2 Secrets Revealed

Psst… Can you keep a secret?

I’ve got two I want to reveal. As they used to say on one of my favorite shows, Seinfield, “It’s going in the vault”. George would tell his best friend Jerry that to get him to share a secret, only to tell it to his fiancee within minutes of leaving.

I’m actually okay with you sharing these two secrets to anyone who will listen. In fact, I want the whole world to know the truth.

Ready?

Secret #1 – Having a glass of wine at night WILL make you fat. I don’t care what the studies show about heart health and red wine being good for you. If you consume a glass or two of red wine most every night you are going to have excess body-fat. Think about what wine is made of, FRUIT, what does fruit have in it, SUGAR, and what does sugar do to your body? I’ll answer for you, it makes you store fat at a much higher rate (and about a million other things).

If you want to drop 6-10lbs really quick, just stop having the wine for a couple of weeks and watch what happens.

Secret #2 – Crunches don’t give you a “six-pack”, COMPOUND MOVEMENTS do that. Unless you are just genetically gifted or under the age of 21, it’s not as simple as going in for a few crunches 2-3x per week and suddenly you have those washboard abs you dream about. Compound movements done correctly, with the right intensity and frequently enough will challenge your core more than doing 10,000 crunches ever will.

If you don’t believe me, try getting under 300 or 400lbs and perform a squat and tell me your core wasn’t working just as much as your legs.

If you are new to the weight training scene or are unsure of what the heck a “compound move” is, here is a basic rundown:

  • Squats
  • Push-ups
  • Pull-ups
  • Swings
  • Snatches
  • Clean and Press
  • Lunge and Curl

It basically means a move that demands more than one muscle group to be engaged. Or as I sometimes say, “a real humbling experience”. Anytime you can maximize your time and perform compound movements you will not only burn more calories, you will build more muscle (which in turn helps you burn more calories), look a heck of a lot better than doing isolation moves like bicep curls and yes… start you on your journey to “six-pack abs”. (That and balanced nutrition of course)

Here is my challenge to each of you. Next time you lift, do ten reps of the above moves, rest then do 10 reps of things like Bicep Curls, Crunches, Tricep Kickbacks, Calf Raises, etc and you tell me which ones are more challenging.

Not sure how to perform these compound moves? Email me back for a FREE Discovery Week of our Classes (Kettlebell, Boot Camp or Semi-Private) and we can show you how effective this style of training can be. jeremy@grittonstraining.com

Your Coach

Jeremy

P.S. If you haven’t heard yet, the summer athlete program begins Monday June 8th (there was an error in the original flyer). We have just a few spots remaining, where our goal is to help your child make varsity, gain more confidence, earn more playing time and or begin on their journey towards a college scholarship. AND GOOD NEWS, I just found out I can accept athletes starting at age 12 now… Email me if you want one of the remaining spots: jeremy@grittonstraining.com

1-2-3-4 Workout

Kettlebell2Ready set GO. I’ve got a great workout you can do outside with just one piece of equipment.

It’s what I call my “Travel Kettlebell”. It’s a light KB that’s rusted, getting holes in it, paint is all chipped off and I swear, it’s my favorite one, other than the two kettlebells that were gifts from two of my staff and I absolutely treasure them). Going to throw out a chance for someone to Win a box of Spark if they can guess the names,  of the two Kettlebells not the staff. You have to read the entire blog though…

May I present the 1-2-3-4 Workout: (perfect for doing at the track or anywhere you can take off for a short run)

  1. It’s 1 Mile Runs (could be reduced to 1 lap of any distance, or even a sprint or jog if that works better)
  2. With 2 Minute Rests
  3. Repeating the cycle 3 Times
  4. Completing 4 Strength Moves (below)

Here are your directions:

Complete 25 Swings, Squats, Pushups and Crunches – Immediately Get-up and Run 1 Mile as fast as you can (here’s a little tip…do the squats and swings first so your legs have a chance to recover while you do pushups and crunches). I did my first set in the wrong order and those first couple minutes trying to run was rough!

