By Gavin Hudson

Imagine that you could wiggle your nose and magically get a quarter of a million dollars (yes, $250,000), better health, great legs and buns (your own), a sharper mental edge, easy parking everyday and an enjoyable commute, and maybe a couple new friends for good measure. What if these benefits also came with better air to breathe, less daily stress and more fun, less air pollution, safer streets, and more time spent outdoors?

To get all of these benefits, you don’t really have to wiggle your nose. In fact, if you can wiggle your nose, then please teach me how. All you have to do is to use a bicycle to get around.

From Paris to Portland, bicycling is catching on as one of the best methods of transportation for commuting, running errands, and just plain getting around town. Some bicyclists have even installed batteries on their vehicle, making it an electric "hybrid bicycle." Bicycling is ideal for trips of about 5-20 roundtrip miles; and for experienced bicyclists, even a trip of 50-miles or more is an enjoyable way to spend several hours getting from point A to point B.

Some companies, like Starbucks, are also recognizing the trend and are starting to offer their employees benefits for bicycling or taking public transit instead of driving.

Here is more information about some of the many personal, environmental, and social benefits that can be harnessed from your two-wheel wonder.

Personal Benefits

Your Wealth

According to Motor Trend and the American Institute for Economic Research, the average American car-owner can expect to pay between $240,704 and $349,968 during his driving lifetime. These figures will increase with the price of fuel and the rising cost of the vehicles themselves.

A bicycle can serve your transportation needs for commuting, shopping, and getting around town. Urbanites who are well acquainted with the frustration of paying parking tickets and towing fines will also find that bicycles are an excellent solution. Of course, you’ll still need that fuel: the occasional sandwich or cup of coffee will do nicely.

Your Health

Using a bicycle as your primary or secondary form of transportation is an excellent way to stay active. Cycling provides aerobic exercise, which burns calories, shapes leg and gluteal muscles and improves cardiovascular health. Health experts attribute current soaring rates of heart disease, diabetes and obesity largely to a sedentary lifestyle. Bicycling is an excellent and often needed solution to these and other health issues.

In addition to the exercise that bicycling provides, bicycle commuters find that they are exposed to much less stress traveling by bicycle than by car. Bicycle commuters also report arriving awake and refreshed to work. And, as the Department of Health and Human Services reminds us, “exercise is related to positive mental health as indicated by relief in symptoms of depression and anxiety.”

Cycling is also a favorite way to enjoy the outdoors and gain an appreciation of nature. Benefits of bicycling in the outdoors include immersion of the traveler in his/her surroundings, the ability to appreciate the scenery and the ability to pull over at any time to for a closer look or a romantic moment when bicycling with a sweetheart.

In a sobering perspective on health, over 42,000 people die each year (1 million, worldwide) in the United States and some 2.8 million are injured as a result of automotive accidents. Another 70,000 lives are claimed each year in this country from medical conditions associated with air pollution (3 million, worldwide). Therefore, for personal safety and the health and safety of others, giving up the car keys is extremely important. As anyone who has experienced a car accident will tell you, car crashes can happen to anyone, not just bad or drunk drivers.

The good news is that studies indicate that bicyclists breathe in less air pollution, making cycling an even more healthy activity. Of course, bicycles emit no air pollution themselves, which ensures cleaner air and better lung health for everybody.

For traffic safety, it is also important that bicyclists following the rules of the road and cycling defensively and politely are important ways to avoid collisions, the most dangerous of which can occur with automobiles.

Environmental Benefits

Bikes get an infinite number of miles to the gallon of gas. Now that’s hard to beat! Bicycling emits no greenhouse, ozone, or any gasses of any sort. Cycling, therefore, is an excellent way for all of us to stand up to Global Warming, ozone thinning, acid rain, and other negative effects of air pollution that come in part from automobiles. If everyone biked or rode on public transit instead of driving, we could instantly cut 30% of the nation’s air pollution in a single stroke.

Bicycles also require smaller streets. By improving city planning to include more bike paths and fewer streets, more room is left as open space to beautify the city and protect the environment.

Social Benefits

One cannot overlook the social benefits of bicycling, both locally and around the world.

Locally

Healthy individuals are more apt to lead healthy social lives. Parents can help their children to stay healthy by teaching them to bicycle and thereby exposing them to outdoor exercise. Also, there are few more memorable a moment for children and parents alike than when a parent teaches his or her child how to ride a bicycle.

In communities, bicycles help to calm traffic by reducing the number of cars on the road. If you’re ever experienced road rage when driving behind a group of bicycles or a transit bus, just imagine how much more traffic it would create to place each cyclist or bus passenger in a car and place them on the road. Bicycling saves space and helps to reduce traffic.

Bicycling also encourages closer communities. Urban sprawl, which decreases property values, harms the natural environment and forces people to commute increasingly far distances for work, is a result of our dependence on cars. By contrast to North America, most European cities are built so that citizens can easily walk or bicycle from home to work or the grocery store. Bicycling discourages sprawl and encourages close-knit communities and better city planning as well as neighborhood stores and community centers.

Bicycling allows people in the community to easily stop, wave and greet one another as well as other passersby. This creates healthier, friendlier, happier neighborhoods.

