Making the most of what is around you

February 18, 2008 – 7:09 pm


Image source RebeccaJackson

Have you ever walked through the local park and thought to yourself “That climbing frame would be great for pull ups?” If not, then why not? Next time that you walk the dog, take the children to the park, or simply pass by as you commute to work, take a look around and consider the ‘free exercise equipment’ that is all around us.

A subscriber of the HomeCalisthenics blog has sent me 3 video clips of himself with some friends practising calisthenics in a public place in Cardiff, UK. He demonstrates the pull up, knee raises, and hanging leg raises.

Pull ups

Knee raises

Hanging leg raises

There are many valid reasons for exercising in the great outdoors. As you can see in these videos it is enjoyable, exercising in this way takes us back to the days when the park was a place for fun where as a child you would have been sprinting from obstacle to obstacle in the pursuit of the next thrill. Maybe now you are a few years older but what is stopping you from hanging from a frame doing pull ups, sprinting along a path, or doing push ups with your feet elevated on a park bench? The truth is…you are! Swallow your pride, grow some balls, bite the bullet and as many other phrases that you need to don some shorts and a tee shirt, slip on the trainers and regress to a time when you simply did not care how you looked!My favourite outdoor ‘gym’ is the beach, it has everything that I need. I usually sprint up and down the zig zag paths, perform calisthenics in the sand, and swim in the sea. After an hour or so of this when I have finished I feel an enormous sense of well being, far greater than any feeling of ‘pump’ that I sometimes get from the gym. A combination of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, and fresh air stimulate a release of endorphins, the feel good hormone, that is unrivalled by any sweaty, stagnated gym environment.I’m interested in hearing your opinion on this one. If you exercise outside then please leave a comment and let everyone know which types of exercises you do, where you do them, and how you feel afterwards. If you have videos on Youtube or something similar then leave a link in a comment because it would be interesting to watch them to gather ideas. Also, if you never exercise outside for a particular reason I’d like to hear your side of the story too.

Thank you to Neville, aka Chuck Norris as he claims in the video, and his pals for sending in the videos and for reading this blog. Feel free to send in any future escapades that are calisthenics related.

By Daniel Posted in Advice, Calisthenics 5 Comments

Consider this when testing your fitness

February 9, 2008 – 11:08 am
A new found pull up test?
Image source alexerde

Fitness testing is an essential tool in the armoury of any person that wishes to improve their exercise related fitness. Fitness testing helps to identify strengths and weaknesses in performance, physiological potential, the success of a training programme and the results can used to compare against norms of a group.

There are hundreds of types of fitness test used in sport and exercises contexts, there are tests available for the health related and skill related components of fitness. When deciding on which tests to use it is important to consider a number of factors, the most notable are; specificity, validity, reliability, and sensitivity.

Specificity
This factor states that a test should be related to the type of exercise/sport that a person undertakes. If you train to compete in swimming events then the fitness test should involve swimming, there is little use testing yourself using a running fitness test. This example represents the minimum degree of specificity, if for example, your sport is basketball a sport that includes backwards, sidewards, forwards and diagonal running then a simple treadmill running test may not be specific enough. A test that incorporates all the running actions would produce results more specific to basketball.

Validity
This factor states that a test must measure what it sets out to measure in order to be valid. It is the ability of a test to provide accurate results that can be relied on. For example, a sit up test is a valid measure of abdominal endurance, it is not a valid measure of maximal abdominal strength.

Reliability
If the results of a test can be repeated using the same procedure, then the test is said to be reliable. In theory if a person performs a test on any given day and then repeats the test on a subsequent occasion, with no change in any other facto, the test should produce the same result for it to be considered reliable. In reality this is unlikely to happen simply because people are different from one day to the next. Therein lies the problem we are faced in determining reliable results from a fitness test. Research has shown that fitness testing is subject to approximately 5% random error. So if a person is tested using twice using the same procedure then there needs to be greater than 5% change in results for there to be a reliable result. If a person is 8% stronger after 6 weeks of strength training then we can safely infer that the change was due to strength training and not random error.

Sensitivity
This factor states that a test should be able to show improvement or regression. For example a test of sprinting needs to measure down to split seconds simply because a lot of distance can be covered in the time period of 1 second. Similarly a 1 rep max test should utilise 0.25 kg weights for it to be sufficiently sensitive in order to demonstrate future improvement or regression.

