Tag Archives: fitness

Rules of the Weight Room

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The weight room is a pretty incredible place, a place that is filled with strength, determination, and PRs.

But it’s also often full of douchey people.

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Unfortunately, this is a fact of life. But maybe all of those douchey people don’t realize what they’re doing, maybe they don’t know any better. Maybe they just need a set of rules like we all had posted on the wall in our 3rd grade classrooms.

So here is my list, my seven rules of the weight room. And these rules are not meant to be broken. Even if you can bench press your girlfriend and her two best friends in pyramid formation.

1. Wash your clothing. Especially dry fit.  Workout clothes stink. Dry fit clothes stink even more. Even if you think you didn’t get sweaty, that dry-fit shirt you’re wearing absorbed some of the sweat that you think magically never appeared. And even if you think your own home-grown scent isn’t that bad, multiply it by 10 and that’s what other people smell. Add in the constant movement that causes your scent to waft, and often close quarters of a weight room, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for body-odor-smog. Air pollution at it’s most offensive.

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2. No Selfies. Ever. STOP STANDING IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR AND TAKING SELFIES WITH YOUR PHONE. Stop. Just stop. For the love of God, stop.

3. Stick to one rack at a time. I know you really think that you need to be super-setting your quarter squats with your bench press, bro, but if you work out in a gym that only has 3 power racks, and you’re taking up 2 of them for 45 minutes, that’s not really fair now is it? Unless you’re one of only a couple people lifting, don’t act like you’re entitled to hog everything just because your biceps are big. And if you absolutely must be using both racks, don’t give me a death stare when I ask to work in for sets on one of them.

LiftingRules14. Clean Up Your Mess.  After you’re done getting your pump on, don’t leave a loaded barbell for the next person to clean off. No, it’s not because I can’t lift the plates myself, it’s because I don’t like cleaning up after sweaty, smelly strangers. And on a related note, please, please, please: if you do see me clearing plates off a barbell, don’t rush over, push me out of the way, and do it for me. You think you’re being a gentleman, I think you’re being sexist. I can move the plates by myself, thank you very much. 

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5. No Gabbing With Your Bestie On The Phone. The weight room certainly doesn’t have to be silent, and conversations between gym goers happen frequently. But when I’m trying to bust out a set of dead lifts and you’ve just parked your ass on a bench, holding a set of 3 lb dumbbells that you aren’t even using because you’re too busy on your phone, you’re distracting me and taking me out of my groove. I don’t need to hear about how drunk you got last night or what time you’re going to go tanning lately. I don’t care. Please shut up.

6. If you sweat, wipe it up. There is nothing more gross than mysterious sweat droplets that have been left on a bench to fester. There is no shame in sweating, so if you are the perpetrator, leaving it behind and pretending you “didn’t do it” is just plain disgusting. You wouldn’t leave other bodily fluids laying around would you? Sweat is no different. And if you would leave other bodily fluids laying around, maybe you have no business being out in public anyway.

7. Don’t spread out like you’re in your living room. I’ve seen people come into the weight room, drop their sweatshirt on one bench, their keys and water bottle on another, and then set up in the squat rack.  For others who come in after you, seeing gear on a bench gives the impression that someone is using it. Be considerate, and keep your belongings with you, or leave them in the locker room.  Douche.

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You tell ‘em, Pauly. 

What is your biggest weight room rule? What is your biggest gym pet peeve?

Health/Lifting Goals for May

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Well it’s a few days into May… can you believe it? Personally, the first half of this year has absolutely flown by, but I am so glad it is finally warm here in Boston. The past few days I’ve been able to ride my bike to work with no jacket, and it has been glorious.

Since my life got so stressful over the past couple of months, I haven’t had any time to really focus on my training or even on taking good care of myself for that matter. So in order to set that straight, I’ve decided to set some goals for myself this month, just to get everything back on track. I don’t usually do monthly goals, but I have a little extra time on my hands this month as work is quieting down, so now is the time to really focus on me!

