If you're looking for a low-key, hometown-type of race, the Watchung Hills Municipal Alliance 5-K in Watchung is a good one.
The field is usually less than 100, with a few talented outside runners mixed with locals looking to support a good cause: Drug Education programs in the Warren, Watchung, Long Hill Twp., and Green Brook school districts.
I was fortunate enough to win it one year, and this year took third in a time of 20:29.
I hadn't run a race since July, but have been training hard, on my own, and with the Adult Running Group at our club. I felt I took off fairly hard at the start, and really didn't slow down the whole way, passing a couple of people in the front pack and settling into third place by the halfway mark.
In fact, one runner came up next to me on the long downhill down Sunlit Drive, we stayed together for a few paces, and I was able to regain my position. My legs felt fine, I mentally was into it, and my stomach didn't bother me at all, which are usually the three determining factors.
However, my breathing was heavy almost from the start - almost as if my lungs were in sprint mode, while my legs were in distance!
Because I was working so hard, I felt my time had to be in the mid 19-minute range. There were no splits along the way (as I said, this is a small, local race), and I was a bit disappointed when I rounded the last curve at Watchung Lake and saw the clock in the 20's.
Still, I can't complain (I am 53 now, too!), and hopefully I'll get one more 5-K in this Fall before the weather starts getting too cold.
As a coach I felt proud, because one of the runners in our group ran well in his comeback to racing after nearly a decade off.
Every race is a learning experience, good and bad, and I can't wait to get back out there again!
Friday, November 4, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Concept 2 Rowing: The Perfect Exercise
I always tell people that if I you had to do one exercise the rest of my life to insure fitness, it should be the Concept 2 Rower.
It's non-impact, you use upper and lower body muscles (as well as the core, big time!), it's "push-pull;" an unbelievable cardiovascular workout, and suitable for anyone from rehabbing heart patients to Olympic athletes. It's also perfect for kids.
You can do sprints at an all-out pace to boost you lactate threshold, Vo2 Max, and prepare for competitions; or go easy to get a good aerobic workout without pounding on your joints.
I've been doing it for over 20 years, and got some great tips from Rutgers University crew team memebers, who use the Concept 2 for their "off-water" workouts.
I also competed in the New Jersey Indoor Rowing Championships about 10 years ago, at the Westfield YMCA, which attracted about 50 die-hards of various ages and sizes. I won the 40-49 lightweight (under 160 lb.) division, but I think I was as close to death as any point in my life. You go 2000-meters (about seven minutes and a half minutes, for me) of total heart-pounding pain.
The most demanding thing about the rower is that, unlike the treadmill (where your body keeps up with the pace of the machine), you must create all the energy yourself. Every stroke counts, and if you let up, you must pull that much harder on the next stroke to make up for it!
My favorite workouts on the Concept 2 are: 12 x 500-meters, which is about two minutes of effort, followed by one minute rest; 6 x 1000-meters, a 4-minute to-2 work-rest ratio; or 10,000 meters straight through (my best time is slightly under 42 minutes).
It's also amazing how the time rowing equates to running. My all-out rowing mile and running mile are both right about six minutes long! In fact, most of my winter "running" intervals are done on the rower.
Also, as a trainer, I do abs six or seven times a day, every day. I always feel it's almost impossible to get my stomch sore. Sure enough, a hard rowing workout will!
In our club, the rower is a popular piece of equipment, because we use it in training clients a lot, and acquaint all the members of it's benefits. I've been in other gyms where the rower collects a lot of dust.
Don't go along with the crowd and choose the easy way out. Give the rower a try. It will be the best workout decision you ever made!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Rating The Diets
Arguing the benefits of various diets can lead to extremeley heated discussions amongst adherents of the many available plans.
I've always felt that any diet works, short-term, because of the calorie restriction, but the only thing that works long-term is a varied, nutritious diet; consumed in moderate amounts, and mixed with exercise. Some people can achieve this on their own, and many others need the guidance a diet plan provides.
Consumer Reports rated seven popular diets last Spring. Their findings took the thinking out of eating altogether, placing the Jenny Craig diet as number one to keep pounds off for the long term.
In Jenny Craig (which garnered 85 out of a possible 100 points), the participant eats pre-packaged, calorie-proportioned meals that are heated in a microwave. While it's simple to adhere to and nutritionally balanced, Consumer Reports felt the taste of the food left something to desire, which possibly could lead to boredom and drop-out.
Slim Fast (63 out of 100) placed second. With it's three snacks, two shakes, and one nutritious meal per day, the simplicity was again key to short-term adherence. Long term, the question was how long people can look at another shake?
