”Tofi”:

An acronymn for “thin outside, fat inside”; a person who doesn’t eat enough to be overweight but has excessive levels of internal fat.   –Jimmy Bell, Ph.D., Imperial College, London

Intramuscular body fat is highly correlated with diseases such as type-II diabetes and insulin resistance.  Luckily, regular weight training is one of the best ways to get rid of it.

Another term, that I like to use instead of Tofi, is “Skinny Fat.”

An Article in Olympic Coach Magazine suggests that grit, or the ability to work hard and consistently over the long haul, is equally (and in some cases more) important than talent for individuals seeking to become successful in their field of interest.

Grit is perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Grit entails working strenuously toward challenges, maintaining both effort and interest over years and years—despite failure, adversity, and even just stalls in progress. The gritty individual approaches achievement as a marathon; his advantage is stamina. Whereas disappointment or boredom signals to others that it is time to change trajectory and cut losses, the gritty individual stays the course.

This seems obvious to anyone who takes seriously the children’s story about the Tortoise and the Hare. We all know that the Tortoise won. And we know why. He didn’t work hard for just one moment and then get lazy. He consistently worked within the bounds of his capacity, never gave up, and always stayed focussed on his goal. The far more naturally talented Hare didn’t have grit, and he lost.

As a trainer, I can tell you that talent doesn’t mean a thing if you don’t use it. Some of my most successful athletes started at the bottom of the talent pool. But, they have a work drive that is staggering.

Check out this “grit” test, and see where you are and where you could improve.

UPDATE:  Turns out the aforementioned “grit” test doesn’t actually give you a result, but simply sends in your info for the study … still interesting though.

Couples are boxing one another, and getting healthy in the process.   More at the NYTimes

In Browsing the T-Nation archives, I came accross this gem of workout advice by Mike Robertson, CSCS, USAW.

It’s his 10 Tips for Flawless Squattin’

Here’s a highlight:

1. Hands in
2. Back together and tight
3. Comfortable Stance with Toes out Slightly
4. Weight Balanced
5. Chest up, Low back Tight
6. Focus on a Spot
7. Big Breath, Core Tight
8. Sit Back
9. Knees Out
10. Speed!

Read the article for a more in depth view and tips for correcting flaws in form.

For more info on proper squatting technique, I suggest Mark Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength: A Simple and Practical Guide for Coaching Beginners”

“Fat loss is not under the control of the magic fat loss fairies. It’s based on simple changes in behavior.”–Alwyn Cosgrove

Are you too old to exercise?  Are you too old to go back to school?  Are you too old to think?  To move?  To live?

Phyllis Turner is a 94 year old Great-Great Grandmother.  And she just received her Masters Degree in Medical Science.   She didn’t get her undergraduate degree until she was 70.

The reality is that you are never to old to start anything new.   I’ve seen Septigenarian powerlifters, and just last term I sat in a 600 level mathematics courses with a 90 year old man who could barely hear.  But he got it.

Starting a new exercise routine is hard for everybody.  Especially if it’s been a while since you’ve done any physical activity.   But, it’s more than worth it.

No matter how old you are, it’s never too late to start working out.

What happens when you are pressed for time, you can’t get to a gym, but you NEED to workout? It’s happens to all of us. Maybe you were on vacation, a business trip, or were just overbooked. And next thing you knew, you were missing workouts left and right, whittling the time you spent every week in the gym down from 4 or 5 days to 2, or worse.

Never fear. Burpees are here! Now you will always have a way to workout, even when facilities, time, and resources are scarce.

But, what is a Burpee? A Burpee is something military types do. It basically goes like this:

• Squat down,
• place hands on floor,
• (keeping hands in place) jump your legs back so that your body is in the Push up position,
• then do a push up,
• jump back into a squat position with hands still on floor,
• jump up as high as possible.
• Land.
• That’s ONE rep.

Here’s a link to a demo vid. The dude doing them (Ross Enamait) is seriously hard core. And has written about the benefits of Burpees quite extensively himself.

The coach I trained under to get certified had us do these every-time we didn’t yell, “Yea Burpees!” in response to his meantioning of the word, “burpees”, regardless of how quiet he said them, or how subtly he snuck them into a sentence. Needless to say, I got SORE.

The beauty of Burpees is that they are a whole body exercise that you can do anywhere, anytime. And that is the point. When you are pressed for time, and don’t have access to a gym, you need tools in your arsenal that allow you to get a solid workout in regardless. The Burpee is just such a tool.

