Home Workout Equipment - Part Two

Here is my home gym. Try the following full body workout with this basic equipment:

Warm-up - 5 min. jog on treadmill, dynamic stretching

2-3 sets per exercise, 10-12 reps per set

(60-90 sec. rest between each set)


Dumbbell Bench Press

Barbell Squats

Bent-over Barbell row

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Deadlifts (or dumbbell romanian deadlifts)

Dumbbell triceps extension

Dumbbell biceps curl

Ab crunches on the physio-ball (3 x 15 reps, 30 sec. rest between sets

You can run this in order for 2-3 sets per exercise or you can run it as a circuit - do each exercise once in order then go through it 2-3 times.

To increase the intensity - decrease the rest time between sets (30 seconds) or do jumping jacks or jump rope for 30-60 seconds between sets.

Cooldown - walk 5 min. on treadmill, static stretching

DISCLAIMER: this workout is for informational and educational purposes and is not medical advice. Please consult a medical or health professional before you begin any exercise program or if you have questions about your health.

Home Workout Equipment - Part One

If you're like me - I prefer to workout in my home or work gym at least until Feb 7th or so due to the New Year's resolution folks who crowd the gym this time of year. Don't get me wrong - I'm glad they're there - but I don't like sharing or waiting for equipment so I turn to my home gym.

My home gym project began about 10 years ago when I bought my first treadmill and I've slowly added on from there. I'm on treadmill #2 - which isn't bad considering both my husband and I use it almost daily. Other pieces I have include a flat bench, incline bench, squat rack with pull-up bar and lat pulldown attachment, Olympic set barbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, yoga mats, dumbbells, resistance bands - and oh yeah - a 32" HD TV :).

Working out at home has some real advantages - especially if you have small children. Start with a basic dumbbell set, jump rope, mat and a flat bench. You can get a great full body workout in 20-30 minutes if you are crunched for time.

Look on Craig's list for deals - especially around Feb. 7th - that's when the majority of exercise newbies drop out.

Making Fitness Fun

Best Christmas present as far as my son and his friends are concerned? The Kinect device for X-Box 360. This is a fantastic add-on that allows for hands-free gaming. Many of the games are physically active - jumping, kicking, punching, running in place - definitely better than sitting and playing Super Mario Brothers all day. I can't wait to try the fitness games made specifically for this - check it out!

Merry Christmas

Hope you were able to work out and spend some quality time with your families. I received many fitness related gifts - my favorite being a BOSU ball! I have been wanting one for my home gym for some time but didn't want to spend the roughly $100 on it. My husband - who has been very supportive of my fitness ventures - made sure it was under the tree for me.

Police officers and cardiovascular disease

Here is an interesting link I came across while doing some research. It is very important to know your genetics, family history and other risk factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the number one cause of death in this country.

Police officers and cardiovascular disease

This is very personal to me as a friend and co-worker died after suffering a heart attack in December 2009. He was a devoted husband and father to four children as well as a respected police officer. He was 38 years old.

Photo courtesy of Teresa Carpenter Mendenhall

Photo courtesy of Teresa Carpenter Mendenhall

Challenge Fitness Crossfit

Crossfit gyms are increasing in number and popularity. Police and Fire employees can really benefit from this functional fitness. It's a great way to increase strength, power and endurance.

I had the opportunity to have a personal training session with Mike Case - one of the founders of Challenge Fitness Crossfit in Vancouver, WA.

Mike is an NASM certified personal trainer and has speciality certifications in corrective exercise, integrative flexibility and sports fitness. He's the type of trainer that people who are already in great shape go to to take it to the next level.

Mike and I discussed my goals and spent the majority of the time doing body weight squats to work on form. My squat form is decent but I have some work to do with balance. We also did some lunges and assisted pull-ups.

Mike Case is one of two trainers at the facility - Forrest Belmont - a state and national powerlifting competitor is available for sessions as well. If you live out in the 'Couv, Camas or Washougal come and check out the latest in fitness by accessing their website via "my links" or in person at:

Challenge Fitness Crossfit
17030 SE 1st Street Suite 101 Vancouver, WA 98684 (360) 901-2721.

Fitness on the Job

Today we remember those who gave their lives on 09/11/01.

The question you should ask yourself today is - will I be ready to serve when called upon in such an emergency? As a law enforcement officer what does fitness mean to you? Here are six components of fitness that you should focus on: cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, anaerobic power, flexibility and body composition.

CC image courtesy of West Point Public Affairs on Flickr

Fitness is important for everyone. Being fit is an essential part of being a successful law enforcement officer - you may have to scale a fence, run after a fleeing suspect, or arrest a resisting suspect. You may patrol several hours in a vehicle with little activity then launch into a dynamic situation without warning.

Being fit doesn't mean you're only good at one component - if you are strong but overweight you are putting more strain on your heart and lungs. If you are a good runner but lack upper body strength you won't be able to pull an injured person to safety.

Practice all six components of fitness and stay safe!

Source:

Hoffman, Robert and Collingwood,Thomas R. Fit for Duty: The Peace Officer's Guide to Total Fitness. Champaign: Human Kinetics, 1995