Most cities and some states are also home to bicycle advocacy groups, which lobby to add bicycle lanes, improve roads, promote education about bicycling, and support clean air initiatives. These groups generally also offer a wonderful and vibrant sense community for bikers with regular social events and advocacy opportunities. Some examples of bicycle groups such as these are the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, MassBike (Massachusetts), the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, and Bike New York.

Internationally

In countries like the United States, fossil fuels maintain a strong grip on the national economy and psyche. Access to oil is a strong incentive for territorial conflicts and even large international wars. It has been widely suggested, for example, that access to oil was one of the key motivators behind the U.S. invasion of the country of Iraq. Bicycling removes the incentive for these violent conflicts, thus helping to cure what has become known in the United States as an "addiction to oil."

By Jerry Hopkins

"This patented means of training cannot be achieved with any other "single" device or training equipment, and beats the "sedentary" gym workouts hands-down. As for crunches- they’re for wimps!"

Strap on the PowerWheel for just 3 minutes after your daily warm up and stretch routine. Within seconds, it will expose every hidden "weak link" that is dragging you down and hurting your running speed and endurance!

Read on to discover the most closely-guarded "Core Strength Secrets" that are kicking dirt in the face of traditional training programs.

Dear Runner,

Have you noticed how some runners seem to practically "glide" past the finish line- while the others seem to drag their feet as their whole body is wracked with pain and fatigue…?

The difference is "Core Strength"

Thousands of running careers have been snuffed out prematurely with low back pain, coupled with an under-developed mid-section.

Runners today endure punishing schedules and tremendous pressure to perform. It often leads them to focus in all the wrong places. While they obsess about speed and power, what they really need is core strength and agility.

It has now been established that "core strength" is the foundation of an effective training regimen for serious runners. The entire trunk area, with its 29 core muscles, works as the body’s "transmission system", channeling massive propulsive strength from your core muscles to your legs.

Many athletes tend to neglect the huge demands that running makes on their core (including the abs, lower back and glutes) which work together to balance and stabilize the upper and lower body. Numerous studies have shown that strong legs are meaningless without a powerful core. Here’s why:

By Steve Cotter, CSCS

By adding this one exercise to your training program, you can become stronger, more flexible, more coordinated PLUS improve speed and jump higher - GUARANTEED!

What if I told you that by adding just one exercise to your training repertoire, you would be stronger, more flexible and more coordinated and be able to run faster, jump higher and have overall better health? Would it be worth investing the time to learn and practice? If you answered "Yes", then I have just the exercise for you.

The one-leg squat, or aptly named "pistol", is one of the most demanding and beneficial exercises in existence , and the only thing you need to get started is your body and the determination to succeed. This article will describe the benefits of the one-leg squat, identify the most common limiting factors that restrict progress and outline several "troubleshooting" methods to help you achieve your goal of mastering pistols.

The Exercises

Why Pistols?

Pistols have a wide array of athletic and real-world applications. The fundamental skill that pistols teach is exerting power through the entire range of motion of your stance, while on one leg. Whether running, jumping, or changing directions in an athletic competition, or walking, sitting, or standing in your daily affairs, powerful legs enable us to do what we do better, and with greater ease. The combination of skills that pistol practice develops simultaneously - Balance, strength, endurance, flexibility and coordination. Make it one of the most useful and important exercises to learn.

How To Do Pistols

The description of the pistol is the easy part: Stand on one leg, with the other leg out in front and parallel to the floor. Hands are kept to the side. Sit back and down, as if sitting in a very low chair. At the bottom, of the position, your support foot is flat and your hamstrings/glute is resting on your calf. Now stand back up to the starting position. That is one rep.

As simple as the description sounds, the performance of the pistol is actually a sophisticated motion to learn. To start you on your path of mastering this powerful movement, I will first identify the component parts of the exercise, and then teach you how to "troubleshoot" each component so that you can identify and correct weaknesses in your form. Lastly, you will learn how to put it all together, so that you are armed with sufficient knowledge to overcome any limitations that are now preventing you from doing the exercise correctly.

Components Of A Pistol

The reason that learning to do pistols well is so challenging is because they involve an interplay of several different physical skills, all performed simultaneously. Below are the primary components involved. An inability to perform the pistol is a result of a deficiency, or "weak link" in one or more or these components:

Balance

Pistols teach what is referred to in Internal Martial Arts as "rooting", as in the roots of a tree, forming a solid connection to the ground. Because we are shifting the body’s center of mass over a narrow base of support, and for an extended range of motion, balance is challenged and trained in a dynamic fashion.

Flexibility

The muscles and joints of the legs, low back, hips and ankles are required to work at the extreme ranges of motion, both in flexion and extension.

Strength

The powerful muscles of the glutes and thighs are moving the body weight throughout a very narrow base of support, thereby recruiting tremendous stabilizer function in all the lower body joints; tension is maintained throughout the eccentric, isometric and concentric portions; the core musculature is recruited to maintain balance and alignment.

Coordination

The neuromuscular system is challenged by the multiple requirements involved in pistol practice-balancing, contracting and stretching.

Focus/Mental Attitude

A clear focus and concentration is required to maintain control over the body; fear and restricted movement is overcome by releasing our fear of falling and reintroducing freedom of motion.

