces daily fitness habits to a pre-recruits life. Adding more water and dropping sugary treats and drinks is also needed to see optimal results. But, learning how to eat properly is a must in order to have the energy required to exercise. This program can be found here - 45 Day Plan for Beginners.

I tend to supplement this free routine with a great core routine that will help you with lower back, abdominal region, as well as hips and legs with flexibility and strength. Of course there are many other ideas for great non- impact aerobic fat burning options that can be found here as well as specific training guide at the Fitness eBook Store.

Some of my workouts require finding pullup bars and a way to do situps with your feet stabilized. Many recruits have problems with certain exercises like pushups, situps, pull-ups, and back pack walks. There are a few exercise pieces that I would recommend to beginners that could assist them with building a great foundation of fitness.

If you have to pass a situp test and it is likely you will, you should consider a Solid Situp Bar. I put one up in about 10 minutes and now my kids and I practice situps and leg levers with the bar as our holder. I find this tool especially helpful for those who work out alone and need to see for themselves the difference of situps with a holder versus no holder. All tests will be conducted with a holder so it helps to either have a buddy hold your feet during situps tests / workouts or have another way to sturdy your feet.

See the Lebert Equalizer if you do not have access to low pullup bars for assisted pull-ups as well as other exercises such as pushups, core, and other full body workouts. Personally, I like the assisted pullup / row using this piece for folks who cannot do pull-ups yet. These bars also provide a stable platform to do incline pushups and dips for those having issues with pushups as well. But there are more than 85 exercises you can do with this piece and I have seen it come in handy with making many home gyms more user- friendly. See Lebert's website for more pictures.

I have also seen much success with the TRX and Perfect Pushups. As I perform presentations around the United States and receive emails from folks, many people have doubled pushup scores and increased their core strength and relieved all previous injury back pain using these products. I still use these products with my advanced workouts, but even beginners can use them as they have scalable programs that fit any level.

Keep up the work and good luck with your choice of honorable professions.

Indoor
Workout Ideas

Fitness: It's
90% Mental

Fitness for
Cops Over 50

Cooped Up Inside? Sounds Like You Need Some Workout Ideas

Stew Smith — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:36:00 -0800

No matter what your situation is, some days you just cannot get outside or to the gym to exercise. Here is a great routine that you can do in your bedroom, hotel room, or whatever keeps you inside.

"Hey Stew, I need some help with a quick indoor routine as I am currently stuck inside due to baby, weather, and monetary reasons. I have no equipment and I am looking for a quick calisthenics and/or isometric upper body and lower body workout. If you have any great stomach / lower back workouts, that would be a great addition as well."

There are a few components of a workout program to make it complete. Now you do not have to do all of these to get a good workout, but one thing I try to stress is complete balance in your workouts.

That means you want to do some form of resistance training that will work your arms and legs, chest and shoulders. You will also want to focus on your torso – meaning abdominal exercises as well as lower back and upper back movements. You can do all of these with little or no equipment using calisthenics and isometrics with just your bodyweight. If you add in some dumbbells, elastic bands, or my favorite – the TRX, you can multiply your exercises tenfold.

The remaining element is cardio-vascular exercise. Without any equipment you can walk in place, around the house, up and down steps, and pep it up a little with jumping jacks and jump rope. These components together make a complete workout and the added cardio work will get the heart pumping faster and help maintain cardiovascular health, as well as, a higher fat burning metabolism.

I highly recommend doing something every day. That means not to do a full body workout a few times a week, but do a split routine where you do upper body one and followed by the lower body the next. You can mix in the abdominal and lower back elements as “rest” exercises as well as do short intervals of cardio options in between sets to recover muscle groups.

The following pages include some sample workouts along with picture descriptions to help burn calories when you are “stuck inside”.

Upper Body Option (pictured above)

Repeat 5-10 times recommended
Jumping Jacks or jump rope 30 seconds

a - pushups – 10 (use knee pushups or do wide, close, regular hand placement)
b - reverse pushups – 20 (life your hands off the floor - flexing upper back)
c - Birds – 20 (lift arms up and down like you were flying like a bird)
d - Chair dips – 10-20

Add crunch cycle to the end of this workout. (See next page)

More: Crunches >>>

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The PFT Bible: Local, State Police & Military Fitness Preparation

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Workout

Visit Fitness Center >>

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Rest with Crunches / Plank Pose:

a - Regular Crunch – 20 (just lift shoulder blades off of floor)
b - Reverse Crunch – 20 (just lift hips off of floor)
c - Double Crunch – 20 (Lift both hips and shoulder blades off of floor)
d - Left Crunch – 20 (Right elbow to the left knee)
e - Right Crunch – 20 (Left elbow to the right knee)
f - Bicycle crunch – 20 (10 to the left and 10 to the right alternating Left/Right crunches)
g - Plank pose hold for 30-60 seconds – build up for 3-5 minutes

This is a great super cycle that will work the abs / lower back but also allow you to “rest” your arms from all of the pushups.

