For the most part, we take very shallow breaths.  We have a tendency to breathe using our chest.  Try this out: have a seat anywhere and breathe normally.  Is your chest moving up and down with every inhalation/exhalation?  If so, you're breathing incorrectly.  If your stomach moves in and out, awesome!  You're breathing correctly!  Don't worry if you're not.  This takes some getting used to and takes lots of practice.  So why is "breathing with your stomach" better?

Its better for a couple reasons.  However, let's start with what happens when we breathe.



Lining the bottom of our chest cavity and ribs is a muscle called the diaphragm.  This is what allows our lungs to expand and contract during inhalation and exhalation.  Directly below the diaphragm is our stomach.  Without the extra room to contract, the diaphragm moves downward slightly, forcing our chest to move upward and actually compressing our lungs against the ribs.  This forces us to use less of our lung capacity.  If you use stomach breathing or diaphragmatic breathing, this would entail pushing your stomach out of the way, allowing the diaphragm to contract further and allow the lungs to expand even more.  So you're stomach expands out when you inhale and contracts in when you exhale.  Now don't be fooled.  There will be SLIGHT chest expansion with diaphragmatic breathing but its NOWHERE near the expansion compared to "chest breathing".  So wait...how is not breathing a good thing?

This is a plus during any lifting of heavy objects (barbells, stones, couches) and the same diaphragmatic breathing technique should still be used...with one slight change.  Let's say that you are about to do a 3RM back squat.  You're already warmed-up and about to start your first working set.  You get underneath the bar, unrack it and step back slightly.  Right before your first rep, you use the technique stated earlier: take a breath by pushing your stomach out, only this time, you hold it.  You actually want to hold your breath while pushing the air against your stomach at the same time.  By doing this, you are actually using your body's natural weight belt: your abdominals.  (I know, I know...we all think the abs were meant for 1,000 sit ups everyday, especially if your Herschel Walker, but alas, they weren't.)  Your abs are meant to transfer energy but, more importantly, to protect internal organs and your spine/vertebrae.  You can actually see this being done right before an Olympic lift is performed in addition to the typical powerlifting movements (back squat and deadlift) and front squats.

One last part about breathing.  There is a rhythm to breathing as well.  Whenever you are going from the starting point to the midway point of the movement (eccentric phase), you are to breathe in.  When actually performing the movement (concentric phase), you breathe out.  For example, when performing a push-up, you take a breath in on the way down and breathe out on the way up.  When performing a squat, you breathe in on the way down and out on the way up.

So during the strength portion of a workout, you are to use the diaphragmatic breathing with the pause.  However, during the conditioning portion of a workout, the technique to be used can vary.  Sometimes, the wegith is light enough to breathe constantly...like this (I recommend watching the entire scene but it gets really good after the 4 min mark.  And when I say during class "breathe deep and breathe often", this is EXACTLY what I think of!).  If the conditioning portion is "short and heavy", you are to use a combination of the diaphragmatic breathing and "breathing Cosbys" technique.

Again, this will take some getting used to but also TONS of practice.  I've been breathing the proper way for close to 5 years and only because of my martial arts background.  However, every once in a while, I fall back to old habits.  Its usually corrected quickly by realizing I'm very short of breath.

Next week's post will be on how chocolate cake is great for breakfast...

Hope you're all enjoying today's weather.  Today's date is April 29, 2012.  Does that date ring any bells?  No?!  Good, it shouldn't.  Its just today's date!!  However, it does hold SOME significance.

As of today, 120 of the 366 days in 2012 have gone by.  That's one-third of 2012 gone.  120 days you're not going to get back.  Am I saying this to anger you?  Definitely not!  I'm saying this so you can reflect on your goals for 2012.

Have you made a plan yet to accomplish your goals?  If haven't, why not!?  Grab a coach and let them help!  If you have, how are you progressing?  If you have, awesome!!!  If you haven't, don't worry.  The important thing is that you're working towards your goals.  Again, if you're in doubt of your plan or lack of progression, grab a coach!

What's that...you haven't written out your goals yet!?  Seriously!?  GO RUN A LAP!!!  I'm kidding...kind of.  Take some time on this gorgeous Sunday and write down your goals.  Don't know where to start?  You can start here.  Go ahead and read that post...