Links: kentsport

Next post: examples of fitness tests and how to perform them.

By Daniel Posted in Advice, What is...? No Comments

How to become a fitness instructor

February 7, 2008 – 6:43 pm
Joan of Arc instructed a whole army at the tender age of seventeen

Image source dbking

This comment was sent in an email by an email subscriber of the HomeCalisthenics blog.

Thanks Daniel. I really appreciate the info you send on fitness. I would like to take up a career as a fitness instructor in Kenya. Do you know what it would take? Sincerely, Steve.

I replied with the below comment and thought that if one person wants to know the answer then maybe others do too. Therefore, this post will outline the different paths on the road to becoming a fitness instructor.

Hi Steve, I’m pleased that you find my fitness information interesting and useful. A career as a fitness instructor is very rewarding and exciting, you will meet lots of people and discover many new perspectives on fitness. I can give you advice on how people in the UK can become fitness instructors. I’m sure the same rules will apply in Kenya.


The role of a fitness instructor
The primary role of a fitness instructor is to help people exercise in a safe and effective manner. This is usually achieved by instructing classes to large groups of people like circuits, aerobics and spinning, advising people about technique when performing free weights, or one to one tuition. As a fitness instructor becomes more qualified, with professional governing bodies, their role and responsibilities are increased.

Depending on qualifications and where they work a fitness instructor can be responsible for:

  • fitness assessments, consultations and inductions
  • advising clients how to use free weights and machines properly
  • supervising clients to ensure they are exercising safely and effectively
  • instructing group classes or one to one sessions
  • designing personal exercise plans
  • offering advice on health, exercise and nutritional aspects
  • marketing and sales initiatives

Secondary roles can include working on the reception, health and safety checks of equipment, and testing water content of the swimming pool.

Specialist qualifications can be gained that will enable fitness instructors to work with special populations. These people include the elderly, children, pregnant or post pregnant women, and people with specific illnesses referred by a doctor.

How do I become a fitness instructor?
There are two paths for people who wish to become a fitness instructor, the first is to gain a nationally recognised qualification, the Register of Exercise Professionals (REPs) are a self governed organisation that was set up to regulate training, recognise industry based qualifications, and requires members to follow a coded of conduct. REPs are the preferred industry standard and recognise two qualifications that prospective fitness instructors are required to complete:

  1. Level 2 Certificate in Fitness Instructing awarded by City & Guilds, Active IQ, VTCT and CYQ
  2. OCR Level 2 Certificate in Teaching Exercise and Fitness

The second path is to start as an assistant instructor and complete a work based qualification. You may be able to start as an assistant instructor and complete qualifications whilst working under the supervision of a qualified instructor. As an assistant fitness instructor you could work towards NVQ Level 2 in Instructing Exercise and Fitness, which is awarded by City & Guilds, CYQ, Active IQ and Edexcel.

When you have completed the NVQ you would be eligible for level 2 entry on the REPS.

Academic qualifications are not needed for this career but if you studied college classes in the a related area this will stand you in good stead. Fitness instructors are required to be over 18 for insurance and public liability purposes.

Continuing your training and development
REPs is made up of 4 professional levels. Level 3 is an advanced instructor and requires a fitness instructor to complete advanced qualifications that can be found on the REPs website. Level 4 was introduced at the end of 2007 and requires fitness instructors to complete units centred on specific illnesses and can also be found at the REPs website.

Promotion and the future
Fitness instructors are often promoted to senior instructors and oversee the junior fitness instructors acting as a mentor, this can lead to supervisory roles and management positions. Other possibilities include sports coach or personal trainer with further qualifications.

Thank you to Steve for the email and good luck with your quest in becoming a fitness instructor. To other readers please do not hesitate to email me a question or leave a comment, no question is a silly question, my philosophy states that if you want an answer to a question then you can guarantee that others do too.

If any fitness instructors from outside the UK have anything to add information about the specifics of fitness instruction in your own country then please comment or send an email. Thank you.

