The After Effects Of Hill Sprinting

Can we just have a decent amount of weather FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!! Sorry, had to channel my inner Chris Farley for a moment. Training in this heat can be a real bitch and if you have a routine going and it's outside, be careful out there. It was already in the 90's by the time I did my Hill Sprints today. Couldn't do my normal speed but managed to kick my ass. 

All in all, Hill Sprints are still one of the best methods for burning fat and increasing your metabolism while putting on muscle at the same time. When you're resting the majority of the time, that's just one of the perks but also the work itself is so damn short it's ridiculous. Today I did a total of 100 seconds of work on the Hill and especially in this sun, that was more than enough.

One of the best after effects from Hill Sprinting is the endorphin high where negative stress just gets kicked to the curb and you just feel happy and feeling like a million bucks. It feels peaceful and the relaxation feels like you never want it to go away. Those moments where the world is just right and life is at its finest. 

When I finish a session and walking back home, it seems like I'm walking faster going back than I was getting there. Maybe that's the endorphin high kicking in or my body just naturally has that extra pep in my step. Sweat is pouring and I can't help but smile and have that emotional and mental clarity. My stride is perfect and naturally breathing deeply as possible is just awesome.

The calorie burn is another perk I would think many would love and the continuation throughout the day is the cherry on top of a killer ice cream sundae. Food tastes better and at times it'll feel like you can eat a wild elephant, Hill Sprints is for sure the GOAT when it comes to body composition and the transition rom shedding unwanted fat and developing natural muscle.

All this gets the job done no more than 3x a week and never needing more than a 30 second burst. People tend to find that some sprints should be up to 45-60 seconds which in my eyes is pretty unrealistic because for one, you're not even going as fast as you would on flat ground and two, your level of speed can only sustain for so long before you feel like you end up jogging instead of sprinting. 

The last big perk, the cold shower you feel after coming back from a workout feels like you can take on the world and having that feeling of thinking you're having the best shower of your life. Cold showers help burn even calories and increasing brown fat while decreasing white fat (look up the difference and you'll know what I mean. 

For more after effects, research on Hill Sprint Benefits and see for yourself why this method is incredible for a lot of things. Be safe, drink plenty of water and keep having an amazingly awesome summer. 

Cold Showers Can Be Your Best Friend

 

Still hearing that song from Beverly Hills Cop 2 "The Heat Is On" in my head as this heatwave continues throughout the Pacific Northwest. This particular heat is meant for people who live in freaking Arizona, not those who're near the ocean or live near mountains in these specific areas. Hell I don't know how people survived the Ironman that went on here this weekend. 

When it's this hot out, you need to know how to stay safe and hydrated along with not turning into a stop light at an intersection. Our body temperatures can only sustain certain levels of heat for so long before we have heat strokes. One of the best I know of is Cold Showers. For me in my experiences, they're a lifesaver and can prevent skin from peeling after a rough sunburn. I don't particularly wear sunscreen for certain reasons but one of them is because I get burnt even faster when I have it on it doesn't matter what brand. After a cold shower, it balances everything out and gives me a natural tan from being in the sun.

As you know or may have read, taking a cold shower can help regulate body temperature and keeps the skin smooth, when it gets really hot out and you've taken hot showers beforehand, it can develop dry skin and potentially cause you to sunburn much faster which in turn can be very painful. Finding that balance isn't easy to work on but when you know how to keep yourself from overheating and regulating temperature even on the hottest days of the year, it feels quite nice. I'm not saying you should go out and get so much sun, that can only last so long before you need shade and/or need to jump into a lake or the ocean. 

Take it upon yourself to take cold showers whenever possible and keep your Core Temperature at a level that can be sustained throughout the day and depending on your body's intake of water, drink it as much as you can and stay hydrated. It is an important time this summer to be ready for the unexpected and be safe, take care of each other and let's not get to a point where we ask ourselves "you want that in original recipe or extra crispy" when it comes to our bodies. 

The Heat Is On

 

Record setting temperatures happening around the Pacific North West and it just keeps getting hotter. Finally settled in after several weekends of packing and moving stuff into storage. Trying to stay cool as possible. Can't remember the last time I've taken as many cold showers as I have lately. Got in my sprints this morning which was still in the high 80's outside, 5 bursts at 20 seconds each time.