Lifting Goals:

  • Bench 110. My original goal for this month was going to be to bench 100 lb, but wouldn’t you know I hit that goal on April 30th! Nothing like beating a goal before you’ve already set it.  As I’m moving up in the weights and try to get to that 110 though, I’m going to have to find myself a spotter. Random gym guy, hello!
  • Get my squats comfortable again. I have had a lot of left hip pain while at the deepest part of my squat lately, and it left me only able to do sets of 3 at 135 on Monday. (My previous squat session I was able to comfortably hit sets of 4 at 145). I think it’s all just soft tissue related because I have really been slacking on foam rolling/soft tissue work lately. My foam roller will have to be my best friend now, and I’m committing to using it every day!
  • Work out the kinks in my deadlift. I love to deadlift, in fact it’s my favorite lift, but I find myself much more comfortable with a sumo deadlift vs. traditional. I’m not sure why that is, but clearly I’ve got some ish I’ve got to work out with my conventional stance, because I don’t think I’m pulling up to my potential in that lift.

Reading Goals

  • Read Wheat Belly, by William Davis MD. I haven’t had time to read anything for myself lately, but I keep hearing about Wheat Belly, and although I’m not paleo, I find myself intrigued. Honestly I’ve hesitated to read it because it seems like everyone who reads that book becomes crazily obsessed with it, but I’ve decided to bite the bullet and just do it. Hopefully I don’t become one of those people ;)  

Health Goals 

  • Take my supplements regularly. Just as I’ve slacked on foam rolling/mobility work over the past month or so, I’ve completely stopped taking the few supplements that I used to take regularly: Biotin, Vitamin D, and Fish Oil. I’ll do a blog post about why I take these if people are interested, but first I need to get my butt back in gear and remember to take them every day! 
  • Stick to a strict 16/8 Fast at least 3 days per week. Since my CBL fiasco, I’ve been eating around a very loose version of the 16/8 IF, although most of my fasts have ended up at 14 or 15 hours because of various reasons. If I can commit to keeping a strict fast at least a few days per week, I know I’ll feel better in the long run. The paleo portion of my health experiment is coming soon… maybe…

So that’s it for now! What about you? What are your goals for May? Are you interested in a post about why I take the supplements I do? Have you read Wheat Belly (and did it make you obsessive)?

Boston Marathon 2013: A Letter To The Runners

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***EDIT: The following post was written and posted the morning before the tragic Boston Marathon bombing. My heart goes out to all those affected, and to all of those whose lives were turned upside down for one senseless act of violence. Stay Strong, Boston.***

 

Today is one of the best days of the year in Boston; Marathon Monday. Instead of a normal blog post, I’ve taken today to write a letter to all of the runners who will be pounding the pavement today:

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Dear Marathon Runners,

Do you know what you’re about to do? You’re about to run. 26.2 miles.

From Hopkinton to Boylston St, through Framingham, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline, among other towns in between. Past throngs of screaming students from Wellesley College, BC, BU, and the 30something other colleges in the Boston Area (because of course all of the colleges have this day off, it’s “Patriots Day”). Up Heartbreak Hill, where you’ll want to just crawl your way to the top (or alternatively, curl up in the fetal position and cry… both are acceptable). You’ll run through some quieter areas, but for the most part the crowds will be so loud and excited that, for better or worse, you’ll hardly be able to hear yourself think. You’re about to run.

You’re about to join the exclusive club of people who have run Boston. BOSTON. The world’s oldest annual marathon, and one that is the pinnacle of many runners’ careers. Runners from all over the US and all over the world dream of running in this race, and here you are. You are HERE. You are about to run.  You are becoming a part of history; a part of a century-old tradition, and this is happening NOW.

And I’ll be somewhere in Mile 25 eating handing out Swedish Fish to those who need a little glucose kick (and maybe throwing back a mimosa or two). And for that, that makes you better than me (for today). You have trained your butt off, you have logged countless miles throughout a long, cold winter in order to get ready for today. You have dedicated your weekends to long runs and your social life has taken a back seat to the pavement. For that, I applaud you. Whether you’re an elite, a weekend warrior, a war veteran, running for a charity or simply to put a check check-mark on your bucket list, know that today you are amazing.

As much as I joke on this blog about how much I hate running, I have the utmost respect for all of you. The reality of the situation is, I couldn’t do what you’re doing today. The time, the commitment, the training sessions, the final event; I know it’s not in the cards for me. But you’re about to complete one of the most incredible tasks of your lives. I applaud you for everything that has brought you to this moment, and I will continue my applause all day, from the sidelines, because not everyone has a marathon in them. YOU do.

