Steve's Muscle Palace

A few things

2012-02-09T20:06:00.000-08:00

Good stuff!

1. I made a post a week ago about the Sacred Heart Men's Soccer team's victory in their South State Championship game. Well... they came out the following weekend and won THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP! HERE IS A LINK to a news article about the game. Good job guys! We look forward to seeing you in the summer!

2. Random animal fact for the day: The memory span of goldfish is just about 3 seconds.

3. We do not have a 6pm class tomorrow.

4. What do you think of this article? 12 reasons why you aren't losing fat?

5. We have another success story coming up... Get Pumped!

Plankville

2012-02-01T18:36:00.001-08:00

Welcome to Plankville: population 25

Great work so far this week guys! We have had a ton of hard workouts this week. I guess you could say we are getting geared up for super bowl weekend. I know the temptation of going completely overboard is out there. I want you to work some extreme damage control this weekend! Keep your cheats to a minimum and stay on track.

Here are a few reminders concerning schedule:

Tuesday and Thursday: We now have a 6:30pm Workout Class! There is NO MORE 6pm class we have pushed it back!

Friday: The last class of the day meets at 5pm and last until 6pm.

Check out our Schedule

Sacred Heart Soccer

2012-01-31T19:58:00.000-08:00


Sacred Heart Soccer

This photo was taken during one of the hottest months of our Mississippi summer. Sacred Heart Varsity soccer team came to Versus Strength and Conditioning for a summer conditioning camp.

When the kids first reported to camp you could sense a little apprehension in the air. They didn't really know what to expect and as coaches we didn't either. We didn't know what type of kids we were getting. Were they hard workers? Were they guys that took the easy way out?

Answer: Hard Workers

The workouts and agility drills that we threw at these guys were hard ( 2 mile run with 100 ring rows, 200 push ups and 300 squats). The heat was even "harder" (100 plus degrees). They persevered through those hot summer months and finished strong! As coaches we were very proud of our guys.

How would our camp translate into their season? Would the hard work and nutritional advice we gave these guys pay off in any way?

Tonight Sacred Heart won their south state championship game. Hard work does pay off.

Congratulations South State Champions... but you better believe the job is not done.

"State Champions" has a better ring to it.

*if you are interested in a enrolling in a strength and conditioning camp this summer let us know*

2012-01-30T11:27:00.000-08:00

8am class getting after it! Did you know Versus is sponsoring a Free Out door community workout on February the 25th at the Rails to Trails Gateway at 9am! Sign up because spots are limited!

2012-01-28T09:15:00.001-08:00

Thanks for coming out to our rails to trails workout. Remember our Saturday workouts are for building our community... Sooooo.... Bring a friend!

2012-01-27T11:33:00.001-08:00

Saturday Workout!

Guys and Gals we will not meet at the gym this Saturday. Instead we will meet at the Jackson Road Rails to Trails trail head at 9am. Bring your running shoes! Come burn some calories!

I'm sitting to death!

2012-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Recipe Time!

2012-01-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

Chicken enchilada Stuffing

4-5 chicken breasts
2 can's of rotel, one can drained
Season with whatever you like but watch the salt!

Put the lid on and cook all day. Drain excess liquid. Use a fork to "shred" the chicken. Let it cool slightly and mix in Greek yogurt to give it that creamy texture. ( I use Plain 0%). I use it on a fresh spinach salad with tomato, black olives, and bits of guacamole! and if I am in a hurry, I put it in a large romaine or leafy lettuce as a "wrap".

Soup

1 32 oz chicken broth
1small bag lentils, rinsed and drained
3-4 stalk of celery
1 onion
1 lb of carrots
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1 lb lean pork tenderloin
celtic sea salt and pepper to taste

I put this in the crock pot the night before and turn on low.

Down Town

2012-01-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

Everyone had a great time doing the workout downtown! For those of you guys that weren't able to make it, you missed a good one.

A huge thanks goes out to Tammy for hooking us up with a Free Yoga Session. She has such a beautiful space downtown! Remember if you every want to work on your flexibility ANNNND strength Tammy is the Yoga Lady to see!

Again, thanks guys for coming out. This is certainly not the last time we will do a downtown workout.

Great Video

2012-01-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

FREE YOGA

2012-01-13T13:18:00.000-08:00

Whats happening guys and gals? This weekend (Saturday the 14th) we will not meet at the gym. Instead we will meet at Down Town Down Dog (Tammy's new Yoga Studio) for a FREE outdoor workout and a FREE Yoga session. Here are the details:

Where: Down Town Down Dog, Bakery Building Ste. 20 127 Buschman Street, Hattiesburg, MS 39401
Put this in google maps

When: 9am workout (outdoors so dress warm) followed by 10am Yoga

Checkout Facebook and make sure you like Down Town Down Dog and Versus Strength and Conditioning!

New Year

2012-01-09T21:10:00.000-08:00

Have you made a resolution? Have you already forgotten about it or given up on it? Change is hard.

Your body enjoys the path you have it on right now. You've been making the same choices every day, almost like you are cruising on auto pilot. Think about a huge 747 being on auto pilot moving at 900 miles per hour... what would it take to make that big sucker pull a 180?

I'm suggesting one little change. Its easy to make small changes than large ones (think banking that 747 1 degree instead of doing a barrel roll).

Change for this week: Come to the gym at least three times this week.

Most people are still sluggish from eating all the terrible food over the holidays. Some of you guys still have holiday weight to lose. We have been crushing some serious workouts lately that have averaged burning over 600 calories per workout... Now why wouldn't you want to come and get an estimated 1800 calories burned?

Make a small change.

How to lose 10lbs in 8weeks

2012-01-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Boot Camp.

Our average client loses 10-12lbs in 8weeks. Yeah Yeah Yeah... those are just numbers. I need more than that. I need a change.

10 - 12lbs are numbers, you're right but what I'm saying is this: In 8 weeks time you will be able to fit into those jeans that have eluded you in the past. You will get compliments from people like, "How much weight have you lost?" "You look great, what are you doing?"

You will no longer be embarrassed about not being able to do a situp.
You will not get out of breath walking up a flight of stairs.
You will look in the mirror and be proud of yourself.

Our boot camp instructors will give you a plan. They will motivate you while you are reaching for your goals. They will help keep you accountable via text messages and emails while you are outside the gym.

Quit making excuses and saying, "I'll do it tomorrow." Call and sign up today.

Haters gonna Hate.

2012-01-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Change.

Change is hard.

Change can be discussed from multiple angles but I will tell you one thing about change. Once you decide to make a change be prepared for ALL of the Haters to come out of the wood works.

Be prepared.

I have a post prepared about new years resolutions and I will add it to the site sometime this week. In the meantime, brainstorm about your life. Is there something you would like to change? It can be anything, you know? It is your life. You can do what you want with it. Beautiful huh?

Happy New Year!

Closed Friday the 30th

2011-12-29T11:13:00.000-08:00

We've had 3 tough workouts this week... Cleanse Yo'self!

Today's workout will be along the same theme as the other 2 this week, so bring a GOOD attitude and be ready to work hard. This will be the last scheduled workout of 2011!!! End on a good note!

We will close friday the 30th and reopen monday the 2nd with regular hours.

Lastly, we are in the process of lease negotiations for our new space. Hopefully we will have our moving date nailed down next week sometime. Please say a little prayer for us as we go through this process!

Thanks guys! Happy New Year!

Closed Monday 26th

2011-12-25T12:26:00.001-08:00

We will be closed Monday the 26th. Hope everyone is having a merry Christmas!

Sent from my iPhone

At Home Workouts

2011-12-22T17:07:00.000-08:00

Whoa. The past week has flown by and to be honest, I can not believe that Christmas is already upon us. A lot of you guys are going to be out of town this weekend and the following week, so I thought I'd suggest some nasty little cardio workouts for you while you are gone. Remember we do have a Travel Workout section over on the right side of the web page. If you haven't checked it out... check, check, check it out!

Workout #1
Four Sets of As Many Rounds and Reps As Possible in 3 Minutes:
5 Push Ups
10 Sit Ups
15 Squats
Rest 60 seconds between sets.

Workout #2
Five Sets:
Sprint 50 meters
10 Burpees
Rest 60 seconds
(The sprint can be done on a treadmill by keeping the belt on the entire workout. Set a speed that you feel comfortable with. Be careful coming off the treadmill belt – grab the handles securely.)

Workout #3
Three Rounds for Time:
Run 400 meters
15 DB Thrusters
Take about 5 minutes to warm up before getting into the workout. Incorporate some perfect stretches, deep squat progressions, inchworms and a few other movements before you attack these workouts.

Workout #4 "The Hustla"
Run 1 min
rest 15 sec
1 min air squat
rest 15 sec
1min burpee
rest 15 sec
1 min situp
rest 15 sec
Repeat this sequence for 4 rounds

Workout #5
"The Iron man"
20-19-18-17-16...1
Push ups and Situps

Workout #6
Jump Rope 100 reps
50 walking lunges
50 situps
50 push ups
50 walking lunges
Jump Rope 100 reps

Use your imagination folks! Any Combo of basic movements for 20 minutes will be killer!

Also, do not be afraid to try out some intervals like: 4x400m runs. rest 1:30 between rounds
8x200m runs rest 45sec between rounds. 10x100m runs!

How to become Strong(er)

2011-12-13T11:07:00.000-08:00

Meet Nathan

Some of you guys haven't met Nathan because you might come to an earlier class or a later class when he isn't working. So I thought I'd take the time and introduce you to him.

Around the gym he is our resident ninja. If I need someone to change one of the huge light bulbs hanging from the ceiling (16+ feet in the air) I always say, "Hey Nate!" He'll do a muscle up onto the top of the storage room, do a running back flip and land on the light fixture and some how change the light bulb in the process... but seriously he is a natural athlete! I "showed" him how to do a muscle up on the rings and 30sec later he did 5 or 6 of them in a row. It took me over 2months to get that many...

He played soccer in high school and in college. We all know you run a TON is soccer. So when Nathan started training with us he was a little burnt out on all the running. He wanted to focus on getting stronger. We introduced him to our Basics Of Big program. Nathan consistently worked out and also kept a workout log to track his progress. In just a little over 90 days of pure focus on our B.O.B program Nathan has made some great progress. I'll let the numbers speak for themselves!!!

Nathan Day: Starting Numbers

Body Weight: 149.8lbs

Bench Press: 240lbs
Shoulder Press: 135lbs
Squat: 265lbs
Deadlift: 300lbs

After B.O.B!!!

Body Weight: 163.2lbs (gain of 13.4lbs)

Bench Press: 285lbs (up 45lbs)
Shoulder Press: 155lbs (up 20lbs)
Squat: 320lbs (up 55lbs)
Deadlift: 365lbs (up 65lbs)

Bottom Line...

