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 Health & Fitness Tipz! This week I talk about avoiding injuries when trying to do things we may not yet be ready for. Sounds obvious I know, but trust me it’s not. We all have things we are good at as well as things we need to work on. Unfortunately, especially in group settings, it’s very popular now to throw body awareness and form out the window in the name of competition or a challenge. This is one sure way to get hurt. We must be smarter than that. As a bonus, near the end I demonstrate some “finesse” progressions/alternatives to burpees.

Dumbbell Upgrade

New Weekly Tipz! This week the message is clear: don’t be afraid to use heavier weight. In broader terms: don’t be afraid to challenge yourself. I see it all too often, people using dumbbells (for example) that are far too easy and light. Of course, there are quite a few others ways to make any exercise more challenging but let’s keep it simple for now. If you can and know how to correctly perform an exercise, with near-perfect form, through a complete pain-free range of motion, then you are ready. How heavy? There is no real wrong answer here. But truth be told, 15+ reps are entirely over-rated for most. Personally, in general, I recommend a weight heavy enough to allow no more than 10 reps, no less than 5 reps. Don’t go too fast, don’t go too slow. In other words, smooth controlled reps. Carry on…

The Superset

New Weekly Health & Fitness Tipz! This week i talk about what’s called the “Superset”. It’s nothing more than a way to organize different exercises so that you save time. Instead of doing just one exercise at a time then resting between each round (set), you would now group two different exercises together and perform each of them back to back resting only as needed. Workouts don’t need to be long. I’d argue that 30-45 minutes should be the max. The key is efficiency. Don’t waste time. Don’t play on your phone. Be present, engaged, focused. And try to have some fun.

New Health & Fitness Tipz! Today i talk about “Squatting”. Most people hear that and think: an exercise. But it’s much more than that. Even if you never plan to “workout” again, you still should be able to squat down without it looking like total dogsh*t. The point is, you need to be able to safely squat down fairly low till the day you die. But this requires some knowledge and will take some practice. Today’s video is not about trying to teach anyone how to squat correctly(that would be a much longer video), but more for ideas on where to begin. Start today. Learn to squat again. If you are not an “exerciser” then try getting down and hanging out in the bottom part of the squat, much like a daily stretch. If you have seen the light and do practice movement on a regular basis, include squats in every workout, either as part of your warmup or as a main dish. The point is to move better and squatting is a fundamental part of that huge equation. Enjoy.

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.