Fit Geek

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Sprinting is not your average exercise.

When you’re doing that mad dash, puking is not far-fetched. Injuries can occur if you’re not careful. And soreness is guaranteed. But you know what else is guaranteed? Amazing results.

So who is sprinting for? People who want to take it to the next level. People who are willing to go above and beyond to reach their goals. People who want to get stronger, faster, and/or leaner. Sprinting is also an awesome exercise to do if you are trying to put on lean mass (add muscle with as little fat as possible.) The bottom line is that if you want extreme results, you have to go to extreme measures. And as far as intense exercise is concerned, few things surpass sprinting.

Just for clarification, sprinting is basically running as fast as you can. I’m not talking about la-dee-da running, I’m talking about moving your legs and pumping your arms so fast that within a matter of seconds your heart feels like it’s going to jump out of your chest.

The benefits of sprinting include increased power and strength and a boost to your metabolism that will help you burn way more calories long after you’ve finished working out. It improves aerobic and anaerobic cardio endurance. I seriously think it is one of the most effective workouts for burning fat. Oh, and it is a GREAT butt workout.

Sprinter Alenka Bikar’s buns. Hot damn!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckLVriR6Jl0&feature=related

For a very detailed and scientific explanation of what happens to your body when you sprint, read this article. And this is part two, with more how-to info.

Doing sprints on a track/street is far superior to doing them on a treadmill because of the force it takes to push yourself off the ground (1). When you are pushing yourself off the ground as hard as you are during an all-out sprint, you’re recruiting way more fast-twitch fibers. These fibers are the ones that respond to stimulus by growing (2). Muscle growth = good. Sprinting on a treadmill just doesn’t give you the same explosiveness because the moving track supports you more.

For those who are just starting out with sprints, you’ll want to take it easy the first few times. ANYONE who is going to sprint, whether they are fit or not, needs to warm-up. A light jog is ideal. You should also do dynamic exercises like the ones in this article.

Mobility work is a good idea, too. So basically you should jog lightly for a few minutes then do things like bodyweight squats and lunges, butt-kicks, walking high kicks, leg swings and leg cradles.

If you have access to a football field, that’s perfect. If not, then any stretch of open space will do.

Those who have access to a football field or a marked track:
-Beginners can sprint 50 yards then walk 50 yards to recover. Repeat 5-8 times. If you’ve walked 50 yards and still need recovery time, take it.
-To reduce the risk of injury, begin your sprint with a running start. Once you pass 20-30 yards start sprinting. (People who are more advanced can opt to skip this.)
-Beginners should aim for 50% of their top speed, and gradually increase their pace every workout.
-Intermediate/advanced level people can sprint 100 yards and walk 100 yards to recover.
-Intermediate/advanced people should be aiming for 90-95% effort. Basically, you are running as fast as you possibly can. NO slacking.

Those who do NOT have access to a football field/marked track:
-Run as fast as you can for about 10-15 seconds. If you can last longer than that, you are not sprinting as fast as you can. (Beginners shouldn’t push quite as hard. The sprint should still be very fast but not top speed, like a 7 or 8 out of 10.)
-Rest for a minute and repeat this 5-8 times. If you need more than a minute to rest, take it, but don’t go overboard.

Other things to keep in mind:
-Sprints should not be done more than twice a week, on days you are NOT working your legs.
-Make sure you warm-up to prevent injuries.
-Expect to be sore the next day, even in your abs.
-As far as technique is concerned, make an effort to relax your shoulders and pick your knees up higher than you would doing a regular run. When your arms are swinging as you sprint, your hands should not go higher than your cheek as they come up, and should not go behind your hips as they are coming back down.
-You need to be putting a lot of effort into this. It’s sprinting, not running. You should be running as fast as you possibly can. If you are not gasping for breath after 10-15 seconds, you need to step it up.

Sprints aren’t pretty. But they are totally worth the pain. Don’t believe me? Try them for a month and see what happens.

I hope I didn’t scare you. Sprints really do deliver excellent results if you do them consistently!

Because I made it to the gym bright and early today!

I am so glad I put up that post yesterday. If I didn’t, I’m not sure I would have made it to the gym this morning. But fortunately, I was able to drag my tuchus out of bed in time to squeeze in a workout.

So there I was, doing a bent-over one-arm row, eavesdropping on the conversation going on next to me. For the record, don’t ever repeat anything you don’t want heard in a gym, because I listen to EVERYTHING. Just as the walls have ears, so do the little, unassuming girls in the weight room.