Versus Strength and Conditioning doesn't just offer weight loss. If you are interested in starting our Basics of Big program shoot us an email @ steve@versusstrengthandconditioing.com We want to get a group of like minded individuals together that want SERIOUS results in the strength department!

How to guide: Intermittent Fasting

2011-12-12T19:50:00.001-08:00

I'll weigh in on this topic soon but for now why don't we read a scientist view!

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

CLICK ON THE LINK!

How to Live.

2011-12-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

Holstee Manifesto.

Why fitness?

2011-12-11T12:57:00.001-08:00

Why run? Why jump? Why lift? Heck... why walk?

What if a buddy of yours gives you a call and wants to run in a local 5k? You "Just Say No to 5k's" because you know you would not make it past the first 50 yrds.

You just sat down on the couch for ESPN's College Game Day. Your feet are in mid-flight and almost touch down on the coffee table when the phone rings.

Its your neighbor.

He knows you are home. He can see your car in the driveway. Guess what he wants? He needs your help moving furniture. You skipped out last time and the time before that... Your only excuse this time is "I've never told you this but I have a bad back."

Translation: I'm lazy, I couldn't lift that furniture if I wanted to and my back isn't bad, its weak.

We could go on and on with situations and scenarios of why fitness is important.

But why be fit? For me it really boils down to this: You need to be ready for anything.

Even though we live in a very sophisticated society where fitness is seemingly frowned upon, you can not argue that this same sophisticated society contains a plethora of situations where fitness is VITAL.

So... To be or not to be, that is the question.

I want you to be ready. I do not want you to have to come up with another excuse of why you can't do this or that. Do not let not being fit stand in your way of doing anything. BE READY!

Friday!!!

2011-12-08T19:45:00.001-08:00

Great Job this week guys!!! Only one more day to go this week... fridays are usually, um, intense. So put on a happy face and get ready to rock and roll.

How many of you would be interested in one more tee shirt run before christmas? If you are interested make sure you let me know ASAP!

Also, we have been contemplating making another round of black books for every day usage by you guys and gals. Nutrition is such a HUGE component of overall fitness. I can not stress how important it is to make small goals and achieve them daily. Attack the list in the previous post and start adding those goals to your daily activities list.

Oops...

2011-12-06T11:41:00.001-08:00

Sorry for not posting gang! Blogger gave me a few problems uploading post the other day, so I decided to let it work itself out aaaaannnnddd it did. So here is a post for you guys:

"How not to become a Holiday Casualty"

Michael and I were talking a week or two ago about the upcoming holiday season. He asked me, "How much weight do you think the average person puts on during the holidays?" I had no clue.

So Michael went on a mission and found and estimated average for weight GAIN during the holidays... you ready? 15lbs... Whoa. When he first told me this I was like, "That is way to high." but when you think about it, it isn't.

Folks tend to let themselves go over the holidays. How do you avoid the 15lb weight gain? Our friends at Precision Nutrition provided this list:

"Pick ONE of the following habits, and do it every day for 14 days."

Exercise for 30 minutes
Take fish oil and a multivitamin at breakfast
Drink at least 8 cups of water
Eat at least 4 one-cup servings of vegetables
Sleep at least 8 hours (including naps and night-time sleep)
During each meal, stop eating when 80% full
Twice during the work day, get up and do 5 minutes of muscle stretching
Eat 4 – 5 meals
Eat lean protein with each meal Fat LOSS
Replace grains with greens during each meal

These 10 habits should give you a great start on the fat loss process. But remember the rules. Don’t try to pile them all on at once. Begin by choosing only one new habit that you’re confident you can do for 14 days. Then do it, adding new habits only after you’ve mastered the first one.
And here’s another key tip. As you adopt each new habit, you have our permission to leave everything else the same. Sure, if you’re feeling particularly ambitious one day and you want to try a few new things, that’s OK.
However, take my word. You can’t do it all at once, every day. But the good news is you don’t have to! So just let go of that expectation right now.
Instead, pick one proven behavior to start with. The same way you would learn math, or learn to talk, or learn anything, you’re going to learn to get in shape.

I could not agree more. We all know there are foods that will completely derail you from accomplishing your fitness goals. During this holiday season do your best to stay away from them! All of the Christmas Parties you attend add up... so... be good at all of them but maybe one. This way you are making an effort to stay on track instead of willingly jumping off the deep end.

NEXT TOPIC: Holiday Hours

As of right now will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and New Years Eve and New Years Day. We will also host limited hour during the week of christmas and limited hours during the week of new years. I will post a complete set of holiday hours at the gym and on facebook and the blog as soon as we nail down everything.

NEXT TOPIC: MOVING THE GYM

Well... we have officially out grown our space. We have to park on the road, do push ups on top of one another, which is awkward, and jumping rope inside is like trying to walk through a landmine field!!! We are aggressively looking around hattiesburg for a new home. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try to find something that works. We will not move without taking a quasi vote on the issue, so don't worry we won't end up in the middle of Eastabuchie MS without asking you guys!

And the Winners are....

2011-11-29T18:20:00.001-08:00

Drum Roll Please!!!!

Dudes Division

Weight Loss Winner: Dr. Henderson lost a total of 8.06% of his body weight!

Clean and Jerk Winner: Chris Knight increased his Clean and Jerk by 22.22%

Workout Winner: Chris Roberts increased his workout by 28.41%

Overall Workout Winner with highest score: Christ Knight

Awesome Job Guys!!!

Chick Division

Weight Loss Winner: Jeri Krebs lost a total of 9.72% of her body weight

Clean and Jerk Winner: Lindsey Maddox increased her clean and jerk by 40%

Workout Winner: Morgan Ford increased her workout by 26.25%

Overall Workout Winner with highest score: Bry Thomes

Awesome Job Ladies!

Recap: Our First Challenge was a huge success. At the very least the folks who signed up had a fun time.... Right? Almost every person in the competition improved their workout score. I was super excited to see that outcome! Around 70 of you guys signed up for the pageant with about 55 of you staying in it and weighing in. 55 weighed in and we lost over 200lbs as a group! Again I was super excited about that stat!

I enjoyed looking at all of the black books over the past 5 weeks. These little black books gave us a glimpse into your lives and dude... what INTERESTING lives you lead. If the black books showed you anything it was that consistency eating awesome foods is the ONLY key when it comes to dieting. If you eat correctly during the week and then mess up friday night, all day saturday and all day sunday you will not have success. If you think eating chicken (the fried variety) is healthy... well we steered you in the right direction. Two things we found in common with the majority of the blacks books was this: 1. Lack of protein. 2. Lack of green vegetables! Lean meats and tons of veggies is the key to the majority of all the successful diets on the planet and those were the two main things lacking in our black books. I encourage all of you to continue writing in your black books until you run out of room. Continue to bring them to the gym and we will help steer you in the right direction.

If you missed coming to the gym as much as you wanted to during the Pageant then I encourage you to get on top of your attendance. The magic amount of time a week for an awesome weight loss effect is: 5hours. If you are not getting 5 hours a week in the gym then take 2 extra hours a week outside the gym and do some interval cardio. Need some suggestions? ASK US! Or take advantage of one of our Free Saturday Workouts... They are fun and loaded with Cardio.

To all of you who signed up: THANK YOU! You made our first fall challenge a success. Because of you, we will hold many more challenges: individual and TEAM! If you did not win anything, do not be upset. We almost had ties in every category! And in my Book... which is what counts anyways right?... you are ALL WINNERS!

To all of our winners: Thank you! But know this... Like I said above the numbers were so close we had to add them up a few times just to make sure you guys were in the lead. Keep up the hard work, Keep good attitudes and remember Fitness is all about the journey. Journey onward my friends!

-Steve

PS: We will award prizes very soon. We are still collecting them from a few local businesses and selecting what winners will get what prizes. Be patient and get ready for some prizes!

Secret Workout!

2011-11-25T08:25:00.001-08:00

GYM OPENS AT 11am for a secret workout! Come burn some calories!

Turkey Day schedule

2011-11-23T09:19:00.001-08:00

The gym will be open today @6,8,9,10 and 4&5. We will close at 6pm! Also tune in to Facebook and the blog to see if we will have a secret post thanksgiving workout!

A good one

2011-11-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

I told you sooooo

2011-11-13T18:04:00.001-08:00

Go check out Precision Nutrition. Great resource!

Nice Quote

2011-11-08T12:40:00.000-08:00

You can’t focus on weight loss – that’s not something you can control. What you CAN control is the PROCESS. Your choices. And enough good ones built up over time will lead you to your goals. Work hard and accomplish the healthy behaviors, let the rest fall into place. -Precision Nutrition

Have you ever tried to work your way through a problem without success? Lets take a look at a bucket list goal of mine: Speaking Spanish!

I do want to speak spanish! Buuuuut... Spanish is hard! I took it in high school and failed. I mean, its a whole freaking other language! When would I ever really use it?

Before you know it I have talked myself out of being able to speak another language. I looked at the BIG picture, the result and it looked too hard and it freaked me out. It looked to hard, to time consuming etc... Not healthy goal smashing behaviors if you ask me...

If you always look at the results and never focus on the PROCESS you'll stay at step one and never make it to the end.

If I really wanted to speak Spanish I would start with something easy: Order some flash cards, watch something like espn in spanish and leave on the subtitles on or pick up a spanish speaking cd and listen to it on the way to the gym every day... something small and then practice it every day.

If you really want to lose weight or put on muscle or run a marathon or a 5k start with something small. Start with something you can control! You can control all of your choices (eating more vegetables than grains, drinking water instead of soft drinks, eat more lean cuts of meat instead of processed meat). And like the quote says, enough good choices over time WILL lead to your goals.

HAPPY TUESDAY!

Easy On the Cheese!

2011-11-07T19:17:00.000-08:00

Texas Thin Crust Pizza

Servings: 1 large or 2 small
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Prelude: Many folks have an almost instinctive love of pizza. However, on a rational level, they know it’s loaded with processed carbs and saturated fats. So, when you’d rather go with your head, choose this healthy thin crust pizza.

Ingredients:
Olive oil cooking spray
6 oz (170g) ground sirloin or extra lean ground beef
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ cup yellow onions (small diced)
¼ cup red pepper (small diced)
2 teaspoons garlic (minced)
¼ cup tomato (small diced)
2 tablespoons BBQ sauce
1 whole-wheat tortilla
¼ cup pineapple (tidbits, or chopped)
½ cup aged white cheddar (grated)

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F with.
Preheat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Lightly coat with spray and add the ground meat and season with salt and pepper. Sauté the beef until lightly browned and cooked all the way through. Add the onions, peppers and garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
Add the tomato and BBQ sauce, stir until combined and remove from heat.
Lightly coat a baking sheet with spray and place the tortilla shell on the tray. Spread the beef and vegetable mixture evenly on the shell leaving the outside ½ inch for the crust.
Top with the pineapple and cheese and then place in the oven. Bake until cheese is melted and shell is nicely toasted (about 10 minutes).

