CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Birddog With Band RNT

I have two words for you: Jet Lagged.

After three movies, a Twin Peaks marathon (because, why not?) and far too many Tim Tams to count1,Lisa and I made it back to Boston from Sydney after a marathon 27 hour travel extravaganza.

We landed at Logan at 7 PM, were in our apartment by 8, and in bed by 9.

Not too shabby, right?

Except now I’m on “Sydney time” and was wide awake at 2:30 AM this morning. I tried to fall back asleep, but decided it was a pointless endeavor and opted to get up and tackle my inbox and catch up on some programs I needed to write.

I have to apologize to the clients who’s programs I wrote at 4AM. I was cranky, which may explain the inordinate amount of squatting you’re doing this month. Sorry (but not sorry).

Anyhoo: as much as I’d like to sit here and wax poetic about my Aussie trip, I know this isn’t the section where people want to read about that.2

SIDE-NOTE: HERE’s a nice write-up about my workshop in Ballina, though.

I’m still easing my way back to my regular schedule. Or as Lisa would put it, “hatching.” To that end, I’m going to keep things simple today and share a nice birddog variation. Because, you know, people go bat-shit crazy for birddogs.

(Emphasis on the slight exaggeration)

Birddog With Band RNT

 

Who Did I Steal It From: Brett Jones

What Does It Do: Birddogs aren’t anything new (or exciting). Watching paint dry, or grass grow, or an episode of Downton Abbey is Mardi Gras compared to birddogs.

That being said, any fitness professional would be remiss not to recognize they’re an integral drill/exercise that provide a lot of bang for our “core-training-motor-lumbo-pelvic-hip-control-OMG-BIRDDOGS-ARE-THE-SHIT buck.”

Not only that, birddogs are an excellent way to train rotary stability in addition to helping people learn to dissociate their hips from their lumbar spine. I.e., learning to gain movement from the hips and NOT the lower back.

Besides, if Dr. Stuart McGill says to do birddogs, we all better sure as shit do them!

In terms of this particular iteration, the band helps to kick in a little RNT (Reactive Neuromuscular Training) action which, by and large, helps the trainee to better perform the movement.

Speaking candidly: most people BUTCHER birddogs. To the point where their performance and execution is more counterproductive than helpful, often feeding into many of the mechanisms that cause one’s back pain in the first place.

I like using the band because it instantly gives the trainee feedback which forces him or her to clean up their technique.

Key Coaching Cues: using a PVC stick is fine (where you lie it lengthwise and tell the person to keep three points of contact: back of head, between shoulder blades, as well as their sacrum), and I’ve seen some trainers and coaches opt for placing a foam roller on the lower back telling their athlete or client to “balance” it during their set.

I don’t like this latter approach. I find that far too many people end up “balancing” the foam roller by defaulting into lumbar hyperextension, which defeats the purpose of the drill in the first place (which is to try to ensure spinal “neutral” throughout the set).

Adding the band does a few things:

1. It provides a very slight resistance, almost “feeding” the dysfunction, so the trainee is better suited to counteract it.

NOTE: don’t be a hero and be too aggressive with the band selection. As you can see in the video above all I’m using is a 1/2 inch “easy” band.  Save the max effort work for squats and deadlifts chief.

2. The band also forces people to SLOW the EFF DOWN and think about what they’re doing. This isn’t an exercise you want to rush in the first place; so anything that allows me to slow people down is gravy in my book.

3. I also find the band allows for a little diversity. I can regress the exercise as needed and have people ONLY perform with the legs moving or the arms; and the resistance of the band makes it easier to use the cue “get and keep your spine long.

4. Lastly, the band encourages more anterior core activation which helps to keep things in line, literally. Many will fall into anterior pelvic tilt on this exercise – a big no no – and the band will encourage more posterior pelvic tilt and help to maintain neutral.

Use these as part of an extended warm-up or as a “filler” exercise for sets of 5-8 repetitions per side. Quality reps are paramount!

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

CategoriesOff Topic

Day 9: Skippy: The Bush Kangaroo.

12 hours of sleep! I was a new woman this morning. I did need to hatch though, and not do my normal catapult out of bed (I am a morning person). So Tony and I searched Australian TV, which is slim pickings (who needs TV when you have all of this amazing weather?!). But, we came upon a gem this morning. Something so special.

Friends, please say hello to Skippy: The Bush Kangaroo:

Skippy is Australia’s answer to Lassie. Created and released upon happy Aussie boys and girls everywhere, and then syndicated in the US in the early 70’s, Skippy: The Bush Kangaroo is an amazing friend, pet, and detective.

He is ready to help at all times, and can hop like nobody’s business. I don’t know what you have to do, but whatever it is, do that in order to watch this show!

While chanting the theme song to Skippy: The Bush Kangaroo, Tony and I hit the hotel gym. (Here it is:

Skippyyyyyy,

Skippyyyyyyyyy,

Skippy, The Bush Kangarooooooo!)

 

Actually, it was more like we tapped the gym. Or gently spooned it. My calves are wrecked from the last few days, and overall I think our bodies are just tired! We followed that up with a nice big breakfast at the hotel, and we had a great view from our table, where we could see the rain start to fall.

