Boot Camp burns almost 500 calories!

According to a recent USA Today article, boot camp-style workouts are among the hottest trends for 2011, dishing out a calorie burn of almost 500 calories per hour.

Good thing we've been offering these type of fun, fast-paced, fat-burning workout for years!





Come join us and see how many calories you can burn for FREE as our guest for the next two week!

Sign up here today!

Body Fat Loss 101

Body fat.

In my training experience, the top reason most people give as their reason for exercising and eating healthy is to manage and/or lose body fat. Being healthy and able-bodied is important, but most people want to look and feel good in their skin as well.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a huge amount of confusion as to the "how" of fat loss. Countless infomercials, diet pill ads, and workout crazes attest to this, as they all promise to have THE answer to the fat problem, yet leave many people feeling short changed and disappointed when they see little positive, lasting results.

So, what should YOU do?
What IS the best plan for successful weight management?

Read more on our Portland Personal Training blog...

To your fitness success!

Indoor season is here!

Arms a little too jiggly? Summer tops feeling a bit snug by the end of the season? Beginning to bust out of your summer bathing suit?

Not surprising! Summer vacations, long days, and having the kids home can wreak havoc on your schedule as well as your eating habits and fitness routine. So, unlike poor Italian swimmer Flavia Zoccari, some wardrobe malfunctions can actually be caused by gaining a bit too much junk in the trunk.

Fortunately, indoor UBC season starts in October!
Just in time for you to get back to your regular schedule and down to business.

We're excited to announce that we are now located within Portland Athletic Club, located at 5803 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy in Portland.

Check out the new details on our website.

Sign ups have already begun, so hurry and claim your spot!

We're also pleased to announce that we will begin using the facility for our personal training program (including partner and small group training) as well for those who'd prefer not to workout in home. Ask for details!


Look forward to helping you get more fit soon!

Now's the Time!

QUICK!
Summer vacations are over, the kids are back to school, and your schedule is returning to normal.

Time to focus on YOU ...finally!

Lose weight, gain sexy muscle and feel terrific with this UBC blog special -

* NOW'S THE TIME: BACK TO SCHOOL SPECIAL *

Fall I session 2010 - ONLY $99!** (reg. $189.00)


You've always wanted to try it.
Now's the time.
Whether YOUR goal is to fit into your skinny jeans, participate in an upcoming race, run around with the kids, or just to feel great. . .

Visit www.wildfirefitness.com to begin your own success story.
Or, call (503) 539-6286.

The only thing you have to lose is your muffin top.
To YOUR fitness success!


*Each outdoor UBC location has a covered workout space that's perfect for enjoying the fresh air while staying out of the rain.
Indoor season begins late October.

**New clients only. Mention the UBC blog for discount.

JBC Fitness Challenge July 2010

Check out some scenes from Wednesday's boot camp-style JBC workout benefitting the OR Food Bank.

Thank you to all who attended! It was a blast!

Click here or the thumbnail above to view photos...

Turnover running drill

As mentioned in the previous post, drills can help to improve your running form and overall economy of movement.

The drill below can help you to run faster by increasing the turnover of your feet and legs. It can also lower your ground posture (make you less "bouncy"), while improving your running efficiency and stride length. Moreover, in the long run (no pun intended) your running will feel easier, so you can burn more calories with the same level of effort.

Turnover Drill
1. Choose a safe, level, traffic-free stretch of trail, track, or road to run.
2. Slowly warm-up for about a mile or so.
3. Run at a constant speed and count the number of times your right (or left) foot strikes the ground for thirty seconds.
4. Recover for a minute, then repeat the drill for another thirty seconds but this time try to increase the count by one or two foot strikes.
5. Continue to repeat the drill four to six times after recovering with walking or lightly running for about a minute.

Running drills for proper form

Injury due to faulty mechanics and subtle weaknesses is one of the main reasons why many people don't fully enjoy the benefits of running. Regularly incorporating running drills into your workouts, however, can help to improve your economy of movement and increase your muscle strength and endurance, thus decreasing your risk of injury. It's important to remember that maintaining proper form is key not only to allowing you to exercise for longer periods of time, but also to allowing you to get an effective workout.