I know it has a tortilla. I know it has cheese. Go easy on the cheese and share with your friends!

Its Cold...

2011-11-02T19:29:00.000-07:00

Its Cold... so its time for chili.

Ingredients:
the base:
2 tablespoons of your favorite fat: olive oil, coconut oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 lbs. ground meat (lean beef, pork, turkey, veal, bison, or a mix)
-
spices:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa (don't need it if you can't find it)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
-
liquids:
14.5 oz. can chopped tomatoes (I like Muir Glen fire-roasted.)
6 oz. tomato paste
14.5 oz. can beef broth
12 oz. water

Directions:
1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Add onions and saute ’til soft. Add garlic and let heat ’til fragrant, about 2 minutes. DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC. Add the meat and sauté until browned and crumbled.
2. Blend all the spices in a small bowl. Add to pot and stir well, about 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and water to the pot. Stir well.
4. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low so the pot has a gentle simmer. SIMMER FOR AT LEAST 2 HOURS. Do not skimp on the simmer. Just as rest time is the magic time when you build your strength, simmering is the magic time when the flavors meld.
Variations:
Add additional quality fats with some chopped black olives, green olives, or avocado slices (or all three!).
Add more veggies by serving over a bed of cooked spaghetti squash, grated zucchini, or baby spinach leaves.

Diet Tips

2011-10-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

Weeeeelllll.... we are slowly but surely getting close to retest time for the Fall Challenge.

What are some good ways to walk away with the top Palace Pageant Prize?

1. Ask yourself, "Do you really need it?" If I go to subway to get a breakfast sandwich or a salad the Sandwich Artist ask me, "Would you like chips and a drink with that?" I always reply with no. I know I do not need the bag of chips. If I get a drink... i really want root beer or a coke. So I avoid the option all together.

2. Replace most if not all of your refined grains (breads, cereals, tortillas, chips, pasta) with green veggies. You will get more fiber vitamins and minerals in your diet if you get rid of all those grains. Also, we have noticed that most if not everyone that attends the gym needs to eat more veggies!

3. Replace bad fats with good ones. Olive oil, fish oils, avocado, nuts and seeds are better than dairy and other jazz.

4. This one is simple but hard to do. Eat less! Take time eating your meals and cut the amount of calories that you eat. Yes it is a challenge. Yes it requires self discipline. YES it is doable. Keep eating frequently but cut the amount... you are only a few hrs away from your next meal.

5. Have your biggest meal after your workout. Your body is more efficient at using macro nutrients (carbs, pro and fat) after workouts. Make the rest of your meals smaller and be super conscious of what being full really is!

YOU GOT THIS! STICK WITH IT!

Sleepy TIme

2011-10-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

What does sleep have to do with anything?

Well, sleep is a game changer. Sleep helps you recover obviously but it also realigns and balances your hormones.

The more sleep you get... the healthier you will be, the skinnier you will be and the more "awesomer" you will be... thats a word right?

I do not practice what I'm about to tell you but I wish that I did... Take at least 1 hour before bedtime and turn off the TV. Turn off the computer. UNPLUG FROM THE WORLD!

I do practice this: Crank the Temp down to 68 and black out your entire bedroom. No alarm clock right by your head radiating its bright red/green brilliance at your face all night. Turn that sucker around or put a tee shirt in front of it or something. I want your bed room to be a cold black sleep cave.

Friday will be loaded with FUN. So be ready for a good workout!!!

Quick note before I check out:

It is very easy to change one thing about your diet at a time. So here is one thing that you can change!

Eat more veggies! Any type. I do not care what type you eat. Please eat more of em. They love you. You should love them.

You + Veggies = Awesomerness

Fish Oil- Plus some other goodies

2011-10-24T12:59:00.000-07:00

Whats the deal with Fish Oil? Here are a some answers to questions I've been getting at the gym lately:

Q. What does fish oil do?

A. Fish Oil (the types of fats in it) fight cancer, help with autoimmunity, help with Insulin sensitivity and Insulin resistance, aids in recovery and fertility.

Q. How much do we need to take?

A. According to fish oil guru Robb Wolf, "If you are over weight or recently diagnosed with a condition related to insulin resistance or autoimmunity, the dosage may be quite high initially. As much as one gram of EPA/DHA for every ten pounds of body weight per day. Your product will vary in how much it contains. (look on the back). You can use the online calculator made by our friends at www.whole9life.com/fish-oil/"

Q. What are some Good Brands?

A. Nordic Naturals, Carlsons, and Barleans.

So thats it on the Fish Oil topic.

I know all of you had a busy weekend with home coming and other college/high school football events. Even though you were out and about I still want you to keep up with your little black book and write down what you are eating! If you do not keep up with your book and do not bring it to the gym every day you will have burpees! How many? 10 this week... and then 20 the next and then 30... and so on.

The work out today goes like so:

2 rounds of: power clean, row, run, pull up. The pull ups and power cleans are put back to back for a reason. I'll explain later.

Last but not least!!!!!! Recipe for the week!

Jambalaya: BOOM!

Ingredients

1tbsp olive oil (maybe more)
1/2 lb spicy sausage (andouille sausage or your favorite)
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup bell pepper
1/2 cup celery
1/2 tsp tony's (I just shake it all over)
1 bay leaf (don't have to have this but its great with it)
2 small cans tomato sauce (find a spicy kind if you can)
2 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups water
1.5 cups finely chopped cauliflower (this is going to be the rice)
a little cayenne pepper
1/2 lb of shrimp

In a skillet, heat the olive oil, sausage, onion peppers and the celery. Saute for 5 min or so, then add all your seasoning and the Bay leaf. Cook for a min more. Add the tomato sauce, broth and water and cauliflower. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20min. Remove the Bay leaf. In another skillet, saute the shrimp, add some more seasoning, cayenne, and olive oil. Takes about 2 min for the shrimp to be done, then add it to the Jambalaya!

Things I have learned about this recipe. You might have to cook a little longer to get the consistency you want. I usually cook some chicken on the George Foreman, chop it up, and then add it when I add the shrimp. While the JAM is simmering (20min), I season the shrimp and let it sit to the side in a bowl (trying to add/lock in as much flavor as possible).

Chicken Fajitas: YES!

1 tbsp olive oil
small/medium onion chopped
2lbs chicken (I just buy 3 breast from corner market)
Taco Seasoning Packet (Taco Bell or McCormick)
1bell pepper cut into strips
1 Bag salad of your choice
1-2 tomatoes
1 avocado

Add Olive oil to skillet, heat it over medium. add onion and saute until soft. Cut chicken into strips and add to skillet. add the Taco seasoning packet. make sure you toss the chicken or just get it evenly covered. add bell pepper when chicken starts to brown. Put some of the bag salad in a bowl, MAKE SURE chicken is cooked through and then put it on top of salad, add chopped tomato, and avocado. I usually top mine with a table spoon of salsa and maybe a little hot sauce.

Notes: you can do chicken and steak! or better yet buy some extra shrimp for the jambalaya and have the fajita trifecta!!!! Steak Shrimp and CHICKEN! BOOM SAUCE!

Enjoy!

Thursday

2011-10-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Nice little recovery day at the gym today!

If you have not paid to be in the Fall Challenge YOU MUST DO SO by Saturday at 10am. If you do not pay the entry fee, you will not be allowed to compete in the challenge. Also, there are many of you that still need to complete the strength portion of the Challenge. If you do not complete the strength portion you will not be eligible to compete in the strength category! So, pay up and get the strength portion done homies!

Things to do outside of the gym:

Extra Cardio. It does not have to be super intense! Feel free to ride your bike on the trace or go for a walk/jog. If you are expending energy you are burning calories!
If you are not taking a multivitamin please start taking one! It's hard to get all the vitamins and minerals you need every day... so a multivitamin will help with this task.
You have heard me say this for 2yrs... Take Fish Oil! Google the positive properties of Fish oil. you will be amazed!
In your "little black book" one of the bits of info says: Take 20min to eat your meal. Try it out!
Write your meals down in your black book!

Great first week! Keep up the hard work!

Wednesday

2011-10-19T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today we will test the strength portion of our challenge.

Come prepared for some technique work and a very challenging workout.

If you missed the workout portion of the challenge you will able to make it up today - Friday.

Also we will have Yoga at 8am this Saturday the 22nd! COME JOIN THE Cool Kids!

I'll make another post tonight with some more information about what is expected of your outside the gym during the challenge!

Crock Pot Heaven

2011-10-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

We often talk with clients about planning ahead of time. Part of planning for success is preparing meals for the week. Looking in your refrigerator and having it filled with awesome meals stocked away in containers will be a sure fire way to stick with successful eating. Preparing meals can be time consuming unless you plan accordingly. So, here are a few delicious recipes that will help you save on time!

Pork Spare Ribs
Ingredients
Pork Spare Ribs (wait for them to go on sale at your local market)
3 Green Apples (I usually go with Granny Smith)
1 Sweet Onion
1 Tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Nutmeg
Salt
Pepper

Slice the granny smith apples and place half at the bottom of the crock pot. Chop the onion and place half the onion at the bottom of the crock pot. Place the spare ribs in on top of the apples and onions. Cover the spare ribs with the remaining apples and onions. Cover the apples and onions with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and pepper. Turn your crock pot on low for 7 – 9 hours. Let the aroma of the cinnamon and nutmeg fill your house when you get home from work and enjoy! I haven't used nutmeg and cinnamon in this combo in awhile. I usually do a packet of McCormick's BBQ seasoning.

Chicken Chili
Ingredients
4 Chicken Breast
2 Cups Chili Green Sauce or Verde Sauce
6 Tomatillos
2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed
4 Cloves of garlic (diced)
1 Tsp. Onion Powder

Place the chicken breast in the crock pot. Cover the chicken with green chili sauce. Quarter the tomatillos and place inside the crock pot along with the jalapenos and garlic cloves. Cover and cook on low for 6 – 7 hours.

Mexican Chicken
Ingredients
3-4 Chicken Breast
1 medium sized whole onion
1 green pepper
1 can of rotel
Season with either: salt pepper and tonys or McCormick's Taco Seasoning

Place chicken in crock pot. Cover chicken with seasoning first. Add bell pepper, onion and rotel.

Day One in the Books.

2011-10-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

Palace Pageant Update: Day one

Over 100 people came through the gym today. It was a busy morning and busy afternoon to say the least! I want to personally thank all of you guys for being Super Beast and dominating the Palace Workout.

