Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4/7/8 Breathing Method

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Dr Andrew Weil’ 4/7/8 breathing method. Read this. Zoom in. In fact, do a screen grab THEN zoom in on your phone. This page gives the details straight from the source. Use it. I hope it helps. I use it regularly. #bssbbooks #drandrewweil #478breathing #austinpersonaltrainer #austinpersonaltraining #stressmanagement #relaxationtechniques #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Sep 30, 2019 at 11:52am PDT

Inspiration from Centenarians

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This inspires. 100+ years young. Look at them go. #seniorsprinters #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Aug 22, 2019 at 7:59am PDT

Thoughts on Jumprope

 

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When was the last time you tried to JUMPROPE? It’s probably been a while right? Skipping rope is a legitimate skill that requires practice. It’s not easy in the beginning and does take time but worth the effort. I consider Jumping Rope to be what I call a “fountain of youth” exercise. This would be anything that preserves or builds back movement abilities that we tend to lose quickly with inactivity and aging. The ability to run, hop and jump might seem trivial but it’s the difference between being a “spring chicken” or “old beef jerky”. Jumping Rope is an excellent way to put some “pep back in your step”. It’s also an excellent way to burn some extra calories and improve your conditioning, aka “cardio”. 5-10 minutes is typically all that most can handle in the beginning. It’s ok. Most folks won’t be able to last but about 20 jumps before resting. Some less. You may hit your feet every time the first few tries. That’s ok. Don’t quit. Any effort is good effort. Another thing I really like is that it keeps us on our toes, literally. Crashing down on the heals of the feet is not typically desirable. People often do this while jogging on concrete. This combined with poor running form literally destroys most people’s knees, feet and ankles. Jumprope is a great way to teach the body to absorb force using the calves, the body’s naturally shock absorbers. #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox #jumprope #healthandfitness

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Apr 15, 2019 at 6:56am PDT

Thoughts on Cardio…

 

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We’ve all heard the term “cardio”. It means many different things to many different people. Sadly, there are also a great number of misconceptions that come with this. Just remember, doing Cardio can help with health & fitness goals when done in appropriate doses. Too much or too little is typically not recommended. Do know that Cardio does not magically burn off body fat. It can help but should never be a substitute for a sh*tty diet. When I teach most of my students about Cardio I often explain it in terms of Gears (by the way, I like limiting most things to 3.) So for Cardio, I think…Low Gear, Middle Gear & High Gear. A great example of a low-gear exercise is Walking. Walking Hills would be a great example of the middle-gear and a HIIT Spin Class would be a great example of high-gear. For most beginners or anyone that doesn’t already have great stamina, Low Gear is the best place to start. It doesn’t mean you can’t do the other stuff but just be careful. Test the waters. Start slow, build strong. The secret to improving anything Cardio is learning to breathe better when the going gets tough. It’s all about the oxygen. This is why I prefer the middle-gear most often. It can act like a bridge and really help keep the focus on breathe control. Most people only use 2 gears, a low-gear that allows for easy breathing and an all out high-gear that leaves you devastated. THE GOOD STUFF IS OFTEN FOUND SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE! (yes, you can quote me on that. Lol) Since I’ve been doing this stuff for a lil’ while and my stamina is fairly decent, I prefer to mix things up regularly. It keeps boredom at bay and helps me add more movement variety to my portfolio, which also helps with injury prevention. I like to use a simple old-school-low-tech stopwatch set for 30 minutes and perform 5-10 minutes of a variety of exercises till my time is up. Some call this a Circuit. I call it Gumbo. At the end of the video above you will see a few quick examples of what I actually did today. This is just to give y’all some ideas… #bssbbooks #blueskystrongbox

A post shared by Blue Sky Strongbox (@blue_sky_strongbox) on Mar 5, 2019 at 7:47am PST

New Weekly Health & Fitness Video Tipz! This week I demonstrate and describe a short and simple exercise routine that can be done anywhere by most anyone, with very little equipment. Don’t be put off by the fact that it might only take 10 minutes to do the entire workout. Don’t be put off by the fact there are only 3 exercises. I’m not going to go into great detail on this today, but just know that exercise need not be long or include lots of exercises to be effective. All 3 of these exercises will help improve the three big areas that constantly need our attention: Stretching, Strength & Stamina. Do you need to lose body fat? Then focus most of your precious energy on eating better and food prep, sleeping well and managing your stress. Most of us don’t need to exercise hours on end. But yes, we should move every day and eventually work towards 2-3 days of simple strength training each week. There will be much more on all of this in the coming year. In the meanwhile, get to work. Ask for help if you need it. You are in control.

