Health Update - Sauna

I have implemented the sauna at our gym as the end of my workouts. I honestly don't know the science about if it does anything for you but I love it. I have always enjoyed the sauna but at the end of a work out it just feels amazing.

When I first enter I do some stretching, which feels really good on the tight muscles and then I just sit on the bench for 10 to 15 minutes and just get a really good sweat on. It helps loosen me up and just feels really good. If you have access to one, or if you live in the southwest just hang out outside, take a rid on the sauna train, you might like it! I actually think it has been enhancing my results, I'm not sure why, probably just because the sweat helps the definition but whatever it is its working!

Health Update - Muscle Confusion

Just want to hit another exercise tip, muscle confusion is probably the most efficient way of working out. In a broad sense it means don't do the same thing every time you work out, this applies to lifting, cardio and anything in between. Your muscles can actually learn a routine and give false results by making you think you are doing better than you actually are. If you switch things up from day to day (or whatever routine you do) you will see much better results. When your muscles learn a routine they will get better at the specific thing you are doing, instead of getting better overall. For example if you do a work out that consists of running a mile, you sure will get better at running a mile but you won't be getting as much out of it as you could. In stead maybe do a mile one day, some different kind of sprints another day, swim another day then repeat. Using muscle confusion will train all parts of your muscle which will yield better results in the long run.

The way I use it goes into a bit more detail than just not doing the same thing each day you work out, I do something different every day meaning the area of the body but I also differentiate what I do each day (no work out is ever really the same). I use differences in grips, weight/rep combos and the order in which I do things. I also use our boot camp class to help because it is very different from what I normally do. This is the kind of thing that will yield long term results, so if you try it next week and don't see a difference don't give up, you will see results eventually.

Health Watch - Boot Camp

We have been going to a Boot Camp class on Mondays for about 5 weeks now. The class is at 6:30 and goes about an hour long. I was extremely apprehensive of wasting an hour workout doing another one of Angela's classes due to my experience with a Yoga class she used to attend. The Yoga class ended up being about an hour of stretching on a balance ball and for me if over an hour of exercise I didn't feel like I burnt many calories...it is not a good use of my gym time.

Boot Camp can be many things, it is more of a general exercise class term and doesn't really have anything to do with the armed forces. This class is a kickboxing version, which I will say is a very loose description. The hour is split into 3 sections, a warm up, cardio and weights. the warm up is almost a joke, just gets your heart rate going and then its into the cardio which you can use light weights for. As a super macho dude I went into the first class ready to use 10's in each hand...found out that I am a douche because I dropped down to 4's and I almost died. Now I switch between 2's and 3's depending on the day, which is plenty. The easiest way to explain the cardio section is Taebo...it is very similar except that you use weights and there is no Billy Blanks. We are in constant motion for about 40 minutes, a lot of bouncing, punching, kicking, kneeing all with the intention of engaging your abs, getting your heart rate up and engaging other large muscle groups. I am one of the only guys that attends the class, most I am sure think they are too macho for it but it is a great work out...the teacher lady is like 50 or 60 and she is nuts! I sweat through my shirt entirely every time.

One of my favorite things other than the intensity is the focus on increasing my agility and speed, I found out quick that I might be strong but I am not quick. Sure I can run and I have speed in that department but I am not as quick or agile as I thought. As my wife says I am bulky :) This really brought a lot of things to light though. This is why I never was GREAT at bouldering, I am just a big sack of weight (which is mostly muscle), where my bro Chris (whose blog you can read at that link) is lean and mean and can climb and do all sorts of stuff with ease. He is agile and quick, which makes us a great adventure combo - me the work horse and he the everything else guy.

So in summary this class:
1. Is a good cardio workout
2. Is an OK weight workout
3. Is a good ab workout
4. Is a great balance, agility and quickness workout
5. Is a great way to keep muscle confusion going (more on that later)

We will continue doing this as many Mondays as we can!