The time-honored Weight Watchers system rated third, with 57 out of 100 points. While the variety of food was the greatest of those tested, and long-term adherence
is very feasible, the points system may actually give too much freedom and flexibility for those looking to lose a considerable amount of weight.
The Zone Diet, popular amongst many celebrities, place fourth with 54 points. It's downside: inability to keep weight off for the long haul, because of the precise measuring of the food and work involved in keeping with the program.
Tied for last, with 48 points each, were the Dr. Dean Ornish "Eat More, Weigh Less" low fat, vegetarian diet, and the high-protein, no-carb Atkins plan. Both tested poorly because of their nutritional extremes. The magazine's study rated nutritional value by their adherence to the US Dietary guidelines.
I found the article very interesting, although my own belief is that any formal diet plan is unneccesary to anyone with good, basic knowledge on nutrition. Cut out 250 calories a day (two sodas or beers), burn off 250 calories more (a 2.5 mile walk), and you will have a deficit of 3500 calories after one week. That's one pound. Take it all from there!
I've always felt that any diet works, short-term, because of the calorie restriction, but the only thing that works long-term is a varied, nutritious diet; consumed in moderate amounts, and mixed with exercise. Some people can achieve this on their own, and many others need the guidance a diet plan provides.
Consumer Reports rated seven popular diets last Spring. Their findings took the thinking out of eating altogether, placing the Jenny Craig diet as number one to keep pounds off for the long term.
In Jenny Craig (which garnered 85 out of a possible 100 points), the participant eats pre-packaged, calorie-proportioned meals that are heated in a microwave. While it's simple to adhere to and nutritionally balanced, Consumer Reports felt the taste of the food left something to desire, which possibly could lead to boredom and drop-out.
Slim Fast (63 out of 100) placed second. With it's three snacks, two shakes, and one nutritious meal per day, the simplicity was again key to short-term adherence. Long term, the question was how long people can look at another shake?
The time-honored Weight Watchers system rated third, with 57 out of 100 points. While the variety of food was the greatest of those tested, and long-term adherence
is very feasible, the points system may actually give too much freedom and flexibility for those looking to lose a considerable amount of weight.
The Zone Diet, popular amongst many celebrities, place fourth with 54 points. It's downside: inability to keep weight off for the long haul, because of the precise measuring of the food and work involved in keeping with the program.
Tied for last, with 48 points each, were the Dr. Dean Ornish "Eat More, Weigh Less" low fat, vegetarian diet, and the high-protein, no-carb Atkins plan. Both tested poorly because of their nutritional extremes. The magazine's study rated nutritional value by their adherence to the US Dietary guidelines.
I found the article very interesting, although my own belief is that any formal diet plan is unneccesary to anyone with good, basic knowledge on nutrition. Cut out 250 calories a day (two sodas or beers), burn off 250 calories more (a 2.5 mile walk), and you will have a deficit of 3500 calories after one week. That's one pound. Take it all from there!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Shoulder Problems
In training clients and my own observation, the shoulder is the most fragile joint in the body. While non-weight bearing (like the knee or hip), the shoulder is the only joint that can go in any direction, making it very versatile and sensitive at the same time.
There are several common problems with the shoulder. Here's a look at a few.
1. Rotator Cuff injuries: the Rotator Cuff is a band of tendons that stretch over the back muscles and cross the shoulders to keep them in place. Tears are common (particularly amongst baseball pitchers, quarterbacks, and seniors!). Pain is usually felt in the front and side of the shoulder and is at its worst in bed.
2. Bursitis: the common symptom of bursitis is an achy pain that gets worse with overhead movements (shoulder presses, or putting away dishes!). Bursas are small disks located between tendons and bones, and are designed to lessen tension when tendons glide across the bone. Worn bursas can cause the chronic pain of bursitis.
3. Impingement syndrome: This involves compression of tendons between bones. Causes a throbbing type of pain.
These are some of the many things that can go wrong with a shoulder. The key is keeping it supple with stretching, not over-doing it if you feel pain, varying your exercise choices, and sometimes, just plain luck!
There are several common problems with the shoulder. Here's a look at a few.
1. Rotator Cuff injuries: the Rotator Cuff is a band of tendons that stretch over the back muscles and cross the shoulders to keep them in place. Tears are common (particularly amongst baseball pitchers, quarterbacks, and seniors!). Pain is usually felt in the front and side of the shoulder and is at its worst in bed.
2. Bursitis: the common symptom of bursitis is an achy pain that gets worse with overhead movements (shoulder presses, or putting away dishes!). Bursas are small disks located between tendons and bones, and are designed to lessen tension when tendons glide across the bone. Worn bursas can cause the chronic pain of bursitis.
