Tuesday, March 29, 2011

2 for 1


Looks like "Happy Hour" was a hit...  a full parking lot, people walking 200yards to get in the building, and standing room only in the gym.  I think that is why I am going to name all of the work outs from here on out after drink names, specials, etc...

If you have not signed up for a class time in the after noon and have been coming as you please... well partners... you need to sign up for a class time and stick to it as much as possible.  You saw today how many members we have.  In the past 2 days we have had over 140 people come through the gym and DOMINATE the work outs.  So get on the same page with all your other cohorts and sign up for a class.  Class times make everything "Awesomer".



Here is a LINK to an article Michael had over on his blog.  Very Very Good stuff in the article.

Interesting tidbit:  People consistently say they do not have enough money to join a gym.  However,  their fast food bill, on average, exceeds a monthly gym membership.  Good bye KFC.  Hello good health.

You regular readers of the blog:  If you know anyone that needs to make a change in their life, but thinks Versus is "too much" for them 1.  First tell them they gotta start some where.  2.  Tell them we have FREE workouts on saturdays.  3.  Tell them we have a SPRING BOOT CAMP COMING UP!  Help build our community.

Sorry for the randomness...

Monday, March 28, 2011

Talk to me Jonny...

"Happy Hour"

Run 800m
20 clean and jerks (135/95)
Run 800m
20 clean and jerks
Run 800m

This is a 20min plus workout. The warm up will be extensive. If you skip it tuesday, guess what???!!

Monday.

warm up: body weight drills x 3 in sets of 10.

str: 4x8 DB bench press

Workout: 20-10 of

run or row
jump or air squat
push up or ring push up
sit up
pull up
then run 800-400m

I know we all have excuses some times.  At the very moment we shell out those excuses we begin to validate them with some type of nonsense: I was tired, my feet hurt, its monday, i didn't sleep enough, its tuesday, i didn't bring my shoes with me,  I had work today, its wednesday, I can't do that, I don't like to run, I don't like to row, its thursday... the list could go on and on.  I use some of those excuses and I even come up with more creative ones from time to time.  The one I use a lot right now is: I'm stressed.  My situation in life and the circumstances I have been dealt are nothing in comparison to what this young man faces on a daily basis.  When you watch this video let it inspire you.  Don't look at the 8min time limit and make an excuse not to watch it. 

The following video is about Brock Mealer.  He was injured in a serious accident.  Doctors told him he had a 1% chance of ever walking again.  This story helps put our own bumps and bruises into perspective.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

The Big Five... sorta

10-1 ladder of

bench press, front squat, box jump, run, row or ride and dead lift.  I love this workout.

I want to congratulate another one of our bootcamps for finishing strong on their Jump Start Boot Camp.  Great 8 weeks guys...

Its late for me, so not much to add to this post except this tidbit of info:

Avocados have more potassium than bananas.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Tuesday

warm up:  body weight complex, run 400m, foam roll and hip mobility

str: one legged squat, ring dip and ghd situp

workout: 1min at each station

run down and backs for points
h2h kbs
burpee broad jumps
double unders
ring row/ring fly

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Are you Limitless?

Kellar and I just finished watching the movie Limitless.  Call me a geek or what not, but I always try to some how find a way to relate EVERYTHING to fitness and our gym.

If you haven't seen the movie: it was fun.  It reminded me of the movie "phenomenon" with John Travolta.  In short, the main character starts taking these pills that make him, "limitless".  Here is a trailer:





I am passionate as all get out about fitness and our gym and my hope is that our gym makes you: limitless, accomplished, a finisher, faster, stronger, unafraid, an achiever, a conqueror, a survivor, determined, dedicated, disciplined, confident.

Know your limits but never, never accept them! 


Workout: 5 pull up, 10 push up, 15 squat, 1 clean & jerk

Thursday, March 17, 2011

For the love of the Irish

 

Warm up: 25 jumping jacks, 10 push up, 10 air squat, 10 lunge with rotation, 10 mtn climber, 20 double unders.  Wear green or you'll have another round!

Str: pull up, shoulder press, bent over row x3

Workout: Hang Clean,  Burpee, Row x 3

"I will never eat the worlds worst breakfast." 

So exactly what is the world's worst breakfast?  No breakfast at all.  To fire up your metabolism and also get some much needed fuel in your metabolic gas tank shift your calories to the morning.  If you skip breakfast, new research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states on average you will have a larger waist line - by nearly 2inches- than people who eat breakfast.  Also, skipping breakfast makes you more susceptible to pigging out later!  Shoot for 20-30 grams of protein at breakfast!!!  You burn more calories digesting protein than digesting carbohydrates and fat...

