What Equipment do you need?

Here is a friendly reminder that you do not have to belong to a gym to have a great workout. Exercising in your garage, backyard, or a park is always an option!

Since stepping away from owning and operating a gym, I have spent most of my time working with clients outdoors with minimal equipment. I am often asked what the essential pieces of equipment are in order to be able to train the entire body. Here is a list of a few inexpensive equipment purchases you can make to supercharge your workouts:

1. TRX (~$100)-I have spoke about TRX in the past, but I can’t emphasize enough how many great exercises you can do with the TRX. You can even hang them from a tree!

2. Adjustable Dumbbells (~$120)-You’d be surprised at how many exercises you can get done with a simple pair of dumbbells, especially unilateral movements. In addition you can do almost all the barbell movements you love with dumbbells (and the are often much more challenging)!

3. Kettlebell (~$30-$100)-For this piece of equipment I would keep it in the moderate to heavy range. This will give you the ability to go heavier on bilateral squats, deadlifts, and use it for conditioning movements like swings, cleans, and snatches. As a bonus, you can use it as resistance for drags and pulls in the sand (video to come)

4. Step/Bench Combo (~$130)- Not only can you use this piece of equipment for cardio, but there are a ton of different squat, row, and hip thrusts exercises that I use with this step combo.

Once you have your equipment, the next step is creating an exercise routine that works for you and your goals! If you need help constructing a program that you can stick to, I’m here to help! Click the link below to book a free assessment.

The Best Deadlift for Athletes With Lower Back Pain

If you have trained with me, you know the deadlift I am talking about: The Trap Bar Deadlift. There are many deadlifts, but when I am working with beginners, or athletes who have had a history of lower back issues, I DO NOT SHY AWAY FROM DEADLIFTING. Sorry, I had to shout that, but it’s true. I want to train you to hinge properly. I want to take away the fear of bending over and picking something up off the ground, something you are bound to do on an everyday basis. So what makes the trap bar deadlift different? Let’s break it down:

1. You have no bar blocking your shins, which is a saving grace for longer-legged lifters, lifters with back problems, or lifters with mobility restrictions. This allows athletes to “feel the floor” better and drive the ground away rather than pulling the bar up.

2. You're using a neutral grip. That means no mixed grip (which has a high risk of biceps tears) and a posture that more easily engages your upper back and keeps you closer to anatomical position. Since the handles are down by the sides, the weight is more toward the center off mass taking stress off the lower back. That's huge.

3. You get to pull from a slightly higher point (at least when you go high-handle). This decreases the demand for hip mobility and ribcage mechanics. You get to deadlift from a higher point.

If you have been avoiding deadlifts because you throw your back out every time you do it, you should give the trap bar a try. They are probably collecting dust at your local gym, or can be purchased on Amazon for around $100 (they are well worth the investment).

If you are dealing with lower back issues and are afraid to deadlift, I am here to help. Click the link below to book a free assessment today and let’s get you moving toward the best version of you!

My 5 Favorite Assault Bike Workouts For Aging Athletes

Assault Airbike is one of the most versatile pieces of equipment in the gym. However, there are few workouts that I prefer over many others and you might choose one of these workout for your next training session.

1. 30 seconds Hard/30 seconds Easy x 10-30sets- This is a great simple workout that is easy to execute and leads to great results. For beginners, I would start with 10 sets shooting for an 80% effort during the "hard" go, and simply spinning during the "easy" go. For more advanced athletes, you can increase the number of sets and aim for the effort you would give for a 90 second all out for your 30 second "hard" intervals.

2. 60 Minutes Easy-Joel Jamieson, strength and conditioning guru who has coached world class athletes, calls this the Cardiac Output Method. Riding the bike for 60 minutes is another simple workout that is sounds harder than it actually is. The purpose of this workout is to increase pacing abilities, recover from previous training sessions, increase blood volume to the heart and so much more.

3. Tabata Intervals-20sec @ 100%,10sec rest x 8 rounds. Depending on the individual, this may be the hardest workout you have ever done, especially if you have never gone all out on an Assault Bike before. The purpose of this workout is to drive your heart rate as high as it can, as fast as you can, and attempt to maintain intensity throughout. If done properly, most people will have a fall off in power, even though their effort may still be high. This is supposed to happen. It is near impossible to give your 100%, then rest only 10 seconds, without seeing drop off within a few sets. By the end of this workout, you should be a some substantial discomfort. This is a great workout if you are short on time, or you need something to polish off your workout.

4. 1min @ 97%; rest 3-6min x 4-8 sets-Much like the previous method, discomfort is the name of the game here. Lactate Power Intervals are designed to increase the bodies ability to tolerate and utilize lactate as a fuel source. In other words, you get used to feeling "the burn" and you can keep going. For beginners, stick to a few sets but keep the effort high. The rest times are designed to get you fully recovered for the next interval. To ensure you are doing this workout properly, record the number of cals from set to set. If you see a dip in calories greater than 10%, terminate the workout. If after the prescribed rest you aren't able to maintain the same output, terminate the workout and plan for more rest the next workout.

5. 10 Minute Max Calories-This is a gold standard in the functional fitness world for aerobic power. Hitting over ~200cals has been the pass fail for elite male athletes, whereas over ~160 for female elite athletes. That means you are cruising at 16-20cals/minute for 10 minutes, a truly daunting feet. Most fitness enthusiasts won't come close to these marks, but this is a great way of measuring your fitness over time as there are few variables, and you don't need much equipment. As a bonus, you can wear a heart rate monitor to measure your average heart rate and max heart rate, which can be used for future training sessions.

The Assault Airbike has so many uses and these are just a few. In general, you can use the Airbike for short, medium, and long workouts, which is why I believe it is a must for anyone's home gym or fitness facility.

Has the Airbike kicked your butt in the past and you are looking to improve? Click the link to set up a free assessment today and let's start showing the bike who's boss!