During the next 6 weeks we will check your food logs... so make sure you bring them to the gym. If you do not bring them, then guess what? BURPEES!!!

I will also add some go to recipes to my blog post in case you guys need some ideas. If you're nice I might even post a video of me cooking some grub!

If you missed the workout today, do not fret. You will be able to get the workout in sometime this week. Please bring your payment for the Palace Pageant if you want to join in on the fun!

Again, thank you guys! Today was a fun day for sure!

The Final Details

2011-10-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Palace Pageant:

Our Fall Challenge AKA: Palace Pageant will begin October the 17th and end the 21st of November.

I know that some of you might be out of town for the final few days. Being out of town is fine... we will get your final stats before you leave.

How do you sign up?

Answer: We have a sign up board on the back wall of the gym.

How long will the Challenge last?

October 17th - November 21st

How much does it cost?

Answer: 20$

What does the Challenge consist of?

Answer: A weight loss challenge, A weight lifting challenge, A workout challenge

What if I can't do all the movements?

Answer: All of the movements for THIS challenge are very basic. We will not throw handstand push ups at you or muscle ups or any other movement that we have not spent tons of time practicing.

What are the movements for the workout?

Answer: TOP SECRET

Over the next 5 weeks our programing/workouts will be geared toward the challenge. So, if you have not signed up... well you might as well sign up and play along!

Few other details: the weight loss challenge will be decided by percentage of weight lost, not total pounds. The strength challenge will follow the same format and so will the workout.

There will be prizes given to the male and female winners of each category: Workout, Weight loss, Weight Lifting.

Any other questions talk to me at the gym!

The Palace Pageant

2011-10-03T10:01:00.001-07:00

THE PALACE PAGEANT

We have wanted to host a challenge of some sort for quite some time and nooooooowwww WE ARE.

Details:

The "Palace Pageant" will begin October the 17th and end November the 21st.

To participate in the Pageant you must:

pay and entry fee of 20$
weigh in
perform the "Pageant Test"

This is not just a weight loss contest. There will be three levels at which to compete:

An old fashion weight lifting contest
A Biggest Loser style contest
A Danger Zone Workout Contest

More details will be released throughout this week! GET PUMPED!

You've gotta start somewhere...

2011-09-29T14:04:00.000-07:00

I bet this guy woke up one day and started knocking out one handed pull up/jump things.... Yeah right.

I would clown on this guy for the pants he's wearing but the dude is probably as strong as an orangutang and very capable of handling himself. So to you Mr. Pants Man, you keep on keeping on.

So how in the heck do you do jumping one fingered pull ups?

Step 1. Wear Killer pajama pants.

Step 2. Listen to slow relaxing music

Thats it. Presto. Jumping one handed pull ups.

There is no "magic bullet" or over night pill you can take to get amazing results like Mr. Pants Man. Mainstream media and ad companies will tell you different though... They will come out with a pill, or a door gym contraption that will Guarantee one finger jumping pull ups in 90 days. BS.

If you want to accomplish amazing things you must be consistent. If you want to accomplish amazing things you must make small gains. If you want to accomplish amazing things you have to be a mental monster!

If you scour back through history and start examining the traits of amazing people you will find these common traits:

1. Consistent
2. Perseverance
3. Positive/Confident

Take these 3 traits and ask yourself: Do I apply these in my life? Do apply these to my goals, dreams and aspirations? Or are you still waiting on the magic bullet... the quick fix...

Motivation

2011-09-28T13:47:00.000-07:00

What is up Versus Community?

We are quickly approaching the holidays! Can you guys believe it is almost October? It seems like yesterday it was 100 degrees and only July 1st. TIME FLYS!

You guys have made it through the roughest part of our Versus schedule. Pat yourself on the back for sticking it out during the summer months.

Like I said, the holidays are upon us. During this time of year the majority of people are busy with events, family, etc... It is hard to stay on track with all tons of distractions out there. So... we have decided to throw our First Ever Fall Challenge. The challenge will being in the middle of October and last until the week of thanksgiving.

The Challenge (yet to be named) will have different incentives associated with it. For example: If weight loss is your goal, there will be a weight loss component. If getting stronger is your goal, there will be a "getting stronger" component. If just over all cardio and boot camp style workouts fit you best and you want to test yourself, there will be a caveat for that as well. This challenge is for everyone at the gym. I know that some folks are competing in the mighty magnolia triathlon in a few weeks time. We also have members who love to run 5k's to get a free tee shirt. But we have some of you guys who've never signed up for anything in your life. Well guess what? Let our fall challenge be your the first thing that you have ever trained for in your life! Make it your goal to lose weight, get stronger, or perform better than you ever have before. Really... what do you stand to lose by signing up? I mean, aaaaaaallllll the cool kids are doing it!

Ok, so lets get real. When you do sign up, you need to set a goal. How do you set a goal? Do you just speak it aloud and let it drift off into the cosmos? Do you just constantly think about it all day until it drives you insane? Negative ghost rider! Lets cover some basics on setting a goal and then accomplishing it.

1. Have you caught yourself looking at people around the gym and saying, "Dude, she has lost a lot of weight" or "When did he ditch the band and start doing pull ups without it" or " Shooooooot, she has gotten soooo much faster at running/rowing". If you haven't then you need to take a look around the gym. "These people" are successful in my opinion because they get real. Whats real? Lets look at it this way.

If you are watching a nascar race on tv and suddenly have the urge to win the Daytona 500 and you say to yourself, "Self (insert your name here), my goal is to win the Daytona 500.

Goal: Win the Daytona 500

Problem with that: You have never been over 80mph, this is the first nascar race you've seen and you thought the Pepsi 400 was an AMRAP of how many soft drinks you could drink in 400minutes.

Result: You are stuck racing on Xbox or the in the arcade because you didn't take the steps to get where you needed to be. You did not get real.

Goal: Lose 5% body fat in 8 weeks.

Problem with that: You get your workout in but when you leave the gym all you want to do is have a "few glasses" of wine and maybe a tablespoon ( lets see how much I can balance on this spoon) of peanut butter before bedtime.

Result: You follow me?

If you are focused on your goal and are willing to get real... success is the only option. You will do what it takes. Period. Adjust your behavior to fit into the requirements of your goal. If your goal requires you do not drink alcohol, adjust. If your goal requires that you run or ride on your off days from the gym, adjust. Make things happen! Do not be a victim! Do Not Be a : I hope person. I hope to make a million dollars one day. I hope to dead lift 400lbs. I hope to run a marathon. I hope to learn spanish. Hope without action is futile.

2. Goals need to measurable. Luckily the Fall Challenge has got this one solved for you. There will be a start date and an end date. There will also be other ways to track progress i.e. strength, performance, etc...

3. Remember this: SMART GOALS

Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely. All Goals need to fit this criteria.

This is a long post that barely scratches the surface of Goal setting. I hope this helps and be ready for more information on the fall challenge!

Sample Meal Plan

2011-09-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Yo yo yo Versus Folks! I've been asked and asked about writing down a sample meal plan and I have always said, "NO!". However, I'll go against my better judgement and write one out for you.

This is the meal plan I've followed 3 times to lose weight fast.

DISCLAIMER: It worked for me and I loved it. However it might not work for you and you need to consult a physician before you begin any diet plan (i've always wanted to write that).

Breakfast: As I have said many times, breakfast is and always will be the most important meal of the day. There are 100's of clever analogies I could use to stress the importance of breakfast but I'll just say this: If you make any excuse for not eating breakfast, you do not want your weight loss goal bad enough End of Story!

Here is the main goal for breakfast: Make it Protein and Fat. Guess what? When you limit your meal choices to protein and fat it TOTALLY takes out 90% of what Americans normally eat. Milk, Cereal, Honey Buns, Donuts, Toast, Grits, Pancakes, Biscuits, Waffles, Pop-tarts, Granola Bars, Special K Bars, breakfast burritos, etc... are a no go. Why? They make you fat. Period. Do not try and rationalize a crummy food choice into your diet if your goal is weight loss.

So what can you eat? Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, Protein Shake, Leftovers from the night before. I always would eat 3-4 eggs and 2 pieces of bacon or I'd go to subway and order a foot long breakfast sub and ask them to serve it to me without bread. NO CHEESE! Load up on the veggies and have a blast!

Snack: For me, Protein bar or some LOW SUGAR Beef Jerky. Simple, easy, and effective.

Lunch: Always a salad or a Meat and Veggies from somewhere in Hattiesburg. If you take off the croutons and cheese you are left with Meat and Veggies. Try Lenny's, Subway, Poboy Express, The End Zone, Caliente Grill, Hell ANYWHERE! Next Question: Dressing! I started using Ranch and tried using very little. I lost that battle. When dressings are concerned LOW SUGAR is the best bet. Google what dressings are the best. For me, I used a lot hot sauce, salsa, guacamole... or anything to make the salad moist. Eventually I kick the dressing altogether because... I WAS GETTING RESULTS. Remember FAT FREE and LIGHT isn't always the best.

Snack: Same as above

Dinner: Chili, Soup, Crock Pot Meal, Ribs, Steak, Chicken, Pork, Fish, Veal, Shrimp, broccoli, kale, spinach, cabbage, asparagus, onions, tomatoes, avocado, etc. Anyway you guys want to combine any of this is perfectly cool. I had theme nights usually every Monday Wed and Friday. For Example: Mexican Monday! I would make my own fajitas, with black beans, and avocado. Wednesday: Italian theme. I made vegetable spaghetti MINUS the noodles. Tons of zucchini, squash, sauce and lean ground beef or ground turkey.

Breakfast: 3-4 eggs, whites or whole, 2 pieces of bacon or subway footlong breakfast sub with no bread

Snack: Protein Bar or leftovers

Lunch: Salad with no cheese or croutons or meat and veggies of any type

Snack: Same

Dinner: Meat and Veggie

Usually what happens when I write a very detailed meal plan is this: PEOPLE DON'T FOLLOW IT. If you go see a certified nutritionist you'll pay out the Wazoo for it... maybe the money is a motivator.

Lastly. You must learn how to take care of yourself. If you do not put thought into your nutrition or effort into your nutrition, you WILL fail. You can not Out Train or Out Work a bad nutrition program! Try this for 30 days with only a cheat day every 10 days... JACK POT.

why you need to dead lift

2011-09-13T12:54:00.000-07:00

Hi folks.

the workout today:

3x5 dead lift

and

8 rounds of 10 kbs, 10 burpee, 10 sdlhp, 10 push up

I could write an analysis of the dead lift to address the title of this blog post. However, I will post a link to a video with good evidence of why you should dead lift. WHY TO DEAD LIFT

This video took place today I believe and dude... you never know what life will throw at you. The majority of the time we use our fitness for fun or for a challenge. Rarely do we use our fitness to help someone in need or for our own survival.

