“Wow man, how’d you lose all that weight?” “HOT SAUCE!”

Posted on June 10, 2013 by dcnbarrera — Leave a comment

(Cholula Flavors listed: Chili Garlic, Original, Chili Lime, Chipotle)

Training up to the same April 6th exhibition event, a teammate of mine dropped 14 pounds and maintained that weight loss over a month span. I asked him, “How’d you manage to do that? What did you eat?” He replied that his diet mainly consisted of leafy green salads and tuna. When he explained that it was a grueling process, I asked him what drove him through it all. He replied with excitement, “HOT SAUCE!”

My training partner showed me that most hot sauces contain no calories and a small amount of sodium. Cholula, his particular brand of choice, proves the very same.

(Shown Right: Myself and my training partner post our exhibition fights)

So it’s evident, he’s in top level shape, ripped to shreds, and tortured himself with a diet that most people won’t take up . But that’s not what this blog is supposed to be about! And you’re right to think that way.

The reason I bring up hot sauce as a dietary tip is because it helps make eating healthy foods bearable to the average person. Many, like me, aren’t big vegetable eaters and when dieting those are the major food sources to turn to. Hot sauces provide a flavor mask to help take down foods that you don’t normally eat. It isn’t on my daily menu to have a salad, but with some additional outside flavor it helps make it bearable to take it down, especially without all the added calories and fats from dressings.

So no, I’m not forcing you to a strict diet. But in those times that you regret replacing the cheeseburger with a salad, just remember hot sauce is your best friend in making the best of what you have.

Liners – A Sprinter’s Nightmare

Posted on June 3, 2013 by dcnbarrera — Leave a comment

(Average 100 Yard American Football Field)

If you have access to a track, you most likely have access to a football field.

Liners. This is an exercise that makes sprinter’s nightmares. It is a conditioning workout that consists of 20 sprints overall, or near 40 if you decide to come back down the pyramid.

Remember to always warm up and stretch prior to any kind of working out!

Liners Workout:

Begin at one end zone
Stride (70% of full sprint) to the 5 yard line
Jog back to the start
Stride to the 10 yard line
Jog back to the start
Repeat process, increasing strides by 5 yards until you reach the end
If the workout was not intense enough, you can climb the pyramid back down, stride to the 100 yards, jog back, stride 95 yards, jog back, etc.

As short and easy as a work out this may seem, this was a grueling workout that we always anticipated at the beginning of track seasons to begin our training. The strides are set so you don’t overwork the muscles with full on sprints just yet, but as you progress with better conditioning, a harder exertion can be set (bringing the strides up to 80% sprint etc.).

Tagged with: field, football, football field, interval, running, sprints
Posted in Sprints

Introductory Interval Training – A Basic Workout

Posted on May 27, 2013 by dcnbarrera — Leave a comment

So working out is something that you want to start doing, but you don’t have the time to, or are too shy, to join a gym like the one pictured. Well, kickboxing gyms all over use what’s called interval training to put the body through a hard exercise regimen. These workouts can be easily done at home and save yourself time (and money) from going to the gym. After warming up, consider these next 5 sets of workouts.

3 minute workout sets, 30 second intervals; 1 minute rest in between each set:

(Conditioning) Jumping Jacks and Burpees (example shown in video)
(Arm Strength and Toning) Push-Ups (on knees if necessary) and Lock Arms Out in Push-Up Position (shown in picture)
(Leg Strength and Toning) Jumping Lunges and Stationary Squats (standing, feet shoulder width apart, squat to knees bend either 90 degrees or to where you feel strain)
(Conditioning) Mountain Climbers (Arms, push-up position and drop to elbows in plank lock, then bring back up to push-up position) and Mountain Climbers (Legs, example shown in video)
(Abs) Front Plank Lock and Leg Raises

So if looking at it as a regimen, you would start with 30 seconds of Jumping Jacks, then do 30 seconds of Burpees. Continue that cycle until 3 minutes are up, take one minute break, then continue to the next set of work. This exercise plan, including warming up and stretching, should take no longer than 45 minutes. To the average person, this is a great time saver for working out at home and it supplies a full body workout to target the three main areas of the body: the core, and the upper and lower body.

Tee Major Fitness has compiled a great list of grueling body weight workouts. Be sure to check it out to find examples on Burpees, Jumping Lunges, and many more exercises to motivate you.

Happy training!

