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Fit Freaks

For all the athletes, fitness enthusiasts and gym junkies! Do you like working out? This is the place to be.

Network Leader: Lorien
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Ashley Jones

I'm looking for suggestions...what are the best fruits and vegetables to eat? (Not necessarily by taste, but by health benefits) Thanks!

Wed, 01/27/2010 - 10:43am

Ashley, it really depends on what your training goals are and when you eat them. For example, within 20 minutes of an intense work-out, you are better off eating starchy carbs, like sweet potatoes or bananas. Generally though, low-glycemic index fruits and veggies are the way to go, which is leafy greens, berries, peppers, watermelon... Stay away from exotic fruits and root vegetables, as they tend to be starchier and have a higher glycemic index.

Wed, 01/27/2010 - 10:50am

I'd go with spinach, blueberries & raspberries.

Wed, 01/27/2010 - 1:42pm

Hi Ashley! I have one simple rule when it comes to getting the most out of my fruits and veggies: eat the rainbow. Eat as many different colors of fruits and veggies as you can. Each color corresponds to a powerful group of pigments called bioflavonoids. Some great examples from the food rainbow: RED: bell peppers, cherries; ORANGE: carrots, citrus fruit; YELLOW: onions, mangoes; BLUE/PURPLE: blueberries, purple potatoes. Bioflavonoids = anti-oxidants. Complete the rainbow and you're good to go.

Wed, 01/27/2010 - 2:57pm
Lorien

How many hours do you work out a week? I'm curious! I work out about 2 to 3 hours a day 5 days a week.

Mon, 01/25/2010 - 12:50pm

I'm always curious about this too... Right now I work out about 45 min/day on average, but my goal is to get up to 2 hours a day at least 4 days a week. What do you do to get up to 2-3 hours a day?

Mon, 01/25/2010 - 1:06pm

I've just started, my intentions are to do cardio 5 to 6 days and some type of weight lifting that will help me tone. I need to lose at least 60lbs

Mon, 01/25/2010 - 1:10pm

Are you a sponsored athlete? That seems like a huge time investment to me.

I work out 4 days a week, for about 75 minutes per workout. This equates to 3 lifting sessions and 1 soccer game.

Mon, 01/25/2010 - 1:10pm

Definitely not a sponsored athlete. I'm a national guard soldier on active duty orders. I do PT with my platoon in the morning, for one hour Mon-Fri. Then in the afternoons I like to do an hour or two, sometimes just working on weights or boxing/grappling that ends with a decent two to three mile run at a controlled pace (fartlek training). It is a huge time investment, but I'm also an insomniac. I have more time in the day than most.

Mon, 01/25/2010 - 3:43pm

With the lifestyle you've described, you are working out more often than most. Most people do not need to work out this much, unless they are a professional athlete, in the military, a police officer, etc. I work out 1 - 1.5 hours 5 days a week and am in very good shape. My problem is I need to work in more cardio, but I'm addicted to workout classes involving weights. And I'm addicted to my trainer, but that's another story.

Tue, 01/26/2010 - 12:35pm
Scott Asai

Just wanted to share some exciting news. After many failed attempts, a fitness center called Pineapple Fitness, is letting me lead a "life fitness" class which combines life coaching & personal fitness after I go through some basic training. Persistence, belief & vision pay off!

Fri, 01/22/2010 - 4:21pm

That sounds awesome, Scott! I think that's gonna be such a huge breakthrough. I'd totally attend that class!

Sat, 01/23/2010 - 10:05am

Thanks Karla, if you're near Brentwood, let me know and I can get you in a for a complementary class...

Sun, 01/24/2010 - 12:36am
Scott Asai

Weight loss is primarily mental. (That's where coaching comes in) What do you think?

Mon, 01/04/2010 - 2:21pm

I agree. But than again, isn't almost everything primarily mental?

Mon, 01/04/2010 - 4:14pm

Probably, yet I see the clear connection between life coaching & personal training. Just waiting for someone in the fitness industry to agree & give it a chance...

Mon, 01/04/2010 - 4:20pm
Keely Myres

Hey all, I started this new fitness project to get myself as close to my old gymnast body as I can. I'm blogging about it as I go and I'd love to hear your tips and opinions! http://www.theexgymnastbody.wordpress.com. Thanks!