After packing and checking out of the hotel, we took advantage of the free wifi in the lobby. Unfortunately, my bug has not run its course yet, so I also took lots of medicine and availed myself of the hotel lobby bathroom a conspicuous and embarrassing amount of times.

But still an improvement from yesterday. BTW, we love the Sir Stamford Hotel! Jarrod and Troy, the concierges (is that the plural?), were mega-accommodating, and locked away our luggage so we could go to the Taronga Zoo.

Unfortunately, it was raining. We left with water, wallets, and shorts on, and that’s it. Not smart.

We realized the extent of our lack of preparedness (which we can mostly blame on not being parents) when we were freezing and in need of an umbrella!

Here I am waiting for the ferry to take us across the Harbour from the Quay to the zoo itself:

And when we arrived, we took a quick picture of the entrance:

Despite the “bad” weather, it was still amazing. Overall we lucked out, and ducked in and out of coverage when it really came down. I was not feeling good, but when there are giraffes, and wallabies, and Skippy: The Bush Kangaroo, who can complain? See some pics:

That’s a Wallaby in the forefront, and a female kangaroo in the back.

Also, the zoo is in a prime location, so you get amazing views of the city:

My favorite, naturally, were the kangaroos. I think I was taking kangaroos for granted all this time. Look how gorgeous they are!:

And see how big and muscular they are!:

Amazing. They are now rivaling the giraffe as my favorite animal. We also sang to them:

Skippyyyyyyy,

Skippyyyyyyyyy,

Skippy, the Bush Kangarooooooooo!

Tony and I hopped the ferry back to the Quay, and sadly, checked out of our fancy-assed Sir Stamford Spot. Jarrod, the fabulous concierge, offered us some keys to the locker room in the gym, so that we could change, and even shower if we wanted.

We hopped a cab over to our final hotel, the Ibis Budget in East Sydney. Here is our room:

It is the same size as the bathroom at the Sir Stamford. There are no drawers, no hangers, and not even a hook. It was… interesting. However, it did have amazing view!

We ran out for dinner, and discovered Sydney’s answer to Bare Burger (<— Tony’s favorite burger joint when he visits NYC)! Grill’d offered all grass fed meat, fresh produce, and yummy everything. I was very hungry, but feeling nervous to eat. What would the sensible person do? Get some broth and a ginger ale and play it safe. What did Dr. Lewis do? Order a lamb & hummus burger with a ginger beer!

As you can see: Tony is ready to pounce on his burger. The “claws” are out.

The ginger beer was amazing. It was water, ginger, sugar, and alcohol. How could that not be good for your tummy? As for my burger, I hoped for the best, and was able to eat most of it. For the rest of the night, we’ll just keep our fingers crossed….

So, tomorrow, Tony’s off for Seminar #2, taking place nearby, and I’ll do a Tony pick-up and drop-off with some exploring and shopping in between! Tonight, we’ll serenade ourselves to sleep, with “Skippyyyyy, Skippyyyyyyyyy, Skippy, the Bush Kangaroooooooo…..”

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned!

Lisa and Tony

CategoriesOff Topic

Day 8: I Refuse to Chuck a Sickie!

Dammit. I was up most of the night with an angry tummy, and when Tony got up a little after 6:00am he needed to go out and get me some Tylenol, Imodium, and water. I was having shakes and chills, and feeling crappy.

Note from Tony: Lisa will kill me for putting this up, but the picture says a thousand words.

Dammit! Who wants a bug on vacation?!

I felt sorry for myself for a few minutes while Tony was out, and once I took a bunch of medicine, I decided NOT to chuck a sickie (Australian for calling out sick from work).

My best friend Leslie is a trooper when it comes to travel, and also of being a sport when she’s sick, so I decided to channel my inner Leslie and not miss out on any of the fun scheduled for today! Off Tony and I went, to spend the day with our Sydney host, James (Garland).

We met James at the same gym we trained at yesterday. I tagged along with Tony on his bench day, since my legs were shot from yesterday’s leg day + bridge climb. After our workout, we jumped in the car with James and headed north. First we had some brekkie at The Bent Spoon in Ja Freshwater, then got back in the car and checked out Freshwater beach:

Then back in the car again headed a little farther north to Avalon beach and took a hike up to Barrenjoey lighthouse. Here are some pics:

 


It was great to be able to see such amazing sites! James knew where all the good photo ops were. Don’t you love this one, where Tony is totally striking a pose?:

I always find the decent is tougher on my legs than the assent, and as we walked down I could feel the leg day + the bridge climb (and descent) making my legs shake! We found a different route back down, and here are a few more pictures:

We jumped back in the car again, and James dropped us off at Manly beach! One of the “must sees”, Manly was recommended to us by almost everyone who knows anything about the Sydney area.

Unfortunately, the Tylenol I took had worn off, and I was freezing in the 82 degree weather, and ready for a nap! Tony and I lay right down in the sand and passed out for a good half hour. I am not kidding.

