Training Tips for the Fight for Air Climb

Training Tips for the Fight for Air Climb on March 19^th

These training tips are brought to you by Joshua Berthold. Joshua runs his own personal training business in the Wexford Area called Hard Corp Training. Josh had spent eight years as a US Marine and served in combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also trained Marines and Foreign Militaries for the rigors of combat in infantry tactics and physical fitness and now enjoys working with people on weight loss, general fitness goals, and athletic strength and conditioning. Check him out at www.HardCorpTraining.com.

So we have less than two months till the Fight for Air Climb, but have no fear as that is plenty of time! I think it goes without saying that the best way to train for a stair climb is to……….climb steps! So first and foremost you have to find a good location to train. You can do it before, after, or during your lunch break in the building you work in. This would be a great way to get others asking about what you are doing and interested in the Stair Climb!

Any man, woman, or child can benefit from stair climbing as a conditioning method! Remember, the key to getting in shape, or better shape, is to constantly progress! You don’t have to kill yourself each and every week…just continue to increase the number of flights you climb, reduce the amount of time you rest between each set, or add weight! Here is an example of a stair climb workout:

1. Warm up- walk slowly up the steps for about 5 minutes

2. Jog up the steps at about ½ speed for 10 flights, skipping every other step (about 1 min), rest for 2 mins

3. Sprint up the steps at full speed for 10 flights (about 30 secs), skipping every other step, rest for 2-3 mins

4. Repeat 2

5. Repeat 3

6. Climb 20 flights as fast as possible until finished. If you don’t have 20 flights, then just throw in some Jumping Jacks or jogging in place before you start to climb so that you are working for more than 5 minutes continuous and this will help increase your endurance.

Keep in mind that this is designed for a beginner and you can increase or decrease based on your fitness level.

Use this example as a workout and just keep increasing the amount of times you perform it, or decrease your rest period. Adding dumbbells to the equation will certainly make it a lot harder as you are climbing with more weight. The easiest way to make yourself faster on race day is to move less weight, or simply to weigh less, but you will see yourself losing weight as you continue to train if you follow good eating habits.

Even though climbing steps is the best way to train there are other ways if you do not have access to steps during your off time. One thing I do with my clients is to have them perform “up and overs” on an aerobic step, bench, or chair. Basically all you want to do is put one foot up on the step; jump up and over by pushing off the leg that is up on the step, finishing with the other leg up on the step. The best way to progress with this is to increase the height of the step or bench, increase the number of reps or time that you perform, or decrease the amount of rest time between each set.

Up and Over Training Workout – Keep in mind that this is designed for a beginner and you can change it as needed based on your fitness level

Progression example of increasing number of sets for 1 week with 3 training days

1. 6 sets of 1 min with 2 min rest between

2. 8 sets of 1 min with 2 min rest between

3. 10 sets of 1 min with 2 min rest between / 5 min continuous

Progression example of increasing time and decreasing rest period for a week with 3 training days

1. 8 sets of 1min with 2 min rest between

2. 8 sets of 1:30 with 2 min rest between

3. 8 sets of 1:30 with 1:30 rest between / 5 min continuous

Keep in mind that as the weeks go on make sure you document what you did and just keep progressing! Try at the end of each week to do one longer set, 5 minutes or more to try and boost your endurance, making sure you increase the time of that “run” each week.

Feel free to experiment with these workouts and different ways of climbing, like hopping up every step or every other step or “walking” up the steps by lunging every other step, as one of the keys to training is to keep the body guessing. If you have any other questions about training, strengthening, or good eating habits feel free to contact me at info@hardcorptraining.com

Check out this Youtube video I have posted on my website on how to do step ups at home to increase your strength and endurance in the muscles involved with stair climbing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jTR_Jhqmhs

Hope to see you all at the Stair Climb!

GET LEAN! GET STRONG! GET HARD CORP!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2011 to all of you!

So.....lets talk about New Year's Resolutions:) Mine is to write here in my blog more and spend more time on encouraging my clients and providing them with motivation and education to ensure their success!!

Today is the first of many blog posts coming your way so that I keep my New Year's Resolution! Now I need your help....post your fitness related resolutions here on the comments section of this blog and own them out loud!

First I want to fill you in on what is going on with Hard Corp Training!

1) New Bootcamp style class being held at Pure Athletex in Wexford (formerly Windwood) the class is being held every Saturday @ 11am. Updates or cancellations will be posted on my website. Cost is $10 per class or $5 when you bring a friend!

2) New flavor of Protein Bar! Inspired by the autumn season and Thanksgiving, I created the Pumpkin Raisin bar. Cost is still $3.50 per bar or 6 for $21.

3) I have began a new page on my website called Exercises! in which I have broken down as many exercises as I could and listed them by body part! All you have to do is click on the exercise and it will take you to a linked video in which I show you how to properly perform it as well as some modifications! Check it out...but keep in mind that it's a slow and steady process to film, upload, and link all of those videos, so please be patient with me:)




So here is the good stuff!!! Three things you can do to help you lose weight in 2011!

