Goal setting

This weekend taught me a lot. For those of you who don't know - Ernie, Kristen, myself, and a bunch of our clients were up in Barrie this past weekend competing in an epic event called the Warrior Dash. It consists of a 5km run (mostly uphill) and combines that with about 12 different obstacles. I wont go into too much detail, but you should all take a look at the website.

Anyway, my point is that I had originally just wanted to beat my time of 34 minutes last year - but after beginning our training class, I figured it was time to shoot high. I had done almost no training last year and to beat my time wouldn't take too much effort. So, I trained. I told myself that I would get top 50 in my age group. I told myself I would get under 29 minutes. I set out some realistic steps to get there according to the time frame that I had. Guess what? I got 28 minutes and 50 seconds and came 44th in my age division.

What I am getting at, is that if there is one thing that is lacking in the majority of people that I see walk through the doors of ACF, it's a lack of short term and long term goals. Don't get me wrong, weight loss is great, so is putting on some quality mass... but I am talking about goals here. Most of my clients who have been the most successful are the ones who have a specific goal in mind when they come in for the consultation. Whether it be a wedding, a vacation, a sport specific goal. . whatever the case may be - everyone works better with goals.

Go home tonight. Think about where you want to be physically, in your professional life, even in your personal life - and write it down. It could be 3 months, it could be a year, hell, I have goals written for myself for 5 years. Now, this isn't "The Secret" and I'm not going to tell you to write yourself a cheque for 300,000 and post-date it for 3 months from now. . then just sit back and wait until the date comes.. then BAM! Profit! No, now it's time to write down some steps to get you there. Set up a time line. What are you going to do differently today, that is going to get you closer to your goals tomorrow? Start short term. I'm telling you. . time flies. A year can pass with no changes and only you are to blame. Do you have any idea how good it feels to accomplish a goal that you have set out for yourself that actually means something to you? When I saw my time and place in the race - I was truly happy with my results and effort. It does wonders for your psyche. And the best part is, once you attain one goal, you will set more.

I'm not trying to be Captain Motivational Speaker here, but just try it. Set one 3 month goal. It doesn't have to be in the gym. If you take the necessary steps, it will come into fruition.

Next year, for me at the dash - it's top 50 overall, and top 10 in my age group. :)

When you sprint, does it look like Forrest Gump with his leg braces on?

It's time to tackle some speed issues. I have trained a few marathon runners in the past, and I've always managed to get their times dramatically improved with some foam rolling, activation drills and some strengthening of some dormant muscles... but it's time to talk about sprinters.

Remember, just because someone looks like they are running perfectly, doesn't mean they are. Most people that run aren't running to the best of their ability. They aren't activating their glutes on the push-off (read my last post to see why.. it all comes back to excessive sitting) they have tight hamstrings restricting their hip extension, or they have a weak core and weak and underactive hip flexors above 90 degrees that are limiting their hip drive. If all you needed were strong legs to sprint, all of the powerlifters would run like the Flash.

Now, without any sort of assessment of the client on my part, I am going to give some general guidelines to get you faster than ever. It all starts with foam rolling. If you don't know what this is, or have never been a victim of the foam - I HIGHLY suggest that you go out and buy one. I could go on for days about the benefits, but I will just lead you to the best article I have found on the subject.

---> http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1303.cfm

Now, we need to wake up some muscles. First I want you to go back and read that last post I had about under active glutes. Do those drills. Then stretch out your hamstrings. Have a seat on the floor, bring one leg into your crotch, straighten the other leg out, and reach down for your toes. Hold on each side for 30 seconds. After that, do these drills to warm up the hips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_3xd-nPoGU
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpG-cWLl0hQ&feature=related

These are my 2 favorite mobilization techniques from half kneel. From there, we can work on your hip flexors. Now, the hip flexor that has been said to work above 90 degrees is called your psoas and is generally very weak and inactive in most people. So, first, we need to stretch it.

This is the best link I could find.. I really need to start filming these things myself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AVaxTHFWe4&playnext=1&list=PL2497E607C0FFCA55

Just hold that stretch for 30 seconds on each side, don't rock back and forth.

Now, with that muscle relaxed a bit, we need to activate it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z25gCrRtdQg

With this exercise, the idea is to find a box or so that allows you to bring your knee to 90 degrees, From there, you have to keep your back tall so that you don't compensate this movement with lumbar flexion (you don't need to really be against a wall, but it helps to keep you upright.) Then, just using your hip, raise your leg up there and hold it for up to 30 seconds on each side. If you start to feel cramping, just don't hold it as long and build up.

Now, from there, you should be ready to run. Make sure you have a nice plant from both feet, and really enforce that back leg on that push off. Pump the arms, slight forward lean, and get to running. Now, if you were here, I would DEFINITELY incorporate some resistance training to strengthen your legs and core, but this is a basic post on how to get the right muscles firing. Do this as your warm up every time you sprint and you will begin to feel stronger and faster.. because your body is running right.

Enjoy, sprinters. :)

Happy Canada Day!

It's a time to celebrate. Celebrate the fact that we live in this amazing country. Celebrate friends, family and the people who we appreciate.

But, be careful. I've always said that the reason that I work out and eat well is so that when holidays like these come along, holidays that are filled with festivals, cottages, camping, or whatever it is that you choose to do on the long weekend - is so that I can indulge and not feel guilty. You never want to be "that guy" or "that girl" that is at a function, being offered delicious foods and catch yourself saying, "No, I can't have that, it's not in my nutrition plan." I was at a barbecue yesterday and I ate at least 2 sausages (with whole wheat buns) some chips and I had a couple of drinks. I ate just like everyone else. I know I was good throughout the week leading up to this weekend, so I felt like I deserved to pollute my body a little bit.

People get a bit too strict when it comes to their eating habits. It's all about balance. I know the extremists.. I used to work for one a few years ago. Sure, most of the foods that we enjoy are laden with fats, high in sugar, and do almost nothing for us nutritionally - but we like them. They make us feel good. Nobody looks at come carrot sticks and says, "Perfect. These are going to be great after a stressful week at work. Time to sit down on the couch with my bag of carrots and watch some movies."

Basically, what I am saying is enjoy yourselves. If you eat a bit too much this weekend, or don't get all of your workouts in, don't sweat it. Don't over do it, but know that you have worked very hard and deserve a little indulgence this weekend. But, if you are one of my clients - and you DIDN'T work hard this past week and STILL choose to eat everything in sight this weekend.. . you will pay next week. ;)

Happy Canada Day.