Motivation for Monday

2011-09-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

2 Years

2011-09-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well we made it. I never imagined when I ordered our first piece of equipment that we would actually make it as a business past a few days. I am a huge Debbie Downer when I first begin something. But after we opened on day one... I just knew things were going to be different.

Brody on top of our first order of equipment

Here is a little history on where we started: Versus actually didn't start in the little warehouse where we are now. Kellar had a Boot Camp class that met at Wesley Medical walking track 2 times a week. Those 10-15 boot campers were the first actual members! To you guys and gals, I can not thank you enough for sticking with us at the beginning when we didn't have any equipment and didn't even have a building! Thank you!

While I was still working at smoothie king (off the clock Travis) I drove around looking for buildings that would be suitable for our type of gym. We finally found our little warehouse on Liberty Place.
When I walked into the building in August and immediately began to sweat, I knew we were in the right spot. It was covered in dust, had crazy looking walls that gave people the feel that we are sponsored by Lowes and concrete floors. HOME!

We had to do a little remodeling at first. By little I mean we had to take out an entire office wall, keep it intact and place back where it came from. Paint the Floor (thanks marc). Rip up some angle iron (thanks MMT). Replace all the outlets and install some new ones (thanks tyler, dad and papa). Paint (thanks Kellar).

moving the office wall

So, once we had all the cosmetic stuff finished, I mean because the gym looks like a pig with lip stick right now, we were ready to invite some of our friends in to work out. I say friends because, I didn't want to invite the Public because, well... really... if anyone died in the first few weeks it'd be bad for business. Friends don't sue you when they are dead and they usually die at home after the workout is over (its a pride thing), not actually strapped in the rower in front of potential clients. Fortunately, everyone that came loved it! Word spread that we had a fun atmosphere with great supportive people to train with. Our membership went from 10-15 to 30-40 people pretty quick.

At first I would meet people at the gym whenever they wanted. But after we got 30-40 people we started to offer time slots to attend classes. My first real class was 6am. You guys and gals are true warriors. I do not know how you get up and put on the performances you do at 6am. And you do it with great attitudes! I always get motivation from you guys. The second class time we had nailed down was 9am. Holy hand grenade batman. All I will say is this... you are my "favorite class." Finally we have the afternoon crew. You guys have been with us forever! I can not thank you enough for sticking with me. You guys are like family to us. THANK YOU.

lots of concrete and new pullup bars

Now back to present day... We now have 2 quasi employees ( I don't want to call them employees because they are much more than that), over 150 members, boot camps, team conditioning programs and one on one client training! All of that in two years! We are currently working on our own TV station, Pony farm, and world take over, but hey that stuff takes time.

Again, none of this would be possible without you guys. I thank the Lord all the time for you guys. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Here is to another 2 years or 20!

Burnout and Rehab

2011-08-30T19:23:00.000-07:00

I want to address a few topics in this post

1. Burnout.

What is burnout? I bet there is a professional definition and I could get on webster's online dictionary and provide one but who wants to know what some Oxford Button down Yale grad has to say about burnout. I mean, depending on the type of burnout we are talking about here I might consult Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, or Chris Farley (Experts in the field if you ask me).

But what I am talking about is Gym Burnout. Can this actually happen? We have an awesome gym, so how can you get burnt out on it? Some of you guys will never experience burnout due to missing time at the gym because of work, family events, and what have you. These little breaks play a crucial role in keeping you mentally fresh and even physically healthy. Fathom this: What if I asked you to Crush/Kill every workout, every day, every week, every year... Could your body actual handle this? Could you mentally gear up for this every day? Before you answer this question think about this: Olympic athletes train in a 4 year cycle. NFL athletes train in a 10month cycle. MLB athletes have a grueling season and then 3 months off before the next season. What do all of these athletes have in common? OFF TIME.

So if the professionals need time off or time to de-load shouldn't you? I'll answer this for you: YES!

If you are feeling run down, not sleeping, can't make it through a single workout without feeling like poo poo, then you might wanna sit down and take a look back at your workout log and your nutrition. How many workouts have you hit in a row? At what intensity? How much weight did you use? Did you try to kill yourself every workout? In my humble opinion, I suggest scaling things back every so often. You know your body better than anyone on the planet and if you can't mentally get up for workouts you might be suffering Burnout.

Here is some stream of consciousness about burnout: sick with strep throat for a week and the next week can't finish the workout? take your time (not burn out). ate like crap for a week and a half (not burn out) clean up that diet home boy! My shoulder hurts so bad it wakes me up at night! (take time off and evaluate your shoulder). I can't finish any workout and my fat loss it at a stand still (look at your nutrition and make sure its on par). Pay attention to your body, how it feels, how you sleep, how clean your diet is and how high your motivation is... your body will let you know when to push and when to back off. A good rule of thumb would be this: Judge yourself at the end of every month. How do you feel, how do you look and how do you perform. END OF BURNOUT. if you have questions let me know.

REHAB- If you have an injury you need to address it! Many years ago if I had something that bothered me I would just sweep it under the rug. And Hey! if you are 18 and something bothers you, heck you might be able to push through it. Just yesterday I heard a story about someone ( 13 year old) we know who competed in gymnastics with a torn meniscus for over a year. Dealing with pain for over a year is NOBLE as all get out. For most of us, its smarter to take time off from the movements that hurt, and nurse our injuries back to good health.

I'll use myself as an example. A few years ago my back hurt so bad that I thought I needed a wheel chair. I had shooting pains down my legs, across my back and hips and even in my shoulder blades. What was my first thought? I need to strengthen my back. So, while my back was hurting dumb old Steve was dead lifting and back squatting. It makes perfect sense to continue to strengthen your back while its hurt right?

If something hurts you need to #1. Stretch/Foam roll and Ice. #2. Tell a trainer. 3# Adjust your training movements accordingly.

Do not try to work through an injury. People will disagree with me, but what I have found is that taking a week off is 10x's better than training through 3-4 weeks of pain.

Lastly, if you are over 30 you need to stretch before and after every workout. You need to pay attention to your workouts. You need to pay attention to your body. Treat it right and it will do the same!

-Meta World Peace!

30

2011-08-25T19:32:00.000-07:00

So I have a Birthday Tomorrow.

I'm turning 30 :(

Kellar came up with a 30th Birthday workout and said "we all have to do it"

I'll go ahead and post it even though it make some of you sick to your stomach...

30's
30 Dumbbell man makers
30 Squats (Over Head, Front or Back)
30 Burpee Pull Ups
30 Hang Cleans
30 KBS
30 Thrusters

Go JOE!

2011-08-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Guys and Gals of Versus please remember a few people in your prayers:

David Hester (commonly referred to as Hester) is tackling Ranger School in Georgia as you read this. There is no telling what they are putting him through, but rest assured he is giving it his best. When you are in the gym in 100 degree heat, remember, Hester is dressed in long pants, long shirt and maybe even some gear all day... Keep him in your prayers.

James Bordelon, a guy that some of the old school Versus Folk might know is deployed over seas right now. He isn't behind a desk either. He is a PCS grad and a good friend. He trained and passed the same Ranger School Hester is in now. Both of these guys trained and prepared at our gym... hope we helped boys.

Jeremiah Malmberg is smack in the middle of air borne school, and I think he has a few weeks left. I am not sure what air borne school entails, but you can bet it is not easy. Good Luck buddy.

Workouts for the week.

monday: a huge team chipper
20 calorie row, 30 burpees, 40 clean and jerks, 50 situps, down and back walking lunge and 400m run

Tuesday: 10 toes to bar, 20 push ups, 30 double unders 4 rounds

wednesday: 20min Amrap of 5 chest to bar pull up, 10 wall ball, 15 kettle bell swings.

Glad you are caught up! Hope to see all of you at the PCS 5k this weekend.

Cardio: A how to guide.

2011-08-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

Workout: 4 rounds
Run 800m
Row 500m

The objective of today's workout was elevated heart rate for a sustained period of time. Mission Accomplished!

During longer workouts (for me personally) I start to have a hard time with maintaining my pace toward the middle/end. I always have a little bit of gas in the tank to sprint toward the end, but I have a hard time maintaining pace and THEN kicking it in at the end. How do you fix this problem if it happens to you?

Here is my how to guide to be an ultimate pacer with a kick at the end:

1. Be a Mental Monster and not a Mental Midget. If you always back off your pace when it starts to get very difficult to maintain, you will never improve. WARNING: It is going to hurt when you trying to make performance gains. When you start hurting a little voice in your head shoves its way to the very front of your thought process... "STOP" it says. At this very moment you have a choice to make. What I am asking you to do is tell that little voice, NO. There are some days when you will win the battle of the voice. There will be some days that you lose. When you begin winning the battle over and over again you are on your way to becoming a Mental Monster.

2. Practice workouts that take you into longer time domains. If you have a hard time with, lets say double unders, what do you do? Practice them! If you have a hard time with longer workouts, practice! Need an idea for a great travel workout? Make the time limit 30min or longer... ugh right?
To clarify something: we tend to do shorter workouts with higher intensity so we do not have to put in tons of time doing workouts. However, if you are struggling with overall capacity, you need to dive into the water you are scared.

3. Let the Drummer Kick. At the very end of a workout or race you need to have a sense of urgency. We always yell this sarcastic statement around the gym, "The faster you go, the faster its over." Well duh... but what we are really getting at is urgency. I always want to finish a workout and feel good about the job I have done. If I have urgency to finish and try really hard to shut out the little voice 99% of the time I feel good about my workout and my performance. Who cares where everyone else finishes!!! So kick the tires and light the fires big daddy! Let the drummer kick son! Dig down deep, forget about how bad it hurts and do not be scared to push to new levels!

5k

2011-08-17T12:44:00.000-07:00

PCS High School is hosting their very first Legacy 5k run. I went to PCS and a ton of our current clients have children that go there now. I think it would be really cool if we all got together and ran in their 5k on August the 27th.... the day after I turn 30 :(

We have sign up sheets at the gym. Let me know if you are interested!

Workout: Row 20 calories, 30 Wall Ball, 20 toes 2 bar, 30 box jump, 20 kbs, 30 push ups, 20 push press, 30 cal Row. The format is pretty cool so show up for details.

2011 Arthur Ashe Award - Dewey Bozella

2011-08-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life brings a challenge to your door step. Its what you do with it and how you handle it that determines... well... determines what you are made of. Whats cool is this: He used boxing/working out and challenging himself to keep his sanity and help him continue the fight for his freedom. Does your workout do this for you? Does it help you stay sane on your insane days? If you make it through a horrible workout, does it silence the other stupid stresses in your life and allow you to stay on task?

