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

A visit to the Oregon State Fair

On Sunday I took my son to the Oregon State Fair. Those of you with children will sympathize but until you take them to the rides, midway and cotton candy booth you won't get to do anything you want to do. With that out of the way we had some lunch - yes I indulged in some "fair" food but tried to keep it reasonable (beef brisket - split with a friend) - and a share of some curly fries split 6 ways.

I love to go to the exhibiters booth - especially those selling Vita-Mix machines and cookware - to watch the demos. It was here that I observed the topic of my blog. I would venture a guess that 90% of these booths are geared towards some sort of health topic - back pain, spas, vitamins, weight loss programs - but they all seem to sell some sort of short cut to cure your ails. Once you step outside of the exhibit hall you are smack dab in the middle of the main cause of many of these problems - the FOOD!

To be "fair" remember you can have fun at these places. Keep it reasonable - portion control allows you to have the "treats" every once in a while. I forgot to bring my GPS with me but I'd venture a guess that we all walked over 10 miles yesterday - the real health benefit of the fair.

Fitness at any cost?

I recently read an article in The Oregonian's online version, "Oregonlive.com" regarding some local high school football players who were hospitalized while attending a "total immersion" football camp. Apparently several players were suffering "compartment syndrome" after a day of practice. The cause is currently under investigation but I wonder if "immersion" camps are appropriate for minors.

Compartment syndrome is the compression of nerves and blood vessels within a closed space. Thick layers of tissue - called fascia - separate groups of muscles in the arms and legs from each other. Inside each layer of fascia is a compartment which includes muscles tissues, nerves and blood vessels. Swelling in the compartment can cause pressure and can impede blood flow which can lead to permanent damage to muscles and nerves. Compartment syndrome has a variety of causes but one cause can be due to repetitive activities, such as running https://health.google.com/health/ref/Compartment+syndrome.

The injuries in the football players case seem to be limited to the upper arm. One player mentions doing a lot of pushups and dips. Immersion programs, boot camps and CrossFit classes are all the rage right now. I believe we are headed for more injuries such as those in the football player's camp.

Any trainer or coach should be aware of this - I believe that in group settings there is an increased chance of injury due to peer pressure and not wanting to be "last" or appear weak. A good trainer or coach should insist on proper form - even if it means a player / trainee has to slow down and lower the "as prescribed" weight in order to achieve this. This is my opinion - feel free to discuss.

Source:

Beseda, J. (2010, August 20). Seven more McMinnville players hospitalized; cause of injuries still unknown. The Oregonian (Portland, OR), p. 1B. Retrieved August 21, 2010 from oregonlive.com/news database.