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.

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Happy training.
To your fitness success!