More: Lower Body Workout >>>

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Lower Body Workout

Repeat 5-10 times

a - Jumping jacks or jump rope - 1 minute
b - squats – 20
c - Lunges – 10/leg
d - Calf Raise / stretch – 20 / leg

Add crunch cycle to the end of this workout.

The exercises above are designed into quick workouts that you can progressively make harder and harder simply by adding more sets or cycles to your workout.

Another great addition to any calisthenics workout is the pullup. If you have a bar of some type in the house, then try it as a flexed arm hang or full pullup. Add pull-ups to your pushup routine perhaps every other set.

More: Other Ideas >>>

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Other ideas:

1 – Get a deck of cards. Pick three exercises you like. One upper body, lower body, and stomach exercise. Go through the deck of cards one at a time and perform (for instance) a pushup, crunch, and a squat for each of the cards. Do the number of the card if 2-10, but all face cards equal 15 reps. Aces equal 20 reps. A joker will equal 25-50 reps depending on your fitness level. Get creative with this workout and change it up regularly.

2 – Mix in step ups onto chairs or a low table for a hard leg and cardio mix workout. Simply step up and step down repeatedly.

I hope this helps you make use of indoor time for the better.

Stew Smith is a former Navy SEAL and fitness author certified as a Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. If you are interested in starting a workout program to create a healthy lifestyle - check out the StewSmith.com Fitness eBook store and the Stew Smith article archive at StewSmith.com. To contact Stew with your comments and questions, e-mail him at stew@stewsmith.com

Running Distance vs. Running a Timed Run Fitness Test

Stew Smith, CSCS — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 11:04:00 -0800

Sometimes we think we are in shape because a "test looks easy" or "you were in shape in high school", but many people fail to prepare for a fitness test and wind up realizing they need to change their training AND their thinking. Check out this email:

Stew - I run all the time 4-5 days a week and usually get 25-30 miles a week, so I have a runner's body. I just tried out for the FBI fitness test for Special Agents and thought that the calisthenics and the run would be a joke. Well, I was wrong. I almost failed the 300m and the 1.5 mile runs and did fail the sit-ups. What gives? I thought I was in shape?

You know I get this often from people in sports - athletic shape also. Training for a fitness test is just a different way to train. It is not any harder just different. But, basically to get better at taking fitness test, you need to practice taking fitness tests. Otherwise, you are filled with unnecessary PFT anxiety prior to the test and you do not know how to prepare for the transitions of the PFT.

The fundamentals of taking a fitness test are the following:

1- Add speed / pace workouts to your running so you are prepared for a timed run at a faster pace than a jog. Good goals for men and men are 7-8 minute mile pace respectively.

2- Prepare muscles by stretching prior to pushups, sit-ups, pull-ups type exercises.

3- Most importantly, prior to running / after calisthenics, get the blood back to your legs by warming up the legs by jogging, stretching upper body and legs. (transition training)

4- Practice, practice, practice - you should take the test once a week to mark progress and see where you need to focus your next week workouts. This will help you with the anxiety of the unknown of the test and the only butterflies you will be feeling is good competition adrenaline that will enhance your performance on test day.

Here is something to consider.

Runner's Body - You have a great foundation of distance but if you have not pushed your limits of speed just jogging several miles a week is not going to prepare you for timed runs where 6-7 minute mile paces are likely the competitive zone. Add speed work like this:

Repeat 6-10 times
¼ mile run at GOAL pace (not a sprint)
rest 1 minute

The goal here is to learn the pace you need for the run event. After you can do quarter miles, build up to half miles for 3-4 sets, and then miles for 2-3 sets. The next thing you know, you are hitting sub 6-7 minute mile pace no problem. The GOAL pace is to teach you the pace to train and to get comfortable at that pace for whatever distance you are being tested.