It has been a tough process and the stress levels are starting to die down a bit. We managed to finally finish things and Wednesday is officially the last day of renting our first home together. It's bitter sweet but good things are on the horizon and time to save up again but this time for our own home. The last 4+ years have been a hell of an experience.

Despite the scorching heat and all of the move being done, I've been getting in some workouts that are more of mini workouts (while still doing sprints 3x a week) and doing them for a few minutes to exercises throughout the day. After taking stuff to our other place and packing up storage yesterday, I managed three short workouts that actually went pretty good and didn't wear me out.....

3 Rounds of 10 Rollouts w/ the Power Wheel and a Power Wheel Bear Crawl as a superset

5 minutes of Picking Up & Dropping my 50 lb Sandbell

The final workout was 100 Reps with a 30 lb Kettlebell

Didn't want to go crazy because of the heat and the work we've been doing but still eager to keep myself fit lol. Today on the sprints wasn't too bad and didn't feel like I was dying but I'm glad I did them in the time I did, it's supposed to get up to 105 today and there's no way in hell I'm doing that when it's that hot.

If you live in the PNW, stay cool, drink water consistently throughout the day and get the most out of life. Even in the middle of a heatwave, there are some awesome things to do. Be safe out there and stay hydrated.  

When You Can't Sleep

 There are times where you just feel restless and just have this level of hyper-active energy that needs to be let out in order to relax and fall asleep. At about midnight or so last night I just had this burst of energy that I needed to get out. While watching a wildlife documentary series I had the urge to do some Animal Movements. Got into my Animal Dice Game and did double reps per animal, took a breather and walked around if needed to recover but kept going for maybe 20 minutes or so. 

I wouldn't say this is the first choice for most people and doing something else might work better for you but my instincts kicked in and just needed to move around and burn off some energy. Felt incredible afterwards and had a big endorphin high. I've always been a night owl so something like this isn't uncommon for me but it's been a while since I did Animal Moves in order to calm down my body. 

Not only does this burn up quite a bit of energy, it can stirrup some decent calorie burning throughout the rest of the night as you sleep. To me, it's a fun way to make sure I don't feel like I'll be tossing and turning all night which does happen often and getting in some exercise and a cold shower does have some great benefits. 

Animal Exercise is not just great for conditioning and developing functional strength but it also is a great calorie burner, creating greater HGH levels and the ability to wear you down in a positive way. If you ever need a way to get rid of that excess energy (other than the real fun thing to do), get up and move like a wild animal until you feel you've had enough. Be resourceful and do the best you can to get yourself to sleep well. 

This Is What You Train For

 Life is funny sometimes and yet it also has its tragedies, setbacks and forks in the road that can come out of nowhere and smack you right in the face. For close to two months, we've had some rough days and yet another has been added. Nearly 3 weeks after our accident, we were asked to vacate our house because of the owners wanting to renovate and update the duplex we live in. We could come back but the rent would be jacked up to what we can't afford. 

Every weekend since May 20th, we've had to pack up the house and put stuff into storage. My wife has been put through so much and trying to organize and storing stuff into boxes has been hard. My job basically is being the laborer and hauling the boxes to the car and into storage. As most couples, it hasn't been easy trying to stay on the same page on certain things but we've been doing our best to stay strong together since a lot of this move is just the two of us packing and hauling stuff. I'm so grateful for what she has done and her organizing skills are incredible and she's quite the hauler too when she moves some of those boxes.

I've helped people move ever since I was a kid and as I got older, I started to learn as I was training, it became more important to be in condition to help others when it is needed at any given time. When I haul stuff, I do my best to be quick and strong while remaining durable so I don't get injured. Can't help anyone if you're hurt and can't do anything. I've only been injured in a move only a couple times and comparing that to the amount of times I've moved friends and family, that's a pretty good ratio. This move is no different and I stick with the principles of moving as fast as possible while being strong from as many angles as possible and keeping as good of form as possible. Some stuff can be very awkward as you may have noticed if you've ever moved anyone.