For lookers-on, it probably looked like we had been up for two days and had 35 shots of tequila. After sleeping soundly like a pair of hobos for 30 minutes, my plan was to jump in the ocean, but I was cold and feeling so weird (is there another way to describe what a fever feels like?) that I couldn’t do it! I did give it a try though:

Thank goodness Tony was tired too, because I felt like a buzz-kill. Eventually we walked up Manly beach and down a street lined with shops to the ferry.

The ferry from Manly to the Quay was also highly recommended to us, and reminded me of the Staten Island Ferry – except for its not being free.

Now I was full-blown lame, and fell asleep on the Ferry. But Tony took some pictures:

Luckily our hotel is a 5-minute walk from the Quay, so we were back at the hotel in a jiff. I fell asleep again, but not before taking some more Tylenol. Tony was in the mood for pizza, so we ended up at a cute little place called Zia Pina on the rocks, and then we got Tony an ice cream cone afterward.

When returned to the hotel at 7:00pm, I got in bed and really couldn’t get back out! Mega-lame. I tried to catch up on my writing, but was kind of a waste of space. Every 5-7 minutes I needed a mini-nap-break. Tony was down in the lobby using the free wifi, but I still felt bad about our boring night. I am praying that it’s just a little 24-hour bug, and that I’ll be as good as new tomorrow!

Fingers Crossed and talk to you then,

Lisa and Tony

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 3/13/15

I’m in a bitter sweet mood as I type these words while chilling in Tropicana Cafe located just outside the reach of Circular Quay in a neighborhood called Darlinghurst (Sydney).

Lisa’s sitting right across from me and we’re both sharing a piece of carrot cake while sipping on some peppermint teas. We’re classy like that.

Feeling bitter because we just checked out of the Sir Stamford Hotel in the Quay and are now staying in a hotel that’s not the Sir Stamford Hotel. That was place the shit. I highly recommend it if you’re ever in the area. Also bitter because we’re down to our last two days in Australia. Tomorrow I’ll be busy with my last workshop working with 30 of Sydney’s most prolific trainers, taking them through the ropes on how I coach and approach corrective exercise.

And then Lisa and I will be heading back to Boston the day after that.

Feeling sweet because this has been an amazing experience and something I won’t soon forget. That and we’re both ready to come home to Boston. We miss Dagny (our cat).

We don’t miss the snow.

For those unaware, Lisa has been writing a daily dairy of our Australian exploits. You can check it out HERE. To give you a bit of the flavor of her posts here’s a pic we took as I was driving from Sydney to the Hunter Valley (on the opposite of the car and road).

Needless to say there’s plenty of trials, tribulations, and tomfoolery to read about. I think you’ll enjoy it.

And speaking of stuff to read, here’s the latest list……

Lift Weights Faster 2.0 – Jen Sinkler

Full Disclosure: this isn’t an article. But it isn’t a hidden agenda either. I like Jen. I respect Jen. I think she’s one of the best coaches around, and I KNOW she’s someone who routinely puts out high-quality content. In short: she helps people, and she’s damn good at it too.

If you missed it, she wrote a fantastic guest post a few days ago on OVER-conditioning.

LWF 2.0 is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to up the ante not only with their conditioning, but also how not to be an asshat with overdoing it.

In fact I use LWF myself when I need a swift kick in the ass, or if I need a little “twist” when writing programs for my own clients. It’s that good!

Friday (March 13th) is the LAST day to purchase it at a heavily discounted price though, so make sure to take advantage of it while you can.

My Favorite Exercise Combinations: Installment 4 – Miguel Aragoncillo

Fellow Cressey Sports Performance coach, Miguel Aragoncillo, wrote this fantastic post on a really cool bench press/”creep” combination that I think a lot of people will enjoy.

Never thought of this approach before. I dig it!

6 Deadlift Tips For Non-Powerlifters – Nick Tumminello

What can I say? I can never resist a good deadlift article. This one was superb.

CategoriesOff Topic

Day 7: (Circular) Quay Day!

Friends,

We were up bright and early and at the gym by 8:00am. James, our Sydney host, directed us to the nearest Anytime Fitness. Tony was relieved to be able to squat, squat, squat the morning away. I took advantage of the fully equip, non-hotel gym to also squat, then Romanian deadlift, then weighted hip thrust, and then pull through, with all the accompaniments of a full body workout.

This information will be important later on.

Here’s a pic of Tony and I after our workout:


Then we went looking for brekkie. I think we’ve been spoiled by the warrior-worthy brekkies, because the standard brekkie at all the local bakeries and cafes seemed like brekkie appetizers. So we had a few eggs, went back to the hotel to get ready, and then off to the Sydney Harbor Bridge!

We did the Bridge Climb. A 3-hour endeavor, this tourist to-do was serious biz-nass!

It was pricey, but worth it. The biz-nass began with signing a serious waiver – not the first time I’ve done that (sky diving, trapeezing, ect), it’s essentially a written promise that you won’t sue anyone if you die.

Here, you can see:

1 waiver
Then you change out of your clothes and into this impossibly unflattering onesie, with elastic ankles and wrists. Then you get straps for sunglasses (“sunnies”), a handkerchief (“hanky”), a hat, and a key so that you can put all of your possessions in a locker. Then you get headphones with a radio so you can hear your guide.

