Warrior Dash

Last week I ran the Warrior Dash race that took place up in Pennsylvania. It was a 5k obstacle course, with the added bonus of there being not only a prize for the fastest racer, but also for the best costume. I ran it with Kelsey (pictured below jumping over the fire), and (especially considering she has a torn labrum in both of her hips) she raced very well!
(note: there was a mud crawl right before the fire, which explains the brown color covering virtually our entire bodies)

There were thirteen obstacles spanning the 3 miles, along with a lot of trail running in between each obstacle. The race wasn't terribly exhausting/challenging, but I still wouldn't recommend running it unless you're a relatively active person (a few serious injuries occurred throughout the weekend).

Some of my favorite obstacles included:

Tanker Trouble: there were 4 large, steel "tanks" that had to be climbed be using a rope to scale one side, and then you had to jump down (about a 6-7' drop) on the other side after crawling over the top.

Hay Fever: An awesome huge haystack constructed out of giant straw bales.

Cargo Climb: A big cargo net (about 20 feet high) that had to be climbed up-and-over. As much as I hate heights, this one was still pretty fun. Kelsey smoked me on it, too.

Mossy Maze: As we entered the forest, there were a ton of ropes spanning the trees, creating an annoying "web." For Lord of the Rings fans out there, it looked exactly like all the spider webs in Shelob's Lair. Minus the giant spider lurking to destroy innocent travelers. I don't know why this one was called "Mossy Maze," though, as I didn't see a whole lot of moss on the trees.

Breathless Bog: A 40-yard pond with large logs floating on top of the water (you had to crawl up and over the logs). This obstacle was actually named quite appropriately, as the water was so cold that it literally took your breath away.


Muddy Mayhem: A huge, very muddy, mud pit. There was barbed wire a few feet above the ground which needed to be crawled under, which made us feel even more hardcore. I dove in head-first (hence the mud on my face, too) and I was literally cleaning mud out of my ears for days after this.

Warrior Roast: Fire. These were actually pretty sweet. We had to jump over a few fire-traps right before crossing the finish line. They were higher than I thought they'd be.

One of the best parts of running the race was looking at the variety of costumes abounding the race site. There was even a guy in a full-fledged banana suit (unpeeled). I have no idea how he completed some of the obstacles without his costume trapping him.

It was a great time and I highly encourage any of you to take part in the madness next year!

P.S. Another reason to do it is you receive a viking helmet for participating. Actually, that's the only reason I ran the Warrior Dash.

Farmers Walk Complex

Want to work on your conditioning, build a little strength, drop some fat, increase your grip potency, and add some variety to your routine? Try the following farmers walk complex at the end of a workout, or on a day where you don't have much time to complete a typical 30-75 minute training session. It's also great for those who have limited equipment (ex. a few pairs of dumbbells).

I got this idea from Nick Tumminello of PerformanceU up in Maryland. You can perform a variety of exercises between each carry; I simply demonstrated a few of the options available. Walk 20-40yds (depending on your available space) between each exercise, varying the carry pattern between each movement (arms at sides, shoulder carry, even an arms-overhead carry).

I'd recommend moderately heavy weights to do this. Perform 3-4 rounds, resting 1-2 minutes between each round. It's harder than it looks!

Musings

I recently began training a bit in a commercial gym, and was quickly reminded of something that had escaped my thoughts lately. Almost everyone in there was performing three sets of ten reps for each exercise. I remember when I first began training, it had to be ten repetitions for every exercise. It was just what everyone told me.
Then I began to buy some bodybuilding magazines, hoping that I could find some secrets in them that would really ramp up my results. In just about every magazine I read, it told me to perform 6-10 various exercises with 3-4 sets of 10-12 repetitions for each exercise (you can go into the grocery store and pick one of them up...they still say the same thing).

(Just a bit of trivia, the 3x10 protocol originated from a team of orthopedic surgeons in the 1940's who wanted to try a new medical approach: strength training. They tried a program (known as the DeLorme-Watkins protocol) of one set of ten reps at 50% the person's ten rep max, one set at 75% and one set at 100%). Three sets of ten is one of the most archaic training methods ever, and yet still the most popular.

Anyway, something I would like to challenge you with is to really analyze why you are following a particular program. Are you doing it because it's what you're "supposed" to do? Because that's what a friend who learned it from some bodybuilder-guy told you? Question everything. Where does this particular idea come from? Is it true? Was it ever true?

Are you doing three sets of ten? Why?
Five sets of five? Why?
Performing a body-part split? Why? A total-body routine? Why?
Resting 45 seconds between sets? Why?

Will doing three sets of 10 give you three times the results of doing only one set of ten? Will executing 5 sets of 5 give you five times the results of only one set of five? If not, where is the threshold where you do too much volume that your body is breaking down faster than it can recover?