At URBAN Boot Camp, we include many drills designed to help you move more effectively and efficiently, to help you achieve your desired health and fitness outcome.

Here's a great video that includes many of the movements we do, as well as their explanations so that you can practice on your own. It's best to perform these exercises as part of your warm up to limit risk of injury due to fatigue.

Have fun!

How much rest do you need between workout sessions?

After a fantastic track workout last night, one of our UBC participants asked about how often they should do resistance training (lift weights, use resistance bands, do body weight exercises, etc) during the week. The amount of rest needed between workouts depends on a number of factors including:

* The type of lifestyle you want to maintain - Are you simply working to improve your overall health, or are you training for a sport or to maintain an active lifestyle?
* The type and level of activity/sports you are training for - Do you want to go for weekend bike rides or hikes, or are you entering a marathon or a triathlon this year?
* Your fitness goals - Is your focus on feeling better and losing body fat, or are you entered in an event and want to improve your running speed and muscle endurance?
* The amount of time you are willing to devote consistently - Can you schedule a block of time, or do you need to break up your exercise throughout the day?
* The number of weeks/months you've been exercising - Have you been working out intensely for a few weeks, or are you just beginning?

If you are a beginning exerciser, these are some general guidelines to follow:

* Strength train for all major muscle groups on non-consecutive days, allowing roughly 48 hours per body part worked. If you are still sore from a previous workout, just work out less intensely or use lighter weight. Don't skip the workout! We recommend one additional workout on your off-UBC days, which is provided for you. You can, however, choose different exercises tailored to your specific needs. Discuss your situation with your instructor for guidance.

* Cardiovascular exercise can be done on consecutive days, 3-5 days per week for 20-40 minutes (with UBC that's 1-3 additional workouts). Varying the intensity/duration is acceptable, but again, don't skip workouts.

* Do something every day, even if it's just 10 minutes of stretching or a brisk walk. This will help to keep you on track and focused even on scheduled off-days.

* Every four to eight weeks (depending on your exercise intensity) have an active rest week. Do activities outside of your normal exercise sessions. This can include hiking, kyaking, swimming, et cetera, but the goal is to do something different. This will help to keep you from feeling stagnate and lessen your chance of injury due to overuse and exhaustion. Keep in mind that if you typically work out at a very high intensity, you may need to take a complete rest for the week.

Ultimately, keep in mind that the creation of healthy, consistent exercise habits is the most important thing. Discovering what works for you and your lifestyle is also key. While there are certain biological and physiological similarities, your fitness journey is a unique one that has to be tailored to your needs. Rest is important, but you have to "do" before you rest. Find what you like and do it. Even if you start with only 5-10 minutes of general movement, staying focused and consistent will help you build up and achieve more.

For more information visit the U.S. Department of Human Services' website: Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans

Better running

Jogging. Scurrying. Shuffling. Sprinting.

By whatever name it's applied, running is one of the most basic activities at URBAN Boot Camp and many of our more athletically-based fitness designs.

As little kids, we never gave any thought to our running. No worry about foot placement, body alignment or trunk carriage. We just chose a direction and moved towards it as fast as our little legs would go. When you watch little kids run, however, they usually have pretty good form. Children typically don't overstride, they swing their arms, they lean forward slightly and don't strike with their heels. Unfortunately, now as adults many people find that they have trouble with this simple, yet at the same time very complex activity.

During the month of July, we'll focus on running mechanics, resources for training, and any questions you may have here on the UBC blog, so feel free to comment or send us an email with your questions.

To get us started here's a quick list of basic running dos and don'ts:

1. Don't slouch. Hold your body tall and erect, but with a slight forward lean. Keep in mind that running (and walking) is actually a controlled fall forward.

2. Do keep your head level. Point your gaze out ahead of you, not up at the sky or down towards the ground. Also, think of lifting your head up off your shoulders so that you aren't shrugging.