3. Impingement syndrome: This involves compression of tendons between bones. Causes a throbbing type of pain.
These are some of the many things that can go wrong with a shoulder. The key is keeping it supple with stretching, not over-doing it if you feel pain, varying your exercise choices, and sometimes, just plain luck!
Aging and Weight Gain
It is widely assumed that aging, with it's loss of testosterone and estrogen levels in the body, brings on weight gain.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that it is food and lifestyle choices, not the natural effects of aging, that leads to the pound-a-year average weight gain in adult Americans.
The study was conducted by the Nurses' Health Study and was authored by Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. The study involved data collected from 121,000 men and women. The participants were tracked every four years for 20 years, and, on average, 17 lbs. over that 20 year period.
The article attributes most of the weight gain to unhealthy food choices like extra servings of potato chips, french fries, soda, white bread, and low-fiber cereals.
Other factors were increasingly sedentary lifestyles (hours of TV and computer use); poor sleeping habits (both too much and too little can lead to weight gain); and decreased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and other roughage. Alcohol, unsurprisingly, was another culprit.
To show that much weight gain can be prevented, the study noted that those who made the most unhealthy food choices gained nearly four pounds more in four years than those who made the healthiest dietary decisions.
The study suggests, rather than just calorie-counting, people should focus on improving their overall diet. Nuts, for example, while high in calories and fat content, actually helped provent weight gain. Exercise, of course, also helped prevent weight gain.
In my 20-plus years in the fitness field, I have heard many rational for age-related weight gain: childbirth; marriage (by men and women); "Bodily changes;" various injuries; raising young children; and the end of structured athletic careers. All may be valid to some degree. The bottom-line is, however, that maintaining a healthy diet, mixed with exercise, will prevent the weight gain that many think is inevitable.
A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes that it is food and lifestyle choices, not the natural effects of aging, that leads to the pound-a-year average weight gain in adult Americans.
The study was conducted by the Nurses' Health Study and was authored by Frank Hu, a professor of nutrition and and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. The study involved data collected from 121,000 men and women. The participants were tracked every four years for 20 years, and, on average, 17 lbs. over that 20 year period.
The article attributes most of the weight gain to unhealthy food choices like extra servings of potato chips, french fries, soda, white bread, and low-fiber cereals.
Other factors were increasingly sedentary lifestyles (hours of TV and computer use); poor sleeping habits (both too much and too little can lead to weight gain); and decreased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and other roughage. Alcohol, unsurprisingly, was another culprit.
To show that much weight gain can be prevented, the study noted that those who made the most unhealthy food choices gained nearly four pounds more in four years than those who made the healthiest dietary decisions.
The study suggests, rather than just calorie-counting, people should focus on improving their overall diet. Nuts, for example, while high in calories and fat content, actually helped provent weight gain. Exercise, of course, also helped prevent weight gain.
In my 20-plus years in the fitness field, I have heard many rational for age-related weight gain: childbirth; marriage (by men and women); "Bodily changes;" various injuries; raising young children; and the end of structured athletic careers. All may be valid to some degree. The bottom-line is, however, that maintaining a healthy diet, mixed with exercise, will prevent the weight gain that many think is inevitable.
Monday, August 22, 2011
The "No Day-Dreaming" Workout
Without a doubt, the best weight workouts I get are with a training partner. The adrenaline flows, you push each through that last rep, and it's great having someone to do "negatives," "pauses" and other unorthodox techniques with.
When alone, the toughest part is keeping a flow to the workout. How many times have you done a set on the bench, and then sat around thinking about all of your other problems in the world? Or got into a conversation with a friend that turned a one-minute rest period into three or five?
To alleviate that down period, I like to super-set a strength-training set with a minute of jump rope, 30 hard seconds on the speed bag, or a set of hanging leg raises for abs. Not only does my concentration level stay higher, I know I'm getting just enough "rest" between each set for my muscles to breathe, but not fully recover.
To keep it more challenging, say to yourself: "If I tangle up on the jump rope or lose rhythm on the speed bag within that prescribed time, you must go back to your strength set that much sooner." Guaranteed, you will be more careful not to lose it!
One of my favorite workouts along this vein is the pull-up/chin-up drop down. I start with 10 pull-ups, and do a minute of jump rope in-between. Then nine, all the way down to one, the last five sets with a slow "negative" drop. Then you go into ten chin-ups (a little easier), and again, take it all the way down to one.
Oh, and if I miss on the jump rope, back to the "pulls" or chins" that much sooner! Finish it out with five minutes straight jump rope. Modify numbers on the pulls and chins, dependent on your current ability.
