Holiday No Gain Campaign update

Quick update! Made it through the drunken-food coma christmas eve and day and I'm down 1lb! Yahoo! These shakes are doing the trick I think?

One week left, ladies and gentlemen! Eye on the prize! Keep a healthy diet and exercise schedule this week so that the NYE indulgences don't interfere with the weigh in on Jan 2 or 3rd!

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Running Room Group

Last week I had the pleasure of instructing a group of runners, training for a half-marathon, in the benefits of adding cross-training to their program. We did a 30 minute spin class, 15 minutes of strength training using the TRX, and finished off with some core work.

Everyone in the group arrived early, which was good as we needed it to get everyone comfortable on the bike! As a runner myself, I always find it difficult and almost a nuisance that I have to rely on a piece of equipment in order to get my workout in - I just want to tie my shoes and go! I don't think I am alone in this as most of the runners just hopped on the bike and started to pedal, but quickly realized that adjusting the bike to fit them would make for a much "comfier" ride (if you can use comfy as a describing word for spinning? I might be pushing it there!). After going through the spinning basics, we got right into a high-intensity interval ride that included 30 sec of hard work, 30 sec of rest in seated sprinting, seated climbing, standing and sprinting and standing and climbing for many, many rounds. Whew!

I think the running room culture is a remarkable one. Although an individual sport, the support each member shows for one another in training towards the same goals is so strong. Margaret, the half-marathon coach, was extremely motivating for her runners, and also aided me in instruction, as she has done some training sessions at UTC before. I loved the way the group interacted during the tough ride, with jokes but also inspiration and pushing each other to get through it, now that's a team!

Like I said, as a runner I can relate to how the group was feeling, and it has taken me several spinning classes to get used to the bike, and the way a spinning class works. Even now, and probably forever, I will prefer running over spinning. However, after suffering from overuse injuries, knowing the effect that the constant pounding of running puts through the body and my disdain for running in the snow, spinning has become a weekly occurence and supplemental cardiovascular activity in my half marathon training program.

After spinning, we began a short intro to strength training with the TRX. By adding a small amount of strength training into a half-marathon training program, you build a foundation of core and total body strength, balance and stability. By building strength you minimize chances of injury, improve resistance to fatigue and improve muscular endurance - all leading to being more efficient at endurance activites. Often times runners will skip strength training due to myths of becoming big and bulky. This is why the TRX is such a great tool for runners as you "leverage your own bodyweight and gravity to improve your strength balance, stamina and flexibility all at once" just as you do when you run. Strength training, when performing "runner-appropriate" exercises will help improve running performance!

Thanks for coming in Runners, and I will see you at the Chilly Half on March 4th. Train hard, and train smart!


Sources: http://www.squidoo.com/trx-runner-suspension-training
http://www.richmondchic.com/index.php/mind-body/article/core-strength-training-for-runners/
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
http://www.acaintraining.com/
905-806-7198

Why Boot Camp?

Boot Camp is a blanket term for a group exercise program that aims mainly at people trying to increase/maintain their fitness, increase their muscle mass/muscle definition and lose weight.  The term has taken over, and due to the variety of programming being offered under the term "boot camp," it contributes both positively and negatively towards any type of class with the title of Boot Camp. 
 
On the positive side, people know right away that a Boot Camp consists of a group exercise class, and is geared towards people who have goals similar to those mentioned above. Potential boot-campers know that they are going to work hard, get their heart rate up, and be pushed harder than they probably ever have been pushed before!

On the negative side, boot camps can range from a type of class where participants bring their own equipment, perform body weight only exercises,  or get stuck in the same routine week in and week out.
 
The Boot Camp at ACAINtraining is based out of an incredibly well-equipped studio (UTC) within the Magna Centre. The equipment we have available are: spin bikes, kettlebells, medballs, TRX, dumbbells, coreboards, treadmills, barbells, battling ropes, squat racks, tred sled, prowler and a variety of other equipment. The hour long classes are a mix of strength and conditioning, with the use of every piece of equipment we have available. Safety comes first, and the instructor does not participate in the actual exercises and rather demonstrates and then makes sure everyone is using proper technique or understands the sequence of exercises correctly.
 
So why Boot Camp?
Do your research! See if the level of activity the boot camp provides matches yours, if the instructor's mission for fitness is the same as yours and talk to people who have participated in the boot camp. I get questions all the time about just what it is that we do at ACAINtraining, so I hope that this provides some insight. However, I invite anyone out there to contact me for a free session of Boot Camp to see just how great it is :).

Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198

Santa Fund helps 400

Thanks for helping !! Boots, snowsuits, toys and food vouchers were all donated due to the efforts of everyone who came out to Boot Camp. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

A great article

Choose the harder path

This maxim is a good one to keep in mind when you find yourself thinking, "Do I stop now because it's probably good enough, or do I keep going because it can be better?" The harder path is to keep going. Few people want to do that. But exceptional people do it all the time. They have an innate need to be the very best or to create something above and beyond what is being asked of them. They deliberately choose the harder path.
The harder path is working through the weekend to re-write a presentation because you knew it could be better. It's making tough decisions when they're needed, and not inventing delays to avoid responsibility. It's sharing credit and recognition when it would be easy not to.

Over the years we have come to think that this is one of the truly distinguishing characteristics that makes someone successful. It's a rare and valuable person that willingly goes the extra mile not because its required, and not for immediate gain but simply because they feel compelled to do so. It's the difference between "good enough" and "great" as bestselling author Jim Collins explained when he wrote,
"Good is the enemy of great. And that is one of the key reasons why we have so little that becomes great. We don't have great schools, principally because we have good schools. We don't have great government, principally because we have good government. Few people attain great lives, in large part because it is just so easy to settle for a good life. The vast majority of companies never become great, precisely because the vast majority become quite good - and that is their main problem."

Many people want to do what is required of them, but they tend to stop at that. If you aspire to be great, choose the harder path.

"It's never crowded along the extra mile."
- Wayne Dyer 
 

"Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops."
- Thomas J. Watson

  

"If you have two choices, choose the harder. If you're trying to decide whether to go out running or sit home and watch TV, go running. Probably the reason this trick works so well is that when you have two choices and one is harder, the only reason you're even considering the other is laziness. You know in the back of your mind what's the right thing to do, and this trick merely forces you to acknowledge it."

- Paul Graham

 

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

My mid weigh in results...

Hey guys,
Great work with the midway weigh in! Everyone is seeing results, whether it is in inches or in lbs. Keep up to good work!!!

My results (first number is Dec 1st, second was taken Dec 15th):

Original weight: 151.6
Midway: 148.6
Neck: 12
Neck: 12
Shoulders: 39
Shoulders: 39
Biceps: 12
Biceps 12
Chest: 36.5
Chest: 36
Belly button: 29
Belly button: 28
Hips: 39
Hips 38
Thigh: 19
Thigh:19.5

Total so far: down 3lbs and 3 inches!
I'd say my bodybyvi shakes are giving me a boost!

Alli
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Holiday NO GAIN Campaign

Success comes by working at something day by day,  week by week, month by month. Have you been working towards your goal everyday for the past 14 days? That is the only way to win the Holiday No Gain Campaign!

Have you been using my past tips? Have they helped? Reflect. What has worked for you? What hasn't? What can you do tomorrow to contribute positively towards the campaign.

 As always, I am here to help. The mid point measurements will take place on Thursday!

Neutral Spine - are you sick of me nagging?

I annoy myself with how often I tell everyone to "maintain a neutral spine!"
In deadlifts especially, but in any major lifts (in the gym or elsewhere - i.e. snow shovelling season!), neutral spine is key. It's become my catchphrase, and here's why: 
 

-          lower back muscles (pars lumborum) can protect against anterior shear

-          no tension in interspinous ligament, therefore no ligament induced anterior shear

-          ligaments in general are not under tension since ligaments unstrained

-          not likely to herniate a disc because hernation associated with full flexion

-          the spine can handle compressive loads better when in neutral position.

 

In layman's terms:

Activating back muscles in a neutral spine means that you are protecting yourself against back injuries and herniations. You are also able to lift a greater load. Therefore neutral spine = avoid injury and lift more.
Seems simple, and it is, as long as you make a conscious effort to activate the lower back muscles each time you are lifting.  Practise this each time you perform a lift - whether it is something small at home, like a box, or something heavy at the gym, like a deadlift.

"Practise makes perfect and it also makes permanent."

If you consciously activate these muscles everytime you perform a lift it will eventually become an unconscious effort; your lifting technique will benefit, you won't become injured- and you won't hear me nagging you.

 

UTC uses a functional movement screen for many of our athletes. One of the tests (squatting with a dowel raised above the head) is used to assess bilateral and symmetical mobility of the ankles, knees, hips and shoulders. It is a great determinant of functional defecits that could lead to injury.  When you perform this complex movement pattern we are looking for a specific kinetic pattern - dorsiflexion of the ankle, hip hinge, extension through the thoracic spine and proper positioning of the arms. If the arms are falling forward - this could indicate that someone has weak extensors in their upper back. When functional deficits are identified - it is much easier to prescribe exercises to increase the strength of these areas, and prevent injury and focus on what matters at UTC - strength and conditioning 

 

If you want some info for how to properly shovel snow, or want some additional advice on how to properly deadlift - please ask next time you are in!

 

Source: Dr. Simon Wang's Lecture on Dec 08, 2011, CMCC
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198

I cheated on my diet........

