20 Pound Goal Hit, Onward to 30

I had a good moment this morning, as I finally hit a 20 pound loss mark on the scale since my doctor visit back in late February.  It has been a good process since then to keep dropping some weight steadily.  

One of the big keys has been dieting correctly and watching the calories, plus also factoring in my activity levels of cardio and strength training and the calories they burn as well. 

I've noticed kettlebell swings and early morning walks have been working well for me.  If I don't have time for a run, a swings workout does quite well in fitting the need and also churning up the calories in a short amount of time.  Early morning walks are a great way for me to get in a half-hour or so of activity right away and also burns up some calories as well, about a rate of 10 per minute for me.  Its nice to start the day with a 300 calorie burn from a 30 minute walk.  Walking briskly is a great way to get the heart rate in the training zone and not fatigue you a lot as you're starting your day. 

Brief workouts have been a big part of this journey and will stay as a part of it too.  Find a lot of brief workout structures with the Fit XT program I've developed.  

Another Good Week and Finally a Ride

 This last week went pretty well with doing some swing workouts and morning walks to keep my activity levels up.  I had a really physical day at work on Wednesday with raking up a large area that had a lot of garbage and chunks of tar ripped up from snow removal.  That day really wiped me out good, but I was back to walking again the next day.  

After a bit of rest day on Saturday, today I finally got my new tires on the bike and went out for a great ride.  There is a nice 5 mile route I usually do for an out and back to make it a 10+ mile ride, this one ended up being just over 11 as I went a bit farther that I usually do. Another good calorie churner and it doesn't take up a lot of time.  My data had it at 656 calories for me on the total ride, completing it in about 41 minutes.  

The nutrition side of things is going well, weight loss was pretty minimal but going in the right direction.  As I'm doing more physical work outside for my job, and get outside more after work with nicer temperatures, more weight loss should be coming nicely soon. 

My Plexus products have helped me out a lot on this 'get back to where I should be' journey in exercise and health.  My weight is down, my blood pressure is way better, and I'm certainly more active each week than I have been in the past 2 years.  You can check out the products at this site.

Run, Swing, Walk, Lift, Repeat!

Greetings everyone,

The journey is still going strong as I was able to get in a nice steady run on Sunday, a good Swings workout on Monday morning and another nice brisk morning walk done this morning.  I added a backpack this time with sand weights in it, basically 4 ankle weights inside the backpack.  I found the weights at Five Below for only $10 total, so if you are looking at a cheap fitness hack, there you go.  Eight extra pounds in an old backpack and boom: you have yourself a handy fitness hack to change up your workout a bit. My backpack had a slim pocket inside the size of a laptop, so I was able to fit in the weights vertically and closer to my back, instead of just dead weight at the bottom of the pack. 

I've also been getting in my Total Gym workouts too, adding that to the plan at least twice a week.  My main focus is boosting the cardio workouts like runs, walks and swing workouts.  Two times a week on the Total Gym helps me maintain my strength as I try to get more cardio added to my daily routines. 

I have intentions on doing a kettlebell swings video soon.  Some people have been asking a lot about adding swings to their routines and want some additional tips on how to do that. 

The weight loss journey is still going well, I've hit a stalemate of sorts on the scale but I feel my body changing for the better.  Watching dietary intake each day is still a key part of my process.  

Til next time, Stay Strong!

Coach Rick

Interval Runs and Brisk Walks

 A nice cardio combo for me in the past few weeks has been combining interval runs in the afternoon, with a brisk walk the next morning.  I had to go back to my initial running days when I was training for my first 10K and did longer runs on Sunday mornings, followed by a nice 9 hole walk on the golf course.  The walking sure seemed to help loosen my legs up and I'd be less sore the next day.

Now that I'm back into more frequent runs during the week, I am sore in the morning but find that a brisk early morning walk, soon after I wake up, helps my legs out and gets my mind going as well. 

The longer walks can sure aid in adding more cardio to your week.  Even three walks a week for 30 minutes a time helps me burn another 900 calories that week, without 'killing' my body.  

I know lot of trainers are not huge fans of walking, running, and other methods of 'long, slow cardio'.  The argument is that its not a really a huge fat burner.  Well, yes, its not a huge fat burner, but it still burns up some calories for you and when added to a routine, they are simple workouts to do almost any time. Pretty much anyone can get outside and go for a walk when the weather is right.  If you can get your body moving, it is always a better option than sitting around and doing nothing.

To me, running is King when it comes to calories burning per minute. Cycling is another nice low-impact option that burns up calories too.  Walking is an easy addition if you're looking for a really low impact way to add some cardio sessions.  It is good to add some variety from higher intense exercise to lower intense exercise.  

Looking for more exercise tips?  Find a lot of them in my guide, Fit XT: Solutions That Work, sold on Kindle!