Anyway, two guys are talking, and one is a trainer at the gym. I’ve seen him there for years, but I’ve never actually spoken to him. Despite that fact, I still formulated a vague impression of his personality–granted a very superficial one. He’s a trainer. At Bally. And he’s pretty muscular and wears tight shirts. I guess that was enough for me to assume that he was probably a douche. I’m not proud of this line of thinking, but it’s the truth.

But back to the conversation. They’re talking about some guy who broke up with a girlfriend that was supporting him. Gym trainer guy says some surprisingly insightful things. Perhaps I’m a little jaded from hearing so many “hit that shit and dip” conversations at the gym, but I was actually impressed by his maturity.

“You should never have to rely on your significant other, because you never know when it’s going to end. Whether you’re a guy or a girl, you should make your own bread.” Alright, so that’s not exactly the biggest epiphany, but the next part is what caught my attention. “The secret is to learn to be happy with nothing. Then when something good comes along it’s even better. I’m happy when I’m alone, but when I have a nice girlfriend I’m even happier.” Very true words. Sorry I thought you might’ve been a douche, dude.

And if you’re curious about the weight I used, here it is:

Reverse push-ups (I opted for these instead of assisted pull-ups because I was dead tired) – 3×10 @ body weight

Superset:
Bent-over barbell row – 3×8 @ 75 lbs
Seated cable row – 3×8 @ 70 lbs first rep, 75 lbs last two reps

Wide grip lat pulldown – 3×10@ 70 lbs, 75 lbs and 80 lbs respectively
One-arm dumbbell row – 3×8 @ 40 lbs
Hammer strength lat pull – 3×10 @ 90 lbs first rep, 110 lbs last two reps
Back extensions – 3×8 @ 10 lbs

I didn’t wake up early enough to do cardio, so that’ll have to come later. Did it!

The annoying interesting thing about this style of working out is that I have to go lighter with the weight because I’m doing much more volume for the working body part in one day. For a long time I did a full-body workout three times a week. With that kind of split I was hitting every muscle group only once per workout, but I was really hitting it hard. I was able to do that because each muscle group was fresh with every exercise I went in to. So I’d do some heavy squats, then chin-ups or bent-over rows and bench presses and I’d be moving some slightly impressive numbers (for my size). With my current body-part split, I’m pretty fatigued by the third exercise. It’s good that I’m changing things up. Hopefully I get some decent gains from this!

Did I bore you enough with that geekery? Too bad!

Tomorrow there will be another dosage of geekery with a post about sprinting.

PS. Coffee and I kind of got back together. Don’t judge me!

I am posting this because I need more accountability. I didn’t make it to the gym today and it is IMPERATIVE that I wake up early tomorrow and go before work. So I’m putting it out there in the blogosphere. If I fail, I give you permission to kick my ass. Also, I had cereal and Brussels sprouts for dinner. Going to the gym in the morning will make me feel better about eating freakin’ frosted mini wheats and whatever other sugary granola crap I had.

I think it’s funny that most people are disgusted by Brussesls sprouts, but I am actually grossed out by the fact that I had cereal for dinner. Not that cereal tastes nasty or anything. Quite the opposite. It tastes TOO good. I can never have just one bowl. But it’s garbage I’d rather not eat. I’ve been considering SEVERELY cutting down my sugar intake…but that’s a post for another time.

On the agenda for tomorrow’s back workout:

Wide grip chin-ups 3×10 (a majority of these are going to be completed on the assisted pull-up because I cannot do that many chin-ups, let alone WIDE GRIP chin-ups.)

Superset:
Bent over barbell row 3×8
Seated cable row 3×8

Wide grip lat pulldown 3×10
One arm dumbbell row 3×8
Machine lat pull 3×10
Back extension 3×8

Cardio: 30 mins

I’ll post the weight I use tomorrow.

And in other news, I did go to the gym on my lunch break, but it was just to walk. Looking down at the cardio machines below the track, I noticed this lady using the stepmill backwards. She had her back facing the control panel so she could look at herself in the mirror. A true blue cardio bunny. I thought it was kind of funny.

Narcissus in the house.

Now it’s time for me to wash my face and go to sleep. Goodnight, world.

Mint Julep, deliver me from my blackheads!

