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Well the Precision Athletics Vancouver  November challenge is well underway. Do you need to be a personal training client or boot camp participant to enter. No! Just post your goal in the comments and you are officially entered.

Prizes are in so its last day to sign up. If you start today you will have to go 30 days from now!

Prizes include- 

GC and Product from Body Energy Club http://www.bodyenergyclub.ca/shop/

$100 GC to The fish House in Stanley Park  http://www.fishhousestanleypark.com/

$75 GC to Cranberries Spa http://www.cranberriesspa.com/

$50 GC to The fish House in Stanley Park  http://www.fishhousestanleypark.com/

$50 GC to Cranberries Spa http://www.cranberriesspa.com/

Everyone who enters and completes their goal gets entered in a draw.

So far some of the goals from my Vancouver Boot Camp and personal training clients  are : No drinking from 25 to all 30 days of the month, Weight Loss (Dan), Real Push Ups (Kristie 15) , Real Pull Ups (Shanny 5 Keith 20) , 20 mins of cardio from 25- all30 days (Craig 30, Dan 26, Janice 30). What is your goal?

Craig Boyd is one of Vancouvers top personal trainers and boot camp instructors. Check out his websites http://www.precisionathletics.ca/ and http://www.precision-bootcampvancouver.com/

Every November I do a personal challenge with my Vancouver  personal training and boot camp clients. What we do is choose one thing to give up for the month or add something in for the whole month. For myself I am doing no alcohol for the month and adding  20 minutes of cardio every day. Last month with only cutting alcohol I dropped 7 lbs and felt great.  

Would you like to join? Please add a comment with what you will be adding or dropping for the next 30 days. I am gathering prizes. Everyone who completes the challenge will be entered to win. If you only do cardio 28/30 days  you may still have a chance , let me know your totals. Prizes will be announced here next week.

Print this calendar and put you goal down and mark it off as you go.

My Goals 30 days no drinking, do 20 minutes of cardio 30 days (min 2 rows per week), 1 leg squat increase from10-25, overhead squat body weight x 1 current max 135 lbs, 10 full range handstand push ups current max 2, improve 500m row time from 1:37- 1:30 or below, L-sit 1:30 hold form :45s.

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/

So you signed up for next years Ironman Canada or another Ironman race, what next? here are my top training tips for preparing for an Ironman event. (many of these will apply to other big competitions)

Top 5 tips to prepare for Ironman:

#5 Get to know the course. I started by riding the course on my  compu-trainer in the winter. That way I had an idea how I would feel at each point (how will my legs feel at the first big climb etc). I would recommend attending a training camp where they familiarize you with the course if you can get to one.  For IMC try www.tri.netfor a week long or weekend supported training camp in Penticton, B.C. At the very least research the elevation profiles on-line and find terrain close to home to simulate it. I trained for Richter’s pass on the Canada Ironman course by riding mount Seymour. Mt. Seymour has a much tougher elevation profile. That way when I got to Richter’s I knew I would be fine.

#4 Start training and racing early. After signing up for IMC, I immediately got serious on my swimming and got into some masters programs. As for racing we signed up for the first 1/2 Iron offered close to here Shawnigan lake 1/2 Iron. It is good to get some feedback on how your winter training went early in the season.

#3 Acclimatize. Get used to the racing conditions. I did the Osooyos 1/2 ironman to get used to racing in the heat (was 36+that day). I also stayed in Osoyoos the following week and trained for even more punishment. However, that made the day of the Ironman seem not that hot.

#2 Rest and recovery. As your volumes of training increase so should your recovery and sleep. If you are adding 5 more hours of volume then make sure your recovery (massage, ice baths, etc.) and sleep increase as well.

#1 Nutrition. I know everyone thinks they eat healthy. To complete a race like this you have to know your body what it needs and what it does not like while exercising. I found out that the bars I was eating on the bike were not digesting , so had to switch to liquid calories (I used carbo-pro liquid it has calories and electrolytes). The result was zero cramping at IMC , even though I cramped at all three races previously in year. I would also recommend Brendan Braziers book the thrive diet. he does a good job of explaining nutritional stress. Basically foods that are causing nutritional stress add to your total stress. When you add in stress form job, training, life the last place you need to be adding stress is your diet. He is a vegan, I did not switch to no meat, but I did use allot of his recipes. Especially good was the home-made electrolyte drink (coconut water, lemon,lime and ginger) and recovery pudding (banana, dates, and hemp protein). The meals and snacks in the book are extremely easy to digest and you can feel the effect especially after a hard training session.

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/

First off I wanted to thank all the people who sent texts and messages in the days leading up to the race, it was awesome. I cannot say how much more pressure/ commitment to finish the event I felt when I received all the messages.