....with a freakin' delicious chocolate protein shake. Thank god, I found a way to have my choc back.
 
Not really a huge protein shake drinker. It is important, and it is useful in the diet.....however just not something that I have found necessary in the past to supplement my salads , stirfry or egg whites, I was always home to make it. However, with school lately I have been increasing my spending on cafeteria foods, and slowly more sugary foods are finding it's way into my diet.
So, I have decided to try this out, and use it as my "secret weapon" for the next 30 days to stay on track over xmas.
I started it off by adding a cocoa health flavour (orange flavour is pictured) to my shake, it was amazing.... I plan on drinking them for breakfast and for lunch, and bringing two small salads (just veggies) to snack on during the day, and then having a proper dinner at night.
 
Day 1 of these shakes start tomorrow. Day 11 of the contest has me down exactly 1lb.
 
Join me next Sunday December 18th for a Charity Boot Camp! Donations are welcomed for a family UTC has adopted for the holidays!
 
Thanks!

Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198
 

> From: alli_cain@hotmail.com
> To: alli_cain@hotmail.com
> Date: Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:17:34 +0000
> Subject: Newmarket-20111210-00072.jpg
>
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Exam blues

Exam sucks, fitness doesn't. Easy decision to ditch the textbooks for the treadmill this week.
Tuesday's workout was a fullbody metabolic circuit I did at UTC that included
- battling ropes
-KB swings
-skipping rope double unders
-TRX jump squats
- slideboard lunges
- spin bike sprints
Great workout. I love being the student, almost as much as I like being the instructor.
 
Tuesday
Single arm rows, plyo pushups, pull ups, snatches 
5KM on treadmill
 
Wednesday
4x 500 m sprints @ 1:55 or under
5x800m run steady @ a 3:45 pace with a 200m jogging recovery in between
10 minutes on elliptical cooldown
 
Thursday
30 min spin at UTC
Cain 12 (i made up a workout and slapped my name on the front of it to feel special - here it is, try it out)
 
12 minutes continuous of:
12 highknees per leg
12 full pushups
12 high knees
12 deep squat holding 3 seconds at bottom
12 high knees
12 up/downs (6 per arm)
12 high knees
12 front plank and reach (12 per arm)
12 high knees

Keep it going until you hit 12 minutes. Let me know if you try it, how many rounds you managed to get through.
 
Still waiting for my body by vi shakes to arrive.......


Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198

Two blogs in one day? I must be trying to distract myself from studying....

**UPDATE**
 
I have just invested in a body by vi package for the December Holiday No Gain Campaign. I've never followed through with a strict meal plan before. I don't diet.... I just tend to make more healthy choices than not and my weight will fluctuate about 5lbs +/-. 
I'm going to do this! Will power ALLI!

Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198

Holiday No Gain Campaign

There are about 10 ladies and I who are all participating in the "Holiday No Gain Campaign!" This is a contest that intends to motivate everyone over the holidays to maintain or lower their weight. Big prizes to be won at the final weigh in on Jan 2!

I had a chiropractic formal last night, and vodka-waters and I were best friends. So, although I weighed myself and took measurements like everyone else on Dec. 1, today marked my 'official' day of making a greater effort towards healthier eating habits. (I'll post my initial mesasurements soon)
 
 My fitness routine usually stays the same, and I would argue I've been hitting it even harder lately. My workout today consisted of:

3 ROUNDS of
500m row -aiming for under 2 minutes. (Holy f. what a way to start).

3 rounds (should have been 5 but energy was low from a late night - hence, why I rarely stay out late.)
10: cleans
10: rows
10: dead lifts
as many as I could do: strict shoulder press (about 3-5) and finish to 10 with push jerk
10: jump squats
5: clapping pushups
 
Run: 800m, 1200m, 1600m
 
Now, this was a high intensity workout, aimed at working my whole body - specifically trying to burn as many calories as possible. All of this hard work, (and it was friggen hard. I have started to become that loud person at the gym gasping for air at the end of a set. sorry, I'm not sorry;)) would have been negated if I had come home and ate those delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with dark AND white chocolate sitting on the counter. Nope, not doing it - this is a goal I have set, and others are going to keep me accountable to it. So, I had a salad with chicken, cucumbers, tomato and onion instead.

Healthy eating is a choice. I woke up this morning and immediately said to myself "make a healthy breakfast to start the day." To many times I have had a non-nutritious breakfast, and I talk myself into thinking it is ok "because I'll eat healthy for the rest of the day." There is no use playing catch up. Make a good choice from the beginning of the day, and ride it out until you go to bed. Win everyday!
 
Thanks for reading!
 
Alli Cain, B.A.Kin, C.K.
Personal Trainer
www.ACAINtraining.com
905-806-7198