New Weekly Tipz! First off, Happy New year. It’s now 2016. I have an idea i’d like you to hear, a suggestion, for being better this year and the next. For many, this advice will sound too simple or too easy. For others, it might even sound like a lot. But my suggestions for moving more in 2016 are simple, important and everyone should hear them. Watch the video. Get motivated. Start today :)

Ideas for a better warmup:
THE “Old” WARMUP (5-15min): Most people just hop on a treadmill or stationary bike for anywhere from 5-20 minutes to “warmup”. This works but it’s most likely not as effective as other options. Guys who plan on lifting “heavy” weights often ONLY warmup by doing light warmup-sets of their chosen exercise(s) for the day. Again, this also works but considering the fact that most of us know we need more stretching in our lives, including at least a few simple stretches in the warmup might be more optimal. Often guys are also scared to stretch before they lift because, “rumor has it”, you won’t get as big and strong. While it may be true that doing a marathon stretching session before lifting might be counterproductive for some, including other “types” of stretching has proven to actually increase strength & performance when done correctly. Lastly, some folks do their “cardio” first before lifting “weights”, i would assume in hopes of losing some unwanted body fat. Again, this is probably not the best idea UNLESS you are primarily seeking to increase your endurance for a specific event, competition or occupation. But for everyone else, i don’t recommend it. Ever, really. Normally, too much “cardio” before “lifting weights” interferes with… you guessed it, the weights. (And just to clarify, “weights”, “lifting”, “lifting weights” “strength machines”, “strength training”, “resistance training”, “body weight training”, “calisthenics”, “hard yoga”, “hard pilates”, etc are ALL basically the same thing!) “The primary purpose of resistance training is to get stronger, and for some, also build muscle. Both these things can also indirectly aid with fat loss. But keep in mind, getting stronger and building muscle both require INTENSITY to get the desired results. So don’t empty your fuel tank too early by doing too much in the warmup. If your goal is fat-loss, getting stronger or packing on more muscle, try including a short, intense 10-minute “interval session” after “weights” (aka “a finisher”). I’d also recommend doing your longer “cardio” workouts or group classes on another day, all by themselves, if you have the time available.

THE “New” WARMUP (5-10) So here we go. Here are some new things to try as your “warmup”. First and foremost, correct breathing is essential and often overlooked. This means breathing deeply from your diaphragm, through your nose. Keep this in mind as you warmup and proceed to the rest of your workout. I often tell people to do all movements at a pace that allows you sync your breathing with each repeat of that movement. Start your warmup by massaging some of the major muscles regions (back, legs, hips, calves) with a Foam Roller. (This is what most professional athletes do.)Most gyms have them. Walmart, Target, Amazon, etc all sell them for $30 or less). Then do a few safe Dynamic Stretches (aka “moving stretches”). Google this. Then perform a few easy body-weight warmup movements, focusing on stabilizing your spine and moving your many joints about (especially the hip & arm sockets). To summarize, you could very quickly Foam Roll 2-3 major areas of your body, do 2-3 full body stretches and 2-3 major body-weight movements (easy pushups, easy pulling & easy squatting), and be done in less than 10 minutes. You could even include 1-2 “core” exercises near the end or even devote some of the time to practice a new exercise (with no weight or a light weight) that maybe needs some practice. If you really want to hit everything, perform all the primitive movement patterns every time you warmup. (Check out any of Mark Verstegen’s Books). Research all this stuff! Educate yourself. It’s free. Keep things simple. Many things could work. Just keep this in mind, the purpose of a “warmup” is to get you prepared/ramped-up for the harder work ahead, not beat you done prematurely. The key is always to maximize your time, this should include not wasting any precious time doing useless sh*t during a warmup. You may want extend your warmup longer if you are sore or dealing with an injury, have specific “corrective exercises” you know you need to include, it’s really cold outside or you just woke up. We all know we need to stretch more, etc. Include these type things in your warmup and you can always get a lot done in each session, regardless of time. Density is the key.
– Carlton

p.s. Keep things simple. Always. I know i mentioned a lot of things, and that was just the silly warmup. lol. The reality is that the details of exercise and programming can easily start to bog any mind down. So don’t let it. Start by including just one new thing next time your workout. Build on that over time. The point is to move more, move better. There will probably never be a “perfect” way. And while some will waste time searching tirelessly for that, you should be out there getting work done. Time is of the essence. Ask for help if you need it. Work hard. Play hard. Enjoy.

New Weekly Health & Fitness Tipz! This is a broad reply to the many various health, nutrition and fitness questions that i receive on a regular basis. Keep things simple. Figure out where you are and where (exactly) you would like to go. Then find the most appropriate path to get there. Educate yourself. Be consistent with whatever it is you need to do. Focus on doing the big fundamentals well. P.S. There is a small little bonus clip at the end :)

New Weekly Tipz! Today i talk about 5 things that i get asked about a lot. Things like “should i do cardio before or after resistance training?” and other common questions. I try to keep it short and brief, for me anyway. Spread the love.

Heart Rate Monitoring During Exercise – Karvonen Formula

My Resting HR as of Summer (Aug 2012) is around 49-59 BPM upon waking most mornings according to my portable finger Pulse-Oximeter SM-110. My Polar FT1 HR Monitor reads about 2-3 beats higher. But it’s probably safe to assume that my normal resting HR is an average of 55 beats per minute. It’s probably around 70 BPM while sitting around. Around 80ish while standing. I got it up to 172 BPM today during a 1 minute interval on my Schwinn Airdyne. I could have probably gone 10 beats higher going “all-out” but i was pretty uncormforable at that HR, which should be a good estimate of my current “anaerobic threshold/lactate threshold). According to my age, my estimated “maximum heart rate” is 182/183 (220 – 37/38 years of age) I will now use these numbers to estimate my heart rate zones using the Karvonen Formula. (Using this great website: http://www.briancalkins.com/HeartRate.htm)

My 60% of HRM according to the Karvonen Formula is and average of: 131 (129-133 range = RHR of 50-60 BPM). This is the lower range of HR. Or what i will rest down to but not below during exercise. Below is a list of target HR ranges for an average of my resting heart rate, which i set at around 55 BPM…