Sun, 01/03/2010 - 10:21pm

Sounds good Keely. Let me know if you are doing specific gymnastics exercises where you're only using your body weight. I'd be interested in trying new workouts...

Mon, 01/04/2010 - 1:52pm
Rob

I'm completing my first Ironman triathlon in 2010; anyone else got this goal?

Rob
Fri, 12/25/2009 - 1:33am

Thought about it for a while. I don't know if the knees could handle all the running and such. Good luck Rob. I hear it can be life changing.

Sat, 12/26/2009 - 10:50am
Andrew Steimer

The Crossfit people have done a great job of establishing their brand. However, it performs poorly compared to programming with a specific goal in mind. If you want to develop real power, do an off-season football or throwing sports program. There are better MMA preparation and conditioning programs than Crossfit, it is simply the most recognized program. And if your goal is primarily cosmetic, you're generally better off with traditional bodybuilding programs and exercises.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 3:41pm

Well, CrossFit methods can be adapted to sports-specific needs. In fact, CrossFit looks a lot like the S&C programs at some major universities. As a recent convert from your standard 5-days-a-week gym habit, and having seen very little in the way of commensurate results, I find it hard to believe that the average person can replicate the results of CrossFit without a personal trainer. CrossFit mainly provides people w/ built-in intensity & a group of similarly motivated people to push them.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 3:54pm

Depends on the kind of person. As a branding exercise Crossfit has done a great job. In terms of training effect, it is still up to the individual. For the average person, training with any kind of social support regardless of the activity will produce results. Even powerlifting style training. Doing timed supersets solo works too, if you are motivated.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 4:06pm

I would argue that the intensity & group of similarly motivated people has more to do with the success people experience doing Crossfit than the specific programming. Intense effort on a mediocre program will always beat mediocre effort on a great program. College S&C programs vary from sport to sport and not all S&C coaches are what you would expect http://www.elitefts.com/documents/politics_idiocy.htm Without Crossfit, a guy on my team benches 405, DLs 650, and runs 2 miles in 13:20, at 230

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 4:31pm

I agree Andrew, it is all in the intensity. There are also some questions regarding injury risk with form degradation due to fatigue on compound lifts in some Crossfit workouts as well.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 4:51pm
Dave Heal

It's definitely social, but that's not the primary goal. The workouts vary from max effort/1-3RM to ones that emphasize speed and power. And the types of workouts are nearly infinitely variable. A buddy of mine is currently trying to get stronger, so he's doing a modified workout designed for a "power bias," which involves low reps and high weights. But yeah, it's olympic lifts, bodyweight stuff, kettlebells, rowing & gymnastics movements, mainly.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 10:11am

I think a lot of people don't train with enough intensity to see results and they also don't keep a journal to track progress. Crossfit seems to capitalize on these weaknesses.

At one point I was training for maximum strength/weight ratio. Right now I'm just trying to get to 215-220lbs. Perhaps I'll use CrossFit to lean out in the future, but I just have to be careful not to re-injure my back. 1-3RM means I'm deadlifting and squatting in the 400's which can be bad if my form isn't perfect.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 10:22am
Dave Heal

"Only" 40 minutes? 40 minutes is more than enough time. Have you heard of CrossFit, Travis?

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 9:40am

Yeah, I've heard of that but I'm more traditional in my approaches I guess you could say. There are many people that bodybuild that think you need 15 sets per body part to produce growth and that once you plateau you need to spend even MORE time. Mike flies in the face of this approach. Instead of doing 150 reps for chest day you'd do 25.

Crossfit seems like more of a social thing than anything. You do the same big compound lifts but for time or reps so it can be a competition. Right?

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 10:01am
Travis Power

Buying more and more into Mike Menzter's minimalist training approach to weight lifting. Whats not to love about building muscle with only 40 minute training sessions?

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 9:34am

Have you looked into DoggCrap training or the books by Dr. Ellington Darden? same principles as Mentzer, but those programs seem to provide better results.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 3:46pm

No, never heard of that. I'll do some research. I just finished up an 8 week HIT routine that was pretty good. I'd do it again but the workouts were a bit too long for me. Full body, 3 days a week. Produced new PR's.

Tue, 12/01/2009 - 3:50pm
 

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