3. Don't slap the ground as you run. This creates way more force on your joints than necessary. Your steps should be quiet and springy.

4. Do keep your arms compact at about a 90 degree angle. Avoid crossing your arms over your body or tensing your shoulders. Allow the joints to move freely.

5. Don't clench your toes. While your foot should transfer the force of your footstrike from behind your little toe towards your big toe for slight pronation, avoid maintaining your toes in a clenched position as you run.

Check back on the blog for more useful info or just sign up to get them instantly to the right over there (near bottom). --->

Happy training.
To your fitness success!

High Five on "The Hill"

Between the playground obstacle course on Monday and The Hill on Wednesday, the gang is due a public high five this week!

WOOT!

This week's URBAN Boot Camp highlights include progressive plyometric work as well as "The Hill". Both are great for building strength and power, as well as the anaerobic component of the cardiovascular system. Squats, deadlifts, leg presses, and the like are great for making us stronger, but doing hill work can directly translate to your running and walking ability by quickening your stride, increasing your leg strength, and lengthening your stride, and increasing your aerobic capacity. Your muscles have no choice but to work synergistically as your entire body is supported while you perform. Participants may have joked that I "had it in for them" but they were greatly astonished at their performance so much so that by the end they were all still smiling...even Leesha!

Why? Accomplishment! The gang discovered that the so-called "impossible" was not impossible and everyone was able to go longer, farther, and perform stronger than they thought they could. The progressive nature of our program means that everything goes together and has a purpose (see guys... there IS a method to the madness. Muahahaha!)

Give your body controlled amounts of stressors and it will adapt.

Here's a great article on hill running: Everything You Need To Know About Hill Training

Now, your turn.

Here's a plyo workout:

Squat reaches
Pushups

Split squat
Plank reaches

Squat jumps
Side hover

Split jumps
Plank walks

Ice skaters
Reverse plank w/hip dips

Exercise 45 seconds on/15 seconds off, down the list 2-3 times. Remember quality over quantity. Stay focused and land properly EVERYtime. Of course, sandwich this between a proper warm up and cool down.

As for The Hill ...Portland has tons of hills. Find one and do shuttle runs (or fast walk): go up one block, then back down to the beginning, up two blocks, then down to the beginning. Shoot for 4-5 shuttle trips, then cool down.

Have fun!

Jump, Jump

Plyometrics!

That's a fancy name for jumping. Adding it to your training program is a great way to burn calories and increase your overall strength, power, and endurance. The problem is, while many people can get off the ground (accelerate), they don't land so well (decelerate) resulting in injuries. In UBC this week, we've begun working on jumping and will work more next week on developing proper form when landing so participants can get more fat-burning bang for their fitness buck.

So, how do you stop yourself after jumping off the ground? You decelerate the speed and thereby decrease the force on your joints by:

•Landing on the ball of your foot and sinking into your heel.
•Flexing at the hips, knees and ankles.
•Maintaining a straight back/neutral spine position.
•Maintaining your chest over knees and knees over second toe

This means you need the ability to properly load the muscles eccentrically while maintaining proper form.

We'll continue more on this next week with action!

Until then, here's an excerpt from NSCA's Performance Training Journal with a fantastic article: "Landing Mechanics: What, Why, When".

Make it a great weekend!
Jump, jump!

Supah-Free JBC recap

Our second Supah-Free JBC workout of the year was this past Wednesday and we had a blast!

A great big thank you to everyone who came out and made a donation for the Oregon Food Bank!

Once we got started we moved non-stop! We played with balloons, did some Tabata circuits, found the "booty", and more. Laura and Trisha were the winners of our "carrots". Congratulations!

Here's a "clip" of the action you can incorporate into your own workouts that will take only 10 minutes:

Fast track (45 seconds work/15 seconds rest) -

Around the world w/med ball
Jumping jacks w/med ball
Pushups w/dumbbell renegade row
Skater jumps
Rear lunge w/kayak row (med ball or dumbbell)

Go down the list 2 times, circuit-style. Rest only as necessary.
Have fun!