I’m prone to bouts of upper-end-of-young-adult blues. Some people call it a quarter life crisis, and it is usually a period of time in your twenties when you feel stuck in a rut, directionless, like your life has no meaning or purpose…basically like you’re trapped in a Kevin Smith movie.

I guess that’s where I’m kind of at sometimes, and tonight was no exception. As much as I sing the virtues of having a routine, sometimes too much routine (especially when it involves obligations I’m not too crazy about) can make you feel stagnant. Groundhog Day syndrome.

Tonight, I set out to do something different. I needed to shrug the cloak of negativity weighing down my shoulders, so I…went for a walk. Yes, I remedy my sadness over having a mundane life by doing one of the most ordinary things you can do: go for a stroll.

But you never know where the road is going to take to you. To paraphrase about a million cliches, sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone. Well I didn’t just step out of it tonight, I leapt like a delusional cat and did a cartwheel then crapped my pants.

One freaky ass road.

(Yes, I am a card-carrying member of the hyperbolic licensing club.)

On this walk, I became very reacquainted with my fear of heights. There is a busy overpass by David’s house that overlooks the turnpike. We walked over it. My stomach dropped. There was just so much potential for things to go terribly wrong, and I couldn’t get the death train of thought out of my mind. Anxiety ensued. Crossing the street to the other side provided a bit more stress. But finally we made it to our destination: this park nestled between the overpass and a neighborhood.

I feel my vertigo kicking in.

Nothing like a little danger to make you feel alive. Even if it is like, old lady danger.

Staying alive, staying alive, ah ah ah ah...

Shooting lasers Cyclops style.

We walked around the park, admired the lights. Talked. It was nice. Neither momentous or momentary–maybe something in the middle, like noteworthy. Anyway, I’m babbling. As I turned on the radio for the drive home, the perfect soundtrack was provided by wvum. It was the Psycho Candy show which features new and old songs of the shoegaze genre. I was so into it that I actually pulled over to text the station to tell them that they’re awesome.

Odonis Odonis – Ledged Up by Fat Cat Records

Caged Animals – Girls On Medication from Lucky Number Music on Vimeo.

Speaking of which, I’m a girl on medication.

It's called red wine.

And in case you are wondering what any of this has to do with fitness…I went for a walk, okay! And red wine is good for you. And I needed to do this for my MENTAL fitness. That’s important. I want to start taking more quick walk breaks while I’m at work as well. I think they’ll help me feel less like a mine canary.

Now I have dirt-mouth from the vino, and I’m up far too late for what was supposed to be my 4:30 a.m. waking. It was worth it.

The first day back from vacation is surprisingly refreshing for me. I feel settled and excited to get back into a groove. It’s like a homecoming homeostasis, if that makes any sense.

The highlight of my first day back was going to a farmer’s market in Pinecrest.

Miss Guru Rabbit (aka Sylvia) was there selling some goodies she made with flavored salts. Check out her site for all kinds of good for you recipes.

Sylvia made a batch of cookies and nuts using Sierra’s Sea Salts (the creation of Stuart and his dog Sierra), and will be at the Pinecrest farmer’s market every Sunday in case you’re interested. And my boyfriend just pointed out that there’s a lot of S alliteration going on there: Sylvia and Stuart sell Sierra’s Sea Salts and snacks on Sundays.

Shierra, Shtuart, Shylvia and shalts.

The salts!

Flavors include espresso brava sea salt, habanero sea salt, rosemary, chipotle and more. I got the Himalayan sea salt (which is mixed with the block of mineral you see in the background of the picture above.)

I liked that it was pink

The snacks!

I had a few bites of everything and it was all tasty, especially the chocolate chip cookie. Salty + sweet = win!

I also took home a zucchini, cauliflower, cilantro and green beans. It felt good to buy local!

Today I am the produce queen!

After all the greenery, David and I were in the mood for something a little sweet. So we had our first taste of Pinkberry. I got a mini mango with chocolate chips and granola, and David had a small pomegranate and original with strawberry pearls, organic gummy bears and granola. It really hit the spot. And on a side note, has anyone seen the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode about Pinkberry? I wish I could’ve remember the flavor Larry ate, haha.

Awwwe yeah! Mango yogurt yuminess.

David's pomegranate and orginal flavor cup. Also very good!

Now I need to get to bed to wake up nice and early for the gym. Night!

