This piece of equipment might well be one of the coolest things I’ve seen (and after more than a decade in the fitness business, I’ve seen a lot of cool things)…Skywall! A motorized climbing wall that enables you to hone your climbing skills, without the height (or necessary belts and harnesses). The wall is about 11 ft tall, has 10 different climbing speeds, and the rocks can be moved around, so each climb is completely unique.

Some benefits to climbing, in case you’re new to this sport (as am I):

Climbing…

• strengthens and tones nearly every muscle in the body
• strengthens joints
• strengthens the core
• burns an incredible number of calories: 150-250 per 15 minutes on the motorized wall!!

You can find out more about the Skywall at Motion Fitness.

P.S – There is a kid-sized version of this wall that is 9ft high and recommended for kids up to age 9. Another, slightly larger model is designed for kids up to age 12. My two cents: this seems like a fun way to introduce kids to climbing in a safe environment. If I can find out what gyms/where have these, I’ll pass the info along.

I’ve been bombarded recently with questions related to interval training and how to incorporate them into a regular routine. Intervals are all-out spurts of effort (85-95% of max heart rate), usually spaced systematically throughout a workout. A simplified example of a running workout with intervals might look something like this:

5 min warm-up
2 min run at moderate pace (6-7 on RPE scale of 10)
1 min run at fast pace (8-9 on scale of 1-10)
1 min recovery (4-5 on scale of 1-10)
repeat 4-6 times

You could also replace the speed work with hill repeats, or use a combination of both throughout the workout. The point is really to increase the intensity for short bouts of time. You’ll burn more calories in less time doing intervals, and also notice an improvement in your cardiovascular level. Intervals are an excellent way to add variety to your routine, move off of a fitness plateau, or cross train.

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.

Mix it up
Have fun! The best cardiovascular activity is the one you will actually do. To put it another way, there is no “best” cardio activity. True, some burn more calories per minute than others, but it really comes down to which activity you enjoy doing the most, because that is the activity you will most likely stick with. Case in point: running at 7mph burns approximately 11 calories per minute.* However, many people don’t enjoy running. If you are one of those people, then it is likely that while you are tempted to do the activity because it burns a lot of calories, it is unlikely you’ll stick with it for very long, unless you miraculously learn to love it (which could happen, but probably won’t in the short term). If, on the other hand, you like to swim or power walk, then do that.

To find out how many calories your favorite activity burns, go to the “tools” page at Blue Sky Gym – Tools

The Top 10 “Don’ts”

Don’t….

1. Jump into a new fitness regimen without first consulting your primary care physician. Starting a new exercise routine without a clean bill of health can be unsafe, especially if you have been sedentary for a long period of time.

2. Use weight training equipment without proper training. Most fixed weight machines have pictures and good descriptions and if you are comfortable working out on these machines, fine. However, I witness poor form and questionable exercise execution on nearly a daily basis at the gym. To avoid injury, consult with a qualified fitness trainer prior to using equipment you are unfamiliar with.

3. Do too much too soon. When you start a fitness program, it is tempting to throw yourself into it in order to achieve results quickly. It is important to note that this usually leads to burn out, muscle fatigue, and/or injury. The cumulative effect = drop out. Ease into your routine. Set realistic, weekly goals and track your progress against them. As a very general rule of thumb, progress your routine by 2-5% per week.

4. Buy expensive workout clothing. The purpose of your workout is to do just that – -work out! Your muscles don’t care what you’re wearing, so dress comfortably, and wear quality, supportive foot wear.

5. Forget to eat before a workout. You need to fuel your body if you want to have the energy to exercise. Eat a quality carbohydrate and a small amount of protein at thirty minutes to an hour prior to working out. A good example is whole wheat crackers with some organic peanut butter and 1/2 a banana.

6. Skip cardio to save time. If your goal is weight loss, then you’ll have to do something that will raise your heart rate to a level sufficient to burn enough calories to lose weight. If you aren’t sure if your favorite activity burns enough calories, visit the TOOLS page on my website.

7. Skip strength training to save time. You need to preserve your muscle mass, especially if you are trying to lose weight. Doing so will keep your metabolism revved up, and will add muscle defination.

8. Start without a goal in mind. Failing to plan is planning to fail. Write down your short and long term goals, then schedule your workouts each week. Track your progress against your plan to keep yourself on track.

9. Try the latest, greatest fad just because you heard it works. Stick to quality resources. Information is easy to access, especially on the world-wide-web. For a list of BSG-approved resources, go to the RESOURCES page on my blog.

10. Give up too soon. Remember – change takes time. It is easy to become frustrated when results aren’t coming soon enough, but stick with it – -success is just around the corner!

What is the number one goal most individuals have when they initiate a new fitness program? You probably didn’t have to flex your brain muscle much on this one — most people want to lose weight. Or put another way, they wish to burn fat! And lots of it.

To burn fat, a few things need to happen:

1) Get in the “200 club!” The “200 club” is what you get to “join” when you accumulate 200 or more minutes of cardiovascular activity per week. This seems like a lot, but if you break it down by day, that is roughly 30 minutes of cardiovascular activity per day. The good news is that it doesn’t have to be one long bout of sustained effort – 2 to 3, 10 min bouts of cardio will do!

2) Cross-train! If you typically only run, then add cycling. If you are an elliptical machine junkie, try cycling 1-2 times per week. Ideally, you will want to cross-train between 2 or more modalities within the week, but adding variety every couple of weeks is great too. Do what you can, when you can, and mix it up as often as you can.

3) Strength train! Studies show that EPOC (post-exercise oxygen consumption) remains elevated, burning fat for hours after a solid strength training routine (8-10 total body exercises, 8-12 reps per exercise to fatigue, 2-3 sets per exercise).

4). Circuit train! Circuit training is a great way to turn up the heat, add some variety to a stale routine, and I find it makes the time pass more quickly on those days when I’m just not in the mood for 40 mins of cardio or 40 mins of strength training. With circuit training, you can alternate between strength sets and short, but intense, bouts of cardio.

Here is a fun circuit routine to try:

1. Strength sets of Chest Press and Leg Press
2. 3 minutes of cardio at 75-80% of max heart rate
3. Strength sets of Rows and Dumbbell flyes
4. 3 minutes of cardio at 75-80% of max heart rate
5. Strength sets of Calf Raises and Reverse Lunges
6. 3 minutes of cardio at 75-80% of max heart rate
7. Strength sets of Overhead Shoulder Press and Lat Pulldowns
8. 3 minutes of cardio at 75-80% of max heart rate
9. Strength sets of Bicep Curls and Tricep Press-ups

Do 8-12 reps of each strength exercise to fatigue (i.e., the last rep is hard), 2 sets of each with minimal rest between.

As always, combining healthy eating with any exercise routine will produce results more quickly than exercise alone, so eat smart AND work out smart.

Cheers!

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.