Cold, Snow, Fitness Center Closed...what's a healthy boy to do?

When there's no place to play, running outside is sure to result in severe bruising, and the gym is closed, what's a healthy boy to do? Here's what he does:

Jenny Jumps

PJ Glassey, CSCS, owner of XGym, introduced these a long time ago. He named them after a friend of his, and they hurt--really bad--in a great way.

If you're really feeling like bringing it (the pain), start at 10 or 11, otherwise start at 8.

Do 8 squat jumps--quads parallel to floor into a vertical leap, with arms swinging up and through.
Do 8 calf jumps immediately, without resting.

Do 7 squat jumps immediately, followed by 7 calf jumps, followed by 6 squat jumps, followed by 6 calf jumps....you get the idea.

No resting on this one--If you do it without resting, this will easily replace 10-12 minutes worth of equivalent Calories burned in the gym, and it's over in less than 2 minutes.

Your lungs will burn, so steel your mind against the pain. Pretend you're Chuck Norris, and the POWs are counting on you. Go get 'em, Chuck!

Russ' Next Must-Have Fitness Gadget: The Trikke

Okay, I just came back from Costco, and Jen found me my next must-have fitness device. I stepped on the Trikke, and oh. I mean, oh. It's awesome. Now I'm 215 pounds, so the tires were smushed down, prohibiting the full effect, but I just know it's gonna give me the same thrill I had when I got my first pair of Rollerblades. I'll get one soon and keep you posted, but the thing I like most is that it's an awesome cardio workout and crazy-fun at the same time.

Guilt-Free, 8-Week, Butt-Kicking Workout: $5

That's right, five measly bucks. I found a workout program I designed for a customer a few years ago, updated it a little, put a shine on it, and turned it into an 8-week, kick-your-butt workout program.

It really feels good (it really hurts), and you'll see results fast. Shoot me an email if you'd like me to send you the program for five measly bucks--For the price of an expensive latte that only lasts 8 minutes, you can have a workout program that lasts 8 weeks, and gives you muscle that'll last 80 years!

New Workout--It's a good hurt

Oh boy. I always get excited when I start a new program, and this one's a doozy. I've always hated the waiting between sets, so I don't. I do an unrelated muscle group between sets. First of all, I don't have any time to waste standing around. Second of all, it keeps the heart rate up there, burning more Calories while I'm gaining muscle.

This one I'm on requires pushups immediately after each set of bench press. This causes near-total failure at each set. On squats, I have to immediately do jump squats after racking the weight. Another day calls for clap pushups to failure (I went from 23 the first time to 26 last time). I hit every muscle group at least 2-3 times per week, resulting in a sort of perma-pump.

It feels good, and I have way more energy due to the faster metabolism the program requires of the body. If you'd like a good, industrial-strength workout, let me know and I'll shoot it to you for $10.

Denise McArthur - Wellness Guru

Denise McArthur, owner of BodyWholeWellness.com is a health/fitness/diet guru in the Seattle area, and is finally plying her wares to an audience bigger than just Boeing.

She has been in corporate fitness and wellness for so long that it seems silly that she hasn't gone public with her skills until now. 'Bout time, Denise. Quit hoarding the knowledge already.

Long story short, if you're looking for wellness coaching, having somebody stay on top of your goals, and nag you according to your needs, and you aren't picking RussFit.com or FitnessPhysiology.com as your source, it had better be Denise.

My advice: Call Denise for a yoga course, for nutrition, for personal training, and for wellness coaching. If you don't use me, that is.

Denise McArthur
206.719.6094

BodyWholeWellness.com

I ran stairs with (behind) my cousin in Spokane

Now, PJ has finally found his ultimate sport--stair climbing. Crazy-strong legs (without any hint of cumbersome size), uber-low body fat (4-5%), good femur-tibia ratios, and fabulous tendon insertion points have enabled to move his mass quickly up stairs. Even though there are a handful of people who can beat him on really, really high buildings, he's nearly untouchable in under 10-minute races.

I would have been, too, except I was coughing, sneezing, and hacking. Apart from that, and my extra 55 pounds, I think I could have narrowed the margin a little.

Virtual Jump Rope

I found a virtual jump rope that counts jumps, time, etc. If you're used to only shelling out a few bucks for a length of rope with plastic a each end, its $75 price tag might shock you.

But it'd still be cool!

Link

Are you fat? Do you smoke? You'll die early, but you already know that.

If you're fat, you're as likely to die early as if you smoke.

According to a story published by Medscape:

Obesity in adolescents may confer the same risk for premature death in adulthood as smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day, and even overweight has a risk comparable with that for less heavy smoking, according to the results of a record linkage study reported in the February 25 Online First issue of the BMJ.

Now everyone knows that smoking is bad for you. Going back to the 1920s, we've known. That's right--we don't need commercials and warnings. We all know it.

Same goes for being obese. It's bad for the heart, the joints, the hormones, for everything your body is designed to do. It makes you slower, less capable, and affects every process of your body. And nobody thinks it's healthy.

So how many more studies do we need? How much more nanny-state finger-wagging should we tolerate? Let people smoke. Let people overeat. It's a free country. The only ones who deserve better are kids. Don't overfeed your kids, and don't make them breathe smoke.