My Breakfast this morning: 3 whole omega enriched eggs, 2 pieces of bacon, and a small slice of deer sausage.

Quote- Unknown

"There are many good reasons for drinking,
One has just entered my head.
If a man doesn't drink when he's living,
How in the hell can he drink when he's dead?"





 

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

wednesday

Warm up: 200 jump rope singles, run 400m, body weight movements

Str: OFF DAY

Workout: 10min Amrap

Kb carry 100m then 10 push up, 20 squat

brief intermission

8min amrap of 20 sit up, 200m run.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Meet Blake

Before
After!!!


Success Story:  Blake Conn

I have always wanted to be "in shape", I tried every diet that is out there along with multiple gyms and personal trainers. I was led to join Versus Strength and Conditioning by my beautiful wife.  She had been working out at the gym for a few months following the birth of our 4th child. After I saw the great results that she was getting I really started to think, "Could I do the same?"  I was extremely over-weight and I really liked to eat like a sinful pig but I knew it was time for a change.

Before learning about Versus and deciding to make some huge lifestyle changes, my life was in a death spiral headed straight towards diabetes or probably worse. An average day was to start off at Ihop with an omelet and pancakes, lunch would usually be a chinese buffet and then for dinner... I would devour a few value meals from McDonalds. Oh and to top that all off, I would come home and sit on my butt and watch TV or play video games for a few hours. Emotionally I thought I was great, but honestly, I was living in a cloud.  Physically I was miserable but was too "tired" to do anything about it.

I joined Versus on the second week of August '10 with the thought of just trying to survive. I was weighing around 335 lbs and was miserable with the fact that my 3XL clothes were tight and I was wearing a 48 in waist.


Lost over 75lbs and 10inches!
 Well the date now is 02/19/11 and I am weighing around 260 lbs and I am down to a 38 in waist and able to wear some XL/XXL shirts. I was able to do this and anyone else can as well. It is all about commitment and dedication to the gym and yourself (diet) so that you are doing what you know is right. The fact that I am now able to get down on the floor and play with my kids and then get back up without having pain in my knees and back is a great feeling! I have also started to get up early in the morning for my workout and it really puts a great start to the day. Whereas before I hated to roll out of the bed when the alarm clock would go off.

I really have to thank Steve, Kellar, and Michael for their dedication to the gym and their dedication to help people better themselves. I have to thank the morning "crew", you know who you are! And of course I have to thank my lovely wife who finally got me to get off my fat butt and do something to better my life and health!


See ya at the gym!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Tuesday

Warm up: body weight complex

str: TBA

workout: Triathlon

3 rounds@ each
Row 30sec on 20sec off for calories
Ride 30sec on 20 sec off for calories
Run 30sec on 20 sec off for points

Total of 9 rounds.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

For the Ladies

This is not my article. I pulled it from elitefts.com all credit goes to the author.

This was originally intended to be a single article. I realized several pages deep that it was impossible to give you enough to help yourself or the important people in your life in one article. With the best intentions, I’ll give it to you straight. Over empathizing or hand-holding never helped, motivated or aspired anyone to change.

Mistake Number 1: Deciding to lose weight FIRST before beginning to weight train.

This thought process is 90% personal theory to avoid “bulking up” and 10% excuses to not step outside a comfort zone. Ask anyone with this mindset enough of the right questions and I guarantee it will boil down to the fear of bulking up or getting too big. I’ll get into some of the 10-percenters, but let’s tackle the majority first.
Many women (and even men these days) feel that shedding weight through cardio and diet before resistance training will lead to a leaner looking body in a faster time. The thought is to lose all the excess pounds on the scale and then “tone up” the leftovers for a sleeker, sexier, firm body.
Is it possible to lose fat exclusively through diet and conditioning? Yes – but it’s not faster, nor is it more efficient in the long run. Weight training in conjunction with improved eating habits and conditioning has major advantages over cardio and diet alone. But this information and the list of supporting facts are worthless until a woman actually believes that she is NOT an exception to the bulk factor.
It’s one thing to acknowledge information and another thing entirely to accept that it applies to you. Many women will give excuses.
“But I’m different.”
“It’s my genetics.”
“I put on muscle and size overnight!”
Though most of us know there’s a lot more to it- the concern needs to be addressed. So before you sigh, roll your eyes and begin futilely to convert skeptics to the iron side, I recommend you do the following;