1) Replace anything you drink with water!!

Anything you drink that contains more than 0 Calories is just wasted and empty calories because of the amount of sugar, and thus carbs, that drinks contain! Put down the glass of OJ and pick up an orange! There is sugar added to the OJ for taste, plus your body burns more calories internally processing the vitamins and nutrients found in the orange. Also, the orange gives you more of that "full" feeling, instead of just drinking the OJ but not really having anything in your belly. Water is our life blood! Diet pops contain so many artificial sweeteners and chemicals that we still don't know all of the effects they cause! Plus, if you are increasing your training regiment or starting a new one, then you will need the water to replace the sweat and remain hydrated! You can never go wrong with good old fashioned water.

2)Get off the Treadmill and into the Weights!

Most people who begin a weight loss program think that the fastest most effective way to lose weight is to walk, jog, and run! While jogging and running are one of the most effective ways to burn calories while you are doing it....it's not always the wisest choice! First off I have to say that anyone, especially this time of year, who begins a weight loss program, does a couple of things! They typically also start a diet, and they begin exercising, or exercising more. They have just done the two most important things that cause weight loss- Take in fewer calories (eat less) - Burn more calories (exercise more) This is why ANY type of exercise or diet you perform out there will work! for a while........but when it comes to keeping them up...we want to pick the smartest and most effective diet and exercise plan.

Running- You need to be in shape to run, not run to be in shape! I liken someone who is overweight and de-conditioned who goes out to run to a contractor who tries to build a house on a beach with no foundation! It may be ok to begin with but the longer you do it or the more stress you put on it........It will break! Pretty soon you have to run farther to burn the same amount of calories you used to burn! Without a good, strong "foundation" your body will get injured!

Resistance Training- This allows you to target specific muscles and muscle groups! So...the weakest points of your body can be fixed and strengthened so as not to allow your body to break! With running there are no corrections being made to weak areas...you are actually providing stress to those areas! With weight and resistance training you can progress simply by adding a few more pounds each week or every other week....that causes you to increase your workload, therefore burning more calories.

I am not saying to never run!!! I am simply saying to make sure you talk to a fitness professional to target weak muscles and strengthen all of them through resistance training before you go out and injure yourself running on a weak frame...and kill your weight loss goals!

3) Change your lifestyle!!!

While you can lose weight by dieting and starting an exercise program, you won't keep the weight off unless you make lifestyle changes! This very simply means to adopt eating habits that will provide success and health for the rest of your life! Sure eating a diet of chicken and broccoli 5x a day will help you lose weight,but are you honestly going to do that forever? Hell no! So educating yourself on what foods are high in protein and low in carbs will give you a much better arsenal of weapons to choose from to ensure your success.

Become a more active person. Involve your kids, your spouse, your significant other, or join a group for help, support, and to share in your fitness goals. Make small changes by parking farther away from buildings, taking the steps instead of the elevator, performing exercises during commercial breaks of your favorite shows.

Above all make sure you hold yourself accountable by seeking help from a Fitness Professional! They will help motivate you, keep you accountable, be able to see and target weak areas, and make it fun for you!

Genesis!!! THEE greatest supplement I've found out there!

Genesis!!

www.symmetrydirect.com/jberthold

This product by a company called Symmetry is THEE greatest supplement containing Resveratrol and Ellagitannins and helps Increase Energy, Combats Diseases, contains Anti-Aging Properties, Rejuvenates and Protects, and Reproduces Healthy Cells!

Investigative research has shown that Resveratrol
~Decreases blood glucose levels! Which is great for diabetics like me!
~improves lifespan
~promotes healthier heart and liver tissue
~promotes better motor function
~slows traits of aging

The Phytochemical Compounds in Pomegranates (Ellagitannins) have also been shown to
~Benefit heart and blood vessels by lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and increase the speed at which artery blockages dissolve
~stimulate serotonin and estrogen receptors
~improve symptoms of depression and bone mass
~impede breast, prostrate, colon cancer and leukemia
~prevent vascular changes that promote tumor growth in lab animals

Genesis provides all of this and so much more!!!

For more information on the benefits of Genesis and the other products offered by Symmetry go to
www.symmetrydirect.com/jberthold

It is totally worth every penny I paid for it!! Let me know what you think of this product once you have tried it!!!!!

Gotta vent about some things!!!

Hello All!!!

I know it's been a while since I have posted on here and I am sorry for that! I promise there will be more to come....beginning with this post in which I need to vent about some things I have seen going on recently!

So this begins with a movie that I saw last week....Grown Ups! It was a great movie, very funny, but it brought up a few things that have been pissing me off! When did kids get so scared of going outside?! Most of the training that I do is called GPP, or General Physical Preparedness. What the heck is that? Basically it's going back to the games and movements we used to play and perform as children. Pushing a wheelbarrow, playing any and every sport that we knew and ones that we made up! In the movie you see some of the kids sitting around playing PlayStation3, texting on their phone, watching STUPID reality television shows, and basically staying inside their cushy house with all of their entertainment being handed to them on a silver platter! I say GET YOUR CHILDREN UP AND GET THEM OUTSIDE!!! Want your child to be a better hockey, football, baseball, basketball or lacrosse player? Get them outside climbing, running, practicing, and increasing their cardio endurance! It's that simple....you just have to do it!