It's one of the things that have always made me feel useful when I was needed. All that time spending on Step Up Workouts, carrying a 50 lb Sandbell, doing farmer's walks with a 70 lb kettlebell, the amount of isometrics being practiced, the conditioning, the grip work, the leg training, training to last as long as possible was all worth it to help a friend or a family member or even a stranger from time to time. This is what you train for.

Training for looks or a trophy is not always the most satisfying thing that you can hope for in your lifetime. Looks fade away, trophies collect dust and sacrificing your body for one or the other won't always make you feel good as you get older but to train to help other people, to put a smile on their face and give someone some comfort and letting them know they're not alone and doing things by themselves. Moving is stressful and there's going to be be days where you might go into a bit of a rage and just want to scream at the world but there's also going to be days where you feel the future is bright, a new chapter is unfolding and you get to create new memories somewhere else. 

We made this place our home for over 4 years, it was our first place together as a couple and we made it happen, now a new chapter is being turned and something new and amazing is within our grasp. We will be saving up for our own house this time and to never rent again. It will take time and we may struggle but if we can find a way to our first place, WE CAN find a way to own a home. A home that is meant for just us and a few additions to our family. This is a huge reason why I train the way I do and saving up as much as possible. 

Train to help others and when you're needed, make the most of what you can do. After all, everyone needs a little help and if that means hauling a few things to give someone a peace of mind, than everything you've done from a training POV was well worth it. 

Avoid Injuries As Much As Possible While Maximizing Your Training

From a general perspective, we are taught to give it everything we have, even on the brink of injury or even death. It's easy to believe that if you push yourself beyond your maximum effort, you'll get results that will blow everyone's mind. That's not always the case. Pushing to the brink of failure in just about anything can cause more harm than good especially when it comes to exercise. Even the legendary bodybuilder Bill Pearl has talked about never training to failure.

Maximizing your efforts in training doesn't necessarily mean to keep going until you puke your guts out or pass out due to exhaustion, trust me I know what it's like to nearly black out during a workout and it's not a good thing for your body. The idea is to get the most out of your training without the need to kill yourself and avoid injuries as much as possible. This means, resting as long as needed which varies from person to person, working a set that has you hitting reps where you have at least 2-3 left in the tank but not going any further than that, keeping the body as relaxed as possible without causing too much tension and breathing with efficiency throughout the whole session whether in a rest period or in a set. 

Certain exercises do need a level of intensity in order to create the results you're looking for but it's also important to understand where to draw the line with that intensity. You have read about the level of speed to time ratio for Hill Sprints but let's recap that: To get the maximum out of sprint, you need to have a good solid understanding of how much of a percentage in speed needed for the duration of a sprint, it's an experimental thing but once you know how fast you need to go, it's incredible what comes out of it. Normally a 10 second burst would be as close to maximum speed as possible that you can muster which would be roughly 70-80% depending on your fitness level, it's almost impossible to maintain that speed if you were to do a sprint for 30 seconds because if you were to try that, you could get injured or hurt your CNS more than anything. A 30 second sprint would be around 30-40% of your maximum speed, it's still a hard sprint but you're maintaining the pace of the speed needed for it to get the most of that sprint. I'm not an expert on this, I'm just looking at it from a logical perspective so it may be different for some people. 

Rest periods are crucial for maximum results because it's going to come down to your recovery and having the quality of rest to be at your best for the next set. This varies from person to person as well because some people are so damn fit that they can go for a good period of time without needing a rest period but from a general perspective, getting the most out of set and resting as needed goes hand in hand. If you're doing mini workouts, depending on your fitness levels, you might need to rest less because the workout isn't that long say like 10 minutes. If you're doing workouts that take about 30 minutes to an hour or more, rest periods might be needed more because you want to get the most out of the workout. Not everyone is a pro athlete or a world class Olympian so you have to figure out what works best to get the most out of your workouts. If you're an average person but tries to do anything close to what a world class crossfitter or powerlifter does, it could kill you or put you in the hospital. Rest when it is needed, if it's too short, you're not giving yourself enough time to be efficient but if it's too long, you might have lost some of the pace you normally can do. 

We can't avoid injuries 100% of the time (hell even getting out of bed or sitting too long can cause injuries) but we can do our best to minimize them to get the most of what we want to achieve. Giving something 110% in a literal sense makes no sense at all because you might as well be dead or broken if you believe in that or do that overall. Put in the effort that gives greater benefit to the results than the risk of an injury, if risking an injury is higher than the benefitted results that would be good in the long run, that's the wrong kind of training to do. 