  • Acknowledge the concern. Nobody cares or wants to listen to a word you have to say if they don’t first believe you are listening and understanding their situation.
  • Listen. Or should I say listen to their answers to the right questions. Collect diet and training history about the program(s) they did (or lack there of) that turned them off or had a negative result.
  • Drop the bomb. Every body type and genetic background has the ability to have a beautiful, fit shape. There is a proven way to achieve it if they are willing. I emphasize – if they are willing. The ball is in their court.
So you listened or have been listened to, but you are still wondering if you have an exceptional situation. Perhaps you still just don’t know where or how things went wrong in the past. Why do women have this fear of muscle and bulk?

It’s actually the body fat over the muscle that’s making you look big. It’s not all muscle on a female body. It rarely ever is. Even if you have an athletic background or a naturally more muscular build, if you can pinch an inch on your quad or calves while standing – don’t blame it all on leg day. You just have more work to do. Now if you’re a cheap pincher or you flexed the whole time and still think you’re super lean, get naked and shake or jump up and down in front of the mirror. If it’s still jiggling when you stop wiggling, it’s body fat.
*Personal Side Note: Ladies, every time I’ve ever done a figure show or dieted down for one reason or another, I have been surprised by how much muscle I DIDN’T have – regardless of my perceived reflection at a higher weight (pictures help). Fat hides and fills in everywhere and the arms and back are a good example. You may get freaked out when you see a bicep curve in your arm as it starts to take shape because you think your arm looks too big and hate the way it looks in pictures. It’s likely the fat over the bicep and the notorious fat holding triceps that make the arm as a whole look bigger. Unless that arm is carved and lean with muscles that flicker when you move, you’re not jacked.
To also support this point, in the picture below some might say I’m TOO big. I’ll note that being very lean creates an illusion of size. This happens to work great in competition. But in all actuality, I wore a size extra small in clothes once I got that lean…that’s how much muscle I didn’t have under my usual medium tops and small bottom sizes. Don’t want to get so lean that you look bigger? Believe me, it doesn’t happen by accident and it’s quite easy to soften your look if need be – let me know if you get there.

The point is that it’s possible you are not over muscularly developed. You may just need to shed a bit more fat. No biggie.
Moving on…
  • Crappy nutrition. Hand in hand with number one, if you’re not doing your part at the dinner table, you have yourself to blame. Not seeing inches come off? If you feel that you are staying the same or getting bulkier, this is an area you should take a second look.
Women have less muscle mass and more fat-storing hormones than men-period. So, we have to put a little more effort into our nutritional planning just to keep up with the results that men can get through training alone.
That might upset a lot of people but I’ll boldly walk out on that limb. I’ve seen men get great fitness and fat loss results with minimal to basic health changes to their diet. Not the same for females. In fact, I’ve seen women bust their ass three to four times a week and only make improvements in strength, mobility, balance etc…rather than jean size. They were not ready or willing to make any changes nutritionally. There are always exceptions, but the sooner you accept this fact and stop sulking, the quicker you can move forward.
*Another side note: If your man is losing fat and kicking butt in the gym, don’t rain on his parade. His 12-pound loss to your 3 is not his fault. It can be frustrating but be as supportive to him as you would like him to be for you. You’ll both be much happier.
So where should you start? Simple. I mean, actually start simple and small. Nutritionally speaking, consistency of your commitment trumps the intensity of your commitment hands down. Making gradual changes gets better results with less stress than crash dieting, always re-gaining, and feeling bulky and miserable.
I suggest you eat out less. Pack healthy snacks to prevent overeating later. Increase your fruit and veggie intake. Choose a lean protein at every meal unless you’re a victim of that awful Skinny Bitch book (in which case find vegetarian sources.) You might be saying “yeah, yeah, yeah…I heard that,” but have you ever actually committed to changes like this for a significant period of time and made it more of a lifestyle as opposed to a phase?
Diet Summary