Our guide was Darren, and he was fabulous!

I wish I had lots of pictures to show you, because the Bridge Climb was amazing. It took an hour to suit up and get out, but then we were out for almost two hours. We were clipped in to the bridge with a carabineer type deal, and up, up, up we went! We stopped here and there to hear about the bridge, it’s history, and the city.

Here we are at the top!

Bridge Climb Pic

Remember my workout from this morning? Well, after walking and climbing up the stairs and ladders, we then walked all the way down the stairs and ladders. Plus we started before lunch and ended right around 2:30pm! So I was shaky and hungry, but so pumped!

Tony and I walked around the Quay from the base of the bridge to the Opera House, taking some photos along the way:

2 opera house

I was feeling a little bit funny, but I assumed it was because of all the sun and climbing. At the Opera Kitchen, I ordered a seafood mixed platter with salmon a few different ways and tuna. As soon as it was put down in front of me, and after I took a picture:

3 food

A very aggressive seagull jumped up and grabbed some salmon!

4 seagull

The restaurant brought me out a new lunch, and we spent the rest of lunch shoo-ing away seagulls. After lunch I felt even weirder, but we continued on, exploring the opera house and walking through the royal botanical gardens.

5 botanical

When we got back to the room it felt like I had been hit by a bus! Tony was tired too, but I was feeling something more than that… I was chilly and had Goosebumps, even though it was warm. My tummy hurt and I felt super tired. So I’m going to bed around 8:30, and hoping I’m feeling back up to snuff tomorrow!

Love, Lisa and Tony

CategoriesMotivational

Tomorrow

I’ve been really fortunate to have so many people willing to fill in to provide some awesome content while I’m away. Today is no different. Here’s a little sumthin, sumthin from my good friend Roger Lawson – 0r RogLaw as he’s more routinely called – calling people out on the most infamous word in fitness.

Tomorrow

If we’re looking to push doing something off into the non-existent future then there’s no more comforting word that has ever existed; a panacea for all of life’s ills.

When it came to fitness, I was the most tomorrow-est dude in the history of the world. I would be sitting in the parking lot of McDonald’s, double fisting McChickens like I was born to do it, half consumed with self-loathing because I had yet again fallen off my eating plan, yet at the same time filled with a sense of satisfaction.

Why?

Yeah I goofed up, but on some level, in that moment, I could sink in and enjoy every last crispity, crunchity, delectable morsel with the knowledge that even though I could stop right there and there I didn’t have to and could enjoy eating whatever the hell I wanted until…

Tomorrow: the mythical land where I’m a billionaire, have legendary levels of self-control and Jennifer Lopez finally comes to her senses and realizes that I’m the man of her dreams.

The same happened with my workouts at times. I had the perfect set up, and if I missed a day or couldn’t get to the gym at my predetermined time, I turned a blind-eye to the large number of options that I had at my disposal to salvage the situation and offered my plans as sacrifice to the tomorrow Gods, absolving myself of any and all responsibilities.

You know what happened next? That’s right – pants off, Game of Thrones marathon on.

Tomorrowitis is a real disease that can afflict anyone at anytime if we’re not careful.

Here’s the crazy part about it all: there is no tomorrow.

It feels warm and fuzzy to think that there will be one, but mathematically speaking (and boy do I hate me some math) there are a finite amount of tomorrows left, and eventually there will come a time when we’re not part of one – and we never know when that day will come.

For all I know, right as I send this off to Tony, the house I’m writing from could explode in a fiery blaze from a gas leak (not likely) or dragon attack (very likely).

One thing that I’ve found to be extremely beneficial for my clients and myself is a gradual mindset shift, treating tomorrow not like a guarantee but more as a bonus. With that perspective, we’re much less likely to treat tomorrow as a closet that we toss the things we chose to put off doing today into.

Instead, it becomes an opportunity, something we GET to do.

A large part of why tomorrow seems so appealing is because it acts as a release valve for all the pressure and anxiety we have built up around having to be perfect right now AND in the future.

“Once I start this plan there’s no turning back, so I’ll start on Monday and have a last hurrah this weekend. Delicious food GET INSIDE ME!”

Sound familiar?

We’ve all been there. Monday is the “best” day to start a diet for a reason. Overcoming that initial momentum of not doing anything can be rough.

Enter the tip.

Get your mind out of the gutter – I’m talking about icebergs here.

Note from TG: Hahahahahaha. I get it. It took me a second, but I got it. Nice one Rog.

When looking at an iceberg, you’re seeing less than 10% – the tip – of what’s actually there. If you could see the entire thing, it would probably blow your mind to smithereens.

The same applies to your diet and training.

Free yourself from the daunting task of imagining the whole road ahead of you before you even take the first step and zoom in, choosing the simplest action that will bring you closer towards your objective, then do it.

Are you on the verge of abandoning your workout and eating plan for the day and majestically swan-diving into a tub of ice cream?

QUICK! What’s the easiest thing you can do to turn the tide of battle in your favor?