Mastering the
FBI Fitness Test

Upper and Lower
Body Workouts

A Workout
Routine for You

Football Players - Many football players and other athletes think 1.5 - 2 miles runs are long distance runs. This is an adjustment as well. Not only do you need a foundation of some distance running, but you need to slow down your 100m running pace to a slower pace suitable for standard timed runs. The same workout above works well but you typically have to slow down to reach 1:45 quarter mile runs for a 7 minute mile pace. This is easy at first but after 6- 8 sets of this it will challenge most of this body type. Also building up to 3-5 miles runs over a few months is going to be helpful to transition from football / power athlete to military endurance tactical athlete. See related article Spec Ops Prep

But for both groups, here is a great running plan that has helped many in the past to prepare for 1.5 -2 mile run tests: 6 Week Running Plan

For those of you who are just beginning to run after a long period of time of no activity due to injury or lack of motivation, here is where you need to start:

Beginner Running Chart for people seeking to start an exercise plan and/or need to lose 20+ lbs: (always start run workout with a quick 5:00 walk / light leg stretch). I highly recommend the RUN / WALK method as you are learning to run.

IMPORTANT - get running shoes, not some old shoes you find in the back of your closet. Check out www.bodynsolesports.com - they are a great shoes store (great prices) but you will learn about good running shoes.

Each Run Workout is to be done THREE times a week

Week 1	Walk 20-30 minutes / stretching entire body daily (monitor weight loss*)
Week 2	Run 1:00 / Walk 1-2:00 for 20-30 minutes
Week 3	Run 1:00 / Walk 1:00 for 30 minutes (listen body as injuries occur this week**)
Week 4	3 Sets of Run 1:30 / Walk 1:30 \| 3 Sets of Run 2:00 / Walk 1:00
Week 5	3 Sets of Run 2:30 / Walk 1:00 \| 3 Sets of Run 2:00 / Walk 30 seconds
Week 6	4 Sets of Run 3:00 / Walk 1:30
Week 7	Run 1 mile / try non-stop / walk 1 mile fast
Week 8	Run / walk combo 2.5 miles (from weeks 8-10 - try to run as much as you can)
Week 9	Run / walk combo 2.75 miles
Week10	Run / walk combo 3 miles

** Typically injuries occur during running programs the 3^rd week IF too aggressive with initial training

I hope this helps you with your running fitness testing but also help you learn how to build up to running longer distances, faster timed runs, and most of all just get healthier.

New Year's Fitness Resolutions That Work

Stew Smith, CSCS — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 06:30:00 -0800

In the first week of January I give out my 45 Day Beginner Plan free to readers, so this is always a gratifying week for me. Here is one of several emails from people who stuck with the plan for the month of January AND have built a habit of fitness and motivation to carry to the next level. Give yourself a few weeks and you too can feel like this gentleman:

I just completed Day 35 of the 45 Day Beginner Plan.......and all I can say is WOW........!!!! The plan has made a huge improvement in my everyday life. I feel better, stronger, have more energy, and my kids notice as well......they say, "Daddy it looks like your "bulk" is going down...".......that's what they called my rather large middle......I haven't really been watching my weight that close, but I would say I have lost somewhere between 12 and 15 lbs....I think the most important thing is to feel better and look better.....and I know the weight is coming off as well....Thanks so much.......!!

This week is not about tooting my own horn, but I'm hoping to help readers realize that if you follow a plan (ANY PLAN) of walking more, stretching, drinking more water, and watching what you eat (limiting excess sugar/fat calories), you can be well on your way to improving your energy level and getting in shape.

Working Out But Failing To Finish Off Those Final 10 Pounds?

Stew Smith, CSCS — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:59:00 -0800

Here is an email from a man you likes to exercise as much as myself, but just cannot drop that last bit of fat off his stomach area:

Stew - what gives? I have been busting my butt for years working out with running, calisthenics, weights nearly 5-6 days a week and still have trouble around my mid-section. I am in great shape and can run 6 miles easy, some weights, do 50+ pullups, 300 pushups, and even more abs in a workout. What do I need to do to lose this last 5-10 pounds?

It sounds like you are doing everything right when it comes to burning calories, so you have to take a closer look at what you are eating to keep that kind of body fat around your mid-section. Generally speaking your issue is most likely sugar intake. Whether it is soda, sweets, white breads and pastas, these foods will cause your body to store them as fat through insulin production. Now, you should NOT eliminate carbohydrates from your diet. In fact, your body needs carbs, but LIMIT the carb intake to only fruits and vegetables and try to time that intake to pre-post workout snacks.