  • If you consistently eat like crap you will consistently look like crap.
  • If you make a so-so effort you will get so-so results.
  • If you crash diet half the time and overeat the other half of the time you will look be miserable ALL of the time.
  • If you want to look exceptional you will need to do what most others are not willing to do.
There will be more in the future on this topic but for now, on to the next…
  • Poor program design. Walking into the gym and doing whatever machines are open or copying what you see a trainer or other member doing is not a good idea. If you don’t know what to do, find out. Read, research, or hire a qualified trainer preferably by referral. If you don’t have a plan, you cannot predict quality results. That’s like getting in a car to drive cross-country without a map. It’s a commitment and a journey that you just can’t wing if you ever hope to get there and have a positive experience along the way.
Not only does poor or no programming make results unpredictable, it opens the door for even bigger issues. You can too easily avoid or forget to train certain areas while overtraining others simply because you know more of those exercises or enjoy them. The finished product can be an overall disproportionate look that can make one area look bulky compared to others. This is a bummer, but don’t worry it’s fixable and guess what? You’re not a genetic freak that is destined to be bulky.
More on training but lastly…
  • Not enough training and healthy eating history. Obvious results in what you might consider “genetic trouble areas” take time. You might see change and definition in areas you hadn’t but are beginning to think those areas will never go away. You’re body type might prefer to hold fat in a particular area making you feel that it’s bulky or gaining MORE muscle as the rest of you gets leaner. I hate to break it to you but that area will always feel like the last to go and quite possibly the first to gain. Many women can relate so you aren’t alone in this frustration. You just need to be consistent and stay the course. In the meantime, showcase and enjoy the areas of your body that you like the most and don’t dwell on the areas that simply need more time.
  • Be Consistent. Flip-flopping from one type of diet to the next- South Beach, Atkins, Weight Watchers, the Grapefruit Diet, the Mediterranean Diet, that awful diet where you massage the beads behind your ear… it’s a set up for metabolic and emotional disaster. This is also notoriously referred to as Yo-Yo dieting; a sure fire way to always feel like you’re deprived, never getting results, and always gaining back lost pounds and more. There’s no quicker way to feel you are a “bulker” than to actually gain weight while you’re trying to lose it.
The same concept can be applied to your training. It does you no good to do a random workout every time you go to the gym and get frustrated that you don’t see results. You need to give a progressive program real effort for several months to let it work for you. Patience and consistency can be tough disciplines to acquire. In an age of convenience and immediate gratification it’s no wonder so many people are still out of shape with a gym and a grocery store on every corner. We actually live in a society where they put the peanut butter AND the jelly in the same jar to save a whopping 10 seconds. Really?
To wrap it up…
Patience and consistency are muscles you will need to strengthen if you ever want to break the mold and move forward with your goals (training or otherwise).
About the other 10%

Here are a few other reasons that a woman might want to lose weight first before beginning to weight train.
  • Fear - intimidation of trying something new, not knowing what to do, how to do it, how much is too much or how little is too little.
  • Self-Consciousness - not wanting to be looked at while performing exercises, embarrassed about current weight.
  • Aching Joints and Muscles – thinking that getting all the weight off first will alleviate aching joints and muscles.
  • Unwillingness - just plain unwilling to step outside a comfort zone or put forth a real effort.
The solutions for all of the above are to get educated, get support, hire a trainer if you need to, learn more about exercises for your fitness level and find out when the gym is at its slowest. You are capable and there are tons of resources to support your cause. Just be willing and make the move.
So there’s the good news! There are so many more reasons on why you might think you’re a natural bulker, but likely are not. This is a great thing! There’s not only hope for you yet, but a whole slew of reasons on why you can be totally excited to start a basic weight training program.
Benefits of Resistance Training for Women

  • Fat loss and improved body composition – Muscle burns fat. Excess fat is useless and makes you feel like crap. One pound of muscle burns 35-75 calories a day where one pound of fat burns a measly 8 calories per day. More muscle and less fat equals a smaller, tighter body that can eat more without gaining as easily.
  • Get stronger (and no bulk!) - Women have 10-30 times less of the hormones that affect muscle-building. If it were that easy to get huge every guy on the beach would have massive biceps. But you don’t see that. You see skinny dudes, fat guys and the men that you can tell lift hard, eat well and put in the years of hard work that goes into getting and maintaining a built physique. Getting stronger will make your life easier; picking up your children, putting heavy boxes in the attic, carrying your luggage, and even lugging laundry baskets up and down stairs. Life just gets easier when you’re stronger. Start opening pickle jars for him.