If you missed our Supah-Free JBC this time, we host them every six weeks between each 5-week URBAN Boot Camp session. They're free for Wildfire Fitness community members and guests with a donation to our of local charities.

The next one will be held May 5th at 6 pm. Location to be announced.

See you there!

Spring Off-Week

While URBAN Boot Camp has recovery weeks scheduled between each 5-week session to help you periodize your workouts, not everyone needs rest breaks at the same rate. For this reason, we'll continue to host "field trip" activities during the off-weeks to help you progress at the rate you need to be your personal best.

This week we have the Supah Free JBC on Wednesday at 6pm:

Details -
What: Supah Free JBC
When: March 24th
Time: 6 - 7 pm
Where: SW Portland (John's Landing)
Who: YOU, your friend, family, loved ones
Entry Fee: FREE with donation for the Oregon Food Bank
Contact us for details and location!

Wait! There's more!

Here's a UBC-style workout for you to do this week that uses light dumbbells or an appropriately weighted/safe household object.

Warm up (calisthenics/stretch), 5-10 minutes

Go down the list of each group of exercises 2-3 times circuit-style before moving on to the next. Perform each exercise for 45 seconds with a 15 second break between. Focus on constant movement while maintaining strict form. Break only as necessary.

Circuit Trifecta:

Combo #1
1. Squat w/shoulder press (dumbbell or other weighted object)
2. Pushups (option: Spiderman pushups)
3. One-leg squat (repeat each leg)
4. Triceps dips

Combo #2
1. Burpees
2. Renegade row (dumbbell or other weighted object)
3. Squat w/wood chop (weight)
4. Rear lunge w/biceps curl (alternate legs)

Combo #3
1. Side lunge w/dumbbell or other weighted object
2. Side hover w/hip dips (repeat each side)
3. V-ups w/med ball press
4. Bicycle abs

Your core: more than just abs

Abs.
Abdominals.
Washboard.
Six-pack.



Regardless of what you call them, a strong "core" is extremely important for proper development of usable strength and endurance, though it tends to be overlooked by many exercisers. Often "ab work" only focuses on successfully building the "mirror muscle" we can see (namely the "six-pack muscle", the rectus abdominus), but doesn't properly engage the deeper muscles of the core, including the transverse abdominus (your horizontal, or "corset" ab muscle). Focusing on these muscles when exercising, however, has many benefits including pulling in the midsection to gain that sleek look we all desire, decreased injury risk to our lower back, and increased athletic performance. In fact, since the core muscles form a "box" around your spine in the abdomen area, they are the powerhouse for healthy dynamic movement and improved performance in URBAN Boot Camp. Keep in mind that there are also more personal benefits including increased sexual function and incontinence prevention.

WHERE ARE THEY:
Definitions may vary slightly, but generally the muscles of the core are described as the transverse abdominus, the pelvic floor muscles, the lower back muscles (erector spinae), and the diaphragm. As stated before, together they form a box around your spine in your mid-section. Keep in mind that some health and fitness professionals expand the definition of the core to include the gluteals and as well as all of the trunk muscles muscles, minus the arms and legs.

THE HOMEWORK:
In last night's UBC class, everyone was encouraged to practice Kegel, or pelvic floor, exercises as a part of their regular core regimen to encourage spinal stability and enhance the abdominal and core work done in class. Your homework is to learn about, locate on yourself, and engage these muscles on your own and practice using them.

Here are some great online articles and videos to get you started:

How to strengthen pelvic floor muscles
Pelvic floor muscles, part 1 (video)
Pelvic floor muscles, part 2 (video)

Keep in mind that these exercises are important for men as well as women. A strong core equals more power regardless of who's body we're referring to, so listen, learn, and practice, guys.

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

"Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement." ~ Alfred Adler

Check out some of the movement at URBAN Boot Camp this week!