Stay Strong,

Coach Rick

Kettlebell Swings: A Primer

 Recently I had a comment on how to add Kettlebell Swings to a routine.

Here is what I added for the female who asked about it:

start out with 10-15 pounds to practice the movement and get it down. There are some that argue about how high to go on the swing, I feel you get what you need by swinging to about chest height and back down again. I don't see a benefit for the above the head motion.

I feel most can do 10-15# to start with and get 10-20 good reps in. As you gain experience with the exercise, you can add more reps as you go. I've been doing KB swings since 2005 so my endurance is up there for higher reps and switching sides (10 per side x 5 rounds of it is 100 reps for me in my workouts.) I would build up on 10-20 reps to start, taking rests as you feel you need them. 20 reps can usually be done just over 30 seconds of time. Take longer rests if you need them.

With starting out on kettlebell swings, a lot of trainers teach the two-handed swing first to get the basics of the action down.

Squat down to grab the KB with both hands, keeping the back straight and pushing the hips back, feet should be about shoulder width apart. 

Start the action by rocking the KB forward a little, then letting it swing between your legs. As it reaches its end point, drive the hips forward and extend the hips and knees so your body comes to a straight line.  The KB will raise up naturally to about chest height at the end of the swing. Once it reaches its high point, squat back down and let the KB fall back between your legs again.  You can keep this pendulum action going for 10-20 reps like I mentioned above.  

You can also do a one handed swing version and switch hands at the top of the swing, bringing both hands to chest height (one with the KB, the other without) and have both palms facing each other.  This allows you to transition the bell easier to the other hand at the top of the swing.  I like to switch hands every 10 swings as I do my sets of 100.  It gives each side a small rest between the sets of 10.  Practice the movement from hand to hand to get the transition down.  

One thing to mention is to keep the arms straight, thinking of them like a rope that keeps tight throughout the swing.  You don't want the rope to 'slack' as you swing.  

It has been a while since I've done a video on KB swings, so perhaps I'll get one made soon to demonstrate this basic exercise that has a bunch of cardio and fat burning benefits!

Stay strong,

Coach Rick

Weekend Workouts and Another Week Ahead

 This past weekend was a good one to get some swings in for a workout on Saturday, plus a nice afternoon for a run on Sunday.  Saturday's routine was a 400 swings workout with the 45 pound kettlebell.  I went every 4 minutes with it for 100 reps per set.  Sunday's run went very, very well for me.  I felt better where I could keep up my running with less 1 minute walks, testing myself out and going as long as a 17 minute stretch between my 2nd and 3rd walking break.  Temps were cool but not too bad with a long sleeve shirt and a hoodie, keeping my hood up since the wind was chilling me a bit.  I went for a full 30 minute session with only 4, 1 minute breaks of walking.  I haven't done that in a long, long time, and I feel my medication effects aren't so limiting any more.  This is hopeful for me, as I'd like to get back to doing a 5K here and there this summer and enjoying them again. 

I used to run a lot of 5K's in my 30's but got into putting on 5K's as a small town race director.  It was fun to do but also time-demanding to organize in my spare time.  I did enjoy the friendships I developed though with local runners in the region around me, getting to know many runners of all ages.  I took a long break from running after I gave up the timing and directing part, and I'm glad I'm back into running more often now.  The weather should be really nice in the coming weeks to get back into more of a regular running pattern.  I am adding some morning walks lately, as I did a 30 minute brisk walk this morning as one more way to boost my cardio a bit.  It also works as a nice recovery walk from a hard run the day before. 

Stay Strong,

Coach Rick

Total Gym Routines Rock!

 When I moved in 2019, I sold a lot of at home fitness equipment as I had to downsize a bit.  Locally I hit the garage sales and found a fairly nice condition Total Gym unit.  I picked it up for $40 and took it home, later finding out that it was about a $700 unit brand new!  I took home a lot of attachments and it still had the workout videos in VHS and DVD formats.  

I had one in the past and enjoyed the quick circuit nature of it.  I've added it to my current program now to do a nice upper body circuit.

The circuit goes like this:

Chest Press

Low Pulley Rows

Pullover with Ab Crunch

Bicep Curls

Tricep Pushdowns

I do a 20 minute circuit of this, with 4 minutes on each exercise working in a 30 seconds work, 30 seconds rest pattern.  I'm getting about 12 reps on each 30s work set, with the exception of pullover crunches where I get about 10.  

My resistance level goes from 1 to 6, and I'm at a 4 level for all these exercises to keep it simple and quicker. The higher levels are a higher percentage of your body weight.  

I also like this workout because its on a nice, quiet machine and I can do it in the mornings without bothering the neighbors in my apartment.  

If you're able to find a used Total Gym and have room for it, I suggest getting one for its versatility in exercises you can do and set up rather quickly. 

Stay Strong!

Coach Rick

The Fitmosphere Trainer