Be smart about your training and get the most out of it without getting hurt or worse.   

1st Full Month Of Hill Sprint Training

 When you set new goals, certain things may not show up right away and they say the big results don't show until the 3 month mark. Well, I started Hill Sprint Training on May 17th and I think I've made some pretty good progress but still have a good journey ahead of me. I have been eating a bit differently and because of doing Hill Sprints, doing less intense workouts the rest of the time and getting the most of what's possible to do. 

I just decided that after a few years and wanting to test myself in hard sprints again, they've become a joy to do. I mainly do them in the morning or early afternoon 3x a week and keep the afterburn effect going the rest of the day which is a hell of a perk. I have also come up with a little progression system where I started out with 4 Sprints the first month and each week add 5-10 seconds per burst so the first week was 10 seconds, second was 15, third was 20 and the final week was 30 seconds. This is to help progress to go a little longer on the hill each week until I can practically do the majority or the full hill in 30 seconds. Each month I would add one sprint and use the same progression system of timing.

I am also training on two different hills in my area which gives a different feel in incline and to see what speed I'm best at depending on the time needed to maintain that speed. Soon I'll just be doing only one hill but for now, each one is fun to walk to. One is steeper than the other yet just as awesome to do. When I sprint, I do what's possible to run as hard as I can to maintain speed for a specific amount of time. That doesn't mean I sprint at 100% capacity, that's nearly impossible regardless of how good you are. Even the legendary Walter Payton could only maintain speed on a sprint for the amount of bursts he did in his prime. You can't run nearly as fast on a hill as you could on flat ground but it does still kick your ass.

Say you ran a sprint for 10 seconds, you could probably do close to your maximum capacity of speed which would be around 70-80% at best which on a hill is more than the average person can do. Now if you did a 30 second burst, your speed might go down to maybe 30-40% at best because to keep the pace for that long is something a lot of people don't realize. If you tried to do the absolute maximum of speed like you would in a 10 second sprint, you would start to slow down dramatically those last 20 seconds of a 30 second sprint and within those last few seconds you have, you might as well be jogging. If you knew how to maintain speed for 30 seconds, you'd be jacking up the heart rate and you'd be burning calories and fat like crazy. Whether it's 10 seconds or 30 seconds, go at the speed that is meant for that amount of time needed for that sprint. When I realized how to do that, it made a huge difference in how I sprinted and felt afterwards. 

For all intents and purposes, Sprints are by far the best exercise to burn fat like no tomorrow and burn calories over an extended period of time, even long after a sprint session. Regular cardio such as running on a treadmill does burn calories but only burning from the session and that's it. If you look at Sprinters as opposed to a marathon runner or Olympic Runners in the 1500 meters, there's a world of difference in physique and muscle to fat ratio. 

The first month may not have a huge difference in my physique but I do feel like I've dropped some fat and put on a bit of muscle but like I said, I think I've made some good progress and making small changes along the way. There's still some work to do but this is something I want to pursue at least right now for the summer and fall before winter hits. 

 

The Outlook Of Being A Nerd That Works Out

As a kid growing up, I enjoyed cartoons such as Batman The Animated Series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Alvin & The Chipmunks, Scooby Doo, He-Man and many others, read a comic here and there and played video games but it wasn't until I was older and really heavy into training and working out that these things in Pop Culture gave another meaning to how you can look at things in real life.

I wasn't called a nerd so much when I was school but as time went on, I just embraced that side of me and it makes working out that much more interesting. It's the imagination that gives me that drive and thinking like a superhero or a Jedi or Sonic The Hedgehog just thrusts into the element that you can improve with the use of the mind and body together. Many use the word nerd in a very derogatory sense but that's also because they don't understand what it's like to have that need of running from reality or seeing something so exaggerative that it becomes hero-like to a little kid. 

Certain aspects of Pop Culture such as Comic books show a fictional ideal of what society is in currently or the idea of what it could be in an alternate universe. Did you know the concept of the X-Men with Xavier & Magneto was the premise of the time centered around Civil Rights activists Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X? A time where certain people weren't accepted because of their race? A lot has changed in that time but there's still ideals that remain where we view the world from a certain perspective.