Hey...welcome back!!  Ok, now that you've read about making your road map, make sure to make each goal measurable and attainable.  What do I mean by measurable?  Don't just say "I want to do pull-ups".  Are they strict, kipping or butterfly?  How many?  By when?  What do I mean by attainable?  If you're goal is to deadlift 600lbs, awesome!!  Not so much if your current deadlift is 135lbs.  Or 30 unbroken muscle-ups if you can barely hold onto the pull-up bar.  Catch my drift?

Even though Rome wasn't built in a day, it WAS built one stone at a time with plenty of set-backs.  The most important thing to remember is to have a plan, keep checking back on it, and keep moving forward, no matter how small the steps.

Breakfast Frittata

*oven-safe iron skillet
*8-10 scrambled eggs
*3-5 slices of bacon
*2-3 turkey sausage links
*8oz of frozen veggies (I don't measure anything so this is just a guess-timate)
*2 ground meat patties (these were left-overs from last week so I just threw them in)

 Pre-heat the oven by turning the broiler on LO and moving the rack to the second-highest setting.  I started off by cooking the bacon and the sausage links.

We all know what bacon looks like but...its bacon!

After cooking all the meat and sauteing the veggies in the skillet, I added in the scrambled eggs and some seasoning.  I gave the eggs one quick stir and let them sit for a minute or two:

Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until the eggs turn a nice golden brown.

Mmmm!! Cut into individual serving sizes and store in the fridge for later use during the week.  

Disclaimer: Although plenty of animals were hurt in the taping of this post, the Emeril "BAM" or the Paula Dean "Crisco Shuffle" were never used.

Stay to the outside. Most supermarkets are set up to lure you with fancy marketing props and displays.  Most of the time, its for foods that are completely processed with no nutritional value of any kind.  Take a look at all the foods within the aisles.  All the food has been uber-processed so that it can be canned, boxed or bottled.  That doesn't bode well for people eating Paleo/Primal.  Last time I checked, hunters and gatherers weren't out hunting boxes of pancakes.

Eat the rainbow. No, I don't mean Skittles.  40% of your plate should consist of vegetables.  Make sure they are of various colors to ensure proper nutrient uptake.  Your plate should look something like this:

If you're only eating green, leafy vegetables, you're missing out on vitamins and minerals that are offered by yellow (vitamin C), red (lycopene) and orange (beta-carotene) vegetables.  

Bacon...and other meats.  Believe it or not, there are other meats besides bacon.  Not as good but they do exist.  A quick rule of thumb for meat is the less feet the beast has, the better it is for you.  Fish is chock-full of Omega-3 fatty acids.  Then there's chicken and beef/pork/lamb.  

Make sure the fish is wild caught.  Farm raised is no longer safer than or better for the environment than wild caught.  The fishing industry has made huge strides in keeping their industry sustainable and the environment a priority.  In addition, make sure the other meats are grass-fed.  No, not organic but grass-fed.  Organic means nothing more than that the animals were fed organic grains aka corn.  If you're lucky enough to shop at Fairway, they make this selection process easy for you by having the grass-fed meat in blue containers:

The top row is all grass-fed meat while all the others are corn/grain-fed meet.  Last time I checked, animals can't digest and were never meant to be fed corn or any grains.  As for chickens, make sure they are cage-free.  For some more information on this topic, check out the documentaries King Corn and Food, Inc.

Not all of it is bad.  Back to my first point: staying away from the interior aisles.  99.9% of supermarket aisles are bad for you.  For example, I had one of these fall into my cart one day:

However, not all of it is bad.  For example, if you're making the switch from regular cattle milk to almond milk, good for you!  Did you know about coconut milk?  The best one comes from a can...and its in those interior aisles.  I can't buy fresh veggies because they will go bad before I even get a chance to use them.  So I buy frozen veggies.  They have the same nutritional content as fresh veggies.  Just make sure there are no additives or anything else added to the veggies.  On your way to a sales meeting or visit with a client and need a quick pick-me-up?  Grab a bar.

LaraBar is the closest bar out there to being Paleo.  Just don't make it a habit.  You should still make it a goal to eat real food as often as possible.  Another great idea are PaleoKits.  Not only are these kits COMPLETELY Paleo, but some of the proceeds go towards a great cause!  For more information on Steve's Kids, click here.

Make a plan. During team wod's, I'm notorious for saying "Make sure you have a plan...even though it'll fall apart in the first 2 minutes." (I tend to use a bit more colorful language than that.)  However, its always easier to deviate from an established plan than deal with the chaos of a wod without one.  The same holds true for your work-week and life at home.  