Once you get back from the run, rest 2 minutes then repeat it again.

Then, after you’ve done it for the 3rd time go right into a final set of the 4 strength moves and then you’re done.

I’ll tell you what was amazing, I was able to be outside and got this done in a really short amount of time. I got home before Brandy and the kids even thought – “Where is Dad and why is he so late?”

Give it a try, get outside this weekend and be active and healthy. It’s one of those things you will NEVER regret!

Back to my two favorite Kettlebells, can anyone guess their names? First person to answer correctly will WIN a box of Advocare Spark.

Here’s a little hint: GTS Kettlebell Instructor Kim Day gave me the first one (at which time we realized he had lost that exact same amount of weight since he began training with GTS – 106lbs). The second one came from my Lead Trainer Kathy – it’s slightly lighter.  1-2-3-4 begin the guessing!

Okay, one more hint – Both names begin with B.

Your Coach,

Jeremy

 

 

I’m Getting Better, Maybe I Should Do More…

Ever had this happen? You start doing something, maybe its running, and pretty quickly you start seeing improvement and think to yourself “If I do more I’ll see even more results.“.

Let me tell you, I’m probably the worst about this. So much so that my mom calls me the “man of the moment” because whatever I’m into I become consumed with it.

When I was playing basketball in high school and college, I lived and breathed the sport. When I was training for Ironman, my world (and my poor wife and kids) revolved around my training. Then when I got into Kettlebells I literally spent hours every day learning, practicing it and coaching it.

Most recently I began what we call the GTS 10k club for all active clients. The premise is that you complete 100 cardio sessions, 100 strength sessions and 10,000 reps on a specific move over the course of one year. It’s an amazing program and if you see any of 20 of our clients walking around with those red hooded jackets it means they completed these requirements. Options are Swings, Pushups or Squats and if anyone did all three moves for 30,000 total reps they received an additional prize.

Sounds like a lot, but the premise is all about balance. By doing just 28 or 29 reps per day you would reach the 10,000 total needed for the year. By averaging approximately two strength and two cardio sessions per week you will have a well balanced year of exercise.

Here’s where the story goes off course and it’s the reason I’m sharing this with you today. Being the “man of the moment” each year my goals have increased.

  • Year one (to practice the concept before sharing with clients) I did exactly the 100, 100 and 10,000.
  • Year two (in typical Jeremy practice) I did the 100 each and then all 3 moves for 30,000.
  • Year three (our current year) I was attempting to add Pull-ups, Full Get-ups and changed regular push-ups to one arm or handstand push-ups… (Yeah, seemed like a good idea at the time)

We’ll, after about 8 weeks of shoulder issues from the push-ups and 12 weeks of issues with my biceps from the pull-ups I realized… Too Much Of Anything is TOO MUCH!

I don’t care if it’s eating a ton of protein, doing cardio, strength training or spending time with the new love in your life… if you become consumed with it, it’s too much.

We need balance! 

The next time you are tempted to add more distance to your running, or reduce your calories your consuming because your getting faster or your losing a lot of weight, DON’T. Don’t be a “man of the moment”. Instead strive for balance.

I believe with all my heart we were meant to be able to run, jump, push, pull and everything in-between. Some things better than others, but its how we were made and it’s how we avoid injury and eventual burnout. Consistency and staying the course, focusing on a balanced life is where you’ll fond continued success.

Your Coach,

Jeremy

P.S. Last call for our “balanced” Cardio Kettlebell workshop tomorrow morning at 9:00am. We have a few spots remaining so if you want to attend Email Kathy – kathy@grittonstraining.com

 

Cardio Body or Strong Body?

strongwomanWhat kind of body do you want to have? It’s important to ask yourself that question because different types of exercise (all beneficial) will provide different results.  What we mean is, doing a ton of cardio (and cardio is great) will not help you build strong lean muscle.  So it really depends on what your goals are but if being strong and toned is your goal, cardio isn’t going to get you there.

