Variable Workouts

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in Health, Workouts

Since I have been following a varied exercise program, I have developed a system to ensure that I cover the planes of the body, cover push/pull, cover phosphagen system, cover oxidative system, etc.

I have a large repertoire of exercises. They run the gamut of angles and philosophies. For example, I’ve got kettle bell movements, yoga movements, Pilates, body weight calisthenics, gymnastics, parkour movements, free weights, medicine balls, tree climbing…the list goes on. Because I want to ensure that I don’t develop repetitive injuries, I choose different exercises from this repertoire every week. I watch which exercises should be phased out for a couple of weeks if my shoulders feel overworked or if my arms are overworked or if my glutes are under worked. You get the picture?

So far this has worked well. No injuries to speak of and I feel as though I’m in shape for any sporting movements. I especially like doing what I call Peaks and Valleys. This is where I start with say 5 reps of an intense exercise, decrease by 1 rep for each set until I reach 1 and then I increase 1 rep for each subsequent set. I often do this where I have 3 to 4 exercises in a circuit. I do this without planned breaks in the session; however, if I am winded, I rest. For example, I’ll do 5 reps of pull ups, 5 reps of handstand push ups, 5 reps of dips, and 5 1 legged squats. Then, I’ll do 4 of reps of each exercise, then 3, and so on until I’m at 1 rep. This is going from Peak to Valley. Once I’m at 1 rep, I then move on to another peak. Note: 1 legged squats really get the heart pumping!

Here’s an example of last week’s progression:

  • Sunday: Rested
  • Monday: Tread water for 10 min, Peaks and valleys using 5 reps as starting peak with the following exercises: Handstand push ups, burpees, kong vaults, horizontal pull ups, front flips into the pool. Total time: 25 min
  • Tuesday: Rested
  • Wednesday: Rested
  • Thursday: Front planks, side planks, back bridge, 3×20 of Hindu push ups, Hindu squats, pull ups. Total time: 15 min
  • Friday: Rested
  • Saturday: 3 sets of 5 minutes of chasing tennis ball bounced off garage while barefoot, alternated with tree climbs and a few laps in the pool. Total time 25 min.
  • Sunday: Alternating hand placement push ups, 2×12 1 legged squats, Pilate’s toe touches, Pilate’s 100s. Total time 15 min.

I should note that this routine was totally modified for being away from my kettle bells and having a swimming pool nearby. I don’t normally have a pool. I also normally take a long walk, but I’m in a place with chiggers.

My experience with LSD

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in Health

Hey! I mean Long Slow Distance exercise! I’m talking about running.

I spent quite a few years running. I did it for most of my late twenties. I loved it, especially trail running. I believed it kept me fit. I ate and drank whatever I wanted and just ran the miles to keep any sign of fat off. Things seemed to be just grand.

As time went on (about 5 years of this), I started to wonder why my back was hurting. Also, I found I had knee pain…every time I would kneel to pick up kid’s toys and especially when I ran.

In about Aug 2000, after I had finished a solo bike trip through Alaska, my back was in terrible shape. I ran when I could, but ended up having back surgery in 2002. I generally held off on the running until about 2 years after the surgery. As my back problems persisted, my frustration led me to learn how to train better.

While in Personal Training school, I got deep into the mainstream thinking on endurance exercise. While my “cardio” time was only about 20 min 4 days a week (of mostly interval type) and my weight lifting was varied, my body weight stayed the same except my body fat percentage was decreasing. I was quite happy with that as it meant lean tissue was replacing fat. I was building muscle and didn’t have any pain.

I thought I’d kick it up a notch and really drop the fat and get back into running. Bodybuilders would do cardio for longer periods and sometimes twice a day to shed the fat. So, I figured I’d start doing long runs (just doing the cardio longer). I had a period of about a month of running 8 miles at a time. I dreamed of running the Western Endurance 100. I kept my diet and weight routine the same.

There was a problem though. Actually, more than one. Luckily my back didn’t bother me as I had that figured out, but my knees started to hurt again. My calcaneal tendon (Achilies heal) started to bother me. And, to top it off, I was losing muscle! I regained 2% of body fat and lost weight! I got fatter! I had to do this measurement quite a few times to make sure it was correct. It was.

I have since dropped the LSD and moved into sprints (barefooted!) and brief but intense strength sessions. I have regained my gains in the body fat department. In short, all of this added up to a conclusion that LSD wasn’t for me.

Now I should state that walking long distances is a different story altogether.