Ahhh…vacations. A time to enjoy yourself, leave all your stress and worries at home and immerse yourself in the moment. That was my plan during my trip, but I didn’t want to completely throw caution to the wind when it came to eating. Initially I had told myself that I’d eat whatever I wanted, but within reason. But I was pretty much lying to myself because I overate just about every day. I guess that’s how vacations tend to go, huh? Intuitive eating is really hard for me when I’m not in my normal element.

I might be exposing myself as weirdo by admitting this, but I have a tendency to get home-sick during vacations. Something about being in a different environment without my routine can make me feel off. I start missing cooking for myself and sleeping in my own bed. I think I just need to learn to relax!

But anyway, I don’t want to sound too negative. Despite my own little hang-ups, I still had a great time. I haven’t been to Disney/Epcot in a little more than 10 years, but I actually enjoyed this visit more than any previous ones. I know Epcot is usually considered the boring, educational theme park, but I really liked it, haha. I think now that I’m older I can appreciate all the effort and details that go into making each attraction.

And even though I totally indulged, I went to the gym in the resort we stayed in and walked a ton. (Note to self: Chucks aren’t really the greatest kicks to get you through a 9-hour day on your feet.) So I was pretty proud of myself for that. I was a little disappointed that the gym didn’t have a squat rack, but I made the most out of the available equipment.

And now…pictures!

I was way too excited that there were wild rabbits inside Magic Kingdom.

The haunted house.

One of the cast members at the haunted house gets an A for effort. He totally succeeded at being creepy. David and I were distracted as we walked up to the entrance, and the guy slammed the trap door of a metal garbage can which startled the crap out of me. Then when we were in the stretching parlor room, he crept up RIGHT behind me when the lights went out, so when I turned around he was THISCLOSE to my face. I guess it’s good to see someone who really enjoys their job!

Jellyfish in the Nemo ride at Epcot.

More weirdo facts about me: I'm not the biggest fan of ice cream.

I was so disappointed with this ice cream. In a laughable attempt to be healthy I ordered a scoop of no-sugar added butter pecan ice cream in a cone. I figured that even though it was no-sugar added that didn’t mean it was sugar-FREE, and it would probably still be pretty sweet. Egh. Didn’t taste very good. I’m kind of weird about ice cream anyway. I can’t eat too much of it unless there’s something crunchy in it. I’m big on texture. The scoop was huge, and since the ice cream wasn’t that tasty I dumped half of it in a cup so I’d be that much closer to the cone. David’s cookie dough ice cream was waaaaay better.

Derpasaurus Rex.

A strawberry margarita in Downtown Disney. Yes, we went there with the cheesy sipping-from-the-same-cup photo.

The gym! Yes, I still workout on vacation. I did a leg routine if you're curious.

Looking back on these pictures reminded me of how good a time I really did have. I’m feeling all mushy gushy now. Yay

So, does anyone else ever feel a little off on vacation, or am I just a tight-ass?

I’m going to post this picture because it’s probably the only healthy meal I had the whole trip. Hah.

Salmon with pesto, couscous, salad, cucumbers...and ONE chicken nugget.

Although I did manage to make it to the gym while on vacation, so at least there’s that!

The rest of the trip looked like this:

This was actually the most disappointing meal I had during our excursion…but more on that tomorrow. I will end this by saying that I CANNOT wait to get back on track with healthy eating!

Just a warning, this is totally a fluff post. I promise I’ll have something more substantial when I get back from my trip to Disney World…and probably some more pictures of me enjoying foods I probably shouldn’t be eating. But until then…

…A combination of things reminded me of something I wanted to share, those things being my recent gym post and something that happened to me while I was at work the other day.

So last Wednesday toward the end of the day I stepped outside to take a quick walk around the building for a little energy boost. Any time an employee wants to get into the building they have to enter their code. So I finish my quick walk and get back to the entrance. As soon as I lift my finger to the keypad…nothing. My mind went totally blank. I completely forgot my code, and mind you, I’ve been working at this place for almost four years. I’ve never forgotten my code there! It was weird. I had to be buzzed in by the front desk.

The girl who has that information was already gone for the day, so I tried really hard to remember the code and I wrote down the possibilities of what it could be. Turns out none of them were right.

I had another incident like this once before. I had finished my walk at the gym during my lunch break and was heading back to the locker room. I was on the phone at the time and started to mess with my lock. I could NOT remember the combination, so I hung up, figuring that I was just distracted from being on the phone. But after several tries I realized that I forgot the combo…for reals.