Here is what I like to do when I am leaning out. Usually, I try to drop some weight in the peak of my year long training cycle when my running is at its highest and workouts are at their longest. See Periodization

Early AM workout - If doing a weight or calisthenics or fast run or swim workout (anaerobic activity), it is recommended that you eat something before you exercise. Here is a good time to eat fruits, juice, sport drink, or something high on the glycemic index to help with energy later in the workout. If you have ever felt dizzy and nauseated during a workout, usually it is from decreased blood sugar. See the Nauseated Workout. Some of my favorites are bananas, apple, baby carrots, and water - sometimes juice. Chocolate milk has been proven to be quite helpful as well on harder, more intense workout days. Plus the protein in the milk is going to be helpful in post-workout recovery.

However, if you are doing an easier longer distance / easier paced cardio workout - skip eating and just take some water along with you on your pre-breakfast workout. As long as you are staying in the aerobic zone you should be OK with a moderate intensity workout.

Breakfast or Post Workout Meal - After a good pre-breakfast workout, you need to eat well! Foods with protein like eggs, dairy foods, meats, and of course good carbohydrates like fruits and vegetables to help you recover and be ready for the next workout. Also hydrate - at least a quart of water.

Mid morning Snack - Still a good time to mix in some protein and carb snack like yogurt, trail mix that is rich is peanuts, almonds, and other nuts makes a healthy snack. Drink water again.

Lunch - You need a big salad that is rich in green, leafy and colorful vegetables, top off with strawberries for a good taste that will help you limit dressings. Try not to junk it up with high saturated fat / high carb dressings. Add a lean meat like fish, chicken, turkey, or boiled eggs for a good protein in this meal.

After lunch, still do a mid-afternoon snack, but try to stick with more protein rich foods like nuts, eggs, tuna, chicken, or some sort of protein drink / bar. Now - here is where the challenge comes in - try not to eat any or many carbs the rest of the day. Focus on the proteins above. However, at dinner it is fine to have a lean meat with a small salad.

Walking or getting in a second easier workout after dinner is a good way to burn some calories as well, but you have to be careful not to do too much as it will affect your early morning workout this next day. So keep this workout easy, just to get the metabolism higher after eating an evening meal. Often, this one is a quick 10-15 minute walk or bike ride.

Also arrange the workouts so you do aerobic first then aerobic activity second - see the Cardio Vs Resistance article for more details and why!

See some ideas for meals at www.stewsmith.com/foodplan.doc

Fitness: It's 90% Mental

Stew Smith, CSCS — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:55:00 -0800

Have you ever heard of this statement? Often it refers to challenging military / law enforcement training programs. The first time I heard the saying was at SEAL training and I never quite understood what it meant at the time because it felt like 100% physical at the time. I promise you this. It does not refer to 90% mental being academic studies at SEAL Training. There is academic studying you must do, but typically it refers to how well you mentally push yourself through pain. But, today, a former college football player said his coach taught him that "if you show up out the shape the mental is twice as hard."

This concise statement is what I have been trying to say for years when explaining rigorous training programs. Personal experience has shown that the better condition you are physically, to more likely you are better able to handle stress, understand a tactical concept, perform a task to precision, and be better able to master other job related duties.

Too often recruits show up reaching the minimum standards of fitness for boot camp, basic, indoctrination, etc and all too often fail at something like land navigation, shooting, and other job related skills. Or the out of shape recruit is likely to become injured on normal daily activity PT / runs because he/she is not conditioned for even the most basic of activities. From here the de-conditioned recruit will miss valuable training and will likely be rolled to a different class, quit, or be dismissed from the training program altogether. That is what happens when you show up not prepared.

*Striving for minimum standards (plus)* - When preparing for a training program that you know is going to be physical (military basic, special ops training, police academy etc) take the minimum standards for acceptance into those programs and increase the standards for yourself. Typically a minimum standard recruits has a very low percentage of completing, graduating, or excelling in any part of the program.

_Rule of Thumb for Preparedness:_

For calisthenics type testing - pullups, pushups, situps - you will see a minimum standard for acceptance into the program. Recommendations range from 50-100% increase in the minimum standards - sometimes more! For instance, the minimum standards for SEAL training pullups is 6, it is recommended to be able to do 20 before attending BUD/S. Typically pushups / situps minimum standards for many of the branches of service and police range from 20-40 repetitions to pass. I would recommend striving for 50-100% increase in those numbers from the minimum standards.