Troubleshooting

Once the weak links are identified from the components above, you can proceed to take corrective measures to strengthen those links. However, in the beginning, the skill can be so different from what we are used to, and so challenging, that it may be difficult to identify one specific weakness. It may seem that the whole movement is off kilter. At this point you may get discouraged and just accept the notion that "pistols are not for me". Press on, because by using the simple tests below, you can identify the weak links so that you can take the necessary steps to correct them.

Here a word about specificity is in order. It is important to understand that there is always more than one way to "skin a cat". So there is more than one way to address a particular weakness. However, because of the specific dynamics of pistols, it is most productive to select the tests and corrective exercises that are most similar in nature to the performance of the exercise itself. Rather than simply "stretch the hamstrings" or "strengthen the thighs", we will select those movements that have a high degree of carry-over into one- leg squat practice.

Tests To Identify Weak Links In The Pistol:

Balance

Stand on one leg with the other leg off the ground and not braced against the support leg. Hold the position and aim for a "quiet" stance, no excessive movement. Increase the challenge by turning the head from right to left. Challenge further by closing the eyes and finally eyes closed and head turns simultaneously. This sequence will familiarize your body with the feel of the one-leg stance and teach you how to maintain your center of balance in relationship to the support leg.

Flexibility

Test this by grabbing the outstretched foot with the same side hand-stand on R leg, extend L leg, grab L leg with L hand. If you cannot hold the outstretched leg out fully extended, hamstring stretching is called for. With the hand that is not holding the outstretched foot, place your palm against a wall to decrease the balance demands. Do several repetitions of flexing and extending the knee, by pulling the foot in towards your body, and extending it out again. You will feel the hamstrings lengthening. If you can fully extend the leg, but feel tightness in the lower back, hold a rope or towel overhead with both hands and practice deep overhead squats.

For tightness in the hips and glutes, grab the inside of a doorway with both hands and place your outstretched leg on a box or chair in front of you. Holding tightly with the hands, fall back and down as if doing a full squat. You will feel this stretch in the glutes and lower back. 

Strength

This drill is called the pole-assist method. I developed this drill as a way to strengthen the legs within the same neuromuscular groove as used in free-standing pistols.

Stand facing a sturdy pole (e.g. flag pole) or a very thin tree. Place the support foot in line with the pole so that your toes are just a few inches in front of it. The free leg (non-weight bearing) will be placed in front to one side of the pole, close but not touching–L leg to L of pole, and visa versa. The hands are circled around the pole, in front of you. Think of the pole as an external representation of your body’s center line, i.e. the spine. This center line awareness will develop proper focus and alignment.

From the extended position, simply sit back, as if sitting in a chair. Use the hands only as necessary to decelerate your momentum. On the initial sit back go to your lowest natural point (sticking point). From there, use the hands to walk yourself down the pole–going deeper to the rock-bottom position. It is imperative to keep your heel flat on the ground, and to keep healthy knee alignment–aligned vertically and laterally with the ankle and foot, and not extended beyond toes. You will have to experiment with the distance of your foot placement from the pole, based on the length of your arms, and trunk flexibility.

Pressing up from the bottom position, use only what assistance is necessary from the hands, by walking your hands up the pole, as if climbing a rope hand over hand. All tension/force generation principles apply here: grip the floor with the toes, press the heel forcefully into the floor and drive up, and create intra abdominal pressure by taking a quick breath into the belly at the bottom position, and hold the breath briefly through the sticking point-exhaling once past the sticking point.

This method is more direct than concentric only reps, because it addresses the entire range of movement. As you improve, the hand assistance will be less and less necessary until you are doing full bodyweight pistols.

Coordination

If coordination is your weak link, it will be self-evident. Test basic coordination by holding the position with one leg out in front. Do small movements with the arms and extended leg, moving them easily and gracefully to the front, back and side. If this simple coordination drill gives you fits, work on this only, for a few weeks before incorporating the other techniques. 10 minutes a day, switching legs back and forth will teach you how to get comfortable in this position.

Focus

Pick a point in space a few feet in front of you. Relax the gaze and keep your attention on that space. This gives you a frame of reference to move about, and reinforces the center line discussed above. Visualize a wall to each side of you and imagine that they support your palms throughout the movement, reinforcing lateral stability. Attitude-It’s important to adopt a playful attitude, and recognize the practicality and reflexive nature of the action. When we stop having fun, things become too serious. You will overcome the fear of falling by having fun falling, realizing that it’s nothing to fear. The next exercise will show you how.

Putting It All Together

You are now armed with the tools needed to address the weak links that have heretofore prevented you from excelling at pistols. You are ready to practice the specific sequencing that will lead you to your goal of free-standing bodyweight pistols. Some of you may be able to skip steps 1-3 and begin practice with Step 4.

Others will have to go through each step before reaching the final step. You may skip any of the steps that don’t give you trouble, but make sure you can perform each step, before moving to the next. Quality practice is paramount, so don’t progress prematurely.

Step 1: Learn to squat properly-deck squat (rock-up squat)

The pistol, a one-leg squat, follows the same mechanics as a regular squat. The difference is that a pistol is performed with a much narrower base of support, thereby increasing the challenge to balance and flexibility. Before learning to squat on one leg, be sure to first know how to squat correctly on two. The deck (rock-up) squat will teach the correct mechanism for pistols, and will help you overcome the fear of falling back by falling back correctly, and liking it!