IMAGINE what this man endured, take a step back and look at your own life.... Pretty good right?

WORKOUT: 5 Front squat in to a Push press, 7 pull up, run 200m. 8 rounds

Team Workouts!

2011-08-11T19:20:00.000-07:00

THE WORKOUTS

1. Run 400m, 30 Thrusters (35f,45m)

2. From the Ground to Over head any way possible x 20 (115m,75f)

3. 30 Hand-Release Push-Ups
40 Front Squats (53m,35f)
50 Kettlebell Swings (53m/35f )

4. 15-12-9 of Power Clean (135m, 85f) and Burpee

5. 100 wall ball and 800m relay run

Ok. Here are some of the guidelines: Teams of two will complete the workouts. Team member #1 will do the first workout while Team member #2 watches and cheers violently! Team member #2 will do workout number 2 while Team member #1 rest and cheers violently... You will continue to flip flop Workouts until you get to WORKOUT #5.

On Workout #5 only one person will work at a time on the wall balls. Once the Wall Balls are done the team will move outside for the run. Each team member will run two 200m runs. Again only one person can work at a time.

More Guide Lines will await you at the gym! Come with a good attitude and be prepared to work HARD!

Jack n the Box

2011-08-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Workout: row 1000m, 100 Double Unders, 30 Pull ups (Make chest touch the Bar).

In a few weeks, I'll be adding folks to our success story page (with your permission of course).

We have TONS of people around the gym that have had BIG success with us at Versus Strength and Conditioning. One thing that all of our successful clients do is: Practice What We Preach

If you are a interested in losing the last 5-10lbs that stands between you and the coveted 6-pack but refuse to adhere to our strict nutrition standards... well... I can promise you, you will never get your 6-pack until you get your nutrition right. Now before I get all you internet/keyboard samurai out there fired up, let me say this: There are some exceptions to the rule. God given genetics is one exception and the use of performance enhancing drugs is the other.

However, as I stated earlier, if you practice what we preach I can promise you positive results. I have put 15-20lbs of muscle on people, taken 70-80lbs off people, put people through their first triathlon, and put people through their first 5k. We get results out of people. PERIOD. If you can't get a pull up, we'll provide the way if you provide the work. If you want to be able to walk on your hands for 50ft, we will provide the way if you provide the work. If you want to lose 50lbs, we will give you the nutrition plan to do it... but always remember this: You can not out train a poor nutrition plan.

Whatever goal you may have I dare you to dump it on us and see if we can help you meet it. Quit using lame excuses and get on the bus... or get left by it.

**Team workout friday! Bring a partner!

Push ups

2011-08-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

Short and simple... How do you get better at push ups?

DO A LOT OF THEM!

Workout:
run 400m
25 hand release push ups
then
a whole lot of situps

Team Workout

2011-08-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Reminder: TEAM WORK OUT FRIDAY

Make sure you are on time! This friday the 12th we will host a fun team workout! Be there or be square!

How to Squat

2011-08-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

The Abridged Version

The most common misconception about the squat is: The first movement is down. If you are in the "down" crowd, you are incorrect young sirs. If you go down, you will run out of room and most definitely end up with the majority of your weight on your toes. If you are a toe squatter, STOP. Your meniscus with thank you.

The squat begins with the hips moving back, then force your knees out, arch your back and THEN you can begin to descend. Remember to put the majority of your weight on your heels. If you sit back, force your knees out, keep your chest up and stay on your heels... you should be good... barring any accidents happening (like aliens with ray guns blowing up your gym, a super ballad by Guns and Roses blaring across the speakers taking you back to the glory days, or a big foot sighting). Perfect practice makes perfect!

Workout: Not for Time

Run 400m
20 back squat, front squat or OH Squat
20 pull ups

Its Getting Hot in Here

2011-08-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

... So... Its sorta cold outside.

Heat Index today was 100+ today. Make sure you are making an effort to stay hydrated throughout the entire day! Do not try to drink a bottle of water before you hit the gym and think its going to be enough... believe me it won't be.

Today we worked on a lot of technique stuff with the dead lift, hang squat clean and the push jerk. All of these movements are fun to do and easy to mess up. Deadly combo if you ask me... Remember one of our motto's is "Master the Basics". You may not be super flashy, but honestly, being rock solid is better than being flashy every once in a while.

Workout: 3 rounds
5 dead lift
5 hang squat clean
5 push jerk
10 burpees
add weight at each round.

Great Core Work Out

2011-08-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

The workout today, believe it or not, was a great core work out. Usually, when we think about the buzz word "Core" we think of what??? ABS! Correct sir. However, when you think of your "core" think of 2 things: Front and Back.

Front: The good old rectus abdominis commonly referred to as the six pack.

Back: There are so many layers of fascia and muscles going HERE that I'll let you look at the link.

Work out: 3 rounds
30 hr push ups
30 calorie row
30 kbs

Your ability to stabilize your lower back and brace with your abs is crucial in every workout. Be mindful of your entire core and challenge yourself by activating it every workout!

How to be better at ANY Sport

2011-08-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

I think every little boy has a phase where he wants to a pro at something. My "pro phase" was all throughout high school. Buddy, I wanted to be better than Michael Jordan. I also wanted to out run Carl Lewis. Honestly, I just knew I could knock out Mike Tyson with a single punch and drop bombs all over Roger Clemens.

I played hard during my high school career and had an opportunity to play at the college level but "things didn't pan out." By "things didn't pan out" I mean, I wasn't good enough to dunk on Michael Jordan. However, not dunking on Mike let me focus on what I think is my passion in life: helping people through personal training.

I ask myself all the time, "How would I have helped High School me?" The short list that follows is what I would recommend to myself back in the good old days. I can promise you this list would have made me better at any sport!

How to be Better At Sports

1. Lift weights. I know this is VERY general but I went to private school and we didn't have a weight room. Being able to throw 300lbs over your head is a huge confident booster when stepping onto the field.

2. You have a coach for every sport out there so why not hire a strength coach? So, hire a strength coach or a personal trainer with knowledge. I know that everyone has an EXPERT in the family that is willing to volunteer their time in the gym. However, listen to me on this, it is super hard to un-train years of bad form. It is much easier to start with a blank canvas. I'm not saying that uncle Tommy "is not as good as he once was" but lets be honest... there are some really good coaches out there. Invest in yourself or your child to get a great foundation built EARLY.

3. Run Track. Most schools have a track program... JOIN IT. I skipped out on track one year and really really regret it.

4. Be an expert at the basics. I never knew what a dead lift was until college. I never knew what a clean and jerk or a Olympic snatch was until after college. I knew about weight lifting machines and that is about it... Guess what? The best in the world do the basics very well! The basics are with dumbbells and barbells. Learn it. Love it.

5. Work on Work Capacity. What does this mean? Hit high intensity workouts at least twice a week. Push yourself in training so when you need to call upon the "push" in a game, it will not be a new thing.

This is just the short list... but All 5 of the things I have listed go on at Versus Strength and Conditioning on a daily basis. We lift weights under supervision, we run track style repeats on a weekly basis, we hammer the basics all the time and we nail high intensity workouts 3-4 times a week.

Come by and check us out!

Time after Time

2011-07-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

I post inspirational videos on here from time to time. Hopefully, when you watch them it inspires you in some way. I love motivational videos and quotes because they seem to put life into perspective. Compared to some of the individuals in the videos I post, I have it made! To be honest, we all have it made compared to the majority of the individuals in these videos (whether fact or fiction).

I am a FIRM FIRM believer that life is what you make of it. If life hands you lemons, make lemonade right? Or open a huge lemonade stand and be the best lemonade salesman on the planet. If you are not happy in the situation you're in.... Do something about it. Do whatever it takes to make your situation better. Be Happy. Life is too short to be unhappy. Let me forewarn you.... if you start to make a change be prepared for the haters to come out of the wood works. Be prepared for negative thoughts and insecurities to immediately pop into your head.... There will be resistance all over the place, in all shapes and sizes. However, you've got to remember that what is right is not always popular and what is popular is not always right. You might have to go against the grain to get the job done. Here is one of the best inspirational videos of all time!!! Well, in my opinion.... I LOVE IT! Find what you love and do whatever it takes to be the best at it.

Rainy Monday!

2011-07-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

First off... The Beast Mode Award goes to my 4pm class today. Noah's flood came a' pouring down and you guys decided to run in it!!! Big PROPS!

I'm sitting here watching Extreme Weight loss Maker Over edition. GREAT. SHOW. Yeah I'm aware its got the tear jerker factor etc... but I am really interested in how the show gives you an inside look at what type of life style you have to lead to get to 400lbs. One contestant a few weeks back explained weight gain very very plainly, "I'm a food addict. My drug is around me every day, all day, and its legal. Everyone wants to buy it for you and you have to have it every day to live." WOW. I've never really thought of food that way, but food is a "hell of a drug" (charlie murphy!). Here is an article THAT IS A MUST READ! It is rather lengthy but I'm telling ya... read it. Please. READ

Monday: warm up with body weight movements and active stretches

str: front squat and bent over row

workout: 10Min Amrap
20 wall balls
200m run

do the wall balls unbroken! If you dont have a wall ball do thrusters!

Short Week

2011-07-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

Monday : Happy Birthday America!

Tuesday: 10 thruster, 10 pull up, run 400m, you go I go format, 10 rounds

Wednesday: 6 rounds: run 300m, then max kettle bell swings

Thursday: Sneek Peak- 5x5 shoulder press, rest, 60 sec of plank hold (elevate your feet)

5MIN Amrap: 10 Push Press, 10 burpees

"IF"

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold On";

if you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neuter foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

-Rudyard Kipling

On to the next one!

2011-06-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Warm up: 2 rounds of body weight movements 10-15 a piece

Str: RFE Lunges 3x8 per leg and TGU 3x5 per arm
Single leg and single arm work here

workout: "Swing Away"

200m run, 250m row, 400m run, 500m row, 800m run, 1000m row, 75 kbs.

KFC is starting to get things right... Finally right? First, grilled chicken and now they are donating money to diabetes research! But... there is a catch. Read THIS !

3rd times a charm!

2011-06-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

warm up with body weight movements

str: some classes did hand stand push up work and dip work. 5x5 on all movements

work out: 500m row, 40 squats, 30 situps, 20 push ups, 10 pull ups, rest 3min repeat for a total of 3 rounds.

HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT for our gym: 90+ people came through today! Good job guys! Also, a lot of clients had huge personal accomplishments today. Guys and Gals, I am very very proud of all you guys for laying the smack down on the workout! Watching you guys cut your previous work out times in half makes me one proud papa!!!

Get ready to work your tails off this week... we have some fun workouts planned!!!

