Peak Performance Fitness

Hold the mayo

2010-01-20T05:43:00.000-08:00

While in the airport the other day, I noticed a sign at a popular fast food restaurant that got me thinking. It stated: hold the mayo and reduce the calories by 20% and fat by 40%.

It made me realize what I've been saying all along to my clients, "to get results, you don't need to make major changes or try some drastic diet plan, you just need to make small adjustments."

So just by "holding the mayo" you can reduce the amount of calories in that burger you've chosen to eat or the sandwich you make at home. It's all about making simple changes in your diet to get big results. Same thing goes with eating salads, make a simple change from ranch dressing, which is 90-100% fat calories, to balsamic vinegar and spices, which virtually has no calories.

When its all said and done, it comes down to making simple changes and choices in your nutrition plan to get the results you are looking for.

Rick Baird C.S.C.S.

Quality Vs. Quantity

2010-01-11T12:22:00.000-08:00

Well I'm off to Switzerland for a week to ski and watch the bobsled races.

Next week when I get back, I'll discuss my thoughts on quality workouts vs. quantity workouts. I'm a believer in quality workouts that are intense in volume of weight training but efficient in time.

I also would like to discuss proper warm ups and what is best type of stretching; static, dynamic, or proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (pnf) stretching.

Take care.

Rick Baird C.S.C.S.

Making an IMPACT

2010-01-05T09:22:00.000-08:00

Recently I got an email from one the most highly respected trainers in the industry and it got me thinking bout this upcoming year personally and professionally. Take a minute and read what Todd Durkin has to say:

It is called I.M.P.A.C.T. and he challenged us to make an "IMPACT" in 2010. This is what it stands for:

I = Integrity. Doing what is right each and every time. Get up early and do something!

M = Mission. Having a purpose bigger than yourself. Not just settling for a "career" when you can have an impact on the world; not just settling for success when you can stand for significance.

P = Preparation. Proper preparation produces peak performance! What are you preparing for in your life and business?

A = Action. Having the courage to move forward, despite most likely facing some adversity or fear. Furthermore, continue to offer simple acts of random kindness. An example would be buying a cup of coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks.

C = Commitment. Throwing yourself whole-heartedly into something. Are you playing it safe or are you shooting for significance? Dont' be afraid of the collision, don't be afraid of the impact, start taking action on what you want and commit to its success.

T = Tenacity. Being tough enough to finish strong. Not only do we have to finish the year strong, we need to finish what we started. So many of us start a project but never finish it. Many of us have 10 projects going on at the same time and never give one project the laser-like focus it may need to complete the task. Get it done and be tenacious in doing so!

I hope you are looking to create an IMPACT-ful year. As you create your strategy for 2010, think about this acronym and be sure your life is inspiring others around you to live better lives.

Todd Durkin C.S.C.S.

What’s the best exercise/fitness equipment to use?

2010-01-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

So when it comes to training methods now a days people ask, what is the best way to train or best piece of equipment to use? Is it; kettle bells, med balls, physio balls, Bosu ball, TRX, heavy ropes, sand bags, or should you do the normal free weights and machines?

Well to answer part of the question, is one piece of equipment better than the other, my simple answer is NO, but I do feel they all have their place in the fitness industry. I actually use all the above mentioned pieces of equipment with my clients and athletes.

What is particularly nerve racking is seeing other fitness professionals out there claiming the only way to get “X” result is to use “X” piece of equipment, this makes no sense to me. I really didn’t think about it much, until I was researching ideas for my new website and saw numerous websites out there with these fitness “gurus” saying “doing a lunge with this 20lb sand bag is way better than doing a lunge with a 20lb dumbbell weight.” Seriously how is anybody going to get a better “result” holding a 20lb sandbag vs. a 20lb dumbbell?? Please show me a scientific study that proves this claim.

I could go on about each piece of equipment and give more examples of their superiority claims, but that’s not the focus of this post. I really do not feel one piece of equipment is better than another, but I do feel that at certain points in someone’s training, one piece of equipment or style of training should be the focal point over another training modality. I hope that makes sense.

It basically comes back to what is your goal? When you determine your goal, then you can decide what style of training and what types of equipment are best suited to get you to your goals.

An example of an athlete that has a goal of a stronger squat or power clean, does not want to do minute intervals of balancing on a Bosu ball, well that might help their stability, it’s not going to get them stronger. On the other hand, if the average joe training for general fitness and wants a stronger core along with a slight increase of strength and decrease in body fat percentage. I would then add in some Bosu ball stability training doing some exercises while balancing on the Bosu.

So when you are planning out your fitness goals this upcoming year, focus on your goals, then decide what would be the best way to achieve that goal, using the proper style of training and proper equipment, take care.

Rick Baird C.S.C.S.

Welcome

2009-12-28T13:48:00.000-08:00

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. I hope to keep this updated weekly with some of my own thoughts about exercise and fitness, posting fitness/nutrition articles, and posts from other blogs I find useful.

For our first discussion, I think it will be about all the different types of equipment out there(Kettle bells, bosu balls, sand bags, heavy ropes, TRX, etc..) and if one is better then the other..my quick answer is NO. I think they all have their place in the fitness industry. I will go into more detail in the next post, take care.

Rick Baird
Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist(C.S.C.S.)