The first time I laid eyes on my beautiful wife Brandy it was the fact that she had muscular legs that drew me to her. In fact, I turned to the trainer behind the desk and told him upon that first image that I would marry that girl. I kid you not that we were talking about marriage within a few days. But, that is a story for another day!

My question for you to consider is this, “what kind of body would you like to have”? There isn’t a right or wrong answer, but if you said “A strong lean one“, know you MUST have regular strength training in order to build muscle. Cardio actually does the opposite most times (unless its intervals, that I discussed last week).

If you read my previous blog post from last Friday you know that cardio has it’s place and interval style training is helpful in building lean muscle, but typical cardio that most average people complete is more about just burning some calories.

Next time you are pinched for time, don’t do the easy thing and do a few minutes of cardio. When you are faced with the inevitable burden of choosing one, always opt for strength training. The effects are much longer lasting and will help you build a better body (not just quickly burning some calories).

Here’s to a “stronger” you!

Your Coach

Jeremy

P.S. On Saturday April 18th from 9-10:15am, we are actually going to show you how to combine strength with some high intensity Kettlebell and cardio training. All levels of fitness are welcome, to the first 10 to reserve a spot, but be sure to RSVP to Kathy first chance you get – kathy@grittonstraining.com

Fat Burning Cardio?

While I was standing in the rain at my boys baseball games, one of the parent’s of a teammate for my oldest son asked me a question about cardio.

He asked if he should slow down while he is running to keep his heart rate in a fat burning zone. My response was, YES and NO. However, you don’t want to slow your run down to the point of changing your form. We were discussing how it’s almost impossible to get into the 70% of maximum heart rate while we run.

If you have to slow to the point to where you are actually running with a different form or gait, STOP. That will lead to an injury.

The reason I answered yes and no is because different styles of cardio have distinct benefits. If you can do cardio (of any kind) and keep your heart rate in that 7 out of 10 range then 45-60 minutes is the time you want to maximize your body burning fat as it’s energy source.

My preferred style of cardio training, is to perform intervals. After a warm up, intervals push you for a set time or distance then allow your heart rate come back down. Repeating this for a set number of rounds, distances, or times. Not only are intervals a great way to make the time go by, but are also great at torching a ton of calories, including for 3-4 hours after your done. Not to mention, intervals signal your body to build strength to repeat this exercise in the future.

Personally, I do these all the time, sometimes by necessity. I live way out in the country  and often times I’ll be out for a leisure run when I get chased by dogs. In the country, dogs seem to be running around everywhere, don’t ask me why we rednecks tend to do this but we do. So instead of a leisure run it turns into running for my life or charging the pack and even barking like a crazy man to try and scare them off. If you ever need a good laugh, come and follow me around for these “dog interval runs”.

Next time you are considering cardio, think about the goal for the workout. Is it to do fat burning (45-60 minutes) or is it to do intervals to burn more calories (20-40 minutes). Both have their place and are of tremendous benefit.

But even more important than all this information… DO SOMETHING. All the science and information is less important than you simply moving and being active.

In Your Health,

Jeremy

P.S. Did you know we are having an open house the week of April 13th-18th? If you would like to sample what we do, and see some of the amazing interval workouts we can provide contact us and see if we have any spots available.

Healthy Habits Seminar November 10th

Small changes compound into big results.

Ever feel like you have “no time” or “no energy” to make healthy choices? You are not the only one.  Come to our next seminar workshop to learn how to make small changes and form better habits.  Compounding small habit changes can lead to major changes in your health and your ability to reach a goal, whether it’s fitness or nutrition related.  Many busy people make the same mistakes that puts a roadblock in front of your success.  This will be a GREAT interactive hour that you won’t regret…