Put a mat on the floor or use a soft area, such as carpet or grass. Stand with your back to the soft area. Begin by sitting back and down, as if sitting in a chair. When you reach the bottom of the squat, roll back by touching your bottom to the mat and continuing back until your shoulders are on the mat. This is like the beginning of a back somersault. From this point, reverse the momentum by kicking your feet out and rolling back up into the initial standing position.

To assist you in getting back up on your feet, push your hands forcefully out in front of you as you are standing. Also project your focus to a point 100 feet in front of you. If you are having trouble getting back up onto your feet, these variations will make it easier:

• Instead of the floor/ground, sit onto a box, so that you do not have to squat down as low. A tall box will be easier than a short box. Be sure to keep the abdominals contracted as you rock back onto your bottom, otherwise you may fall all the way back off the box and hurt yourself. It is also a good idea to have a spotter place a hand behind your back in case you go back too far.
• Place a light weight in your hand, such as a 4 or 8 kg kettlebell. As you sit back and down, pull the weight against your abdomen. As you rock up onto your feet, forcefully push the weight out to a point in front of you. The weight will serve as a counter-balance, helping you back up until you learn to create the necessary force within your body.

The rock up squat will teach you to sit back and down with your hips, adjusting your center of mass to stay over your base of support.

Progress from the basic deck squat into the following variations:

1. Down 2 legs, up 2 legs
2. Down 2 legs, up 1 leg
3. Down 1 leg, up 1 leg—at this point you are doing a rock-up pistol-you’re almost there!

Step 2: Develop isometric strength at all angles throughout the range of motion.

Sometimes you may experience a lack of stability in the knee joint, during a particular range of motion. This usually results in pain/stiffness in the knee in the following areas:

Problem:
Pain under kneecap-patella tendon-due to excessive knee flexion-knee extends too far forward.

To correct:
Practice moving back and down, sitting into the bottom position. If you don’t yet feel stable doing this, hold onto the pole or inside of a doorway. Hold the bottom position with your heel flat and find the position that feels stable and pain free. If this is difficult, you may have an ankle flexibility issue. The most specific stretch for the ankle is to hold the bottom position and with each exhale, press the heel flat, using the hands to apply leverage against the pole or doorway.

Problem:
Pain on inside and/or outside of knee (MCL/LCL) due to excessive rotation of trunk or knee.

To correct:
Be aware of any point in the range of motion that feels unstable in the knee. Standing in the doorway or holding the pole, find the weak position, adjusting a little bit at a time, until you find the placement that feels stable and pain free. Gradually reduce the support from the arms until you can hold the position with little or no additional assistance.

Sometimes the lack of lateral/medial knee stability is not because of the position of the knee itself, but from lack of stability in your core musculature. Be sure to create sufficient core stability by tensing the abs and creating intra abdominal pressure, throughout the range of motion.

As a variation for developing isometric strength, place a chair just under your hips and practice holding the posture at various depths. You are not touching the chair, it is there as a support in case your balance or strength fails you. Adjust the range by using chairs, stools or boxes of different heights.

Step 3: Build strength from bottom up

You may have the strength to press up from the bottom, but have trouble sitting down into the bottom position. In that case, reinforce the strong part of the movement by doing concentric-only pistols for a few weeks. Simply start from the bottom position and practice driving up forcefully through the heel. Practice the eccentric phase with deck squats for now, as described in Step 1 above.

Step 4: Putting it all together—the pole-assist method

If you’ve spent time working on the first 3 Steps, you are now ready to introduce the pole-assist method, as outlined above in the strength section under the heading Troubleshooting.

Step 5: Practice free-standing

If you’ve carefully worked through Steps 1-4 above, you are now ready to take on the real deal-free-standing bodyweight pistols!

Of all the exercises to practice, pistols is one of the most useful because it teaches so many different things at once, balance, flexibility, strength, coordination, and focus. The best way to master the pistols is to start doing them. In my opinion, pistols are most useful as a bodyweight exercise, because most applications (sports, fall prevention, house work, etc) require the ability to control your own body at various velocities. Set a goal to be able to do 10-15 BW reps before concerning yourself with weighted pistols.

There you have it, a comprehensive guide to get you started on the road to powerful, athletic leg strength, with pistol power!

About The Author

Steve Cotter is a senior RKC instructor and a national full contact kung fu champion. He is based in San Diego and offers individual instruction and seminars. Contact Steve at steven_cotter@yahoo.com.

By Brendan Brazier, Vegan Triathlete 

Want to segue to a plant-based diet but concerned about getting adequate protein? Worry no more: properly balanced plant protein can offer several advantages over more traditional animal-based options.

It was once thought that only animal protein was complete and therefore a superior source to plant-based options. Complete protein is comprised of all ten essential amino acids. By definition, essential amino acids cannot be made by the body; they must be obtained through dietary sources. And, in fact, there are actually several complete plant protein sources. However, to obtain all amino acids in high quantities, it’s advantageous to consume several complementary sources of protein on a regular basis. For example, hemp, yellow pea and brown rice protein make up a superior amino acid profile that rivals any created in the animal kingdom.