I'm not saying any of the aforementioned loading parameters are always invalid, but just think about why you are following a particular program.
Sometimes I think children are on to something when they ask countless questions regarding a particular topic. Some of us have steered away from that and blindly follow the masses.

Are You Taking Action?

"The gap between where you are and where you want to be is called Frustration. Frustration is eliminated by Education and Action. Get learning and get doing." -Cosgrove

We are now over two-thirds through 2010. October marks 75% of the 2010 year.

An entire 8 months of 2010 have passed. Soon there will only be 3 months until 2011.

How are those New Years Resolutions looking?

Are you on track with the goals you set in the beginning of the year?

If you’re goal was to lose 15lbs of fat, have you lost 10lbs already?
If you’re goal was to add 10lbs of lean body mass, have you gained 7lbs of muscle?
If you’re goal was to drop 30 seconds off your 5k time, have you taken the necessary measures to do so?

It’s amazing how quickly time passes by. Don’t waste a single moment.

If your goal was fat loss – start NOW.
If your goal was muscle gain – begin TODAY.
If your goal was increased sports performance, start training NOW! Don’t wait for the few weeks leading up to the season…this will drastically shortchange your potential.

Over 66% of this year is gone forever. Soon 75% of this year will be gone. Will you make changes Today, or will you be joining in with the groups at the Holiday parties talking about how “this year” you’ll actually make an effort to reach your goals?

Instead, why not stand out at the end of the year as the one who has actually taken measures to achieve goals, and has a head start on 2011?

Before you know it, it will be 2011….

Where will you be? It’s not too late.

But the time will pass anyway….

YMCA Mud Run Recap: The Most Brutal 5 Miles I've Ever Crossed

“Instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well, you’re not afraid of it anymore….You can’t hate the Beast (exhaustion) and expect to beat it; the only way to truly conquer something, as every great philosopher and geneticist will tell you, is to love it” - Born to Run

Early this month I entered into my first obstacle course race. Bryce, a seasoned racing friend of mine, told me it was one of the toughest races he’d ever done. Considering this guy races a couple times a month, and has completed more than one marathon (with a respectable time), I figured I’d found the challenge I had been looking for.

The race took place at the Naval base in Virginia Beach. All I knew was that it was 5 miles, filled with obstacles, and that nearly the entire course would be covered in sand. More than two thousand people swamped to the base at 6am to run, most of them (judging by their physical appearance) looking like they were no strangers to this type of event. We weren’t allowed to scout out the course before actually running it, which made me feel uneasy as I’m one who takes comfort in knowing what lies ahead of him during a physical challenge. Oh well, I guess that was precise goal of the race host, right?

After completing about twenty minutes of movement prep, I jogged over to the starting line, wondering if I was stupid to sign up for this sort of event. Running on sand would be a new experience for me, and I had only completed one distance-training session during the months leading up to the event (which was only 4 miles, and run on concrete). The bulk of my training focused on high-intensity intervals (various shuttle runs and 100m-400m repeats on the track), strength training, GPP (General Physical Preparedness) sessions, and some recovery/regeneration sessions focusing on mobility and the development of joint integrity in key areas. I was in the first heat to go, which placed me smack in the middle of the fastest-looking group out there. (In case you’ve never raced before, they usually place the fastest group at the front in order to minimize passing during the race). Perfect. Before I could even gather all my thoughts, the horn blew and the pack took off as if they didn’t realize there was 5 miles of brutal terrain ahead.

The first mile took place along the coast. Interspersed throughout the coastline were “Berms,” or 10-15ft high mounds of sand. Immediately on the other side of each sand mound was placed a ditch full of water, which had to be crossed before climbing up another sand mountain. Adrenaline alone drove me as I sprinted (alongside the mass of racers) up each Berm, slid down the other side and immediately plunged into waist-deep water. Over and over again. Down the entire coast. I was surrounded on all sides by the men in the first wave (age 20-30ish), each one of them trying to break ahead of the pack lest he be thrown off the mounds in the frantic scramble up each Berm. What devilish obstacles. The water pits soaked me, and as I climbed up each sand mountain I became increasingly covered in sand. I quickly noticed how heavy my feet where, as my shoes were drenched and plastered in sand. I couldn’t dwell on it for long, as before I knew it the course veered into the woods for a mile of trail running.

The trail was only wide enough for one person, so if you wanted to pass somebody then you had to veer off the path, dodging tree branches as you sprinted by the racer in front. I did this twice before remembering Bryce’s words: “Don’t push it during the first couple miles. The sand will wipe you out surprisingly fast and you’ll have nothing left for the remaining few miles. Save it, or you won’t have any strength to carry your legs through second half of the race.” I held off and patiently stayed behind the runner in front of me for the rest of the trail. Bryce was running right behind me, reminding me by his actions that this was the most prudent strategy. Thank God I did this too, as I wasn’t prepared for what was about to hit me.