Try to prep for as many meals as you can on Sundays.  Try to cook the meat to be used for a few days out and separate them into containers for each day.  Recipe call for chopped/diced veggies?  Does spaghetti squash need to be baked?  Do it all on Sunday, even if its as simple as planning a menu for the week.  The last thing you want to do after getting home from a nasty workout is to stand on your legs that you can no longer feel and attempt to cook.  

Bon appetit!

Seriously!?

No, I don't always win.  But if you are familiar with the song, you know that during the chorus, you are to throw your hands in the air and wave them around like you don't have a care in the world...or something like that.  However, the reason we are able to perform this motion, in addition to hundreds of others, is because the shoulder is the most mobile joint in our body...and also the most susceptible to injury.

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint that is connected by a plethora of small muscles and tendons.

The most commonly known muscles are the rotator cuff muscles.  There are actually four muscles that can become inflamed with reptitive overhead movements, predominantly throwing or swinging overhead (pitchers, tennis players).  Those muscles are commonly referred to as S.I.T.S.: supraspranitus, infraspranitus, teres minor and subscapularis.   

When these muscles and their respective tendons become inflamed (tendonitis), the ability to peform overhead movements becomes impaired.  This happens when any of the S.I.T.S. muscles try to bypass the hook/cliff on the end of the collarbone (acromion) and the muscles become impinged between the acromion and the upper arm (humerus). (Other common causes of inflammation include sleeping on the arm in the overhead position, working overhead for extended periods of time, and poor posture.)

There are many schools of thought as to who should and shouldn't perform overhead movements.  I am in the school of thought that with the proper progression and proper load, anyone could perform overhead movements.  Don't believe me?  Doctor tell you not to peform anything overhead?  Try putting on a t-shirt without placing your arms overhead.  Try reaching for that bottle of olive oil on the top shelf in the supermarket.  Or even reaching for those cookies you placed on the top shelf of your cupboards only to be eaten on your cheat day.  Overhead movements are in our daily lives.  With the proper strength and mobility progressions, anyone can perform an overhead movement.

There is a dirty myth that overhead movements causes shoulder impingement.  So not true.  There are signs displayed way before you touch a barbell or move weight overhead.  Have pain or a twinge when doing push ups?  Maybe during kipping pull ups?  These are signs of impingement.  So should you be grabbing a barbell and performing a 1RM strict press?  Probably not. Definitely not without the proper warm-up AND mobility techniques AND, above all, proper technique (assuming a proper load/progression).

A lot of the impingements that occur happen with desk jockeys: people that sit for long periods of time at a desk and their shoulders slump forward over time.  The S.I.T.S. muslces then become tight, they have less flexibility to move around the acrimion of the clavicle and becoming inflamed and possibly tearing in the future.  The remedy?  Band stretches.  Loop a band around the pull-up bars and perform the three or four band stretches to allow yourself the proper range of motion.

In addition, don't forget about the basic warm-up movements you should already be doing: inchworm and samson.  The inchworm is a great mobility movements as in gets the muscles warmed-up through motion.  The samson movement is great for stability: remember to keep your torso as straight as possible and don't let your body sink as you bring the leg forward.  

Ironically enough, the mobility god, Kelly Starrett, posted his Mobility Wod last week...and it JUST so happens that its on pressing/benching mobility.

Last, but certainly not least, FOAM ROLLING.  Put yourself in the overhead position and foam roll the muscles to be used.  For example, if you are performing the overhead squat, lay on a foam roller, place a PVC over your head and begin to foam roll your back, focusing on your shoulders.  You maybe have better luck with a lacrosse ball but work your way up to it.  It may hurt at first but you'll be saving yourself much more pain in the long run.

Happy mobility!

I recently had the pleasure of spending time at a local independent K-5 school in Stamford for their Jump For Heart event.  This is an awareness/educational event by the American Heart Association where students learn healthy habits through a day of exercise.  Every school that participated had the option to promote this event however they wanted.  Waterside School had a day that reminded me of "Field Day" at my elementary school. 

They had different stations in the gym: hula hoops, jumping rope (individual and double-dutch), agility ladders and gymanstics tumbling.  I'm still amazed at how much energy kids have.  As I was taking a break b/c these kids were kicking my but, I was amazed at something else: these  kids were smiling and laughing WHILE EXERCISING!!!