A workout that I have done, that is quite brutal, is the following done in Ladder fashion:

do 1 rep, rest a minute
do 2 reps, rest
do 3, rest
do 4, ….
all the way to 10 reps. Then go back DOWN. 10, rest, 9, rest, …, 2, rest, 1, done!

All total that’s how many? After this you should be thoroughly wiped out. You could also devise other rep schemes such as 5 sets of 5 reps, or 2 sets of 20, or more. There are endless options. Get creative. What I like about the above ladder method is that you end up doing more volume (reps) than you think you have, since the low rep sets (especially in the beginning) are not all that hard, but do get added into the overall volume calculus. AKA, more earnin’ for the burnin’.

Now you’ll have no worry when you are heading out of town. You’ll come back looking better than ever, yelling, “Yea Burpees!” at poor passers by who will forgive you only in deference to your well earned physique. Or something like that.

One of the struggles for those who haven’t worked out in a long time (and don’t have a history of working out) face is that most workout routines (like many posted here) are far to advanced for them. How does one start when one doesn’t know what a front squat is, or what a clean is, or how to properly perform a push-up?

Well, you start here. This is the first week I put most clients on when they come to see me and haven’t the faintest idea where to start. It’s hard, but it’s not hard to put into practice. it’s 6 days a week, but each session is only about 30 min’s.

MONDAY

Warm up: Back extensions 1×20 (1 set of 20 reps), and squats with no weight (the point here is to practice good squat form so that later on we can add weighted squats to the routine. Basically You want to have your feet shoulder width apart, stay on your heels, and “squat” down as low as you can maintaining an upright back position).

Now for the workout

A: Step ups: 3×12

B: Push ups: 3×12 (you can do wall push ups or knee pushups to start)

C: Chin Ups: 3×12 (use an assisted machine or lat pulldowns to start)

stretching

TUESDAY

Interval training.

Pick a machine and do a 5 min. warm up, relatively easy. Then do 3 rounds of the following:

1 min at a fast/hard pace. really work hard on this.

2 min’s at a walking pace

after you’ve done that round 3 times (total of 9 minutes), then do a 5 min cool down. Get off, stretch a bit, and that’s it! You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to get a good workout.

WEDNESDAY

Warm up with Back extensions 1×20. Then do some squats with no weight, working on form.

A: Step ups: 3×15
B: Push ups: 3×10
C: Chin ups: 3×10

Stretch

THURSDAY
Same as tuesday

FRIDAY
Same warm up: Back ext: 1×20, squats

A: Step ups: 3×20

B: Push ups: 3×8

C: Chin ups: 3×8

stretch

SATURDAY
Intervals: same as Tuesday

This is a great introduction to a workout program. Each day is short, and it’s fun!

It’s only the first week, but it primes you for the more complex stuff to come. Truth is, many clients can do this for a good 2 or 3 weeks, then take a week off, and start a much more involved routine after that.

Try it out, and good luck. There are many ways to get yourself started on a workout program. The main point is, get yourself started on a workout program. Your body will thank you.

Michael Moore’s got a new movie lambasting the American Health Care system, and singing the praises of Cuba’s. I am not sure that we can model our system on Cuba’s, but we certainly do have a problem here.

I’ve been a fan of Michael Moore’s movies ever since he did “Canadian Bacon” with Alan Alda. They are funny, and unwavering. But, we all know how prone he is to propaganda. Truth isn’t the point, it’s entertainment disguised as journalism. And though, like Hunter S. Thompson, his work often does contain a lot of truth, you are never sure where to find it.

I have yet to see the film, and when I do I’ll post on it. But, I find the idea of someone who is so famously unhealthy (by choice) making a moving about the health care system to be more than a little ironic.

Our biggest problems, as I see it, are an inability for a wide group of Americans to afford health insurance on the one hand, and a total lack of personal responsibility taken by the public in preventative health care (AKA, working out and eating healthy food) on the other. An individual can only do so much about the first problem, and maybe Michael Moore is attempting to do his part with this film. But, the second one is well within the control of each individual.

Daily vigorous activity alone would radically change our nation for the better if we all just did it.

Workout of the Day:  Friday

A1:  Snatch:  6×4

B1:  Bench Press:  6×4

C1:  Front squats:  6×4