*For cardiovascular testing* - running, swimming, etc: This one is more difficult to gauge generally, but if you can get 1-2 minutes under the minimum standards on a run or swim, then you are setting yourself up for better performance / conditioning throughout your training. For example, if the minimum standard for a 1.5 mile run is 12:30, then it is recommended to be able to run a 10-11:30 to create a cushion for yourself.

It is true. If you show up in shape the mental part of training is much easier. Now there is a mental side to training that is being able to mentally will yourself not to quit. There will be a time when you "feel" you cannot run another step, or when you "feel" like you cannot do another pushup. In advanced training programs, this is where mental toughness comes into play in order to push through the pain and discomfort of long days / nights. I am a firm believer that through tough physical fitness training you will sharpen the mind and allow it to build tolerance to pain when most people will quit from exhaustion.

Whether you are seeking to serve in the military, law enforcement or the special operations community, you should ask yourself, “Am I using the minimum standards as my capstone goal for training?” If the answer is yes, then you should re-think your training plan and give yourself some more time to reach far and above past the minimum standards. If you do this, training will be fun, educational, and you will look back at it with confidence. This will affect everything else you do in the future and create a higher standard for you personally, professionally, physically, and yes - even mentally!

Fitness For Cops Over 50

Stew Smith, CSCS — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:19:00 -0800

Here is an email that is often received from men and women seeking to lose the "spare tire" or weight around their hips, help reducing their blood pressure, and overall just get healthier. It is a journey that can lead to many enjoyable future years if you can catch up with Mother Nature and Father Time before they catch you! Here are a few questions posed by a gentleman in his early fifties:

Stew - I do appreciate your time and your website it has been a huge help to me personally. I do have a few questions for you.

1) I need to shed belly fat! I am on blood pressure medications and I hate it. I have no restrictions from my docs but I would rather not lift free weights. (Bodyweight at my age (52) I feel is better for me.)

I understand and agree - bodyweight exercises can help tremendously and not temporarily spike blood pressure like weight lifting can. If you like body weight / calisthenics exercises, you came to the right place as I like to focus on physical fitness testing methods and most of them are calisthenics and some form of cardio vascular exercise. Both will help you with weight loss (fat loss) and blood pressure reduction. In fact, I have had many readers say that they were able to able to reduce the dose or completely get off prescription blood pressure medications (with Doctor's approval - of course) after a few months of starting the programs I am recommending to you below:

For some quick results, which will help with water retention too, try the 10 Day Water Challenge. This usually works best for those who neglect adequate amounts of daily water intake and you will see noticeable weight loss within a week by simply "adding water".

10 Day Water Intake Test

2) Equipment wise I have the following: Sleds, rings, tires, sledge hammer, ropes, and a huge high school pool. Treadmills!

If your doctor recommends not lifting weights, I would not lift a tire, climb ropes, pull a sled, or even swing a sledgehammer until your blood pressure is really under control without medications, but ask your doctor to see if he agrees. The rings are another issue. I like them in TRX form but I would still avoid any position where your head is lower than your heart while exercising. The rings are gymnast's rings and if you are overweight / not in shape using them can be painful or potentially injurious. Just take a look at the average gymnast - they are usually lightweight, ripped, with a pound for pound muscle strength and endurance that is highly uncommon and requires years of practice to build. The rings CAN BE for beginners or those overweight, but you need to learn a few basic exercises with the rings or TRX that are great options to bodyweight exercises. (See video on TRX page for more info)

3) A suggestion on how to eat to lose body fat. I am up at 5:00 AM and in bed by 9:45PM. Any help you can give me is so very appreciated, My kids are having kids and I want to enjoy them.

You need to eat and drink through the day. Not just when you wake up eat breakfast, lunch, then dinner, but a good addition to your diet requires a snack about every 2-3 hours after a regular meal. This healthy snacking will help you with eating too much at meals and will keep your metabolism higher throughout the day. I would recommend this:

Eat carbohydrates ONLY in the morning (fruits / vegetables) after lunch limit carbs to only a salad - just eat protein rich foods in the PM like lean meat, fish, chicken, and nuts for snacks. Now the hard part - Eliminate sugar -If you can take out sweets, soda, white breads, and other processed foods, you will be amazed at how quickly the weight around the waist and hips recedes. Replace with nuts, fruits, vegetables that contain fiber to help with the insulin response that causes the sugar stored as fat in your torso area. Usually this is the "last stand" in the battle of the bulge as your torso is the last part of the body to lose the weight - so be patient and give this no sugar challenge 1-2 months for optimal results. In a few short days, your cravings for sugar will dissipate and it will not be that difficult to do.

