Personal Training Tips
Power Plate training
by craig on May.22, 2009, under Personal Training Tips, Vancouver Personal trainer Tips
I regularly get asked abouty the latest fitness trends. here is one I got today.
Hey CB, (my soccer feriends call me CB)
My team at work, all women, have seen this ‘powerful’ new exercise machine.
It claims 10 minutes work on it is as good as 1 hr of regular exercise.
A couple of them are pondering buying it.
After I stopped laughing I thought I would ask your thoughts on such a miraculous product.
My answer:
I went to a conference where they covered it and it does work, but its more of a neural effect. i.e. it takes 10 000 reps to perfect a squat, you may be able to cut that down to 1000 on the expensive power plate, but in the end you still need to exercise and do lots of it to lose weight (the vibrations stimulate the neural system so you recover better etc, but it does not burn more calories which most people will need to see results). Summary if you injure your leg it will help you heal faster as you can get a good training effect with no impact. I would not buy one for individual use without testing it first, they have a vibration gym down here on the water in Yaletown they could try it for a few weeks and see if it miracles the fat off (my bet is it won’t). If you read the studies on their site they all involve helping seniors not fall by doing squats on them (same effect has been proven with a wobble board), the one study of weight loss showed and I quote
”
In conclusion 24 week whole body vibration training did not reduce weight total body fat or subcutaneous fat in previously untrained females.” http://www.powerplate.com/pdfs/technology/scientific/Roelants_EffectsWBVCompositionStrength.pdf
So if you work with seniors afraid of falling they can buy the power plate for 1000s or a wobble board for 50 bucks, but for weight loss you are throwing money away………
Craig Boyd is one of Vancouver’s top personal trainers, crossfit and boot camp instructors. His company websites are http://www.precisionathletics.ca/ and http://precision-bootcampvancouver.com/
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Hot/ Cold for recovery
by craig on May.05, 2009, under Personal Training Tips, Vancouver Personal trainer Tips
Want faster recovery? Try this…..Right after your workout take an alternate hot and cold shower (as hot and cold as you can stand). Ideally if you have a shower with a Handel you can focus the cold on the areas you have just trained. Alternate at least twice and always finish on cold. I did this yesterday after a 3 hour ride and 30 minute run where my quads were cramping. No soreness today and the cramping stopped during the shower. Right after your next workout and leave a post here in comments with what you think.
Craig Boyd is one of Vancouver’s top personal trainers, crossfit and boot camp instructors. His company websites are http://www.precisionathletics.ca/ and http://precision-bootcampvancouver.com/ .
Attended a great fitness seminar on the weekend
by craig on Apr.29, 2009, under Personal Training Tips
I had the opportunity to attend a fantastic seminar on the weekend at the Richmond Olympic Speed Skating Oval. It is a world class facility and I would recommend stopping by and checking it out. http://richmondoval.ca/default.htm
The seminar was put on by Mark Verstegen the founder of Athletes Performance http://www.athletesperformance.com/ , they are the premier athlete training facility in the United States. The seminar was half lecture and half practical. They covered movement prep and core activation (they call it Pillar Strength instead of core strength). They also covered weighttraining focusing on athletic power and speed development. Notably, Athletes Performance is highly focused on recovery (nutrition, ART, hydro-therapy etc.). It was very informative.
It was an amazing facility and great presenters. I came out with some great new exercises that my clients are enjoying and some new information on athletic power and speed development. Looking forward to the next continuing education moment.
Craig Boyd is one of Vancouver’s top personal trainers, crossfit and boot camp instructors. His company websites are http://www.precisionathletics.ca/ and http://precision-bootcampvancouver.com/ .
Want Quicker Recovery?
by craig on Apr.28, 2009, under Personal Training Tips
Allot of athletes think the secret to getting fit is who can train the longest/ hardest. This is not always the case. Hard training leads to sore damaged muscles. The athlete that can train hard and recover quickly to be able to train hard again will have the edge. With that in mind here are my top 5 recovery tips:
#5 Hydration- Its more than just drinking water. If doing a long training session weigh in before and after. The difference between weigh in amounts is water loss. I have lost three pounds on a three hour ride. One L of water weighs a Kilo (2.2 lbs). make sure that you replace the fluid but also minerals (you can add electrolyte to your water with products like Elyte or by adding a pinch of organic sea salt). Don’t use Gatorade etc, has too much fructose, food coloring and is highly acidic.
#4 Nutrition- Anti-Oxidants prevent free radicals from forming, preventing soreness. I use Proflavonol made from grape seed extract, but there are lots of sources. Blueberries are a tasty addition to your post workout recovery drink. Have a post workout shake with a 4:1 ratio of protein to carbs and high in anti oxidants. You have a half hour window post exercise to prevent further tissue breakdown. I prepare mine in advance so its ready to go.
#3 Stretching- Most people do a few half ass stretches right after training and forget about it. Try dedicating one hour weekly to your flexibility and you will feel better and recover quicker. It takes 3 minutes of stretching a muscle to get into the connective tissues (tendons) and the ligaments supporting the joint. Try a Yin yoga class they hold the poses that long and you feel great release.
#2 Myo-fascial Release- Fascia covers muscle and is often tight and cannot be stretched. You will need to get a specific myo-fascial release massage and supplement with foam rolling. Using a foam roller you can release the tension in the fascia (and therefore the muscles below). I would recommend blocking 5-10 minutes immediately after your training session to foam roll the affected areas.
#1 Sleep- the most overlooked aspect of training and recovery. Your body repairs between 10 pm- 2am, no exceptions. After that it is on to mental repair. If you are not getting a deep sleep between these hours your body will not recover to 100%. I recommend avoiding caffeine at all times (it stays in your system for a long time preventing a deep sleep). Also, make sure you are in bed by 11 latest otherwise you will not be in a deep sleep and your body will not repair. Track your training volume and sleep hours. Make sure as you are training more and harder you are allocating time for more sleep.
Craig Boyd is one of Vancouver top personal trainers, nutrition coaches and bootcamp instructors. Check out his websites at http://Precisionathletics.ca and http://precision-bootcampvancouver.com .