Additionally, one of the big advantages of properly balanced whole food (plant-based protein over animal protein) is its slightly neutral pH. In contrast, highly processed foods are acid forming, as are animal based foods. Whey protein isolate, for example, is highly acid forming. Whey straight from the cow would be neutral and even slightly alkaline, but once the protein is isolated (no longer rendering it a whole food), it is then pasteurized. These two steps of processing lower its pH, making it more acid-forming. Meat — pork in particular — is also highly acid forming.

It’s advantageous to maintain a neutral pH. Eating too many acid-forming foods will promote inflammation, reduce immune function and cause calcium to be pulled from the bones in order to keep the blood in its neutral state of 7.35. This, of course, leads to lower bone density and, in many cases, osteoporosis.

The most alkaline forming foods are those with chlorophyll, the green pigment in many plants. Leafy greens for example. Hemp is an excellent example in that is contains complete protein, yet the fact that it is not isolated and that it contains chlorophyll helps maintain a more alkaline pH.

So, there you are: you can have your plant-based protein and eat it, too.

1.  Use the Jungle Gym off a door or over a pole and train 90 degree assisted chin ups until you can reach 20 reps in a row.

2.  When you can do 20 in a row it is time to move up the challenge to jump negatives. Here you measure the Jungle Gym one hand above your head and pull/jump up until you touch your chest to your hands and then slowly and under control resist down till your arms are straight, then jump/pull back up. When you can do 10 Jump Negatives, then it is time to move up to the next level.

3.  The final level is just doing it, you have passed all the prerequisites, now it is time to start doing chins. Every day do a rep, get used to doing chins. If you are unable to do full chins, do half reps from the top and slowly increase your range until you can do chins from straight arms to touching your chest to the bar or your hands.

By Mike Mahler

I had a great time this past weekend teaching a fun kettlebell workshop with top strength coach and kettlebell instructor Steve Cotter (FullKontact.com). Steve brought up a great point about workouts sets. Often when a trainee has a repetition goal for a set they end up doing less reps than they are capable of. Steve gave an example of a trainee doing fifteen kettlebell snatches. Since fifteen reps is the trainee’s goal, mentally the trainee will get tired the closer he or she gets to fifteen reps. However, if the trainee forgets about counting the reps and just focuses on doing one rep at a time, he or she will blast right through fifteen reps. I have had this happen many times in my own workouts and have seen it happen with my clients. One personal example is when I hosted a Kettlebell Clean and Press contest for charity in San Diego several months ago. Steve Cotter counted the reps for me and all I had to do was focus on doing one rep at a time. I hit eighteen pretty easy reps and then it hit me that eighteen reps was more than I had ever done before. Right at that moment I barely finished off rep number nineteen. Once I got focused on the number, it was all over. Another personal example is when I worked up to hundreds of Hindu Pushups. I never started out a set saying I am going to do five hundred reps. I would simply put some music on and go for it for forty-five minutes or more. I counted the reps but I was not focused on the reps that had not come. In other words, when I finished rep one, I was only thinking about rep two, not rep one-hundred or five hundred.

While having set goals is important with training and for that matter life in general, it is good to use methods that leave some room open for unexpected progress. Having a training partner count off reps for you so you can focus on what you are doing is one method. Another method is to get over the concept of always doing reps and sets and focus on time. This is what Charles Staley brilliantly did with his EDT program (www.edtsecrets.com). Instead of focusing on sets and reps, Charles focused on how much can be done in a designated time frame. For example, the amount of total reps that can be achieved in fifteen minutes. Another program that is great for strength conditioning and muscular endurance is the "rounds workout." Top Strength coach and kettlebell instructor Steve Maxwell (www.stevemaxell.com) is a big fan of such workouts and I have seen him put his students through some brutal training with the rounds system.

For a basic strength and muscular endurance program, do three full body rounds workouts based on five exercises per week. Start off by spending one-minute at each exercise. Set a stop watch for a minute and do as many reps as possible per exercise in the one-minute time frame. If you have a training partner have him or her count the reps for you. Do not have them count out the reps for you out load. Just have them tell you how many reps you got at the end of the round or workout. Your goal is to do more reps at the next session. If you do not have a training partner, then you will of course have to count the reps yourself. No big deal just focus one rep at a time. When you are on rep ten, do not think beyond rep eleven. If you need to put the weights down or stop during the set for a breather, feel free to do so. Take one-minute breaks in between each exercise. You may need more in the beginning so adjust the program to your needs. Here is a sample Kettlebell training "rounds workout."

Monday

• Round 1: Double Kettlebell Clean and Press (do Military press or push press)
• Round 2: Alternating Bent-over Row
• Round 3: Turkish Get-up (30 seconds left and 30 seconds right)
• Round 4: Double Front Squat
• Round 5: Double Swing

Wednesday

• Round 1: Pull-ups
• Round 2: Kettlebell Pass Between The Legs
• Round 3: Alternating Floor Press
• Round 4: One-arm Front Squat (30 seconds left and 30 seconds right)
• Round 5: One-arm Swing (30 seconds left and 30 seconds right or switch hand with each rep and count one rep as one completed with both arms)

Friday

• Round 1: Double Kettlebell Clean and Jerk
• Round 2: Double KB Bent-over Row
• Round 3: Turkish Get-up (30 seconds left and 30 seconds right)
• Round 4: Double Front Squat
• Round 5: Double Snatch

Once you get comfortable with one-minute rounds, go up to 90 second rounds per workout. When that gets do able go up to two minute rounds per exercise. When you can do two minute rounds, switch to heavier kettlebells or harder exercises and start with one-minute rounds again. Now another option is to do the rounds in antagonistic fashion and do multiple rounds. Here is an example:

Antagonistic Rounds Workout

Before starting the rounds do 1-2 sets of the Turkish Get-up or Windmill to get them out of the way.