Tagged with: average, average person, core, interval, interval training, lower-body, person, training, upper-body
Posted in Interval Training

Introductory Sprinting – Where To Begin

Posted on May 20, 2013 by dcnbarrera — Leave a comment

(Bob, the 93-year-old sprinter. If he can keep in shape, so can you!)

Ever have those times where you want to start working out regularly, but don’t know where to begin? It’s common for everyone to want to jump into a sport and instantly be used to it. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works. Everyone has to begin somewhere! Sprinting has proven to be one of the most dynamic exercises to lose weight and build defining muscle mass. Previous studies have shown that sprint interval training loses more weight at a more rapid pace than distance training and other regiments.

Sprinting is a sport that should not be taken lightly. Your body requires an introduction to the stresses sprints can put on it. This first exercise is a light cardiovascular workout that introduces sprints to your muscles and joints at a pace that is suited to your liking.

Begin first by warming up and jogging at minimum two laps around the track. Afterwards, dynamic stretching is required. These steps are necessary in order to prevent any and all injuries.

The Exercise: 50/50’s

Shown Right: A 400m Track with 50m intervals per black dash

This is a basic 400m track used for athletes. The track has been dissected into 8 increments of 50 meters each. The idea behind 50/50’s is to alternate between jogging and sprinting at every marker, resulting in:

50 meters of jogging
50 meters of sprinting
Repeat

This workout is measured at 800 meters; two laps around the track. Each lap results in 4 sprinting and 4 jogging intervals, adding everything up to 8 sprinting and 8 jogging intervals overall.

After the workout, make sure to remember to cooldown by taking one or two more additional jogging laps around the track and finishing off with a good stretch.

Happy Sprinting!

Tagged with: 50/50's, full body workout, running, sprinting
Posted in Sprints

Introductory Dieting – How I Began, And How You Can Too

Posted on May 13, 2013 by dcnbarrera — Leave a comment

This is pretty much my, and most people’s, reaction when told they must diet. For a little backstory, please continue reading. Feel free to skip ahead to the instructional part on green smoothies and the benefits it has on replacing a meal every so often.

For some time, I had been dreading having to resort to fruit and vegetable smoothies in order to cut weight for competition. Regular exercise isn’t enough sometimes. In early April I was looking at losing 8 pounds within two weeks to meet the restriction for my weight class at 155lbs. A combination of smart dieting and exercise was necessary to drop the weight and maintain it. Through five-day-a-week training and replacing one meal per day, typically dinner, with a green smoothie and a salad, I was able to achieve my goal of 4lbs per week. After the exhibition fight, I have been able to maintain my weight in a healthy manner with regular exercise.

The basic Green Smoothie is as follows:

1 Cup Spinach
1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries -or- 1 Cup specific berries of choice
6 Baby Carrots -or- 1 Whole Carrot
1/3 Cup Plain Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Flaxseed
1 Tablespoon Honey
1/2 Cup Crushed Ice
X Amount of Water to Thin Out

We start off by peeling the carrot and chopping it up, putting it in the bottom of the blender with the mixed berries and then the spinach on top. You can opt to start the blending process now to chop up the berries and carrots before adding the liquids. Once the solids are in the blender, the yogurt, flax seeds and honey are mixed in with crushed ice to thin out the smoothie and bring it all together. You may add any amount of water you feel to help thin out the smoothie even more to your liking.

Let’s break down the nutritional benefits this smoothie gives you. One cup of spinach provides a bolster in Vitamin A and Antioxidants to provide a healthy immune system and prevent high blood pressure respectively. The cup of mixed berries and carrots also provide a significant amount of Antioxidants, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E. The flaxseed is added to provide a healthy dose of fiber and Omega-3 fatty acids to help the heart. The small amount of yogurt is for a tad bit of protein and some flavor. The added honey is a natural sweetener for the smoothie.

Replacing an evening meal with this smoothie, along with a small salad if necessary, can help dieting become easy. It helps fulfill the daily goal of fruits and vegetables, providing a healthy 3 servings, and promotes digestion while sleeping to maintain weight loss. This method has helped myself and many others in losing weight and maintaining a healthy diet after reaching our goals in a nutritious and satisfying way.

If you would like anymore information on Green Smoothies, there is more consultation with the Green Smoothie Girl.

Tagged with: Diet, Green, Green Smoothie, Mixed Berries, Smoothie, Spinach
Posted in Diet Tips

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