Before breaking out of the woods, the course took us through quite a few water canals. These were much wider and deeper than those along the coast. A few of them were nearly neck deep, forcing me to either swim, or slowly wade through the water along the muck at the bottom. They were also a good 20 yards wide, which dramatically slowed my pace and stirred me up mentally.

Upon clearing the woods, I found myself in the deepest, driest sand yet. My shoes and shorts were dripping wet, and I quickly noticed how heavy my legs felt. I had nothing firm to plant my foot against for each stride, and my breathing was heavy from climbing in and out of the water canals in the woods. Bryce and I stayed side-by-side, pushing each other and taking turns leading. After what seemed like 15 minutes of running through the dry sand, Bryce called out “It’s been twenty-two minutes, keep it up.” “WHAT?!” I thought to myself. This meant we were probably only halfway through, and my legs felt like I had been running for over an hours.

The final 3 miles of the race were most brutal, by far. The Berms and trail running during the first 2 miles had already sapped most of the strength from legs, and now I was forced run in soft, dry, sand which came up to my ankles. The terrain was hilly, too, with many inclines that weren’t very steep but would span anywhere from twenty to a hundred meters in length. The remaining obstacles included: a wall climb, mud pits to crawl through, and hills with a web of rope set at chest height which forced one to crawl up the hills (of course these hills were sandy, too). There were no mile markers to indicate how far we had run at this point, so one had to continue to push as if the finish line was just around the corner.

Physiologically, I didn’t have the energy left to finish this race at a respectable pace. However, I knew there was a powerful force I could still tap into: the human psyche. I knew I had to adhere to the words of Alwyn Cosgrove in order to keep the pace I had set from the start:

“Psychology Trumps Physiology Every Time”

I had entered the hurt locker, and the only way out was to buckle down mentally and leave nothing on the course. Physically, it felt like I had nearly zero oxygen being delivered to my lungs and the working skeletal muscles. My ankles felt like I had 10lb plates attached to them, and my vision was becoming hazy. I had to will each step out of my body, and do my best to stick with Bryce, who I knew would finish this race in a very good placing. He had much experience in pacing during a race, so I had to rely on him to keep my velocity in check. At what seemed to be the 4.5 mile mark, Bryce jumped ahead. At this point my goal was to keep him in sight through the finish line, as there was just no way I could run any faster in the non-forgiving sand. The course ended with a fifteen yard mud pit crawl, and then a straightaway (on concrete, finally!) to the finish line.

I ended up placing 5th in my age group (out of 51 males age 20-24) and 18th overall (out of 2000+ entrants). Now, this isn’t something to boast about, but I think it does add merit to what we teach at SAPT: You don’t need to undergo a high volume of long-distance training to increase the capacity of your cardiovascular system. Remember, I only did one long-distance training session in the months leading up to the race, and it was only 4 miles (the race was 5 miles). The bulk of my training comprised of high intensity intervals, intelligent GPP sessions, and strength training. I’ll touch on this in greater detail in a future post, but it just plain works!

I love you, O Lord, my strength. ~Psalm 18:1

Updates

So I know I haven't posted in a while, and I apologize for this! I'll be sure to be posting more regularly again, even if it's some of my training logs. In the mean time...

I recently had an article published over at EliteFTS. Feel free to check it out!
Bridging the Gap Between Rehabilitation and Sports Performance Training

I recently began working as a strength coach at Student-Athlete Performance Training in Fairfax, Va. If you live in the area, feel free to stop by!

Product Review: N.O.-XPLODE

Given that Nitric Oxide (or “N.O.”) boosters are one of the highest sellers in the supplement industry, I thought it may be a topic of poignant interest to readers if I addressed the claims of this product, as well as its actual efficacy according to the most recent research. I completed an entire research presentation on N.O. products during my last semester in school as well, so I've spent a bit more time analyzing these products as opposed to some of the other supplements out there. Given that “N.O. X-PLODE" appears to the most popular of the nitric oxide supplements out there, I'll analyze this product in particular.

What does it claim to do? (taken off the website)

• “maximizes training intensity, energy, and motivation for any athletic activity”
• “elevates blood flow and delivery of oxygen and nutrients”
• “increases resistance to muscular fatigue, power output, and overall work capacity”
• “enhances mental focus and acuity; helps establish mind-muscle connection during physical activity”

These claims may appear a bit over-the-top, but compared other supplement promises (ex. "become a walking human experiment!"), the ones put forth by the NO-XPLODE product are actually a bit mild (supplements aren't regulated by the FDA and the companies are actually allowed to place any claim on the product as long as they don't claim to cure mitigate, or treat a disease). Supplements can be sold if they don't present “a significant or unreasonable risk or illness or injury when used as directed on the label or under normal conditions of use (if there are no directions)”. So basically...regulations on supplements and their claims are pretty loose.