Health Potential

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in Health

Having gone deeply into health, I notice unhealthy things. I notice the choices that others make that are unhealthy. It’s interesting. I see that many people make the choices from moment to moment without considering the build up of all the choices before. It’s like there’s a running balance building up that isn’t visible until the balance is large and hard to manage. In this description the credit card analogy fits. It’s not this way for everything, but still it’s clear that either the results they are getting aren’t visible (balance is building inside the body in terms of a metabolic disease) or they are ignoring them (visible adipose tissue).

In all of this, I don’t fail to see the potential for health that is there. I see stiff knees and an overweight frame. I know that carrying a lot of extra weight causes stress on the joints. If someone is 50lbs overweight, it’s like carrying a 50lb sack of dog food around all the time (except the weight is distributed all over). This can take a big toll on the feet, knees and hips (not to mention the low back).

I know if the weight is lifted and movement is practiced in many cases, the joints will work better and that the energy will flow. This may be all a person wants to achieve, but there’s even more that can be achieved. The human body can really do amazing things.

In the San Francisco Circus Center, I’ve seen incredible things. People can move like monkeys between two vertical poles. The hand-balancing is incredible. My Chinese acrobatics teacher is in his 60’s and still does cartwheels. I trained with a retired Air Force colonel who is 66 and he was working on his back hand spring.

If one wants to explore the potential, it’s there. It’s just waiting to be sought.

Why o why do we buy, use, and consume water in plastic bottles?

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in Environment, Health 4 Comments

I guess people haven’t heard the controversy around phthalates and their effects on health. The American Chemical Council says they’re safe. The EU has banned some of these chemicals. I’m not a chemist nor am I a biologist. Regardless of whether they are deemed safe or not, it has been shown that pthalates come out of plastic water bottles and stay in the human body. They are not natural and I don’t want chemicals accumulating in my body or in that of my offspring. Do you?

In addition to phthalates, there are other issues.

  1. Bottled water is all marketing. The “pristine” water they are selling has been put into plastic bottles. I’d say it’s not pristine anymore.
  2. It’s been transported from across the world at a great cost. It’s not supporting your local economy for sure.
  3. It takes oil to make plastic bottles…a lot.
  4. Do you know the difference between purfied water, distilled water and spring water? What about glacial water? Tap water? The bottled water business is glad you don’t.
  5. People in Sub-Saharan Africa don’t even have tap water and luxury bottled water sales are ever increasing. Does that seem right?

A recent New York Times article detailing the turning tide is here: bottled water consumption.

Magnesium

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in Health

Here’s a recent article from Usana Health Sciences (a vitamin/supplement company) that I found interesting. The source data for the article is from the JACN.


Beneficial effects of [magnesium] are similar to statin drugs

Because of its many cardiovascular benefits and good safety profile, many researchers suggest that magnesium supplementation could be a viable alternative for those who cannot or choose not to take statin drugs.

Statins are a class of drugs commonly prescribed for individuals with elevated cholesterol levels, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. While statins are effective, they also carry undesirable side-effects, and some people cannot, or choose not to use them.

A review published in the October 2004 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition found that the essential nutrient magnesium provides many of the same cardiovascular benefits ascribed to statin drugs.

The authors noted that both statin drugs and magnesium can inactivate the enzyme responsible for the first step in cholesterol formation, thus lowering LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Both can improve the function of blood vessels, reduce inflammation, and provide other cardiovascular benefits. Magnesium, however, can also help elevate beneficial HDL cholesterol levels while reducing triglycerides. In addition, magnesium is necessary for the enzyme that converts essential fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic acids) into compounds that reduce inflammation. Optimal levels of magnesium also provide natural calcium channel blocker activity, which helps dilate blood vessels and control blood pressure.

Because of its many cardiovascular benefits, relatively low cost, and good safety profile, the authors suggested that increasing magnesium intakes through diet and supplementation could provide a viable alternative for those who cannot, or choose not to take statin drugs.

Note: If you are currently taking a statin drug to lower cholesterol, do not discontinue its use except on the advice of your physician. This information is not meant to imply that magnesium supplements should replace all statin drugs. However, adequate magnesium is very important for cardiovascular health, especially for those at risk for coronary artery disease.

Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol. 23, No. 5, 501S-505S (2004)

If you are interested in increasing your magnesium and aren’t interested in taking vitamins, you can certainly get it from foods. Here’s an interesting link indicating which foods contain this mineral.