  1. Put your actual workout clothes on.
  2. Grab your music and turn on your favorite song.
  3. Do one push up (or any exercise for that matter).
  4. Insert your own awesome option here.

By making the next step you take so simple and easy that it doesn’t sound the alarms in your mind that cause you to become paralyzed by focusing on everything that lies ahead, you can build on that one action that left you feeling accomplished and let the momentum carry you to the next task.

You’ll pretty much be the fitness-dominating version of James Woods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90Ps2L46dUs

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design

The Right Tool(s) For the Job

For many people walking into a gym can be just as confusing as long division, watching a leaked copy of House of Cards spoken in Mandarin (shit!), or a Lady Gaga outfit. I don’t get it.

Lets put it like this: there are a lot of machines, trinkets, and gadgets in the gym and trying to figure out which “tool” to use for whatever goal can be daunting.

We have barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, suspension trainers, ab wheels, squat racks, power racks, platforms, specialty bars (trap bar), not to mention a litany of different brands such as Cybex, Hammer Strength, LifeLine, and Swole Patrol (<— not a brand, but it should be).

While nothing is set in stone – besides, only Sith’s deal in absolutes – generally speaking we can “pigeon hole” certain exercise/training equipment into categories to better match with certain goals.

My latest article on BodyBuilding.com better elucidates my thoughts on this topic. Check it out…..

The Right Tools For All Types of Weight Training

CategoriesProduct Review Program Design

Lets Talk (Over) Conditioning

Today I have a guest post from the one and only (and lovely), Jen Sinkler. It’s a timely post because 1) I’m in Australia and Lisa would kill me if I spent all my free time working and 2) Jen’s just released her updated Lifts Weights Faster 2.0.

I loved the first version when it came out last year; and to be speak candidly, outside of the athletes I train who need more specificity with their conditioning, when it comes to writing conditioning based programming (whether for myself or for my general fitness clientele) I tend to flip through LWF 1.0, find something the fits (10-30 minute workout), and sucktitude follows. But in a good way.

LWF 2.0 is 10x better and Jen has gone out of her way to provide an epic product that I feel is one of the best of its kind.

But that doesn’t come without a brief caution: OVER-conditioning. It’s a topic that Jen discusses below.

Lets Talk (Over) Conditioning

If you’re feeling pressure to make all your workouts the hardest, biggest, and most intense ever or else you’ll end up like this guy, you’re not alone. The go-hard-or-go-home mentality is pervasive, making many people fret worry that if they don’t do a body-crushing session every time they work out, they’ve failed.

In reality, the truth is nearly exactly the opposite. You can still make progress without destroying yourself. In fact, you can make bigger strides, more consistently and for the long term, when you don’t leave it all on the gym floor.

That doesn’t mean take it easy — it just means don’t run your body (and along with it your mind and spirit) into the ground by forcibly pushing past your limits every workout (maybe even any workout). You’ll find that this bod-friendly approach will net you even more positive results in the long run.

CHILL, HONEY BUNNY!

As a culture, we are obsessed with extremes. And maybe we don’t need to be. One of my fellow trainers at The Movement Minneapolis, “Cardigan Mark” Schneider, puts fitness on a spectrum — from ill to athlete.

From a marketing standpoint, the “athlete” end of the spectrum is sexy, but it can come at a high cost, in the form of overuse or acute injuries, chronic wear-and-tear on the body, and amount of time invested.

So let’s flip the script: What can you gain by easing off the gas slightly? Fewer injuries, less stress on the body, and a more sustainable fitness regimen — which is clutch, considering consistency is one of the keys to long-term success. Consider it a huge deposit in the bank for your future self; the you 10 years from now will be eternally grateful that you didn’t empty your account and push your body to the point of injury today.

Not always turning the dial up to 11 will also net you more time, money, and energy. If every workout has a cost, overdrawing our accounts means our bodies simply won’t function well — not ideal if your fitness goals include feeling better, moving better, and living better. A consistent, positive balance will better support your fitness goals.

KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET

When we talk about conditioning, short, intense-enough sessions are the answer to keeping your account in the black and your fitness on track

A well-structured conditioning circuit will often move you out of the sagittal plane that many of the big movements (such as squats and deadlifts) in by asking you to rotate (or resist rotation), perform more unilateral movements, and crawl, roll, or jump.

You’ll involve different energy systems when you incorporate different levels of intensity by performing a variety of different movements with a spectrum of different tools and weight used. All of it adds up to more adaptation (i.e., progress), and more adaptation equals a stronger, fitter you.

CHECK YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRECK YOURSELF

So…how do you keep your intensity in check? Easy — monitor how you’re feeling during the circuit.

When a conditioning circuit calls for five rounds, you don’t want to flame out after round three. Don’t push to failure on the repetitions and, if need be, take a longer rest than what is assigned in the workout. In the end, you’ll likely up the number of quality reps performed — and reap the gains from your hard (hard-enough) work — without having to deplete your account to do so.

One last thing! When deciding how hard to workout, consider the sum total of your stress.