If you read any newspaper or watch any news report, you know that childhood obesity is a huge problem: kids spending 4-8 hours per day in front of a screen of some sort (TV, computer, video games) while the incidence of Type 2 diabetes is skyrocketing at a faster rate than gas prices.  If you would have seen these kids running around, you would've thought those reports were completely bull-poo! (When you spend an entire morning with kids, your use of language tends to change a bit.)

So what's the answer to our biggest problem?  Get them while they are still young!  For their first 2-4 years of life, kids brains are constantly changing and evolving.  Yes, their brains are like sponges: whatever they see, they mimick.  They're behavioral standards/norms are set in stone at this time.  If mommy and daddy hand their kid a Nintendo DS for a few hours because they want peace and quiet, then this will become their standard/norm.  

Now, before a posse of parents hunt me down with pitchforks and machetes, let me explain.  I definitely understand that peace and quiet is paramount and kids can get annoying VERY quickly (I still want to back-hand my nephews every once in a while).  However, we all have to realize that every time we give into the Nintendo DS/Spongebob/PS3, we're adding to the standard/norm that "being lazy is good" or "sitting for long periods of time is good".  Its not!  

Not only are we promoting a sedenatary lifestyle, but if the kids are motivated enough to join a sport when they get older, they're going to have so many mobility issues that they won't even enjoy playing because they won't be able move!!  So how do we fix this?

Keep the kids moving!  Chances are, the kids no longer have physcial education in their schools or its been cut to less days per week due to budget cuts or a larger focus on standardized tests.  Either way, take your kids to a park to play.  Have them join a sport.  Enroll them in a gymnastics program.  Whatever you do, get them out of the house, get them moving, but, above all, make sure its fun!!!

I'm sure we all remember this song as a kid that taught us all of the joints in the body and how they're all connected.  However, if we taught it as the title reads, it'd be a VERY short lesson on human bones.  

My goal for the next four weeks is to review the four major joints and how mobility, or lack thereof, can impede range of motion, throw our lifts out of whack and affect our overall strength and possiblity for injury.  This week I'll be talking about the ankle.  

The ankle is usually the last joint anyone talks about.  Its usually the shoulder, hips or knees that first come to mind when discussing mobility.  However, as any good coach will tell you, it all starts with the feet.  Your feet are your foundation.  If your foundation is off, that means the rest of your positioning is off. By having someone do an air squat, I can immediately tell if they have flat feet, tight calves or for the ladies, consistently wear heels.  I'll start with a VERY brief anatomy lesson.  

Whenever I refer to the ankle, I generally mean the calf muscles, which consist of the gastrocnemius (gastroc) and the soleus, of which the gastrocnemius is the larger of the two and having the larger impact on mobility.  The gastroc is connected to either side of the end of the femur (thigh bone) and connected to the heel via the Achilles Tendon.  Because the calf is connected to the femur, it comes into play whenever the knee is bent or straightened i.e. squatting.  So how do tight calves mess up a squat?  Let's take the movement step-by-step.

Imagine yourself standing at full extension and about to perform the eccentric (downward) portion of the squat.  The first motion is the unhinging of the hips.  Once you unhinge the hips, the glutes and hamstrings are activated (keep in mind that the hamstring is attached to the tibia or the shin bone).  As you proceed further downward, the knees stay in relatively the same spot assuming proper mobility: right over the mid-foot area.  However, if you have tight calves, they won't allow the femur to slide back when the hips unhinge.  The tight calf muscles then pull the knees forward over the toes, bringing the heels off the ground and putting your knees in danger of an injury.

If you find yourself with tight calves, make sure to get them nice and warm, especially now during our squat-intensive program.  Some good movements include the inchwork, both pre- and post-wod and the "wall stretch" (place your toes high up on a wall/column and pull your body towards the wall).  During your band stretches post-wod, place the band closer towards your toes while stretching the hamstrings and point our toes towards your shin while pulling on the band.  You'll feel a great stretch in the calf area.  Bend the knee slightly to stretch the soleus, which sits underneath the gastroc.  You can also attack the calves with a foam roller and a tennis/lacrosse/golf ball.  Do it...your knees will thank you.

If you need any further explanation on these or any other stretches for your calves, click on the "Contact Me" link on the right-hand side of the page.  

GO BIG BLUE!!

At the end of the day and you look in the mirror, are you going to be happy with your decisions?  

Its always You vs You!  Seize the moment!!