CLICK HERE

Average assessment results (2/2/10)

“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

Ending Performance Results*
Winter I 2010

shuttle run (# trips/2 min), 23.5 (start # 18) --> 30% improvement

pushups (# reps/30 secs), 12 (start # 11) --> 9% improvement

sit ups (# reps/30 secs), 13.33 (start # 10) --> 33% improvement

squat (# reps/1 min), 29.83 (start # 27) --> 10% improvement

pushups/sit ups 5x5 (# reps/1 min), 4.25 (start # 1.5) --> 183% improvement

burpees (# reps/1 min), 16.5 (start # 10) --> 16% improvement

line jump (# reps/1 min), 137.16 (start # 116) --> 18% improvement

hover (# mins), 81.66 (start # 56) --> 45% improvement

*Improved assessment numbers in bold.

The body can't help but improve with proper training and effort. Awesome work everyone!
Working on getting the pictures and video from last night up. Stay tuned!

To your fitness success!

Winter II UBC enrollment is open!

This is your year!

Resolve to give your New Year's goals a boost!

Our fun, results-oriented program will help you get in fantastic shape for summer tank tops, shorts, and bathing suits.

Register now for our upcoming Winter II indoor URBAN Boot Camp session!

What: URBAN Boot Camp, Winter II
Days: Monday/Wednesday
When: Feb 15th to Mar 19th
Where: SW Portland (John’s Landing, contact us for location details)
Time: Evening: 6:00-7:00 PM
Entry Fee: $189.00

~~ Online Special: Enroll with a friend for $150.00 each! (Must enroll together. Online only. Login to PayPal to select discount.) ~~

Space is limited! Enroll today!

Basic Training: Body Comp, BMI and Energy Systems

We "completed" Basic Training this week! At least in the sense that everyone focused on acclimating to their new workout environment and focusing on foundational exercises, including calisthenics such as pushups, squats, and situps. The knowledge continues, however, as we apply and build upon what we've learned.

Ron, Laura, and Gretchen each won a prize in our Countdown Burpees Challenge. Congrats! Everyone else also did a fantastic job, but were more than happy that they won since the challenge ended when the first three people finished... Whew!

Here are some Basic Training highlights:

Body composition is the ratio of lean body mass (muscles, bones, skin, etc) to body fat mass.

General Body Fat Percentage Categories*:
Classification Women (% fat) Men (% fat)
Essential Fat 10-12% 2-4%
Athletes 14-20% 6-13%
Fitness 21-24% 14-17%
Acceptable 25-31% 18-25%
Obese 32% plus 25% plus
*American Council on Exercise

Body Mass Index (BMI) estimates whether what you weigh is the appropriate amount for your height. Desirable BMIs for adults is between 19 and 24. Overweight is defined as a body mass index between 25.0 and 30.0. Obesity is defines as a BMI of 30.0 or greater. Calculate yours here: BMI Calculator

There are two basic energy systems of the body: aerobic (producing ATP energy from oxygen) and anaerobic (producing ATP energy without oxygen). The "talk test" can give you an idea of how hard you're working. In terms of training, you are considered to be "aerobic" when you can speak comfortably during your workout (think walking, running, or biking on a flat surface). You are working out anaerobically when your breathing becomes very labored and you may even gasp for air (think heavy weight training, sprinting, and jumping, or from the first example walking, running, or biking up hill).

The training continues!
Watch for pics next week.
May even throw in a video...

Average assessment results (1/4/10)

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” ~ Lao Tzu

Beginning Performance Results
Winter I 2010

shuttle run (# trips/1 min), 18
pushups (# reps/30 secs), 11
sit ups (# reps/30 secs), 10
squat (# reps/1 min), 27
pushups/sit ups 5x5 (# reps/1 min), 1.5
burpees (# reps/1 min), 10
line jump (# reps/1 min), 116
hover (# mins), 56

Let's get ready to rumble!

"Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed." ~Cavett Robert

Welcome to URBAN Boot Camp 2010!


Got goals for your fitness this year? So do we!

Wanna know what we have in store this year? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned and keep up! Get ready for the best year ever! In the meantime, get prepared and "Create S.M.A.R.T. Fitness Goals"!