Swim Start

Iroman Canada 2009 Swim Start

2500 people crowd into the start area on the shores of lake Okanagan. I get myself to the far left (outside). It is a longer line but less thrashing. I may note that swimming straight when not in a pool is not my strong point. In this case my tendency to go left is taking me off course. Luckily for me there are tones of canoes and kayaks there (to fish out people with problems). I have a white canoe (thanks guys in canoe #15) escort me towards the first turn. I take the turn (@1400m) wide and they basically end up escorting me the whole way. The closest I came to thrashing with another swimmer is 10 feet. I probably swam an extra 500m but was worth it for a calm swim. Water was great; warm and clean. Sun came over the hills as we headed in 1800m.

I exited the water in 1:35 feeling great. Overall the swim was the scariest part (thrashing with 2500 other people) and I did it.

T1

At regular triathlons you lay out your transition gear around your bike and report to the same spot after each section. At IMC you pack you gear into numbered bags which they give you at each transition (a separate bag each time).

When I exit the water I head to the wet suit strippers. Turns out I know one , Sarah Lowthian who yells my name. I get a high five and some encouraging words before I lay down and the wet suit is gone in one smooth yank. A volunteer hands me my bag of goodies and off I go to the change tent. I completely change out of wet gear and into cycling stuff. Volunteers help us pack our wet stuff away and off to the bike.

Bike

Ironman Canada 2009 Bike

180 km with two major climbs. I have mentally divided it into 1/3. The first 1/3 is Penticton to Osoyoos, one small climb in McLean creek (by ok falls), the rest is mostly flat. I feel great and am keeping my cadence as high as possible. end result is lots of passing people on the flats. I see my legion of fans in OK falls (where we are staying) and it really does give you a lift when your friends and family are screaming and yelling for you. Seems like no time we are through Oliver and Osoyoos is close.

Getting into Osoyoos I have a minor technical (small rock jams in break bad causing it to be really hard to pedal). I get off my bike and realize it is cooking hot (36). Bike is fine I head for Osoyoos and fist climb. Richters pass is a long steady steep climb and it is blistering hot. There is a haze of smoke from the forest fires which is causing problems for some.  I see some carnage (people who drop out for health reasons) on the side of the road. My plan is to stay seated the whole way and save the legs. I manage the climb no problem need to stop at the top and use one of the paper towels I packed in my bento box to wipe the sweat out of my eyes because I am dripping!

First climb conquered and into the rollers (rolling hills in Cawston and Keremeos). In my 1/3  divisions I knew this would be the hardest due to the climb, but it is the most mentally challenging part. We bike past our special needs bags , only to turn down a different road and bike back the way you came to get them. It is about 20km but it seems like forever. Also my Advil has worn off and everything hurts. Seems like forever later  I am at 120 km, I get my special needs bag have 2 Advil an know there is only 1/3 of the bike to go.

Ironman funny moment- as I pull into the special needs area (where everyone gets their bags) there is a competitor leaning on his bike (feet on ground) having a smoke. He looks very content as he puffs on his dart while I get my Advil and disgusting goo wine gum things. I did not stop long enough to see if it was a cigarette or joint. The worst part was he was ahead of me!

 The last 1/3 has the last climb then lots of down hill. After the Advil I feel great. There is now a head wind and the smoke is thicker. The smoke is not bothering me and the headwind does cool it off a bit. Yellow lake is a difficult climb, but not as bad a Richter’s. I am looking forward to the long down hill back into town. Unfortunately the head wind is strong and we are not gaining that much speed down the hills. Worst of all heading into town is a slight uphill. Feels like I will never get off the bike.

T2

I do make it and volunteer takes my bike and points me toward the change area. Turns out I know one of the volunteers, Drew Wilson ( a former IMC competitor and former client). He keeps me laughing ,offers me some of the volunteers pizza (which looked really good) and makes sure I have everything I need. I am off on the run.

Run

Vancouver Personal Trainer Craig Boyd heads out on the run of Ironman Canada 2009

I head out through town and see lots of fans. I have decided to run from aid station to aid station, as there is one each mile (26 x). I am actually feeling great. I am counting down the aid stations 26,25,24,23,22……16. 16 more 1 mile runs??? WTF did I sign up for. By this point I am on Skaha lake 1/2 way between Penticton and Ok falls, my legs are feeling close to done and I have 16 miles left to run. I probably ran too fast between aid stations to start. I am now into the Ironwill portion of the race. You are spent, have no juice and lots of distance to go. I do a walk run combo of no running hills and walking aid stations and any time I feel like my calves are going to cramp.

