One of the hardest 45 min Workouts!

Today started off like any other Sunday. Logan wakes up and I give him to my mom so I can get my Sunday workout in. Josie works, so she cant watch him. I decided to give my body a break yesterday from a workout since I went 6 days without stopping to give my body rest from working out.
So after getting to the gym, I wanted to get my heart rate up, so I went on the big stair climber. I put it on level 6-7 for 20 minutes and just watched Youtube for my entertainment. (basketball, ultimate fighting, etc). Then I went on one of favorite cardio machines at my gym, the hybrid elliptical/stair stepper for about 10 min, resistance 15.
Then time for the hardest part of the workout. After watching Wanderli Silva on youtube train for his fight doing weights, plyometrics, sprints, and kickboxing WITH A SNORKLE ON! (gives him less oxygen to breathe so that his cardio vascular conditioning is bad ass)....I decided to kick my ass for the last 15min of my workout with circuit training. (training multiple body parts in 1 set of exercise)
CIRCUIT #1: 3 SETS
15 x pullups, low cable squat rows, & push ups. My heart rate shot up to 175 bpm (beats per minute)! I did this for 3 sets with as little break in between. But as I did the 2nd & 3rd set, fatigue started to setttle in and my rest time was getting longer and longer. But my max heart rate was still 175+.
CIRCUIT #2: 3 SETS
15 x Clean and Press w/ 75lbs & 10 pushup with 10lb dumbell rows. The first set shot my heart rate up only to 170bpm. But the second and third set killed me at 175-180bpm. At this point of my workout I was ready to throw up or pass out. I felt like I was wearing a snorkle with all the oxygen I was lacking. I knew it was time to slow down and time to end the workout after this set.

So after it was all said and done, I had burned 700 calories in only 45 min of working out! Till the next workout, Take It To the NEXT LEVEL!!!!

Asian Food

I celebrated my first fathers day yesterday. It was a great feeling to finally be on the this side of the fence. I cannot be a happier person with my son Logan in my arms.
So for fathers day, the women in my family cooked for us. I was looking forward to a great steak with corn on the cobb and some drinks. But then to my suprise, I see filipino food for lunch and then chinese food for dinner! See, what had happened was my brother and dad were craving the filipino food and at night, my dad wanted to get egg drop soup for my sick brother. I am usually pretty good when I get to choose the meals, but I didnt have control of this situation. I didnt want to hurt the gals feelings so I decided to eat the food. Of course, trying to keep my portion size small is the goal. But with this kind of food, I swear that it makes you crave more....like a drug.
After all is said and done, today I feel like crap. I know that I am retaining water weight and feel sluggish. Why does Asian/Filipino Food have to be so bad? I know that not all asian or filipino food is bad, but the good stuff is what is usually ordered.
Well I guess I have to bust my butt this week to take away the damage that was caused on my first fathers day!

800 calorie 1 hr workout

Today I got in a great 800 calorie workout with in 1 hour. Here is how I did it:

1. Warmed up body by doing push ups and step ups on the flat bench in weight room (2-3min)

2. Bench Press (135/ 185/ 185lbs) while super setting Shoulder Press (22.5lbs) & Bicep Curls with (22.5lbs x 3sets) ....(5-10min)

3. Flat Dumbell Bench Press (45/ 50/ 55lbs) superset with Dumbell Bicep Curl 20lbs x 3sets ...(5-10min)

4. Cable Machine Chest Fly (50lbs x 3 sets) superset with Crunches on Exercise Ball 20 reps x 3 sets
>>>>>>>WEIGHTS DONE>>>>>>>>CARDIO TIME!!!

5. Stair Climber (actual stairs) for 25 min at Level 7. (MOST CALORIES BURNED HERE)

6. Elliptical Trainer for another 20 min at Level 15-16.

7. Quick Stretch and I was done!!!! 800 Calories Burned baby!!!! YOUR TURN! =)

Journey to the O.C. Mudd Run

I am signed up for the O.C. Mud Run this upcoming July 18th. I am excited to do this event with so many other friends attending too. I am doing the 10k run while some others are doing the 5K run. Some things kinda concern me though. I know that the terrain is going to be different than some of the previous runs I have done since there are going to be obstacles in the way and also.....MUD...obviously!
One of my trainers Annette just did the Camp Pendelton Mud Run last week and told me all about her experience and I am feeling better about it now. You can check out her experience at http://trainerannette.wordpress.com/2009/06/07/annettes-first-camp-pendleton-mud-run/
So now I am training differently for this run that past runs before. I know that just running will not help me do the obstacles better. So I have come up with a game plan for my run.