• Round 1: Double Clean and Mil Press
• Round 2: Double Bent-over Row
• Round 3: Double Clean and Mil Press
• Round 4: Double Bent-over Row

Take a two minute break and then do:

• Round 1: Double Front Squat
• Round 2: Double Swing
• Round 3: Double Front Squat
• Round 4: Double Swing

The possibilities are really endless with Rounds workouts and I will be sure to go over more options in future magazine issues.

Need help with training? For a personalized program to ensure you reach your training goals, go to Aggressive Strength Services.

How would you like to lose more body fat while spending less time doing cardiovascular exercise? It is definitely possible. High Intensity Interval Training or better known as HIIT is the new cardiovascular phenomenon to hit the world of fitness training. The interesting thing is many fitness enthusiasts know nothing about it.

Don’t you remember being told to exercise at a lower intensity or lower heart rate for longer periods of time in order for maximum body fat loss to occur? This is the exact advice a majority of cardiovascular training participants follow. But is it the best, most efficient way to a slimmer waistline, and maximum body fat loss. According to research, the answer is no.

HIIT has been shown through studies to burn body fat more efficiently than the common low-intensity exercise training. Studies show the fat burn efficiency can be up to 50% more efficient doing HIIT training.

Cardio HIIT training can be defined as low to moderate intervals alternated with high intensity intervals. Rather than training at the same intensity throughout, cardiovascular intensity changes from low, medium, and high sporadically throughout the entire bout of exercise. High Intensity Interval Training has shown the results of increased anaerobic, as well as aerobic endurance. It can be performed with little or no equipment, and yields much greater fat reduction for invested time.

You might ask, if HIIT is so effective, why isn’t every fitness buff training in this manner? There are three simple reasons they are not. They don’t know about it, have medical limitation preventing them from doing so, or perceive it as too challenging. Another words, it is much too difficult reading the newspaper while doing it. High Intensity Interval Training can be done in less than 20 minutes, and has been shown to accelerate the fat burning process for up to 24 hours.

So how do you do it? Start out with a warm up using any type of cardiovascular exercise including but not limited to a treadmill, elliptical trainer, running outside, or even biking. Increase the exercise intensity by doing a high intensity interval for a minimum of five times starting at 30 second interval times, and progressing to longer times as your cardiovascular program matures. Perform each interval starting at 30 seconds in duration striving to reach 90% of your maximum heart rate, then slow down to moderate or low intensity for a few minutes before you, once again, do a high intensity interval. Your heart rate should be around 50%-60% of your maximum heart rate during the low or moderate intensity segment, and progress upwards to 90% during your HIIT interval. The goal of HITT training is to be as progressive as possible. Perhaps the next workout interval can be extended by 10 seconds, or the rest time between intervals can be decreased. In order to perform HIIT properly, you must be willing to take a progressive approach to high intensity cardiovascular training. It is also recommended to clear this type of training protocol with your doctor. HIIT’s purpose is to work at a much higher heart rate, or exercise intensity compared to the conventional cardiovascular training.

If you are one who likes to lose body fat, then HIIT training is a must in your overall fitness program. Just stay consistent, doing it twice each week, and your fitness level will vastly improve while you continue to lose body fat. It is time to HITT the fat burning pavement.

Jim O’Connor - Exercise Physiologist

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By Kevin Gianni

It is time to begin your bodyweight training exercises. No more excuses or thoughts that it won’t work for you. Maybe you think bodyweight training exercises can not be used to build strength or that you are too old. Maybe you are not sure that bodyweight exercises will give you the end result you desire, whether it is to look better, feel healthier or be more physically fit. With these three convincing reasons to begin your bodyweight training exercise routine you will no longer resist anything, other than your own bodyweight.

1. Bodyweight training is effective no matter what your age or fitness level 18 or 81 can use any level of the exercises available in bodyweight training. If you have never exercised at all or if you are a former high school or college athlete makes who has stopped their regular exercise or weightlifting program years ago makes no difference in you ability to perform these exercises and achieve the maximum benefits from them. These exercises designed so that no excuses about being out of shape or not the right age to begin exercises are effective arguments for not beginning. No matter what your age is, by beginning bodyweight exercises right now you can age better, no matter how old you are when you begin them.

2. In many cases, bodyweight training exercise builds overall body strength, flexibility and endurance, in just one exercise. Each and every bodyweight routine increases your body’s ability to become stronger, for longer and more flexible. You do not have to sacrifice your desire to be stronger for the need for more flexibility with these exercises.

Bodyweight exercises for strength uses the resistance of the weight of your own body. Strength is defined as, "the quality or state of being strong; bodily or muscular power, vigor. By utilizing the variety of positions and exercises available all forms of strength are created in your body.