Links: learn-direct | connexionsdirect | REPs

By Daniel Posted in What is...? 2 Comments

Beans that will get your pulses racing

February 5, 2008 – 7:00 am
A different type of bean

The Bean in Chicago

Image source jswieringa

A few months ago I was watching an episode of one of my favourite T.V. shows called The Ultimate Fighter. On this show there was a guy that was a vegetarian and insisted on consuming a diet based on pulses to provide him with copious amounts of energy, and ensure that he fulfilled his vitamin and mineral intakes each day. I thought to myself at the time “I wonder if this really works?”. I watched him as he fought for 3 five minute rounds of mixed martial arts and was impressed with his high energy levels. Watching this guy left me asking a few questions to myself that i have since been able to answer and will recap in this post.

What are pulses?
Pulses are edible seeds that grow in pods on plants of the Leguminosae family. The Leguminosae family of plants is the second largest in the plant kingdom and has been harvested for thousands of years. Pulses were among the first plants to be harvested by humans and have therefore been used in diets for thousands of years.

Pulses include the whole range of beans, peas and lentils such as:

  • baked beans
  • red, green, yellow and brown lentils
  • black eyed peas
  • garden peas
  • runner beans
  • chickpeas
  • broad beans
  • kidney beans
  • butter beans

What do they offer as a dietary ingredient?
Pulses are a great source of protein and iron. This makes them the perfect ingredient to add to casseroles and soups as a substitute for meat. By using them in place of meat you will reduce the fat content of the dish, and reduce the cost of dish, an important factor for students and large families.

Pulses also contain complex carbohydrates that can not be digested by humans. This is also known as fibre and helps the transit of food from the stomach and through the large intestine. Fibre has many health benefits including the prevention of colon cancer.

They are also a source of iron but need to be supplemented with vitamin C, a glass of orange juice, in order to fully absorb it. Iron is vital for the transport of oxygen in the blood stream as well as maintaining metabolic functions of the body.

Buying pulses
Pulses can be bought as tinned or dried ingredients. A firm favourite of the tinned variety are baked beans. As with all tinned pulses they are very easy to use because they are cooked, soaked and ready to use heated up or cold. It is important to check the nutritional content label of the tin to ensure that the salt and sugar content are not high.

Tinned pulses should be eaten within their use by date.

Dried pulses need to be soaked and cooked for a fairly long duration in order for them to become soft enough to eat. It is often more convenient to soak beans over night to ensure that they are ready for cooking. Adding a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda will speed up the process. The quickest method is achieved by bringing the pulses to boil, turning off the heat, cover them and leave to soak for an hour. In all cases the soaking water should not be used to further cook the the pulses. Exceptions to soaking are lentils, green and yellow split peas and mung beans.

Dried kidney beans and soya beans contain natural toxins and must be soaked for for at least 8 and 12 hours respectively and cooked properly. The toxins are only dangerous when eat as part of a raw bean. For more advice on these beans and their toxins please check here.

Dried pulses can be stored for six months to a year if kept in an air tight container away from direct sunlight.

Once pulses have been cooked they should be left to cool, sealed in an air tight container, refrigerated and consumed within 2 days.

A tasty recipe

Tomatoe and Haricot bean soup

Ingredients

30ml/2tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
675g/1½lb tomatoes, peeled and quartered
900ml/1½pt vegetable stock
30ml/2tbsp tomato purée
100g/4oz haricot beans (soaked overnight)
2tbsp chopped fresh mint
salt & freshly ground black pepper
mint leaves to garnish

Method

1. Heat the oil, add the onion and sauté, then add the garlic and continue cooking for 3 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato purée together with the drained beans.
Bring to the boil and simmer for an hour or until beans are tender.

3. Add mint and seasoning and serve garnished with mint leaves.

Courtesy of vegsoc.org

Maybe you already include pulses as part of your diet. If so then please feel free to leave a comment of your favourite recipe or type of pulse. Do you have any secret recipes that you are willing to share?


Links:
www.suite101.com | www.beanbible.com | www.vegsoc.org | www.bbc.co.uk | www.eatwell.gov.uk

By Daniel Posted in Nutrition, What is...? 4 Comments

Shah Training

February 4, 2008 – 7:23 pm

What is Shah Training?

Shahtraining.com is a fitness blog published as a source of fitness ideas and knowledge that seeks to challenge mainstream ideas. The blog supports the notion that fitness can be achieved using the tools around you in combination with solid foundations that focus on patience, consistency, and determination.