The second thing I need to vent about stems directly from the first. If we are allowing our children to be lazy....maybe it's because we have become lazy ourselves. I was at Costco the other day and watched as so many people pushed their huge shopping carts full of crappy food out to their cars. That doesn't really bother me! What does bother me is the amount of people who just took their shopping cart and pushed it onto the sidewalk right by their car! Really! You can't take the extra 30 seconds and 50 steps to take it back to the store, or even to the closest cart return in the parking lot?! Now that is lazy! I watched a man push a cart into the grass 10 feet from his car....when only 30 feet away was a young man collecting a whole line of carts to push into the store. People wonder why they are not losing weight or feeling good about themselves or are out of shape. I can tell them why! Here's a few hints. Take the steps instead of the elevator....walk your shopping cart back to the store....park and walk into the bank, pharmacy, cleaners, etc. instead of using the drive thru.....get yourself and your kids up off the couch and away from the tv and take them outside...for your good and theirs!!!! Stop buying every fast acting weight loss supplement you see on tv and EAT RIGHT!

I have some of my younger clients ask me what I think about this supplement or that one. I tell them......when I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 years ago I weighed 168lbs. Within 2 months I gained 32lbs and have stayed around that weight ever since. I did this without taking a SINGLE supplement! Not even a protein powder!!!! All I was eating was good carbs, low fat animals such as turkey, chicken and fish, and lots of veggies and fruit! There is a natural way to achieve the results you want, whether it be weight loss, weight gain, renewed health, or to excel at a particular sport, but don't forget that it does take some hard work!

So think about ways you can increase your fitness activity in small ways throughout your day, get you and your kids up off the couch and go outside and play, and stay away from those "quick unnatural fixes" you find on tv and eat naturally, and you will find that your goals are easier to achieve! Stop being so freaking lazy in your everyday life!!!

One final thing....did you know that when you exercise your body produces a natural fluid called synovial fluid which naturally lubricates your joints. So......in alot of cases....it's lack of movement that can cause pain and inflammation in your joints because of the lack of lubrication!

Yours in Fitness,
Joshua Berthold

Friday's workout!!!

Hey all!!!

Here's today's workout! Sarah and I did a Hard Corp workout today that really will kick your ass! I finally have a video of what we do! It's the craziest thing......i went out yesterday and bought one of those memory cards for my digital camera. I loaded that bad boy into my camera and wouldn't you believe it but i have 25 mins of video footage now!!! It's the greatest thing...so i'll be posting alot of workouts on here for you guys to watch and follow and learn and get inspired!!!

So click on here to see our workout today!!!

http://www.youtube.com/HardCorpTrainer

Get Lean. Get Strong. Get Hard Corp.

Josh

Don't forget to join our team for the Fight For Air Climb on March 6th!!!

Don't Have Much Time?!?!

Hey all!

I am just about to head out to train my last guy of the day but wanted to tell you about a Hard Corp workout I did today!! I had a guy cancel this morning so I found myself with an opportunity to do a really quick workout....I wanted to do something that would be good for the cardio as I have the Fight For Air Climb coming up in about 10 days but I have to incorporate the weights...so here's what I did!

Dead Lifts with 135lbs
Regular bodyweight pushups
Wide grip pullups

Doesn't seem like much but here's where the ass kicking begins!

I did 20 Dead lifts....then 20 pushups......then 10 pullups
rested for about a minute
Then.....19 dead lifts......19 pushups.....then 9 pullups

You can see where this is going!!!
I wish I could say I was in shape enough to continue this all the way down to 1 but I didn't!
I got down to and through 15 on the dead lifts!
Then I did the pushups down to 10 and the pullups down to 1

Grand Totals
105 Dead Lifts w/ 135lbs
155 Pushups
55 Pullups
Total Time: 30 minutes

Let me know how you feel when you do this and how far down the pyramid you can go!

Get Lean. Get Strong. Get Hard Corp.
Josh

Developing even more explosiveness!!!

Here is another way that I was able to change up my workout! Instead of doing the regular old bench press that so many of us are used to...I took an exercise band and attached it to my bar so that it added more weight and tension, (not sure exactly how much), but it definitely gave it a whole new kick!!!
What this does is helps provide tension, different from just using weights, that is uneven throughout the lift. At the top the band provides the most tension, then gets easier as the weight comes down, then vice verse as the weight comes up. This is great to help people develop strength throughout the entire lift, which can help you get past those stick points. It also forces you to concentrate more on your eccentric (or in this case your downward) movement as you have to lower the weight a lot slower and keep in control!


Make sure you start out with a lower weight than you normally use and ensure you have a spotter the first time you try this as it is very different!