I was pretty embarrassed because I’d had that lock for more than a year. How do you just forget your combination from one day to the next like that? I had no idea, and I was freaking out because I had to be back at work in a few minutes. Eventually I came to my senses and got one of the employees to cut my lock off.

Have you ever heard the term “feeling crunchy?” Back in the middle school days it meant feeling embarrassed. I picture it like someone getting caught doing something dumb and there being a super-loud crunch noise in the background that makes you cringe. But yeah, I felt crunchy as hell.

A few people told me I’d probably remember the combination the next day, but it never came back to me.

Sup with that?!

Fortunately I wised up and came up with a trick to help me remember my current locker code. I have a saying that helps me remember the numbers. Each number represents something. So let’s say my code was 12-24-7, I’d remember “a dozen all day every day.” I think giving the number a meaning helps you remember them.

Now I just need to come up with one for work. Someone please tell me that this has happened to them too!

AKA how to ruin your diet…in a photo recap!

There were drinks...lots of drinks. This was the first. A mango margarita I believe.

Cucumber kimchee.

Tuna Tataki.

Friends! I did not eat them though.

More friends and fried calamari...and more drinks. Sheesh -_-

Sunday: The beach and hot chicks. And way, way too many jellyfish. Stung my boob, they did!

A nice, cold moscato. Mmmm...

Taboule. Finally, some form of plant matter!

Birdies!

Damn birdies! That was close...too close.

Yes, you guessed it. More drinks. This was David's strawberry daquiri. I had a Long Island iced tea.

The intestinal abomination that was David's lunch. I had my fair share of it.

My lunch. Chicken fingers and fries from the kids' menu.

More friends...with crazy beards...most likely reaching for a tiny bottle of Jack Daniels.

Um…yeah. That was bad. I don’t usually go that balls to the wall with the booze and greasy food. These are definitely not my regular eating habits. Oh well. I still had a good time. However, I do not recommend eating like this on a regular basis if you want to be healthy. But every now and then it’s okay to go a little crazy. If anything, it makes me eager to get back on track. Although I will be visiting Disney World and Epcot this weekend…THAT should be interesting.

I will admit that weekends are always a challenge for me, though. Even if I don’t get as loose as I did this past weekend, I still tend to indulge more than I’d like. It’s one of my goals to be able to stop eating BEFORE I’m even full. If anyone has any suggestions for how to change my habits to accomplish this…please share!

But on the bright side, I had a pretty killer workout today. After work I went to my self-defense class, then to the gym to do weights and cardio. I think I’m still running on all the carbs and grease from the weekend.

So, how often do you go crazy with food? Do you feel guilty about it afterwards or accept it and move on?

A while back I decided that I was going to assign people “spirit foods” based on their personalities. For example, I said that I was chicken because I eat it all the time, it’s versatile, has lots of protein (since I’m into the muscle thing) and can be healthy.

My nickname at work was even skinny chicken, or pollo flaca, or p-flacs for a while.

I told David he was oatmeal. He didn’t like that too much. Now that I think about it, he might be more granola. And another friend of mine from the Internets was a strawberry because they’re small, sweet, a little tart and they kind of look like they have big boobs.

It’s a fun game. So in light of my food persona I thought I’d share a recipe I’ve been using to add a little variety to all the chicken that I eat. I’m a HUGE fan of fried chicken. Actually, I’m a huge fan of fried, period. However fried chicken is not something that I’m going to eat every day, so I came up with a healthy variation of it.

I present you with…NOT FRIED CHICKEN!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken tenderloins (or chicken breast)
• 1 cup whole wheat Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• Salt (use the amount you prefer)
• Pepper (use the amount you prefer)
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

I like to use tenderloins because they turn out kind of like chicken fingers.

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 420 degrees Farenheit.
• Line a baking tray with aluminum foil
• In one bowl mix the egg and Dijon mustard.
• In another bowl mix Panko breadcrumbs, curry powder, salt and pepper

• If you like, you can cut up the chicken into small bits. Take each piece of chicken and dip it in the egg-Dijon mix. Then put it in the breadcrumb-curry mix and use your hands or a fork to completely coat the chicken.

• Place chicken on baking tray, and repeat for the rest of the chicken.

Before going in the oven.

• Bake for 14-18 minutes

After! This ain't no KFC!

And voila! Not fried chicken. I’ve really been enjoying this lately. Even David likes it! The breadcrumbs are somewhat crunchy when it’s freshly made, but if you store it for leftovers they lose their crunch. I still think it tastes good, though!

So, what’s your spirit food?