Did you know that many other athletes can not do much of what is required in the more demanding exercises in bodyweight training? Bodyweight exercises not only make you stronger, but you have more endurance, which is the ability to use your strength for longer. With these exercises your body also learns proper balance and your muscles, joints, and tendons are trained to be more flexibility making it easy to use your strength and agility.

3. You should begin bodyweight exercises right now, don’t put them off, to get the maximum amount of benefits you can. These benefits include making you healthier both mentally and physically.

Mentally you will benefit from bodyweight exercises in two ways. First, the use of bodyweight exercises increases your body’s ability to produce endorphins, which are chemicals that will increase your energy levels, create a feeling of well-being and help you sleep. However, bodyweight training also increases your self confidence and self esteem. You have a feeling of accomplishment and you will show this confidence in the bounce in your step and how you meet difficulties both at work and at home. Not to mention, the confidence you will feel when you look at a more toned and physically fit you in the mirror.

Your overall health is will undergo a vast improvement by beginning and using bodyweight exercises. By starting now, you can improve your overall health by reducing your body fat and becoming more physically fit. Reduction in body fat and the increased health benefits to your circulation and heart due to the aerobic nature of many of the best bodyweight training exercises leads to reducing your risks for certain diseases such as heart disease, obesity, stroke, and diabetes. It also reduces your risk of injury due to other activities and increases your body’s ability to recover more quickly from injuries.

Bodyweight exercise provides you with a more positive outlook and helps you meet the challenges you encounter in work and family life. These exercises can be used at any age or fitness level, they increase your body strength, flexibility and endurance. Never again will you have to stop and catch your breathe while running around the park chasing your children. Bodyweight training increases your physical and mental health and well being and decreases your risk for many illnesses. With these three reasons and the many benefits that bodyweight training exercises will help you achieve your next move should be to visit the internet or rent a video to help you begin your new exercise and fitness program. Go ahead, and start your training for a better life now.

By Andy Kerr

Abstract

The widespread use of industrial hemp could result in numerous environmental benefits, including but not limited to: (1) less reliance on fossil fuels, especially from foreign sources; (2) more efficient use of energy; (3) less long-term atmospheric build-up of carbon dioxide; (4) forest conservation; (5) agricultural pesticide use reduction; (6) dioxin and other pollution reduction; and (7) landfill use reduction. Hemp is superior to many other plants for many uses. Present limitations on the use of industrial hemp are economically, environmentally and socially irrational.

Moving from the Hydrocarbon to the Carbohydrate Economy

The term "carbohydrate economy" was coined by David Morris of the Institute for Local Self Reliance, and North American Industrial Hemp Council founding board member.

Anything we make from a hydrocarbon can be made from a carbohydrate. The many wonderful products that come from hydrocarbons come with a large price: pollution that is massive and difficult to deal with. Every one of the products and benefits we receive from hydrocarbons (ancient and nonrenewable plant and animal material) can also be had from carbohydrates (new and renewable plant material). From a pollution standpoint, hydrocarbons are inherently dirty, carbohydrates are inherently clean.

We can get much of our industrial feedstock from the farm, rather than the oil well or the mine. We can grow our fuel domestically, rather than periodically going to war overseas for it.

Why Industrial Hemp

Hemp has beneficial characteristics not offered by other plants. North American Industrial Hemp Council board member Jeff Gain is the chair of the Agriculture Research and Commercialization Corporation, a USDA corporation seeking to promote the "bio-based" economy. He has also served as chief executive officer of both the American Soybean Association and of the National Corn Growers. He believes industrial hemp is the next soybean.

Hemp, because of its very long fibers, rapid growth, and the versatile oil from seed, can be manufactured into many products. It can competitively—both economically and technically—replace industrial feedstocks, which are inherently polluting and unsustainable. Hemp fiber can be used to make bio-based plastics and construction materials. The long fibers of hemp can be used in making composite plastics that, while not as strong as fiberglass, are strong enough for many applications. There are also worker safety benefits, it’s recyclable and is priced lower than glass.

Shortening the Carbon Cycle

In marked contrast to petroleum, growing our fuel from annual plants means that the carbon that is released into the atmosphere is captured by next year’s growth. Long-term build-up of carbon in the atmosphere from fuel burning ends if we switch to annual plants. Because of its fast growing nature, hemp may be a major contender in the processing of bio-based fuels.

Forest Conservation

Industrial hemp has great potential to displace much of the wood currently being used for fiber in this nation. In the Upper Midwest and South, it appears that hemp fiber can be grown less expensively than wood fiber for use in paper.

One of the largest paper companies has told NAIHC Board President Bud Sholts, that if hemp can be grown in Wisconsin, they will be using it for 45% of their feedstock at their mill on the Fox River within five years. Similarly, Another huge paper company intends to move 90% of their world feedstock to non-forest sources within 10 years and see hemp as a major component of that. Being international, if they can’t grow hemp in the US, they will grow it where they can.

A very large and diversified construction products firm believes that hemp can supplant wood and make better panel products.

(See The Larch Company paper Potential of Industrial Hemp to Displace Fiber From Forests.)