Now, what does all this have to do with working out or exercising? Well, imagine what it would be like to be the Flash and be able to sprint so damn fast that by the time someone said hello, that person would be in another town on the other side of the world maybe. What it would feel like to Heal like Wolverine and be impervious to injuries, could you imagine the type of athlete who had that ability or be able to train without getting injured? The true outlook of this is not always the workout aspects but the concept of understanding that if you were very fast and couldn't be caught, there's temptation there too but also the dream of being able to run from something so horrible that escaping is the only way. The healing ability is a favorite of mine because if I could heal like the man with adamantium claws, I wouldn't need to have surgery and have pins being put into my legs, my bones and surrounding tissue would just piece themselves together. It's the idea of looking at things and either wishing we had it or looking at it as to understand empathy for others who have sustained horrifying injuries.

Being a nerd helps understanding that certain aspects of pop culture have a lot of aspects of real life but in the exaggerated sense. No we can't levitate off the ground or fly without wings but we have things that make that possible such as anti-gravity and having suits that help you glide through the air without a parachute. The Noun aspect of a nerd is "a foolish or contemptible person who lacks social skills or is boringly studious" and the Verb is "engage in or discuss a technical field obsessively or with great attention to detail." The weird thing is, anybody can be a nerd and not have the stereotypical aspects of a fool with glasses and never having able to kiss a girl or boy along with the obsessed outcome of paying attention to detail. A nerd can look like anybody from a bodybuilder to a maid, a blue-collar worker, a bartender, an athlete or even a School Principle and not what a certain look people have.

Someone who trains but also has a vast love for Comics, Cartoons, Science, Music & other things can be some of the nicest people on the planet and share a common trait with those who also have a vast love for things like that. If you want to talk nerdiness and someone who also works out, look at Lou Ferrigno, the guy who went from an introvert and nearly deaf kid into one of the greatest superheroes ever seen on TV and yet has a collection of various Comics, Star Wars stuff and collectable treasures that even someone like Sheldon Cooper would envy. A nerd is just a human being like the rest of us, if he works out as well, it is another cherry on top of a bad ass Sundae. 

There are a lot of nerds out there who aren't weak and frail and are crazy strong and powerful. Don't make any mistakes about it, there's a lot of good people out there that have a view on life that is as crazy as a comic book, stranger than a cartoon and certainly a lot more interesting than any video game. The biggest perk of being a nerd that trains, you look at workouts very differently and more imaginative than just a person who works out. Embrace your nerdiness, be yourself and make the most of what is possible to have the best life. 

Finger Gymnastics: Taking Hand Conditioning To Another Level

You never know what you'll find on the internet when it comes to exercise programs and platforms based on Sports Training, Conditioning, Strength Building, Developing Flexibility and other stuff. When you see ad copies that promise this and that and show almost the same type of claims or exaggerate them to make them not only sound cool but make it sound they're the hidden secrets to the lost treasure or scrolls of the ultimate way to get fit yet around 99.9% of it is pure bullshit? Well, here's that .1% that does what it says it does and more.

For more than a decade now off and on, I've practiced what are called Finger Gymnastics based on the training principles of CoreForce Energy produced by Concert Virtuoso Garin Bader. Although the name Finger Gymnastics sounds a little quirky, it shows many aspects of Hand Conditioning, Dexterity Training, Finger Strength Training & Suppleness Training all rolled into one course. The exercises aren't just your typical form of Hand Exercises, they show how to use your imagination and throw your whole body into them in order to stay strong yet flexible without developing Carpal Tunnel. Matter of fact, these exercises have incredible chances of preventing Carpal Tunnel and arthritis. 

At first I used them to warm up or cool down to prevent injuries from doing various feats of strength which puts a lot of strain on the hands. I would also use them as a standalone workout to strengthen the tendons and ligaments in my lower arm. For the most part I use them to build dexterity in my hands because as you know as a kid, using my right hand was very difficult for me. If I had known these exercises when I was like 9 or 10 years old, who knows what I could've done that would very different today. These days, my dexterity in my right hand is far from ever being equal to my left but I have made tremendous progress over the years that it shows what I can do now as opposed to when I was a teenager. 