You are strong, you are determined. You may be fast, you may be slow, but all that matters is that you’re here, and you’re about to run.

And to my friends Kristen, Steph, and Corey who are running today, this message goes out to you three especially. Good luck on the course, have fun, and most importantly, keep an eye out for me at Mile 25. I’ll give you Swedish Fish. And maybe a mimosa if you ask politely. ;)

You can also check out my Marathon Monday post from last year if you’d like, complete with some thoughts about the inspirational men and women who run this race every year. Enjoy! Happy Marathon Monday everyone! 

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Reader Question: Do I Need A Recovery Day?

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I often get questions from people about taking time off: how do you know when you need rest and how much recovery time is necessary? I got one such question from a reader (but more importantly, a very good friend of mine), and although I gave her a quick answer at the time, I thought this really deserved a little bit more attention! Her question was this:

Question on recovery time- how much of it is needed and when should I push through? Legs feel heavy, but don’t know if I am being a baby and should push through. For example:

Mon- off 
Tues- 90 min hot yoga 
Wed- 90 min hot yoga, 60 min elliptical
Thurs- 5 mile run
Fri- 90 min hot yoga 
Sat-…. to be determined. 

Thoughts fit friend?  - Missy 

My first response to Missy was of course if she would consider trading in some of that elliptical time for some weight room time. Unfortunately, that was a no-go, but I’ll keep trying to convince her ;)

No matter what your training regimen though, I think the key phrase here comes at the end of her question. “Legs feel heavy…”

When you’ve been training intensively for 4 days in a row, it’s no wonder your legs feel heavy! Let’s break it down into time spent training — never mind the type of exercise. In the past four days, she had worked out for anywhere from 45 minutes to 150 minutes every single day. Only one day was as low as 45 minutes, but that was at least 45 minutes of continuous impact from running (This is just an estimate, I have no idea how fast she runs 5 miles). All of the other days included at least 90 minutes of training, one of those followed by 60 minutes of elliptical time.

Now, overall, I do not think she had done too much that week, so I’m not concerned that she has overdone it. I would just recommend that the following day be a “rest” day, where rest can mean one of two things:

1. Complete rest. Just going about your normal daily activities, not worrying about physical activity, and nurturing your muscles with healthy food to fuel your recovery.

rest day funnyAhh yes… total rest. Win! 

2. Active recovery: Light exercise (walking), foam rolling, mobility drills, etc.

But I would not recommend any heavy exercise on this 5th day. There are many people out there who do train 5 (or 6, or even 7) days in a row, and if you’re feeling great and have not been doing heavy lifting, intensive plyos, or high mileage for those first 4 days, than adding in a light exercise day on the 5th day is more than acceptable. If one or two of these days had been upper body intensive, it could be a different story all together as well. However, Missy had done 4 days of leg-intensive activity and was well aware that her legs were feeling “heavy”, which to me is code for “my legs were screaming for a day off”.

Training weeks should be broken up so that you can maximize your performance in each session. If you were to have two heavy-lifting lower body days, and complete them back to back, there is no way your body would be recovered enough for the second session. This can increase your chance of injury as well as decrease the efficacy of your training sessions.

I know that there are people out there who feel otherwise, but I do not recommend intensive training for one area of your body for more than 3 days in a row. Even for runners, 3 days followed by an off (or very light cross training day) is generally my recommendation. And for heavy lifters, the breakdown of work vs. rest needs to be followed even more carefully.

In her question, Missy did not include any heavy lifting days, but I know that many of my readers combine both power yoga and lifting into their weekly workout calendars. Here is an example of my typical training week, so that you can see the rest time that I build in for myself:

Sunday: Light conditioning work, or Yoga in the summer. Usually a light, low speed stadium workout.

Monday: Lower body lift day (Squat focus)

Tuesday: Upper body lift day (Bench press for compound lift)

Wednesday: Conditioning day. Intense stadium workout

Thursday: Off

Friday: Lower body lift day. (Deadlift focus)

Saturday: Off

Many weeks I’ll switch out Sunday’s light conditioning for a second upper body (bench/row) day, or I’ll take Sunday completely off and use Thursday for my second upper body day. On weeks like this when I’m only going to have 3 lifting days, I’ll add in some pull ups/push ups to my lower body days to turn them into more of a full body session.  But you’ll see that I’m never doing more than three days of lower-body-intensive work at a time. While Sunday is a lighter day, it still stresses my lower body muscles enough that giving my legs/glutes some rest time on Tuesday is very important, especially if I want to perform well in my conditioning day on Wednesday.