There's an unlimited number of variations of that basic workout. Figure out what your goals are, what you like to do, and what your capabilities are. Mix and match from there!
Monday, August 8, 2011
Back in the Swim
While I consider myself a runner, primarily, I had fun dabbling with Triathlons in
the 1980's. I did several sprint triathlons, with the longest endeavor a 1-mile swim in Barnegat Bay, a 25-mile bike ride, and 10-mile run in the Ricoh Triathlon on Long Beach Island in 1983.
Since getting married and having more responsibility, I've concentrated my competitive efforts back into running, while augmenting it with lifting, rowing, and most recently, some martial arts training.
Swimming has taken a back seat. We have a community pool in our development, and when I have the time, I take advantage of the sole lap lane and swim a mile. The mile was my normal training distance when I swam more regularly, and then, I could clock a regular training mile in under 30 minutes.
Distance and time-wise, swimming a mile is considered four times a running mile. So, my mile swim in 30 minutes was like running a little over seven-minute miles for four miles. In my mind, it seemed about an equal effort, too: nothing remarkable, but respectable.
Now, I probably do the mile about four or five times a summer, and my time has slowed to about 35 minutes. My preceived effort remains about a six on a 1-10 scale. My chest, arms and shoulders feel like they had a good workout, and it's a good flexibility exercise for my hips, obliques, and legs.
I sprint in the last 10 laps, so I'm breathing hard at the end, but I can't swim fast enough to truly test my maximum heart rate capabilities.
I feel great doing it, though! I sit out in the sun first, to get baking hot, and usually read a fitness magazine to get in the proper framework. The water is bracing at first in the unheated pool, but my body adapts as I steam along.
The first eight or 10 laps are the hardest, as my shoulders feel extremely tight (I always do the swim on a weekend, and I usually have done a weight workout in the morning).
I break the mile down into 10-lap increments, and am usually comfortable after the first ten. Then, it's just a mental game of sticking with your form (remembering to kick your legs, not letting the arms sag across your body underwater, breathing every stroke), and letting your mind wander, but not so much that you forget how many laps you have gone.
The mental game is much like a running race: 16 laps down, a quarter done. Then get to 20. At 32, your halfway. After 40, you're over the hump and can start picking up the pace. At 60, it's "is anyone watching my kick?"
At 64, I relax in the water about a minute, and jump out before my body starts to freeze as it idles. I wrap myself in the towel, go back to my magazine, and my 52-year old mind wonders: "how many more summers will that seem easy?"
the 1980's. I did several sprint triathlons, with the longest endeavor a 1-mile swim in Barnegat Bay, a 25-mile bike ride, and 10-mile run in the Ricoh Triathlon on Long Beach Island in 1983.
Since getting married and having more responsibility, I've concentrated my competitive efforts back into running, while augmenting it with lifting, rowing, and most recently, some martial arts training.
Swimming has taken a back seat. We have a community pool in our development, and when I have the time, I take advantage of the sole lap lane and swim a mile. The mile was my normal training distance when I swam more regularly, and then, I could clock a regular training mile in under 30 minutes.
Distance and time-wise, swimming a mile is considered four times a running mile. So, my mile swim in 30 minutes was like running a little over seven-minute miles for four miles. In my mind, it seemed about an equal effort, too: nothing remarkable, but respectable.
Now, I probably do the mile about four or five times a summer, and my time has slowed to about 35 minutes. My preceived effort remains about a six on a 1-10 scale. My chest, arms and shoulders feel like they had a good workout, and it's a good flexibility exercise for my hips, obliques, and legs.
I sprint in the last 10 laps, so I'm breathing hard at the end, but I can't swim fast enough to truly test my maximum heart rate capabilities.
I feel great doing it, though! I sit out in the sun first, to get baking hot, and usually read a fitness magazine to get in the proper framework. The water is bracing at first in the unheated pool, but my body adapts as I steam along.
The first eight or 10 laps are the hardest, as my shoulders feel extremely tight (I always do the swim on a weekend, and I usually have done a weight workout in the morning).
I break the mile down into 10-lap increments, and am usually comfortable after the first ten. Then, it's just a mental game of sticking with your form (remembering to kick your legs, not letting the arms sag across your body underwater, breathing every stroke), and letting your mind wander, but not so much that you forget how many laps you have gone.
The mental game is much like a running race: 16 laps down, a quarter done. Then get to 20. At 32, your halfway. After 40, you're over the hump and can start picking up the pace. At 60, it's "is anyone watching my kick?"
At 64, I relax in the water about a minute, and jump out before my body starts to freeze as it idles. I wrap myself in the towel, go back to my magazine, and my 52-year old mind wonders: "how many more summers will that seem easy?"
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