Your body can’t differentiate between workout stress and other stress. So if you’re experiencing a lot of heart-rate-raising, cortisol-spiking events in your daily life, take the opportunity to chill and scale back your workouts for a while.

When life quiets down, your workouts can ramp up again. You do the math on who makes more progress: The person who goes hard for 52 minutes or the person who works within their limits for 52 weeks?

READY FOR BETTER RESULTS…FASTER?

If you’re looking to amp up your conditioning in creative and productive ways, I’ve put together a mammoth 181-workout pick-and-choose library called Lift Weights Faster 2.

Complete with a full exercise glossary that includes written descriptions and photographic demonstrations of nearly 270 exercises (from classic moves to more unusual ones — the Jefferson deadlift, anyone?), a video library that includes coaching on 30 of the more technical lifts, 10 challenge-workout videos, plus a dynamic warm-up routine, I’ve combined my training and athletic experience with my long background in magazine publishing to create a clear-cut, easy-to-use resource that you’ll want to turn to all the time.

Every workout is organized by the equipment you have available and how much time you’ve got, with options that last anywhere from five up to 30 minutes.

Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention I teamed up with my husband, David Dellanave, to create a strength program companion resource called Get Stronger Faster 2 to help you take your strength level to the next level. This completes the total workout package and helps you get results, faster.

Click below for more information.

Lift Weights Faster 2.0 

Jen Sinkler is a longtime fitness writer for national magazines such as Women’s Health and Men’s Health. A former member of the U.S. national women’s rugby team, she currently trains clients at The Movement Minneapolis. Jen talks fitness, food, happy life and general health topics at her website, www.jensinkler.com.

CategoriesOff Topic

Day 6: Brekkie, Kangaroos, and Vegemite by Day – Sir Stamford, The Opera House, and Dinner on the Quay by Night

We slept in! 6:00am and feeling good!

I only woke up kicking the Transformer-Kardashian-Wooly-Mammoth Spider of the bed once, so that was good. As I was typing up yesterday’s blog, Tony noticed a little something out of our back door, and BAM! Kangaroos first thing in the morning!

Breakfast was included with our night’s stay, and DANG! The biggest breakfast ever, and very Australian. There were eggs, chipolatas, beans, bacon, tomato, fruit loaf, quiche, bircher muesli, and vegemite!

The Aussie ladies sitting next to us instructed me so that I knew what to do: first toast the bread, then smear some butter, then a little vegemite. They thought I would hate it, but I didn’t.

Salty, goopy, and weird, but not horrific or anything. Kind of like Worchester sauce jam. Except non-horrific.

Anywho, we were so full we did not eat again until after 3. But even then we just had a snack (This is the equivalent of a normal couple saying they did not eat for two days after brekkie).

Off to explore! We checked out of our Tuscan mini-villa and met again with Jayne, who was so lovely and helpful. We got the HOOK UP for a tour at the Tyrell’s Winery, and some other little suggestions about a few to-do’s before heading back down to Sydney.

We checked out the Hunter Valley Gardens shops, and FINALLY found some flip-flops for Tony! Here he is – happy to be freeing his feet:

Then, on to Tyrell’s Winery. It looks gorgeous, it smells gorgeous, and of course, it tastes gorgeous. We were a little early for our 10:30am tour, so they offered us a glass of bubbly while we checked out the beautiful grounds:

That’s Brokenback Mountain in the background; not to be confused with Brokeback Mountain for you movie/Heath Ledger fans.

 

Then Damian provided a 90 minute tour, with the most informative lecture on wine making I have ever heard! I’ve been lucky enough to visit wineries in Sonoma, Napa, Tuscany, the Alsace, and the Winstrasse in Germany, and Damain surpassed all of those experiences. Here is Damian next to some insane smelling Shriaz grapes:

Note from Tony: Lisa totally had a crush on him.

After the tour we (I) tasted a little. Damian provided, “Water for the dry bloke!” (That would be Tony). All along I’ve been thinking I’d FINALLY be in a wine region with my kind of wine! Full bodied, masculine, lots of structure, and a smell like a forest floor.

Unfortunately, it is so hot in the Hunter Valley that the grapes ripen too quickly to produce this kind of wine. So the Hunter Valley Shiraz (to me) is like a Sonoma Pinot – thin, light, and pepper at the finish. I think the positive-sounding word is “elegant”, but to me it is puny.

So Damian and I talked it out, and apparently I’m more of a Barossa valley wine drinker. Tyrell’s makes a few wines with grapes from this region, and I was very happy to take home a shiraz with grapes grown in Barossa, but turned into wine right here at Tyrell’s.

Overall, it was a wonderful morning! I was very happy to learn that Tony enjoyed the tour as well.

Onward to the Hunter Valley Gardens! Just kidding.

When we got there we learned entry was $27 per person, which included admission to a garden which takes an hour to walk through… we didn’t think so. But here is the entrance, isn’t it nice?

We made a few more stops at a few more wineries, but didn’t pick up anything else. I think Verdelho is my favorite in the Hunter Valley, and I picked up a bottle of that yesterday – so we decided we were all set, and started our journey back to Sydney!