Now, diving into and critically analyzing each and every one of NO-XPLODE's ingredients is beyond the scope of this post. I will, however, BRIEFLY analyze three of the most prominent ingredients in this product.

#1. Arginine

Arginine is found in almost every N.O. supplement. It's an amino acid that is a precursor for nitric oxide formation in the body. The idea is that if one increases arginine supply in his or her body, then more nitric oxide will be formed. Why is this ideal during a period of strenuous exercise? Nitric oxide is a vasodilator (it widens the circumference of blood vessels), which would increase the rate of blood flow throughout the body. So if nitric oxide levels are increased in the bloodstream, then the hypothesis is there will be increased blood flow (and thus upregulated delivery of oxygen and nutrients) to the working skeletal muscles, enhancing the overall results of the workout (increasing muscular growth and strength).

Does it have any merit? From the studies I have observed, arginine supplementation does not correlate to improvements in strength gains or favorable changes in lean body mass when compared to placebo groups. Another important note is that arginine is found to increase insulin secretion, and insulin itself increases vasodilation and blood flow! So, if one wanted to increase blood flow during a workout (beyond executing muscular contractions which will increase blood flow to the working muscles anyway) could he or she ingest a carbohydrate to catalyze insulin release in the blood, leading to vasodilation? Yes.

#2. Creatine

I'm not going to delve into too much detail here. Creatine supplementation has been shown time and time again to augment muscular strength and delay fatigue during high-intensity exercise lasting roughly ten seconds or less (think 5-rep max on the bench or squat, or a 100m sprint). There has also yet to be demonstrated a risk of disease or kidney problems from supplementing with creatine (I've researched this quite a bit, as well as spoken to sports nutritionists about it). I can go into greater detail on creatine in a later post, but for now just understand: it works!

#3 Caffeine

I don't think I need to cover this one in great detail either. Most people know that caffeine is a stimulant, and that it increases mental clarity in humans. It may also aid in muscular contraction via enhanced calcium mobilization in skeletal muscle, but this has primarily been demonstrated with regards to aerobic exercise/competition. A couple points worth noting though:

• Caffeine has vasoconstriction effects in blood vessels. Could the effect of constricting the blood vessels via caffeine cancel out the vasodilation effects nitric oxide? Possibly, however it appears that this is most likely not the case (at least for this product)
• The company (BSN) refuses to display how much caffeine they place in their product (so others won't copy the “secret formula”). It's understandable that a company won't relay all of their ingredient ratios, but it can be a bit unnerving knowing that BSN may be placing absurd amounts of caffeine in their product. For those that are hypersensitive to caffeine, this poses an obvious concern. Also, how does one know whether or not ingesting extra caffeine via coffee/tea throughout the rest of the day will send him or her over the safe limit? (amounts exceeding 9mg/kg, or about 650mg for a 160lb person, have been shown to exhibit negative side effects)
  

Other Concerns

• Consistently varying the circumference of blood vessels by elevating N.O. levels can place tremendous demands on the heart (as it would need to increase/decrease blood output to maintain optimal blood pressure). Our blood pressure varies throughout the day anyway (circadian rhythm, exercise, nutrient ingestion, etc. all effect blood flow throughout our body) but causing the heart to have to adjust more than usual (especially through “artificial” means) may prove harmful in the long run.
  
• The directions on the product label suggest one to consume a serving on off days! This will not help anyone, besides giving him or her a boost in energy from all the caffeine. These directions are clearly a ploy to make people consume more of the product than necessary (thus using more powder each week and having to order the product more frequently), but be aware of this. If you decide to buy this product, don't consume it on an off day. It won't help.

Summary

• Most of the energy and “increased mental focus” you'll experience from this product primarily stems from the caffeine in the product (and who knows how much is in there??). If you need a boost of energy before your workout: eat something, drink some coffee/green tea, and/or be sure you're getting enough sleep.
• The strength gains and improvements in muscle mass that the product claims to elicit most likely does not stem from arginine supplementation.
• The product carries some validity to it, but in my opinion it's not worth the money. Spending less money on a quality creatine product (avoid the outrageously expensive creatine “formulas” and stick to plain creatine monohydrate powder) will provide your body with some extra fuel during high-intensity training sessions.

Will Nitric Oxide products turn you into your own version of King Leonidas? I'd look elsewhere.