I make it to the special needs area in OK falls and get fresh socks and my Flip video camera. I want to film the Ironman finish. I just have to walk run 13 more miles to do so. I find some people to chat with and pass the time/ distract us from our ailments. It feels like forever before we are back in town. Using a selective process of only running when its dead flat we somehow manage to run past everyone I know.

Once you rach the last couple km’s (back in town), the fans really keep you motivated. I filmed it and you can see the end of the course where the fans are at the finish line, cheering every competitor like they are the winner. Check the video here:

Craig Boyd Ironman Canada 2009

I cannot say enough how great it felt to finish. I have always wanted to do an Ironman. The fans and volunteers  (4000+) really make it a special event. Thanks to everyone for all the texts and emails in advance and after the event. Big thanks to my family form coming to watch, I could not have done it without all the support.

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/

This person exercises 5 days a week and wants to lose a couple lbs of fat around the mid section. After my rant about the time magazine article http://craigboydfitness.com/?p=29 here is a clients food log for one day. Any guesses whether its the exercise or diet that needs to change.

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/

Great article at http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857-1,00.html that proves exercising makes you fat. Actually, the article says that you use up all your willpower forcing yourself to exercise so that you overeat afterwards. Therefore exercising makes you fat.

The article should have mentioned that 99% of the population eat too many refined carbs which spike the blood sugar and cause an insulin release. Insulin causes you to store fat and prevents you form burning fat while exercising. That is why drinking a gatorade before or after a 20 minute run is a bad isea, it’s all sugar (the research for gatorade was done on 90+ minutes of activity in Florida where its crazy hot). Unless you are doing a major endurance event you do not need the electrolytes or sugar that a sports drink contains.

How can you exercise and lose weight? Here are the top three things….

#1- Eat a balanced diet (of healthy fat , protein and carbs) devoid of sugar and grains (that is right no grain not even Ezekiel bread or sprouted ancient Kamut) at every meal. This will keep blood sugar level and avoid insulin spikes. No one has ever gotten fat eating fruits, vegetables, meat fish nuts and seeds.

#2- Do high intensity weights and cardio mixed- you need to push yourself in order to see results. Doing a 30 min run at 6 mph 4x a week will burn some calories but not make a major change in your physique (once you have adapted to the initial shock to the system). High intensity circuit  training has been proven to get the best results and the variety will keep you training longer.

#3- Alcohol- It’s not just the calories and the fact its all sugar. The alcohol get processed in your liver. Unfortunately, that is where fat gets broken down as well. Bad news is if you go out on the town then try to make up for it by training hard your body cannot burn any fat, its to busy detoxifying your blood. Cut down the total number of drinks  weekly as well as eliminate all alcohol Sun – Thurs (or another 5 consecutive days). That way your body will be able to de-toxify and be able to burn fat during/ after your exercise. 

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/

Two weeks ago I completed the Persona Desert 1/2 Ironman race in Osoyoos, B.C. I felt great from my training and ready to beat my time from Shawnigan lake. Everything was on course for a personal best (PB) until 18 km left in the bike. Had already biked 72 kn and the course finished with a 16 km climb. Killed my legs and I was cramping badly to start the run. It was cloudy and still 36 degrees (Celsius).Worked out in the end I finished but no PB. Spent the week after training in the heat. Did a 100km ride at the end of the week with no cramping so feel better about my changes in nutrition (switched to carbo pro which is like super concentrated Gatorade). Felt good to do parts of the Iron Man Canada Course and to be ready for the heat.

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/

Vancouver Personal Trainer Craig Boyd and Media Challenge winner Anicka Quinn present a check to Lori Francisco of the Parkinson Society of BC

This January we had our first ever Media Charity Fitness Challenge. We asked local media, print, radio and TV to come out and get in shape in support of their favorite charity. The event was free to enter and whoever got the best results gotto name their charity and we donated $500 for them. It was a resounding success. This years winner Anicka Quin presented Lori Franco of the Parkinson Society of  BC with the check (see photo). Anicka lost 3% body fat and 32.5 cm (13 inches) total from 4 main  measurement spots (arms, stomach, hips, legs). Anicka also, decreased her resting heart rate by 6 BPM and increased her cardiovascular endurance by27% (12 minute run .90- 1.27 miles). This was all accomplished by attending my boot-camp 2 mornings a week and doing a  nutritional consultation and adopting a few new healthy eating strategies. Congratulations Anicka and thanks to the Parkinson Society of BC for sending someone to collect their donation.

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/

I did my first Half Ironman race on Sunday at Shawnigan Lake http://www.triseries.ca/index.php . A great event and we had an amazing day for it. I definitely was under-trained and noticed that when I went past my longest distances from training  on the bike especially, I had a big drop off in performance. Lots of long rides needed if I am to finish Ironman Canada. More to come tomorrow.

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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