Tony was a pro and stayed to the left all the way back to the airport. We dropped off the car, and took a shuttle to the hotel… Wanna hear about the hotel?

I love bargains, so naturally I was looking for a bargain way to stay in the middle of the city. Hotwire has this function where they offer a certain quality of hotel for a rate, but it’s a “secret” which hotel you get. You essentially you can select 3.5 or 4 star, see the rate you’ll pay and what kind of hotel falls in that category, and then go for it! So Tony and I kept our eye on the rates for a few weeks, and then decided we could afford the 5 star for 3 nights if we went this route. We ended up with the “Sir Stamford Inn” right in the Quay:

Our room is lovely!

 

Spacious and cozy with a little Juliet balcony. My favorite is the bathroom. It is H.U.G.E. When you walk in the lights automatically go on. There’s a room on the right that’s the shower, and is bigger than my office back home. Then there’s another room with the toilet inside. Then there is an enormous bathtub.

The rooftop pool and lounge are a fav as well:


We unpacked, changed, and busted back out on the town to find dinner! Once again, thanks to our warrior brekkie, we really didn’t want a big meal, so Tony was in search of a salad, and I wanted to try another new fish. Tony had the folks at “Bar 100” slap some grilled chicken on a “rocket” (aka arugala) and watermelon salad, and I had the Barramundi with a prawn!

We found Tony some ice cream after dinner:

And then back to the hotel we went, but not without taking some candid shots of the our walk back “home.”

We sprung for the expensive internet so that we could get yesterday’s travel blog up, and I am hitting the sack! Tony will be up for awhile so he can catch up on emails and whatnot.

Thanks for reading, and talk to you tomorrow!

Lisa and Tony

CategoriesOff Topic Uncategorized

Day 5: Ballina, Sydney, Pokolbin, Success!

Lisa’s daily dairy of our Australian Adventure continues (cue old-school 1960s Batman music here. Dah-na-na-na-na-Dah-na-na-na-na)….

For no reason whatsoever I woke up at 4:00am and couldn’t go back to sleep. I think it’s because it feels like Christmas every morning since a few days before we even left for the trip! We enjoyed a quiet last morning in our lovely suite at the Ramada, and were the first patrons for a second time at The Bean Bank. Are you tired of admiring my morning flat white?:

I had the “big breakfast”, and Tony had the omelet and the muesli (two breakfasts). As you can see, we hated it:

Sometimes I am a space cadet. For example, Shannan was kind enough to offer a ride to the airport, and I told him our flight was at 10:40am. We made a plan for a pick up, and he asked us to be in touch when we got back to our room and noticed that it was a different time.

Did I look then? Nope.

This morning at about 5:15am, THANK GOODNESS I checked, just in time to see that our flight LANDS at 10:35, and leaves at 9:00am. Should we panic?! I’m sure we made for a stressful start to Shannan’s day, but he was a champ about it and came to pick us up with his delicious family, bright and early at 8:00am.

I’m pretty sure Shannan, Mady, and Sebastian qualify as the cutest family in Ballina. Everyone is smiling and pumped! Sebastian is super-yummy and I almost bit him right on the face while saying goodbye. Even though we’re excited for the next phase of the Australian Adventure, we’re bummed to leave Ballina, and sad to say good-bye to Shannan and company.

Please, for anyone living in or around Ballina visit Shannan and his gym RAW F.A.S.T Fitness. You won’t be disappointed.

Everyone kept telling us we only needed to get to the airport 30 minutes before take off… say what??! We didn’t believe it. I’m not kidding you, from the front door to the gate, it was 4 minutes. For serious.

No ballywho. No waiting for hours and standing in line. The front half of the plane loads through the front door, the back half through the back door. And then you go. It’s a bullshit free system – point for the Australians.

Here’s Tony (with me behind) walking up to the plane:

I was so excited to start part II of our adventure that the top of my head almost blasted off as the plane approached Sydney:

After retrieving our luggage we headed to the rental car dealer. We got a “Holden” – which neither of us has seen before. Check our cute little rental!

This is the point of the show when the anxiety sets in. The driver’s seat is on the other side – the traffic flows on the other side (the left side). We’ve got to drive through some Sydney traffic and about 2 hours north to the Hunter Valley, using the GPS on Tony’s phone… We begin our mantra for the day, “staaaaay to the leeeeft…. Staaaaay to the leeeeft….”

We make it about 40 feet and I notice a red light on the dash, “stop the car! Stop the car!” I exclaim. With a line of other car-renters behind us, ready to start their journey, Tony and I begin with a mini panic while we try to determine what the exclamation mark in parenthesis means. (“I had this on my Jetta when the brakes were whacked” – I think to myself. “Or maybe that was when the oil pressure was shot?” I tried to remember). I leaped out of the car while Tony had to irritate some other car renters by turning around just before the gate. I got one of the attendants to come help, and his very serious, worried face brightened up when he looked at the dash and sighed, “yeah – that’s the emergency brake”…. Did I mention we were anxious?