  • Decreased risk of being a “Skinny Fat” victim - Did you know that anorexics and bulimics can, and many times are clinically obese? This is an extreme example of skinny fat but it just goes to show you. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what the scale says, or what size jeans you wear. You still could be very unhappy with the way you look because you don’t have muscle and your whole body looks soft and flabby. Cardio and extreme calorie cuts can cause you to burn up your muscle. Wasting your muscle away equals skinny fat and faster weight-gain next time around since you’ll have less metabolic tissue (as mentioned in reason 1). Don’t burn it, build it.
  • Decreased risk of Osteoporosis - This bone disease increases your risk of fractures. Though it is no longer considered gender or age specific, women experience a more rapid decline in bone density in the years following menopause. This puts females at even higher risk for fractures. Prevention starts early and resistance training has shown to not only slow the disease but to rebuild density.
  • Increased self-esteem and decreased depression - Studies show that women who engage in a regular resistance training program report feeling confident and capable as a result of their training. Additionally, a Harvard study found that 10 weeks of strength training reduced clinical depression symptoms more successfully than standard counseling.
  • Decreased risk of…dying - Ok so now you think I’m a fanatic, but check it out for yourself if you don’t believe me and Google the CDC’s leading causes of death in females. It’s not morbid, just educational. Heart disease is #1 and diabetes is #7. Strength training is great exercise for your heart and has the added bonus of helping your body process sugars better. If you want fancy studies, there are a million out there but I’m moving on.
  • Decreased risk of injury and chronic muscle aches - The best treatment for injury is prevention. Strength training not only builds lean muscle but also develops stronger connective tissue and increased joint stability. Get stronger throughout your whole body and enjoy the energy, balance and coordination that come with it. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve worked with women and men that described themselves as having bad backs, knees, shoulders etc…and chalked it up to old injuries, pregnancy, and new strains that just won’t go away. The differences were always dramatic and even life changing. Get mobile, get stronger and get back to me.
  • Tight body tight mind - Don’t think for a second that the discipline, consistency, goal setting and the goal-achieving attitude doesn’t transfer into your everyday life. You will be a stronger person physically and mentally.

I’m hoping that I’ve stated a strong case for all the reasons strength training is worth stepping out of your comfort zone. It’d be a proud day for me if even I can inspire a life change in one of you.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Thursday

Warm up: Body weight movements and Stretching

Str: Off day

Workout:  laundry list

To see what was on the list... come to the gym tomorrow, because if you missed, guess what?

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

wednesday

Yo.

Warm up with 5min of jumping rope and then some body weight movements

str: shoulder complex

workout: we did a very hard rowing interval today.  If it wasn't hard, well, you didn't try hard enough.



"There is no excuse for not trying."

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tasty Info

 

We will be hosting a Saturday Throw Down this week.  The weather is going to be awesome so make sure you are at the gym at 10am for one of the best ways to jump start your weekend.

On monday we did some tabata intervals, which honestly, are always fun.

Today we did a 15min workout that consisted of wall ball, pull ups and kettle bell swings.



here is a little video that I come back to time to time... There is some mumbo jumbo in it, but there is some tidbits of wisdom and encouragement in it as well.  I AM LEGEND  skip forward to 4:15 in the video to hear what speaks to me on a daily basis... 

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Giving you a heads up for thursday!

BOOM SHAKE SHAKE THE ROOM:


Quick shout out to Katie for making her first month weight goal!  Congrats girl!

I wanted to give you guys a look at what is coming up on thursday so here it be: 

Seven rounds for time:
5 Supine ring rows or dead hang pull ups.
10 Push press
15 Box jumps 

or depending on the weather...


we will do a team workout that involves a lot of running!  Yay for running!

Quote: Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general. -Mark Rippetoe




BOOT CAMP!

Tired of being self-conscious around the pool or on the beach? Wanna do something about it? Spring Boot Camps are back baby! Starting May 3rd @ 4pm... Check out Versusstrengthandconditioning.com for more details. We've sold out one already so sign up fast!
 Boot Camp is an 8 week program the is based around basic body weight style training, kettle bell work, running, rowing, push ups, pull ups, sit ups, etc...  If you want to get stronger, be leaner, and lose the last 5-10lbs that has been plaguing you for forever, come give us a try.

We have a HUGE variety of folks that sign up for Boot Camp so don't be intimidated and say, "I can't do that" or "I need to get in shape before I try that stuff."  We have clients that have never worked out before and we also have clients that were college athletes.  We can scale the workouts down or up depending on your fitness level.  So don't be scared and use another excuse! Quit standing in your own way, get off your couch and give it a shot.  What do you stand to lose?

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Early Post again?

Can it be?

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Dumbell snatch, 40#/25# (5 each arm)
10 push up or jumping ring dip
10 Knees to elbows

Tuesday

workout: 100 double unders, 50 situps, run 800m, 50 situps, 100 double unders or TABATA!