West Vancouver Track Workout

Just got back from training a client at the track in West Vancouver. It was pretty cold out so I trained with him. Here's what we did:
- 2-hand kettlebell swings for 30 seconds
immediately on to
- double kettlebell clean and press for 30 seconds
immediately on to
-Lebert bar pushup to dip combo for 30 seconds
immediately on to
-rope smash for 30 seconds
immediately on to
-1 lap of the track (400 meters)

We did this circuit 3 times then went non to

- Alternating kettlebell swings for 30 seconds
immediately on to
-alternating kettlebell press for 30 seconds
immediately on to
-Lebert bar horizontal rows for 30 seconds
immediately on to
- alternating rope smash for 30 seconds
immediately on to
- 1 lap of the track

We did 3 rounds of this circuit as well.

That was the workout. Believe me I was not cold after a few rounds.

For those of you unfamiliar with Lebert bars, here is a short video with the creator, Mark Lebert, demonstrating the rows.



Well, that's all for today,

Dan Webster
Titanium Fitness Personal Training
North Vancouver

Build Muscle, Build Your Metabolism

Welcome to the Titanium Fitness Blog.

Today I want to talk about building muscle.
Increasing the amount of muscle your body carries can greatly increase your metabolism (i.e. help you burn fat). This is not new information. Unfortunately how to increase muscle seems to be a bit of a mystery even to many of the trainers I see. Many people try to make it more complicated than it needs to be.

Here are 3 simple rules for increasing muscle.

Rule 1. Lift heavy weight.

In general this means lifting a weight that you can only get about 8-10 good repetitions with.

Rule 2. Use compound exercises.

Use exercises like squats, dead-lifts, chin-ups, push-ups and rows. Avoid or limit isolation exercises like bicep curls, chest flyes and most machines.

Rule 3. Avoid instability toys.

Instability toys like BOSUs, wobble boards and Swiss Balls may have their place in balance training, however they greatly limit the weight you can lift and therefore reduce the amount of muscle you can build.

I know stability toys are very popular now and, like I said, they may have some use in balance training, but using them for reasons like keeping a person interested in their routine is ridiculous. Would you rather be lean, strong and slightly bored or soft, weak and have a really interesting routine?

Dan