That’s it for meow. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about why adequate recovery time is so important!

How many days do you train per week? Do you take your rest days in succession or split them up throughout the week? Do you ever push through a session even though you feel like you need a rest day? 

Pushing Beyond Your Comfort Zone

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I want to first say that I apologize for being so absent on the blog lately. I also want to give a fair warning that my work schedule over the next month is enough to make me cry just thinking about it, so it’s just not realistic for me to expect to blog more than once or twice per week for the next few weeks.

I’m not trying to be whiney at all, I’m just trying to let y’all know that I’m not abandoning the blog or ignoring it on purpose, I just legitimately haven’t had time to write. I’m also gearing up to start four weeks of Carb Back Loading on Monday, which is either going to be totally awesome or totally awful. I can’t decide which yet, but I’ll keep you posted.

Ok, time to stop being a whiney baby and actually talk about something relevant today.

I want to talk a little bit about pushing out of your comfort zone.

The other day I showed up for my normal Wednesday stadium run with the November Project, super pumped to run the stadium since the snow that was covering it last week had finally melted. I had done an easy stadium workout on Sunday afternoon, and was excited to get out there with the whole November Project tribe (about 200 people) and get my butt kicked by those giant concrete steps.

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, we ended up not being able to use the stadium and had to do a track workout instead. The first thought that went through my head was “Ummm I don’t think I’ve been on a track in years”, and the second was this:

Track Workout?

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The leaders of NP had us do a workout that was alternating 400m sprints with 10 burpees. Now, to be honest, I love the stadium. I’m used to the stadium. Even though it kicks my ass every time, I know what to expect from those giant stairs. But the track? That’s a whole new beast. I have said before about how much I hate steady, flat running. Granted, this wasn’t a distance run, but it was running. On a track. At 6:30 am.

But My good friend Mandy and I did as we were told, and got to doing the sprints and burpees until we both thought we were going to die. Over all, we ended up doing 7 rounds (7 x 400m and 70 burpees total).

And you know what? I actually loved it. I loved the feeling of the ground moving beneath my feet, I loved feeling the speed at which I was moving, I just really loved the whole thing.

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Wait, no. That was a total lie. I didn’t love it at all. I actually hated every second of it. Yes, I still hate running.  What, you really thought one track workout was going to bring me over to the dark side?

But while I obviously didn’t love the running, what I actually did love (besides the comraderie that came from completing such a heinous workout with such an amazing group of people) was the feeling I got when Mandy and I finished the workout. We pushed our limits, and we put everything we had into that damn track.  When we finished, my legs were crushed, and my lungs were on fire. I hadn’t run a sprint longer than 100 yds in years, and I just did 7  x 400s?  The best thing about it though, was knowing that I pushed way beyond my comfort zone. Yes, I was moving about as fast as a sloth compared to some of those other more seasoned runners, but I pushed my hardest on every 400. I ignored the fact that my brain was screaming “THIS EFFING SUCKS” during every lap around the track, and instead focused on the person in front of me. If they could do it, I could do it. If they could push their limits and finish this workout, why shouldn’t I do the same thing?

I’ll say it again, I still hate running. Like, really hate it. And if you asked me to go to the track and run 7 x 400s right now, I’d probably laugh in your face (well let’s face it, my hamstrings are still recovering anyway). But I’m sure as hell glad I did it, and glad that I didn’t just say “Oh, no stadiums today? I hate the track, I’m going home”. Nope, I stayed, I conquered… and then I foam rolled like a boss.

Today’s a lift day. Considering that last week I maxed out my squat, I’m probably not going to be pushing any limits today, but I am going to push outside of my comfort zone. Because if your workouts or training sessions are comfortable? I’m sorry, you’re just not doing it right.

Are you able to push yourself outside of your comfort zone or do you need someone else to do that for you? Have you ever dreaded a workout and then ended up loving it?