Pollution (Especially Dioxin) Reduction

One of the most serious pollution problems is from various compounds of chlorine. A major contributor to dioxin (arguably, the deadliest chemical we’ve ever come up with) is emissions from paper mills. Consider Wisconsin’s Fox River. It has a string of paper mills and is the largest contributor of dioxin to the Great Lakes. A USDA Forest Service marketing analysis (available from North American Industrial Hemp Council), which was withdrawn under pressure from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, shows that all of Wisconsin’s "fine" (usually means chlorine bleaching) paper production from wood could be made with hemp, and quite profitably to the farmers. Curtis Koster, NAIHC board member and long associated with new products research for International Paper (world’s largest paper maker), says the low-lignin content of hemp (compared to wood) makes it possible to pulp with fewer chemicals. Hemp produces a naturally brighter pulp. If bleaching is desired for maximum brightness, hemp is very conducive to hydrogen peroxide bleaching with the only byproducts being water and oxygen.

Another serious pollution problem is off gassing of formaldehyde and other noxious compounds from the binders used in panel construction products. Hemp fiber is compatible with new soy-based binders, eliminating any toxic side effect.

Sustainable Agriculture

Hemp is naturally resistant to most pests, so it doesn’t need pesticides or herbicides. In rotation, it leaves a weed-free field for the next crop. Huge reductions chemical use can be achieved by returning to rotation agriculture. Hemp grown in rotation with wheat in England resulted in a 20% increase in wheat yield, without any commensurate increase in chemical or energy inputs. In Ontario, hemp grown in rotation with soybeans reduced cyst nematode infestation by 50-75%, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

A limiting factor in sustainable agriculture is the lack of profitable rotation crops. Hemp could be quite profitable. Studies in Wisconsin and Kentucky suggest that per-acre profits from hemp could exceed most other crops. Hemp’s extensive root system and the falling leaves in the field (the stalks are what are sought) leave better soil tilth. Hemp needs fertilization, as it consumes a lot of nitrogen. Because it is fast growing and has an extensive root system, it might be useful in removing excess nitrogen fertilizer from fields, thereby reducing agricultural runoff problems. On fields where nitrogen is the limiting factor to crop growth, hemp requires about 50% of the nitrogen fertilizer as corn.

50% of all pesticides used in this country are associated with cotton. Hemp can substitute for many uses of cotton.

Farmers are losing money on corn, wheat and soybeans. In North Dakota, farmers have been making more by selling the wheat straw to a particle board plant than from selling the grain. Hemp can make a difference in the agronomic equation. Due to the bulkiness of the fiber, local processing facilities will have to be built near the farms. This can provide new jobs for rural America.

Recycling/End Use Efficiency

Product recyclability is an increasing concern. Fiberglass is notoriously non-recyclable. The hemp substitute is quite recyclable. Adding long-fiber hemp pulp to recycled paper greatly increases the number of times it can be recycled before the fibers are too short.

Any product made from plant material is inherently easier to either recycle or decompose at the end of its life.

Conclusion

Our knowledge hemp is limited. What we do suggest that hemp can be an important part of moving from a hydrocarbon to a carbohydrate economy. Very little research and development funds have been invested and will not be until the regulatory climate changes in the United States. 30 other industrial democracies can distinguish between industrial hemp and marijuana (both are Cannabis sativa). Marijuana has high amounts of THC, its psychoactive ingredient. While THC is detectable in industrial hemp, it is not a threat to anyone. (See the North American Industrial Hemp Council’s Hemp and Marijuana: Myths and Realities). Hemp is being grown in England, France and Canada. The Bobbies, Gendarme and Mounties are not concerned.

If you want to get super lean, you will eat exactly like this

Breakfast: 1 cup oatmeal and  4-5 egg whites OR spinach, rice milk, and protein powder smoothie

Snack: apple and handful of raw nuts

Lunch: big dark green salad with salmon on top

Snack: grapefruit

Dinner:  kale or collard greens or spinach with chicken breast or salmon

DO NOT EAT AFTER 8PM  AND DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL.  ONLY DRINK LOTS OF WATER (at least 12 glasses each day).

If you follow this for 6 weeks you will get very lean I promise, it will get challenging mentally and physically, but you will cut fat like crazy! Keep track of your progress with our Online Fitness Journal.

I suggest people train 4-5 days a week with at least two rest days. Listen to your body mostly, if your body does not feel ready to go, and then rest it. It is super important to feel healthy and light, not heavy and achy! Keep track of your workouts and rest days in your Online Fitness Journal.

There are two schools of thought on this one. The most common is to slowly change your diet, maybe taking out dairy or fried foods or processed foods. The second choice is to make a complete change to eating healthier; 90% plant based, 10% or less of fried foods, processed foods or animal products and lots of pure water.

Both can work but one usually fails and the other one usually succeeds. Answer this, would you ever consider weaning a drug addict off their drugs or alcohol? Heck no! The fact is people are addicted to poor food choices today and do not like to face their fears of change or challenge. Most people like to take the easy route. Well the easy route is not working my friend. "Short term pleasure equals long term pain.” That is the reality of our poor eating habits. We are the un-healthiest country in the world!

I suggest making a change with one big swoop and embracing the challenge of eating healthy and exercising daily not for a short term, but for life. Begin to appreciate how great you feel and move. Surround yourself with vibrant people who eat healthy and exercise regularly. As Gandhi said a long time ago, "Be the change you wish to see in the World".

Jump in with both feet and rate your diet today!