The Best Fitness Program On Earth

What is the best fitness program on earth? My answer to that question will be about as vague as a politician but it is definitely worth discussing. I will also mention that my opinion is exactly that and it has been shaped by years of trial and error. As mentioned in recent posts of mine, my wife and I are now Crossfit certified trainers. Does that mean that we are 100% Crossfit all the time? Not at all. Our program design highly favors Crossfit but we are not opposed to more sport specific training as well as other training protocols. It really depends on the goals of the client.

I started working out at a very early age. I grew up watching the Rocky movies and trying to emulate Rocky style training. I used to incorporate push-ups and pull-ups into high intensity interval style workouts. I scaled walls, jumped on park benches, and pressed odd-shaped objects over my head. I also did the whole Globo gym 3 sets of 10 pec deck followed by 20 minutes in the "fat burning zone" cardio workouts. I have trained like an athlete, army recruit and bodybuilder. This is what I have learned.

As an athlete, I was very fit for the sport I was training for. When I was playing football, I was lean and muscular and was fit for playing football but suffered when transferring over to track and field and vice versa. After college, I trained more bodybuilder style and was not quite as lean as I had been as an athlete. I maintained strength levels but had lost ground in anaerobic endurance, speed, and power. I returned to my roots with what I called obstacle course training and now is called Crossfit. With Crossfit style training, I am as lean and muscular in my mid to late 30's than I was at twenty. I am without question stronger than I have ever been. I feel like I am both aerobically and anaerobically as fit as I have ever been. I can do things physically that I couldn't with the other types of training. I also am not bored with the same old monotonous routines from years past.

I understand that everyone is different according to their preferences with training but our needs are the same. Good health and fitness is a must for any person of any age group. Crossfit has provided what I consider to be the gold standard when it comes to being well rounded and overall fitness. Some people prefer fast and intense and the awesome results that come from that style of training. Others prefer a lower intensity way of training. It really comes down to personal preference. I encourage a healthy lifestyle regardless of training style. Just remember that certain types of training elicit certain types of results. You can't deny results and you certainly can't deny the physiques of people who train with high intensity functional movements. You will get what you are training for. What kind of results are you seeing?

Man Arms

Since I started training many years ago, one major concern comes up more than any other with my female clientele. The concern is whether they will get too bulky and muscular. Most recently I have had some of my female clients becoming insecure about developing "man arms." This usually begins with a comment from an insecure man about the fit physique of a confident woman. This in turn makes the confident woman start questioning the actual training that has given her confidence in the first place.

Let me first begin by saying the same thing I say to first time clients who voice their concern over getting too bulky. Men and women are different. Women don't have the same testosterone levels of a man and therefore will not develop like a man. Genetics will ultimately determine how a person looks with or without training. I tell people who train with us that they will look how they are genetically supposed to look at their fittest level. You can't expect to look like anybody other than yourself. That is unless you want to go under the knife.

The issue of "man arms" is another concern. I have women who are stronger than they have ever been, doing things they never thought possible, and who also look better than they have ever looked. They are walking around with a quiet confindence that they have never had before. I have yet to see one female train with us that has arms that look like any of my male clients. No matter how strong and lean a female gets, unless they take steriods, they will never have "man arms." What we are guilty of is developing strong, fit, beautiful arms. Do you think that Kelly Ripa is insecure about having "man arms?" Judging from her wardrobe, I think she is pretty confident with strong, fit arms.

I saw first hand the results of long-term Crossfit training at a recent certification. I saw a room full of some of the best physiques I have ever seen. These type of gyms are litered with them. Don't be ashamed of who you are but rather test your own limits and see what you are truly made of and what you can look like at your best.

Certifiably CrossFit

After years of CrossFit Journals, videos, and workouts, Amber and I attended our first CrossFit Certification this past weekend. We arrived early and were slightly nervous but more in awe of the nice facility and surrounding area. When we walked up to the sign-in desk, we could see familiar faces from the CrossFit videos such as Pat Sherwood and Matt Chan. It was like seeing celebrities for us, perhaps our own taste of CrossFit Hollywood.

The certification was an organized, perfectly orchestrated series of lectures and movement clinics. I never thought doing air squats could make me so sore. But when you do 50-60 squats in each movement clinic, holding each for about 5 seconds while the trainers check form, it definitely starts to add up. We learned the nine foundational CrossFit movements such as the squat, front squat, overhead squat, shoulder press, push press, push jerk, deadlift, sumo deadlift high pull, and the medicine ball clean. They also worked with us on the Glute Ham developer, the kipping pull-up, overhead snatch, and the muscle-up.

We ended our first day with Fran. Keep in mind that we had already spent 8 hours in an non-air conditioned lecture room and gym. We were totally exhausted from the movements throughout the day and we had to end with Fran. After ripping my hands to shreds on the larger diameter pull-up bars, we took the group photo, sweaty and red-faced. It had been a great day.

The second day was more of the same. Lectures and workouts in the sun started to really add up. We ended the second day with a detailed 50 question test that covered everything CrossFit from nutrition and exercise physiology to programming and human movement. We left knowing the definition of "Fitness" and how to spread the message to our clients.

I have been following CrossFit for years now but never really knew if I would go to a certification or not. I never in a million years would have thought that my wife Amber would go with me. When we opened our folders that contained our scores for the weekend, we both smiled and hugged each other and left happy, thankful, and totally exhausted.

We returned home to happy kids who had decorated the house with balloons and signs congratulating us and a large cookie cake saying CrossFit Winners. We are blessed and happy and now we are also CrossFit Level One Trainers.

Opposites Attract

I think I have finally figured out what I need to do to live a happy, successful life. I have learned the law of opposites.