This video has a rap song in the back ground that may not be suitable for everyone, so you might wanna turn it down... but I wanted to show this old video for one reason: BEAST MODE!

Back in Black!

2011-06-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

Do not forget that we will be hosting Sweat Box Yoga this Saturday @ 8am. Come get your stretch on!!!

Today we did a little bit more single leg dominate work with some single arm rowing. Its a good idea to address single leg work and single arm work. Singles make sure to address any imbalances if you have any... I mean its cool to be the king of the barbell but everybody needs some maintenance here and there.

Workout: 15min Amrap of- 20 double unders, 10 pull ups, 5 man makers.

Google man makers to get an idea of what they are.... there are many versions, just pick the one that is the hardest!

Fridays workout will be a challenge sooooooo be prepared! If you want to know what it is you must come to the gym.

And Boom goes the dynamite

2011-06-21T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today A LOT of you guys really impressed me with how much progress you have made over the past year that we have been open. Every time I turn around someone else is doing strict pull ups or throwing the wall ball over the 10 foot mark or running 400m without stopping. When I see you guys make this kind of progress it makes so thankful to have all of you in the gym! Thank you for all your hard work!

So far this week everyone has done a great job with coming on the hour and on the half hour. I will get with each of you very soon to see which class times work out best for you. Once you pick a class time you must try and stay with that class. I know that life throws you curve balls sometimes and you'll be unable to make it to class "on time" but we have many other classes and boot camps that make it to a specific class time every night. Honestly, its the only way that we can grow as a gym and continue to challenge you as clients.

So, I'm watching Rambo II right now on AMC. I am adding it to my top 10 "Favorite Movie" list. Seriously, whats not to love about this movie? Guns, Russians, Guns, C-4 explosive arrows, Guns, Hijacking helicopters, More Guns... and last but not least EVERYONE wants to be ripped like Rambo. That dude is super lean in the movie. Rumor has it Stallone worked our for 8 months 4 hours a day to get ready for the film! Now that is some dedication... but I guess that is what it takes to get RIPPED LIKE RAMBO! Keep up the hard work!!! Get ready for a butt kicker tomorrow!

Here is a sneak peek of tomorrows action:

Str: Over head press work and side planks

3 power clean
6 push up
9 air squat Reps and rounds TBA!

Monday

2011-06-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Warm up with Body Weight Exercises

Str: We did some single leg dominate work and some horizontal pulling

Workout: Today was a repeat of a workout we did a few weeks back, only with some tweaks.

Row 30 calories
30 burpees onto a plate stack
30 toes to bar
30 over head walking lunges
then
Core work.

Also, some people beg me to post the workout early... so here we go!

Str: ???

7 rounds for time of:
5 Chest to bar Pull-ups
10 Wall ball
15 Kettlebell swings

Its been a long time...

2011-06-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

I shouldn't have left you, left with a dope beat to step too....

Yo! Attention Versus Afternoon Clients: We are busting at the seams during the afternoon (3-6pm) classes. So, PLEASE do us a favor and starting coming on the hour for class. 3pm,4pm,5pm and 6pm are the class times that are open. If you are late you will be asked to wait or will have to skip warm up and strength and hop right into a workout. Please help us keep this stream lined, so we can all continue to get swole.

Ok. Now onto business. I have been away from the Blog world for a bit, due to this crappy job I have that keeps me busy all the time. I work in a warehouse that doesn't have AC, I am on my feet for like 10hrs a day and when I get home, the guy I work for wants me to do more work on the computer. So I told him, forget you man, I do what I want, you don't own me.... so I've been sleeping. Standing up to the man... yeah...yeah... thats right...

:) I will not recap all of the workouts that we have gone through, but I will recap this: They have been really hard. Synopsis: go to the gates of hell on monday, wednesday and friday... wash rinse repeat on tuesday and thursday. That sums up the month of june so far. Agree?

Recently, we have been consistently visiting strength movements. Why? (high pitched voice)<--- To get stronger???

Yes.

To steal a quote from a really cool dude with two first names (Dan John), "Strength is the glass that everything gets poured into." Quick question... Where do you stand on this statement?

When I think about this quote I get a vivid mental picture. What I see is a tall pint glass. One that you get an adult beverage in. I picture that glass on a mahogany bar. Next, a stainless steal metal water pitcher with condensation built up on the outside. A mysterious hand picks up the pitcher and begins to pour the water... ok enough already you get the picture.

If your pint glass has cracks in it, isn't big enough or has some type of design flaw... anything you try to pour in the glass will not stay in it. So I look at strength as a safety net. Strength gives you a firm foundation for which you can build anything. So: If you are strong, you can try just about anything. If you are strong, you are harder to kill than weak people. If you are strong generally more useful than weaker people.

But be warned. Strength is earned. It is not something you get overnight. So be patient, keep picking up heavy things and putting them down, and NEVER EVER skip the basics of strength.

2011-05-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Work out for Tuesday!

Part One: Teams of 2

Amrap 12min of:
Power Cleans x 3 reps
Push-Ups x 6 reps
24″/18″ Box Jumps x 9 reps

Rest EXACTLY five minutes, and then:

Part Two: Teams of 2
In teams of two, complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
Pull-Ups x 5 reps
Burpees x 10 reps

Back in the saddle!

2011-05-30T16:00:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

-now. Back to bid'ness

70's Big After Math

I know for a fact that I did not do to well on my nutritional obligations this weekend. However, I am ready to get back after it tomorrow. Here is something I thought about this weekend...

"Do not go where the path may lead, instead go where there is no path and leave a trail." -Emerson

I came across this quote in high school and boy did it have a different meaning then. I won't dive into my thought process back then, but I'll tell you what it means to me now.

.TAKE ACTION.

If you have been waiting to start a new venture, stop waiting. If you've always wanted to do a pull up, do extra work after the workout. If you've always wanted to have a six pack, diet hard! I think its time to start listening to that little voice inside your head that says, "Take Action." Taking action is something new these days. Most people lay back and go along with what other people or society tells them to do. How flippin' boring is that? If you begin anew today I promise you, you will inspire someone else to do that same thing. Lets kill stagnation and turn over a new leaf. What is your goal for this month? Write it down and go after it! See you tomorrow!

For Friday

2011-05-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Reminder: The gym will close at 11am tomorrow. We will re-open on Tuesday at 6am.

Hope all of you guys have a great memorial day weekend!

Here is the workout for Friday:

20 Calorie row
30 Burpees
30 DB clean and press (45lb / 25lb)
30 Toes-to-bar
100 foot over head walking lunge
200m sprint

as requested

2011-05-25T18:30:00.000-07:00

The Workout for tomorrow:

First: 1-100 ladder of kbs and burpees (a special kind!)
so 1 burpee, 1 swing, 2 and 2, 3 and 3 and so forth.... as many as you can get in 6min

rest 2 min

Second: 6min Amrap of

10 broad jump, 10 dumbbell squat cleans

Third: 8 min

2min bike, 2 min jump rope.

Boot Camp

2011-05-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

Summer is here! Versus Strength and Conditioning is adjusting our Boot Camp hours to fit the needs of teachers and others that get to take advantage of a much deserved summer break! Call 601.543.8883 for more details about how to get started!

Boot Camp is an 8 week program that 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, 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? To date we have had clients lose 10, 20 and even 28lbs in only 8 weeks. We provided you with nutrition information and take home workouts. Its an 8 week commitment that can jump start your weight loss, give you confidence, and benefit your health! Sign up today!

www.versusstrengthandconditioning.com

Skinny Fat

2011-05-23T18:15:00.000-07:00

HERE

here

Click the links above to read great articles about weight loss, nutrition, fitness, etc...

The workout today was: Fight Gone Bad (pretty nasty workout)

Workout for Tuesday: 100 pull up, 100 kbs, 100 anchored sit up, run 1000m

THE GYM WILL BE CLOSED FRIDAY @11am until Tuesday June the 1st.

What's for dinner?

2011-05-18T17:54:00.000-07:00

How to become Spectacular.

2011-05-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

Here is my go to guide on becoming Spectacular.

1. Probably the most important step to truly becoming spectacular would be education. Don't be afraid to educate yourself about everything! Nutrition, Health and Wellness, Fitness, Life, Spirituality, Painting, Spanish, Molecular Biology, etc. Having knowledge is freaking spectacular. Buuuut, the scary thing about having knowledge is, its dangerous. Once you have it you can't make the excuse of, "well I don't know what to do or how to do it". So, if you aren't ready to really make some changes in your life, stay in the dark. I totally advise against this because you will not become spectacular living in darkness. Darkness is dumb.

2. Secondly, determination is pretty spectacular. Once you have knowledge, be determined to use it. If you have a game plan, and then stick to it... its pretty hard to fail. Well unless you have a crappy game plan like this one: I wanted to buy a banana plantation in south america. I needed a way to ship the bananas to the states. So I priced huge tankers on the internet. Ok, so have a laugh, we all know i can't afford a tanker, but even before the purchase of the tanker there was something in my way. There are basically banana drug lords in south america. So i would have needed AK-47's way before the tanker. Trying to be determined before I had knowledge about the situation... not the smartest approach.

3. Lastly, EGO. Everyone has an Ego. One of our sayings at the gym is, "Check your ego at the door." The reason why we say that to some folks is simply because their ego might get in the way of their success in the gym. Now, for other folks, we try to coax the little lion out of the proverbial cage because it will only make them happier and healthier. A spectacular ego is one that is unafraid to do anything, unafraid to try your best and still finish last, unafraid to finish first, unafraid of what other people think.

This is only a little bit of my list... I think you should make your own, because being spectacular is... well... spectacular.

20lbs and spectacularness

2011-05-15T11:42:00.000-07:00

Ok, concluding our last blog about weight loss and being spectacular...

Last time we covered what Robb Wolf said about fat loss. Basically: Eat meat and veggies and limit your fruit intake. According to Robb, if you do this for 30 days you will see fat loss. I concur!

This past winter Michael and I went on a "Bro-mantic" weight lifting adventure. It was fun. i added 55lbs to my deadlift, 45lbs to my bench press and 50lbs to my back squat in a few months. What we did was was working, so we stuck with it. To handle this type of strength program... I needed to increase overall body mass. Simply put, to get stronger I upped my calories. Well, I upped everything. An example of one meal I had during this strength adventure was this guy: One Large Papa Johns Pizza and half gallon of organic milk. This is only one example of some truly epic food battles I had during this strength program. You might think this is crazy, unhealthy, dumb, etc... and you'd be right. It's probably not the most healthy way to eat but I'd been dieting for a while trying to lose body fat for a triathlon and I was tired of eating like a rabbit. Plus, i've read all over the place from people way smarter than I am that to gain weight and strength in rapid amounts you MUST increase your caloric intake. I might have went over board... but hey, can't hate a guy for trying. If you are interested in weight gain make sure you google: milk and squats, GOMAD diet, 70's big, these will steer you in the right direction.

