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For those of you following the blog, I did a month experiment with Creatine and HMB from Blonyx. I took the Creatine + HMB product in the morning and at night on training days.  In the morning I took it in my smoothie with Protein egg

Blonyx Creatine + HMB

powder , almond milk, banana and peanut butter. In the evening I took it with coconut water.  Anecdotally , I noticed an effect on recovery being less sore. I did not translate this into extra high intensity workouts as one could if they were so inclined. I stuck with my schedule of M W F heavy lifting and kettle bells and Tuesday and Thursday running and core work. During the one month trial I had 80% success rate in workouts as I missed a couple Fridays due to travel. In total I did 1o heavy lifting sessions (of 12 scheduled) and 6 runs (of 8 scheduled). My first testing session was in the afternoon but my second was in the morning. I think this accounted for the lack of improvement in vertical jump as I tend to be a bit stiffer in the morning and require a  longer warm up (time which I did not have in this case).

Here are the results:

Sept 7 2011               August 7th 2011

Broad Jump                        88″                                 86 1/2″

Vertical Jump                   20 1/2″                          21 ”

Clean 1RM                           175 lbs                          165 lbs

Deadlift 1 RM                      375 lbs                         355 lbs

Bench Press 1 RM              225 lbs                         205 lbs

Squat 1 Rm                           335 lbs                         305 lbs

Weighted Chin Up 3rm        70 lbs                       45 lbs

I definitely saw an improvement in strength and recovery ability. I am doing another month trial, this time adding the creatine and HMB in my post workout shake of egg protein, pumpkin protein and coconut water (which has electrolytes). I did this yesterday for the first time and felt great post workout, which was particularly heavy (DL 370 lbs x 2).

I will post my results again at the end of October.

Vncouver Pesonal Trainer Craig Boyd meets his goal of a 400 lb deadlift @ 170 lb bw =235% of bw

Craig Boyd is one of Vancouver’s top personal trainers, CrossFit coaches and boot camp instructors. He enjoys coaching people of all levels who want to see results. His websites are http://www.precisionathletics.ca/ and http://precision-bootcampvancouver.com/

The chin up is a tough exercise. First of all it directly relates your strength to your body weight. To improve your number of chin ups you need to improve your strength and decrease your body weight or at least not increase it or your strength gains will be lost.

Vancouver Personal Trainer Taunya Loeppky does a chin up

So how do I improve my total number of chin ups? Practice , practice , practice. Also, chin ups is one of those exercises where avoiding failure will help you improve your total numbers.

First start with a test. do as many dead hang chin ups as you can in a row. Your chest should touch the bar and your elbows come behind you. No kipping for these pull ups (using your body to generate extra momentum making the chin up easier).

Now divide that number in 1/2 and do that number of reps 6 times throughout the day, 3 x a week  for two weeks. I suggest getting a doorway chin up bar. They have them at winners for $25.  At the end of the day attempt a set of 75% of your max. Its OK if you do not make 75% on the first couple times.

Week 3 you will preform60% of your max 7 times and  one set 90% at the end of the day, do this 2 x per week.

After week 3 , rest a couple days and retest your max.  Then repeat the 3 week program again.

I would remove vertical pulling (pulling from overhead)from your other workouts. Low volume (one or two sets)  horizontal pulling is ok.

Example: Keith can do 12 chin ups with good form. He will do six sets of six reps 3 x a week. He will also try to do one set of 9 at the end of the day. After two weeks he will do 7 sets of 7 reps and one set of 10, 2 days per week.

If you post your max in the next week and your results at the end of February and  March and you will be eligible to win a prize – A precision athletics Dry -fit training shirt. Post a picture and I will throw in a pair of training sessions with me or a month of classes 2 x a week, your choice.

This program was originally posted on John Roman’s fitness blog http://romanfitnesssystems.com/blog/how-to-double-your-pullups-in-6-weeks

Craig Boyd is one of Vancouver’s top personal trainers, boot camp instructors, CrossFit coaches and Nutrition coaches. Craig enjoys coaching people of all levels of fitness that want to improve. His company websites are www.precisionathletics.ca and www.precision-bootcampvancouver.com .  Feel free to email him your questions at Craig@precisionathletics.ca

This is the first in a series of posts on forefoot running. Basically, forefoot running is landing on the mid foot instead of having your heel strike first.

Our feet are not designed to land heel first. Our ancestors ran barefoot. Try it. Run with no shoes on and you will naturally land on the mid part of your foot. Watch children they run on the balls and mid foot. Modern running shoes are of heel support. This encourages a heel first landing. Running barefoot is a great way to strengthen the muscles in the foot and ankle. However, most people run in areas where foot wear is required for safety purposes.

What is wrong with landing heel fist? Landing heel first usually occurs with the knee straight. This leads to force transfer from the ground into your leg. Because your knee is straight the force is transferred up into your knees hips and back. Many runners complain of knee pain.

A heel first landing usually results in slowing the runner down as they roll from heel to toe to take the next step. The

Heel first landing- causes force transfer to the shins and knees

more time a runner  is spending on the ground the less they are spending in the air. Essentially more ground time equals less air time and a less efficient running pattern. Efficient running has less ground time than time in the air (when neither foot is contacting the ground). Logically the less time on the round the less time  force is being absorbed by the body.

In this photo you can see the runner is leading with the heel and it is out front of their body. This will lead to the heel striking first and a long period spent rolling form heel to toe.

Mid-Foot strike note calf is loaded, knee is bent and foot is not reaching out front.

In this picture the athlete is landing with a mid-foot strike. When landing on the mid-foot you will note the knee is slightly bent and the calf (gastroc and soleus muscles) is loaded. The calf is now absorbing the shock instead of the knees and hips. Also note, the foot is no longer out front of the athlete. This will result in a shorter ground time as there is less contact area with the ground. No longer does the foot need to roll form heel to toe, for the next step to begin.