It teaches how to supple the wrists that are very unique and Finger exercises that strengthen the tendons to an extent that it could help develop strength to do Fingertip Push-ups, strengthen the hands for pull-ups, be able to grip harder without straining and if you're a rock climber, be able to move or hold onto something longer. These also have exercises that are great for those who are Musicians, Fighters, Baseball Players, Hockey Players, Typists, they can help with your Golf Swing, greater dexterity for Magicians, Massage Therapists or those who perform in Cirque Du Soleil.

Almost all the exercises can be used without any equipment and there's a great set of Putty that comes with the course that you can do all sorts of things with that is really fun to use. For many years, Garin has performed all sorts of acts and has done so without much injury and he can do Magic, play the Piano so beautifully it has to be seen to believe, do two finger push-ups with arms straight out, glide through the air on a silk curtain and perform other instruments with ease it's unbelievable. If there's one guy who has mastered many things and knows what he's talking about when it comes to conditioning and strengthening the body, it's him.

When I met him back in 2010, it was like seeing Picasso, Copperfield, a guru and a Mythic all rolled into one human being. The hours I spent with him will never leave me and I still do things he taught me that day as of right now as I write this. He's the genuine article and has a very positive outlook on life and training that you don't see in many people today. It was an honor just to even shake his hand let alone have conversations with him and absorb his knowledge like a Sponge. The way he moves and expresses his himself in the moment is a surreal thing to see and his dexterity, strength and coordination is just incredible. You'd be missing out big time if you didn't have Finger Gymnastics in your arsenal. 

This course IMO is the GOAT of Hand Conditioning bar none. These exercises are top of the line and will give you levels of energy and power that you probably haven't experienced before or experienced in many years.  

Relearning To Write Cursive

 

From what I talked about having Meningitis as a baby, you know that the way I learn things isn't always the traditional way or what is the normal curriculum taught in schools. Some things I had to learn the hard way and what comes natural to most people, can be very difficult for me to comprehend. It becomes an issue constantly to think in specifics and understanding certain concepts one at a time and not from a generalized point of view. It's not an excuse and it's not because I can't but it is how my brain operates and I can only do what works with that chemistry of brain to body function.

When I was little and learning how to write, I never really had great hand writing, it wasn't and still isn't all that pleasing to naked eyes but I never gave up trying. When I was about 9 or 10, I was taught how to write in cursive and although it was readable (not steady but you can understand a little) that was the only period of my life where I consistently wrote in cursive. As a boy at that age, it was tough for me to understand simple concepts and being socially awkward didn't help. I did have friends but wasn't truly part of a brotherhood so I always just went along with people. 

I stopped writing cursive on a consistent basis for more than a quarter of a century and although I'd write my name in what looked like cursive was more than just a scribble of lines, I just signed my name in print. Up until about a year or so ago and as recently as Saturday night, I had learned how cursive could be a major brain building exercise and generate natural hormones. Now that does sound ridiculous as far as the hormones part but the way you strengthen the brain through various notions of exercise methods can jumpstart powerful nerve points in your body's system. I started writing in cursive again, it's not very good and as you'll see, the writing in pencil was from a year ago and the blue ink is from Saturday night. I just started practicing writing my name, my wife's maiden name, superheroes, Matt Furey's and just about those for now. 

Hardly anyone under the age of 30 writes in cursive anymore and it has become somewhat of a lost art because due to the technology we have today, we can just write or type up notes and names and such in printed formats and fonts that are extremely easy to read. Sure some type words in cursive on their laptops or design websites but how many actually write on paper in cursive?

It is hard to do and we need to utilize our brains that is rarely seen these days. Back in the day going back centuries, cursive was the norm for mainly those that were highly educated. Hell the declaration of independence is written in inked cursive for crying out loud. The fundamental aspects of writing this way, helps strengthen neurons in the brain and can raise intelligence by a good margin. Some studies even say it can raise testosterone but who knows if that's true or not , the fact is it's one of those things we should be learning again.

It takes patience and practice but as they say, practice makes perfect but I'd say, consistent practice creates better results. Like I said before, right now my cursive is not very good and probably no better than a 4th grader from the 80's or 90's but little by little it can get better and I believe it's worth perusing.