Now, you can only imagine what happened to my body composition and weight numbers after this diet and strength program. The morning of the triathlon I weighed 182lbs. The morning I decided to stop the "BIG" program I weighed 203lbs. I gained 21lbs and added strength buuuuuuttt frankly I was a little chubby. This new found chubbiness sorta made my skin crawl and I wanted to get it off and lose a few lbs before summer started got here. I mean lets get real, no one wants to see a hungry manatee walking around poolside... its down right scary. So, what'd I do? I did exactly what Mr. Robb Wolf said to do. I started eating eggs and bacon in the morning, a mid morning snack that was mostly some type of protein, a lunch from Caliente Grill most of the time, or a meat and veggie combo, another snack, usually a protein bar, and dinner consisting of steak, chicken, pork, fish, veggies, water. Cutting to the chase: So far I have lost 13lbs and to be quite honest it has been very hard! I haven't been as motivated as I would like, I find that I have cravings that I succumb to ALL THE TIME, and really, I've been lazy and making excuses. Since January I have averaged less than 1lb of weight loss per week, not to great. So I'll have to get back to you on losing 20lbs but I can promise you I 'll get there. Oh and by no means is this a failure. I've lost 13lbs and I'm happy about it!

-What about workouts? I follow exactly the type of workouts I prescribe at the gym. They are short and intense. I also add at least one interval style cardio session a week, like riding my bike for an hour every Sunday and sometimes on Saturdays. I listen to my body and if it wants to go, I go. If I feel horrible I rest and think about eating pizza and drinking a half gallon of milk... Spectacular will be saved for next time...

losing 20 lbs and becoming spectacular

2011-05-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Where to start? I can not tell you how many times I hear clients, random people, friends, family etc... "I need to lose weight." 90% of the time I hear this statement made during a meal... a meal compromised of "healthy" food: chips and salsa, a bowl of ranch with a few pieces of lettuce in it, fries, 3rd piece of birthday cake... you get the picture.

1st thing I would recommend doing is admit that you need to make a change. I know we aren't in AA, but you must be honest with yourself. You will not make any progress, none whatsoever, if you do not admit that you need change! I have a friend of mine that always ask me, "What are you doing now?" Do yourself a favor and make a habit of asking yourself that very same question. If what you are doing right now, exercise program, nutritional strategy, mental prep is working for you... STICK WITH IT. However, if what you are doing is not working, you must make a change.

Change: Its a hard thing to stomach. We love routine. We love consistency. Our routine give us confidence! Why? Because we become master and commander of our routine. What if our routine is killing us? Here is an example brought to my attention the other day: I invested 1000$ in a mutual fund. The mutual fund went up 30%. I stuck with the mutual fund because it was making money. WINNING! Oh and no I am not sharing the name of the fund... :) Other end of the spectrum: I invested 300$ in a stock. The stock went down over 100% and i'm now as mad as Shaquille O'neal crammed in a Mini Cooper. Who wants to be Shaq in Mini Cooper. I know I don't. Advice: Invest in what works! Stick with a routine that helps you, not one that shoves your head through a convertible top and shoves your knees into your chest.

So what works? Well. Aren't we pretty sure that loaded baked potatoes, pizza, beer, ranch, Canes, Olive garden and other cheat spots aren't working? If we are not in agreement here, stop reading this post. This block quote is from Robb Wolf. He is "spectacular". Check out him out HERE.

Lean proteins that support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune function. Protein also makes you feel satisfied between meals.
Fruits and vegetables rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that have been shown to decrease the likelihood of developing a number of degenerative diseases including cancer, diabetes and neurological decline.
Healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocadoes, olive oil, fish oil and grass-fed meat. Scientific research and epidemiological studies show that diets rich in Monounsaturated and Omega-3 fats dramatically reduce the instances of obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and cognitive decline.

Effective, lifelong fat loss is easy with Paleo foods. We recommend the majority of your meals look something like this:

4-8 oz of lean protein such as chicken, lean beef, turkey, pork loin or seafood.
Then add several servings of multicolored vegetables, either raw, steamed or lightly cooked.
Finally, round out the meal with good fats from Avocado, olive oil or a handful of un-salted nuts such as almonds, pecans, macadamias or walnuts.

Make sure to have 3-4 meals like this each day. Give it 30 days and then let us know how quickly and easily it is to lose unwanted body fat, all without hunger and cravings. Until you reach your desired level of leanness we recommend you keep your fruit intake to 1-2 servings per day and make these choices mainly from berries and melons. Keep in mind, you will be eating plenty of nutritious fresh vegetables, we just want you to see the fastest, most effective results you can. This is why we limit your fruit in the beginning to help you change your metabolic engines to a mode of “fat burning”.

The next blog post will contain a conclusion on 20lbs of weight loss and also show you how to be spectacular!

This one is simple....

2011-05-05T18:38:00.001-07:00

Workout: Run 1 mile, then do 100 wall balls.

THE END

Tuesday!

2011-05-03T18:12:00.000-07:00

warm up with awesomeness

str with tabataness

workout: power snatch and burpee Amrap 15min

if you havent been on a regular schedule at the gymnasium... get on the pain train!!!!

Early for Monday!

2011-05-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

warm up with box weight movements and a short run

str: Press, Pull, Squat all circuit style (Strength will change from class to class)

workout: 3 rounds of:
1 minute max calorie Rowing
1 minute max rep Jump Squats
1 minute max rep KBS (53, 35)

Get ready for a great week! Reminder: We have a boot camp starting May the 3rd! Please reach out to a friend and get them to sign up! Ask Michael or Steve for more details!

One of my favorites...

2011-05-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

This is roughly 468lbs. Pyrros Dimas weighs in @ roughly 185lbs. AWESOME!

10x10

2011-04-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

10x10 bench press, pull up

then

3x10 ring row, shoulder press

workout: ????

wednesday

2011-04-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

warm up: body weight movements

str: back squat and lunge combo

workout: 10-1 ladder of

kbs, burpee, k2e

Be Whoever You Want to Be

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at MOVIECLIPS.com

For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.

Tuesday madness

2011-04-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

We served up some cardio today!!

workout:

run 800m
30 situp
25 double unders
row 250
run 600m
30 situp
row 250
25 double unders
run 400m
30 situp
25 double unders
row 250m
25min cap

"I'm so optimistic I'd go after Moby Dick in a row boat and take the tartar sauce with me."

-Zig Ziglar

The rise

2011-04-19T11:20:00.000-07:00

here is what went on monday:

20min of- 5 rounds of 5pull up, 10 push up, 15 squats, then move onto 10 clean and jerks, then run 200m. How many rounds of this can you get in 20min???

Here is a video that gave me chills... you can apply this to any area of your life. We all fall. We all can rise.

wednesday

2011-04-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Rock and SWAY! or Row and Swing.

Team up with a partner and take turns rowing or swinging the bell for 1min a piece! Do this for a total of 14 rounds. 3500m and 450 swings for a team makes for a busy workout!

So how do you like the new look of the gym?

Failure

2011-04-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

Warm up: Body weight skills and drills

str: push, squat and pull

workout: 4 rounds of run, clean and press, k2e, burpees

Failure: It happens right? But what if we don't prepare for failure? What happens when it shows up?

Occasionally, I'll see folks post on their news letters, blogs, articles, public out cry for attention: here is what the Internet dictionary defines "said word" as. Usually many many lines later, and you are only reading this garbage at this point because it is sort of like seeing a car accident (yes its a tragedy, but you can't look away because you want to see what bad thing happens next), the author bends this literal black and white definition of said word into whatever twisted, gray galaxy they want to take it. Totally wrong in my opinion, especially when it is done poorly.

So what is failure? I guess I need to define failure, or let "the Internet" do it. Or maybe, I'll tell you what it is, tell you how to deal with it and then give you a ten step process on how to handle your life once it leaves you! Because I have the power to do that right?

Lets be honest with one another... we all know when we fail. You don't need some Internet blogger, news paper writer, or columnist to lay a black and white definition on you. Because we all know its more colorful than that... We usually point the finger at someone else. We try to cast blame so far away from ourselves because we are not prepared to deal with it. Its a horrible feeling. It sucks to let someone down. It stinks letting yourself down.

So. Just crawl up in a cave and die? No. When we play this game called life, you have got to understand that just by signing up to play, you have signed up to fail. - now that's being prepared.

Now, to me, failure does not include being unlucky enough to be born into a life where random external events always keep you from succeeding. That's just life, not the definition of failure. -Life give you lemons right?

Just know that when you try something new you must be honest with yourself that the probability of you making small failures along the way are HIGH. Remember it is about the ENTIRE journey... not just the pit stops. When you fail, call it like you see it. Don't point the finger some where else. Deal with it right there. Make a mental note-a physical note to outline how you failed and never make the same mistake twice. - that's what you do when it shows up.

Concentrate your energy on what you can do that will actually make a change instead of wallowing around in all the attractive emotional mud that is lying around. Soldier on... don't make a status update about it.

This last part is from October 16th 2009 of this blog:

...will you fight or just lay down. Burn the oars, nuke the boat and strand yourself on the island. Only your best effort matters.

Get Big and be somebody!

2011-04-05T06:56:00.000-07:00

How big do you want to be when you grow up? Here is a workout from Gym Jones that will help you along your way:

Location:	Gym Jones
Workout Type:	Strength Endurance, Power, Power Endurance
Description:	Workout: "Get Big and Be Somebody": 100x Pull-up + 100x Bench Press @ 225# + 100x Back Squat @ 225# + 100x Deadlift @ 225# + 100x Hand Stand Push-up

Its amazing the amount of clarity you'll gain when you hop out from behind your computer desk and challenge yourself. Oh and exercise improves brain function! So get out from behind your ipod, ipad, macbook, iMac, iLife and get moving!

To start the week we did a nasty little work out:

STR: Kettle Bell front squat and reverse lunge combo

21-15-9 of wall ball, pull up, thruster, kbs and box jump

Today we'll visit a rowing/riding interval.

I'd like to recognize Wes Crider for improving BIG TIME on the above listed 21-15-9 workout. Last time he did it (Jan 22nd) it took him 27min. This go round... 16 and some change. Great job dude!

2 for 1

2011-03-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

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...

Talk to me Jonny...

2011-03-28T20:18:00.000-07:00

"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.

2011-03-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

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.

The Big Five... sorta

2011-03-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

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

Are you Limitless?

2011-03-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

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

For the love of the Irish

2011-03-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

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.

Meet Blake

2011-03-15T12:01:00.000-07:00

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!

Tuesday

2011-03-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

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.