So essentially, no one in our little Holden took a breath for about 45 minutes. I was in charge of navigation. Me. (For those of you who don’t know, I have the most terrible sense of direction on earth. It is horrendous). Poor Tony was trying to respond to my queues to “merge left”… stay in this lane…. No! Shit! Get over to the right!” And all the while we chanted, “stay to the left… STAY TO THE LEFT!!!!”

Tony was a rock star, and after a few missed turns, a few tunnels with very narrow lanes, and more than a few close calls, we were north of the city and kickin’ it at 100km/hr through some mountains and into the valley!

Did you know I love wine?

I’m a novice, but I love to learn about it – terroir, grapes, the winemaking processes; and I love to try new wines. Tony, on the other hand, has nothing to do with wine. He does not like the taste or even the smell. He cannot even have a glass to humor me.

I mention it here because this part of the trip was 100% for me. The scary driving, the winery visits, and some of the discomforts I’m about to describe – it was all for me. Please, let’s pause here for a little round of applause, just for my wonderful fiancé who signed right on for all of the following just to make me happy J.

Note from Tony: Yeah, I’m pretty much the shit.

The Hunter Valley reminds me of a more relaxed, more remote, less polished and more bohemian version of Sonoma Valley.

It’s not no frills, but it’s mostly no frills. Also, it’s freakin’ hot! I love it, but Tony forgot to pack any flip-flops, so we needed to fix that. We stayed at the Tuscany Wine Resort, which is supposed to feel Tuscan. It did have the stucco, the heat, and some of the plants to approach the look of Tuscany, but this estate was tired and non-fabulous. We had a lovely concierge, Mady, who helped us to get to our room. Here it is!

Upon entering our mini-villa, Tony and I spotted a spider. I don’t think spider is actually the best word to describe the creature. I think Transformer-Wooly Mammoth that looks-like-a-spider is more accurate:

Inside, there were many mosquitos in the bathroom. I had flashbacks of a trip my best friend Susie and I took to Mexico years ago, when we were eaten alive every night while we slept. I started to get nervous about the bugs, and that Transformer-Wooly-Mammoth-Spider.

We dropped off our stuff and set out for lunch. I checked back in with Mady at the front desk, and she was nervous about the Transformer-Woolly-Mammoth-spider too!

A manager came out from the back to ask if its, “Bottom is really big?” Indeed it was. So I guess it is a Transformer-Kardashian-Wooly-Mammoth Spider. The ladies said they would take care of it, and so I took Tony to get some food.

Tony was hungry. Hours of driving (on the left), after flying, after waking up around 4:00am. It was almost 3:00pm and we needed sustenance! We went to the restaurant up the hill from our B&B, and were happy to meet Kylie, who was friendly, knowledgeable, and ready to talk to us about the area. In sticking with the Tuscan theme, we had the antipasti platter, and BAM! It was super delicious and hit the spot:

I have to say, the #1 best mushrooms I have ever had. The meal reminded me of my favorite Tuscan meal, which my friend Leslie and I shared in Sienna. We devoured our meal! Or, to speak Australian, and to quote Kylie, “You smashed it!”

Then we were off to try and find some flip-flops for Tony. There were none to be found, but we did make it to the Hunter Valley’s Smelly Cheese Shop, where Tony got a personalized cheese sampling!! I felt happy that he could have his very own tasting. Then we made it to Sobels Winery:

Audrey Wilkinson Winery (recommended by Kylie):

And Tulluch Winery, which was nice enough to let me taste some wines just a few minutes before closing at 5:00pm

I was focused on trying the Semillon and Shiraz, since that what the region is known for. However, I discovered Vehrdelo! A Portuguese grape with fruit in the front and easy finish on the back.

We came back to the mini-villa, and I’m happy to say the Transformer-Kardashian-Wooly-Mammoth Spider was gone! Inside, our room was like new. The mosquitos were gone, the daddy long legs in the corner had been removed, and the once mosquito-guts-marked walls were white and flawless. Thanks to Mady and Jayne for fixing it up!

We tried not to fall asleep before heading out to dinner. We weren’t that hungry, thanks to our Tuscan lunch, so we headed to the nearby Harrigans, an Irish spot, where we had a few salads, and I had a Magners.

Kylie said she could “almost guarantee” we would see some kangaroos and wallabies, but so far, nothing! We had our eyes peeled all day and night. We better see one tomorrow! They apparently like to hang out by the tennis court… se we’ll see what we can see on the way to breakfast in the morning.

It’s just a few minutes to 9:00pm, and I’m sure we’ll be asleep by 9:03. I’m also sure I’ll be dreaming of Transformer-Kardashian-Wooly-Mammoth Spiders.

Somewhere on the other side of the world, my dad and brother are reading this and shaking their heads, feeling sorry for Tony that he’ll have to stalk and sleigh any imaginary spiders I may be yelling about in the middle of the night…. Spiders were never my strength.

There’s no Internet here, so you won’t get to read this until we get back to Sydney tomorrow evening… But tomorrow, it’s breakfast, the Hunter Valley Gardens, more wineries, maybe a kangaroo or wallaby, and then back (on the left) to Sydney! Wish us luck J. Love and hugs to all of our friends and family,

Lisa and Tony.