Also check out this link:

See food plan for more idea ideas with plenty of options available

As far as workout - depends on your fitness level - I usually have people start here:

45 Day Plan - If this FREE starter plan is too easy, just add repetitions and increase the sets or cardio time per workout to add to the intensity of this workout plan.

But there are other options like the 15 Day PFT challenge if you are an intermediate level and can handle some running and high repetition calisthenics.

Here are some other ideas for you to add to your daily fitness program

Lower Back Plan - Great for Torso Strength / Flexibility

Enjoy the next few months as they will be transformational if you can stick to the above recommendations. Good luck and let me know how you do or if you have any questions by emailing me at stew@stewsmith.com.

Does Water Affect Weight?

Stew Smith, CSCS — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:53:00 -0800

This week a young man asked me, "Does water affect weight?" After some digging, I realized he has been observing his mother use one of the 45 Day Plans to lose weight / get fit and this program requires the user to drink more water than they normally would - up to 3-4 quarts a day!!

Most people do not drink enough water in a day PERIOD. The Mayo Clinic states, "Water is your body's principal chemical component, making up, on average, 60 percent of your body weight. Every system in your body depends on water. For example, water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues. Lack of water can lead to dehydration, a condition that occurs when you don't have enough water in your body to carry out normal functions. Even mild dehydration can drain your energy and make you tired.

The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 quarts (about 13 cups) of total beverages a day and women consume 2.2 quarts (about 9 cups) of total beverages a day. Total beverages mean water and other drinks as well.

As with most things in health / nutrition and exercise, there is always some study that disproves another study.

Many doctors agree that eight ounces of water - eight times a day (2 quarts) has no scientific backing. This is true! Water intake does not and probably should not have a universal standard as water intake depends on the individual / environment / activity level, etc...

The explanation of this question has a few levels of details, so it is broken up in the following sections:

Daily Weight Gain - By drinking more water per day, you will have a series of weight gains throughout the day as a quart (32 oz) of water weighs two pounds. So, as I write this article and sip from my 32 oz glass, I will gain two lbs in the next 90 minutes. Now, I will likely be interrupted by Mother Nature and lose 1-2 lbs from the previous 32 oz glass of water I drank after my early workout. The easy answer is yes - drinking water does affect weight significantly enough to be seen on a scale immediately. Usually, in a 24 hour period, you will cycle through this process of gaining water weight and losing water weight and have either a net loss or stable weight for the day.

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What About Weight Loss? - Here is where I came up with the saying - "Want to Lose weight? - Just Add Water!" Adding more water to your diet will help you lose weight a few ways. ONE - hunger suppressant - you will not be as hungry when drinking water through the day as your stomach will constantly have something flowing through it. TWO - when your body realizes it is getting enough water, it will allow you to release retained waters from your cells through digestion.

I had a client who lost 20 pounds in one week after adding JUST water to his diet. He was so bloated, his rings did not fit him, stomach was large, and socks would indent his lower legs when he removed them. Have you ever felt bloated, hands and feet puffy, belly extended - well this is your body holding onto water. This could also be a symptom of a variety of medical issues so alerting your doctor is never a bad idea when bloated for long periods of time with no relief. But it is also easily removed by adding water if you are just bloated due to dehydration or high sodium diet.

Replacement of water lost - Humans sweat, digest, and breathe. All three are processes that help our bodies to expel water. These fluids should be replaced and depending on your activity level and environment, your replacement maybe significantly different that someone with a different lifestyle. Regardless, everyone needs water. The amazing thing about the human body is that it is capable of pulling water out of every piece of food we eat. So by eating, you can actually survive and have enough water in your body to excrete toxins, sweat (some), and breathe. You can also lose significant weight through sweating (like wrestlers cutting weight). This is not healthy as you are also losing vital electrolytes that is not replaced will negatively affect performance and could cause death. However, what performance fitness experts agree on is that additional water will help us perform better by staving off dehydration, overheating, and even heat stroke. A common formula is to take 1/2 to 2/3 of your bodyweight in pounds and replace that many ounces of water in a 24 hour period. For instance, I am 200lbs so I typically get 100 oz of water a day - especially after exercise.