The human body is a great example of how opposites attract. When a person doesn’t drink enough water, the body retains water. When a person doesn’t eat enough, the body slows metabolism causing you to hold on to weight rather than lose it. If a male takes steroids, the body responds by shutting down its own ability to produce testosterone. When we weight train, you break down muscle tissue. The body responds by building new muscle tissue.

In as many situations as you can come up with, your body maintains its normal, stable condition by doing the opposite of the stimulus placed upon it. So I have taken a lesson from these God given bodies of ours and have tried to apply the law of opposites to my own life. These are some of the lessons I have learned.

I have learned that I don’t have to take my children to Disney World to give them a great vacation. Some of our best and most memorable vacations were within an hour or so from home. It was not about the destination but rather the time spent together that made it memorable.

I have learned that my children desire my time rather than my money. I learned this recently when I turned off every TV in the house. It was summer and the house was filled with toys and lots of noise from the TV’s scattered throughout the house. My kids had plenty of “things” to occupy their time during the hot summer months. When I turned off the TV’s, I went in a back room to talk to my wife. Before long, all three kids were sitting in the room with us. My entire family was packed into one of the smallest rooms of a 2000 square foot house. Later that night before I prayed with the kids, I ask them to tell me one good thing about their day. My daughter and son both agreed that their favorite part of the day was the hour we sat in that small room talking to one another. I had bought them a big house and plenty of toys but what they valued the most was my time.

I have learned that when I seem to have no energy that I need to expend energy. Everyone has those days when you are dragging. Some chalk it up to being tired or stressed out and treat it by sitting in the nearest Lazy boy chair and watching TV. What I have learned is that the body is not meant to do that. There is an incredible high after exercising. Your body releases chemicals that make you feel better. You tend to get a better night’s sleep and boost your confidence in the process.

Instead of finding things to fill our time I have learned that it is far better to use our time to fill the lives of the ones we love. I have learned that instead of being jealous or envious of someone else, I would rather try to develop characteristics that I respect the most in other people. That is how you develop self-respect. Lastly I have learned that when I think I know it all, I come to realize that I know very little. So the next time I feel self reliant, I will know that it is time to drop to my knees and pray.

God's Nutrition Guide

This information is from an email I received and I thought it was cool enough to share. Enjoy! ~ Randy Blair

It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...
God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing!

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye... And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopene and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neocortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.

Friday Night Lights

You always know that Summer is coming to an end when you see football teams emerging from weight rooms and returning to hot football fields. I become very nostalgic this time of year. Football was one of the toughest sports I ever played but was very rewarding. It mimics life in many ways. Some of my toughest practices led to some of my greatest games. Some of my worst injuries led to a stronger body and a sharper mind. I trained to take the blows but trained even harder to avoid them altogether.

The following is a poem I wrote a few years ago thinking about my football days. I have noticed that many football players have trouble letting go of the game. Most of these young athletes usually go from being leaders in their school, playing in front of hundreds or even thousands on Friday night, to not even being able to play the game again after high school. It is not an easy transition. The fact is that many sports can be played after high school but football is really not one of them. It would not be safe to see 40 year old men suiting up in shoulder pads and helmets. Many are just left with their stories but mostly their memories of a game that was played for a relatively short period of time yet will stay with them forever.

Local Heroes

Small town lights fill a dark, blue sky
The smell of wet, hot grass remind you of two-a-days gone bye
The sound of silence is broken by the tearing of tape
Pads and braces have replaced this Superman’s cape
Joints stiffened by these temporary casts
With the hope that they will protect you from an injury from the past
You wear your coat of armor and wait anxiously underground
Until the gates are opened and you are released to that familiar sound
A sound you’ve heard in your head many times before
Through blood, sweat, and tears it kept you coming back for more
A whistle sounds and commands the whole world to stand still
While you race up and down green streets not with legs but heart and will
For you are the carrier of a torch that burns bright
Many can see its flame but few endure the fight
For the glory, the comradery, the rewards that it bestows
And a chance to join the club of other local heroes

© Randy Blair 2007

Count the Cost

Everything has its price. Our time, food, clothes, transportation, health, and every decision we make. Everything has its price! The question is whether you are willing to pay the price necessary to attain whatever it is you want.

Whether it be on tv, at social gatherings, or just conversations with friends, I have seen more dissatisfaction than ever with people's health. By health I mean anything from weight, looks, fitness levels, mental health, or just physical wellness. It is no secret that the United States is seeing obesity rates higher than any other time in history. The leading cause of death is heart disease but some predict type II diabetes to eventually take that number one spot due to poor dietary choices combined with a lack of physical activity.

Yet with this dissatisfaction and numerous warnings, very little is changing. Most people treat the problems rather than work at preventing them in the first place. That is the purpose of this article. I want to encourage you to truly count the cost and realize that it is far more affordable to pay the price now than later.

What are the costs? First, understand that there is no easy, quick fix. You will have to watch what you eat. You have to sacrifice junk food you may crave for good food your body needs. You may have to count calories for a while until you establish a healthy yet consistent eating pattern. Secondly, you have to sweat. You will have to breathe hard and hurt. You will have to build muscle which requires hard work. In other words, stop walking and start running. Stop sitting on expensive bicep curl machines and resting between sets. Instead, start moving your own body weight vertically, horizontally and in every other direction possible. Do pull-ups, squats, push-ups and sit-ups. Start lifting barbells, dumbbells, and medicine balls. Learn to jump rope, hurdles, on and off boxes, and in turn, life's obstacles. Workout safe yet hard, controlled yet fast, and know your limits yet test them daily. Do all of this and you will truly realize that the cost was well worth the price you paid.