1. Run: Obviously I will have to run most of the 10K (6.6 miles)

2. Cross Training: This will consist of doing exercises with using body weight. For example: there will be a wall obstacle in my way, so I will have to do some pull ups on a pull up bar and also some rowing using the TRX System. http://www.fitnessanywhere.com/

3. Stationary Bike Intervals: If you have ever run or biked for a long time, you will at some point develop a burning feeling in your legs that pervents you from going on. This is due to lactic acid that builds up in your legs from not having enough oxygen in your muscles. I find that doing the stationary bike will get me to this point of "burning feeling" in my legs without the shock of running.

4. Bleacher Runs/Hill Runs: This will be a great way to overcome and hills or elevated running that will be on the run. It also help develop a great strenth to my legs for the run.

5. Foam Roll/Massage: After all this running, lifting, & training; I will need to regenerate my body. So foam rolling will be great for my body to get some of the knots and sore muscles out of my body. You can order your own foam roller on my site http://www.nextleveltrainer.com/ shop.

Well that is my game plan for now. I will let you know how I do in a few weeks. Wish me luck!!!

Got Shoes?

So most people know that I have a fasination on atheletic shoes. It all started when I was young and got my first pair of Air Jordans with my own money. First it started off with only basketball shoes, but then running or training shoes came into play. Then the addiction started!

Now I can say that I dont know how many pairs of shoes I own, but I do know that my love for shoes or "kicks" is very theraputic to me. I often find myself looking at all different types of shoes from basketball, training, and recently running shoes. I have used my knowledge of shoes to help my fitness training client pick the right shoe for them. Or I will educate them upon the importance of having the right shoe for their workouts.

If I have a new client, one of the first things I look at are their shoes. If they have the same pair they have had the past 10 years, I usually tell them that it would be in their best interest to invest in a good pair of shoes for their workouts with me and when they workout by themselves. Your walking or running pattern or if you do or dont have an arch on your foot can determine what kind of shoe you will need. I have no arch on my foot, so I am labeled as an "overpronator". Some other feet with high arches will be in different shoes than me. Of course the right shoes for you might run you some $, but think about how much time you spend on your feet. It will be worth it in the end of the day when your feet do not hurt from the wrong pair of shoes.

There are some great companies out there that will help you pick out the right shoe for your workouts.
1. Road Runner Spots, www.roadrunnersports.com
2. Snails Pace, www.runasnailspace.com
*these companies can be visited
Some websites great for buying shoes for a great price are:
1. Zappos.com
2. Ebay.com

So I hope the next time you workout, you have the right pair of KICKS!

My decision "Power or Cardio?"

So I have a problem. I am training for the 10K O.C. Mudd Run July 18th. So I am obviously training by running, but by doing that, I see that I am losing strength during my workouts in the gym with weights. Today I had a hard time benching 135lbs x 15 times when I usually do that for my first set then go up to 185lbs/215/265lbs!!!! So today doing only 135lbs on bench made me feel.....normal. I take pride in my bench press. =(
The problem is that when I lift too heavy, my running gets harder cause I feel too tight and have a hard time running. See when I run, I like to feel loose and relaxed. But being tight from lifting weights ruins my runs I cant stand having pain from sore muscles and have sore legs while running.
But I know that I have to keep training for my runs, but have to find a balance in keeping my strength. I will have to get push ups in after my runs and do pull ups as long as I am in the gym where they have pull ups bars.
So I guess I have to just forget about being the one that puts a lot of weights on the bench press. I have to just run, stay with light weights, kick ass July 18th, and get back to the bench press after the run.......here we go!!!!!

10K that shocked me.

Well today I had some clients cancel in the morning, so I decided to go for a run outside instead of going to the gym to run on the treadmill. I just ran yesterday 3 miles, but it was a hard 3 miles to get in. See, I ran inside the gym and it was hot and stuffy in there. I wanted to run 4 miles yesterday, but just couldnt stand the running conditions. It made me feel the burn in my legs more than I should have. So I dediced to run around my neighborhood this morning.
The weather was perfect to run in today. It was 65-70 degrees with overcast for most of my run today. I ran towards my old high school Savanna High School, then ran towards my old elementary school. Running past the highs school and elementary school was fun. I got to remenice of my times there. It also helped me forget about the pain in my legs from my running.
I got to run to my uncle's house to get some water since the park that I thought had a working water fountain didnt have one! =( After I got some water I visited my mom at her work at CVS Pharmacy. I stood outside her drive through window since I was sweaty and didnt wanna go inside. She called me crazy and then I was off.
After it was all said and done, I had ran 6.6 miles which is equivalent to a 10K run! This is the same distance I will have to run July 18th for the O.C. Mudd Run. I am ready!!!!