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Too much water - How much is too much? I tackled this one a few years ago when a water drinking contest on the radio actually caused someone to die from water intoxication. That person had downed nearly two gallons within a short period of time (less than 2 hours). This caused her body to shut down causing kidney failure as well as electrolyte imbalances that affect all organ function. Many endurance athletes have died from the same issues, however they sweat profusely and re-hydrated with ONLY water and had the same electrolyte imbalances that caused death. When drinking water after sweating profusely, you should consider foods or supplements with electrolytes (sodium, potassium, etc) so that does not happen.

I like to eat a can of chicken noodle soup after a workout where I lose 5-7 lbs of water through sweating - it can happen in humid or arid environments. The chicken noodle soup (especially kids double noodle style) can offer several hundred milligrams of sodium and potassium - much more than sports drinks. See related article - Too Much Water

Another question to ask is "HOW does water affect weight loss?" Over the course of a 10 day period, you can see significant weight loss by adding water to your daily intake. So, let's see for ourselves. (try at own risk)

Take a 10 Day Challenge - Below is a chart that will take you through a ten day extra water consuming process to show you that a few quarts of water a day will make you feel better, make skin look better, make you less hungry, and best of all help you release water that is retained in your body's cells - perhaps you will lose some weight.

Weigh yourself in the morning after using the bathroom and in the evening after dinner

Try adding 2-3 quarts a day for men and 1-2 quarts a day for women and let's see what happens!!!

*NOTE* - if you are already consuming the above amounts there is no need to try this 10 Day Challenge
or add more water to your diet.

Running: How Do You Find Your Pace?

Stew Smith, CSCS — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:37:00 -0700

As with any cardiovascular activity if you are going to perform for several minutes or even a few hours you need to find a sustainable pace. Here is an email from someone who enjoys running with a group but struggles with running alone:

Hey Stew - When I run with my group of friends, I am always faster than when I run alone. It seems my group pushes me harder than when I run by myself. Do you have any advice on getting better running workout when alone? - Tom

Great question Tom. I have struggled with this one as well so I formed a group locally where we are all constantly challenging each other in one of several arenas - running, swimming, weight lifting, calisthenics. Personally, now I train harder on my own in order to compete with the faster / younger runners. Here is how I do it:

Normally we run the same routes. When we are together running, I make landmarks and time checks to see how my speed is. So usually at a mile marker, I can find out if I am in a sub 7 minute mile pace or not. Usually the group hits this mark repeatedly. So on my own, I go to a track and work on my speed and pace and push myself for 6-6:30 mile pace. For instance:

Repeat 5-6 times

¼ mile run - 90-95 seconds

cooldown jog for 1/8 mile

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Then I see if I can pull it all together with sub 7 mile pace for 2-3 miles. Now this pace maybe too fast or too slow for you depending on your running level and experience, so I recommend running the original route you and your friends like to run and mark off time checks at certain landmarks like intersections, flag poles, someone's house, etc. Then see if you can push yourself to match those scores the next time you run alone.

I have often used the stop watch as a training guide for a variety of events - especially physical fitness tests. When I do situps, I try to find my goal pace that will get me to 100 situps in 2 minutes. This is 25 in 30 seconds or 50 in 1 minute. I repeat those sets a few times in my PT workouts and compete with no one but myself and my watch.

The same can be done with swimming, biking, and running. Find a pace you like to strive for and divide that distance by a number that makes sense and work several sets of that pace into a workout. Like this:

Swimming a 500m swim - divide the swim into 5 x 100m sets or 10 by 50m sets. If you goal is to swim in the 8 -8:30 mark then shoot for a pace of 50m in 50 seconds. In the end you should be at 500 seconds (8:20) for 500m. Your multiple sets of swimming at that pace will soon be easier and easier to maintain.

Running a 3 mile run - divide the run into ½ miles or mile runs and do a workout called "repeats". Basically, run 5-6 ½ mile runs at your goal 3 mile run pace or run 3-4 mile runs at your goal 3 mile pace. These workouts will challenge you and you may need to rest in between for a 200-400m walk to catch your breath, but as you practice these run or swim sets, you will find maintaining a faster pace while running gets much easier.

Hang in there and keep practicing to learn or muscle memory a pace. Feel free to email me if you have any questions at stew@stewsmith.com. I will try to answer them all or even create a new article out of them if the question inspires me.