Shahtraining.com is offering free training analysis as a gift to the readers of their blog. If you feel that you would benefit from this then follow the link or click on the image to be taken directly to their analysis post.

Link: Training Analysis

By Daniel Posted in What is...? 2 Comments

13 Reasons to do pull ups

February 3, 2008 – 4:10 pm
Hanging around is monkey business
swinging monkey Image source robandstephanielevy

Pull ups are considered to be the king of back exercises. Gymnasts insist on them, armed forces love them and muscle bound wannabes neglect them, at their peril. Here i list 13 reasons to include pull ups in your exercise routine:

  1. The ultimate display of back strength - only those that have pure strength can do them. People that don’t body build will find it difficult to compete in a lat pull down competition. If the same people challenge a body builder to a pull up competition he/she will stand a much better chance and often win.
  2. They give you wings - widens your latissimus dorsi muscles giving you a well formed back that will look great in a tight tee shirt or even better at the beach in the summer.
  3. Provide a multiple muscle strength workout - target the latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles of the back, the rhomboids and the middle and lower areas of the trapezius. Additionally, the biceps brachii of the upper arm and the brachiallis and brachioradialis of the forearm. No need to do isolation exercises after a good few sets of pull ups.
  4. Men and women can perform them - because the only resistance is your body weight against gravity the exercise is perfectly suited to women as well as men.
  5. Improves grip strength - clenching the fists around the bar requires an isometric contraction of the forearms improving grip strength. A necessity for women who like to go shopping and carry around lots of bags full of shoes and little black dresses.
  6. Keep up with the monkeys - whenever i see monkeys swinging from ropes and trees i am amazed. All day long they swing as they please. Do they take supplements? Not likely. Do they perform lat pull downs in their spare time? Not that i’m aware of. Yet they must have immense strength and as far as i can work out it all stems from the pull up type movement. Could be useful if you have children that like to run off when it’s time to come in for dinner. I remember climbing up trees because i knew my mum could not. Ladies start doing pull ups and you’ll never be in the position.
  7. Improve joint strength, flexibility and stability - these components will need to resist the pull of gravity on your weight. As a result the joint complex and it’s surrounding connective tissues will improve in strength, flexibility, and stability.
  8. Provide a core workout - the core muscles will need to be activated to prevent the legs from swinging back and forth. By engaging the core muscles for the duration of the pull ups you will prevent and injury caused by swinging too much and falling off while working out the core muscles.
  9. Teaches you to breathe properly - try doing pull ups with irregular breathing and you will surely falter. Breathe in through the nose on the way up and out through the mouth on the way down and you’ll perform at least an extra rep. Use this strategy for all bodyweight exercises and you’ll notice the benefits.
  10. Variety is the spice of life - there are numerous varieties of the pull up that will target specific muscles. Combine two or three varieties into your workout for accelerated improvements.
  11. Specific and relevant to life - there are many occasions when you may need to pull yourself up. Climbing is the most obvious, as a hobby, sport or pastime. As a job, tree surgeons, armed forces personnel or fire fighter. Conversely, the lat pull down rarely features in persons working day or sporting activities.
  12. Adaptability - some people reading this may not be able to do a single pull up. This is not a problem as the pull up can be evolved. Using a chair to stand or kneel on a pull up with as little assistance as possible from the legs. What if you can perform 50 easily? You are already a mean pull upping machine but can try single handed variations or additional weight.
  13. Portable - going on holiday, away for a business trip or simply to stay with a member of the family? Pull ups can be performed on anything that is suitable to hang from. The underside of an open stair case, a tree, a climbing frame or whatever you deem is safe.

The pull up is one of my favourite exercises for all these reasons. If you have not integrated a pull exercise into your strength routine then you are really missing out. Those of you that do use pull ups please ensure that you balance them out with an overhead press action this can be handstand push ups, or a weight alternative.

Useful articles:
Military.com
Mattfurey.com
Powerathletesmag.com
Bodybuilding.com
Dragondoor.com

By Daniel Posted in Advice, Calisthenics 7 Comments

Which fitness component do you train primarily? Poll Results

February 2, 2008 – 11:40 am

The results of the recent poll are in. Thank you to the people that took time to vote.

  • Aerobic endurance (Cardio) (18%)
  • Anaerobic ability (Sprint) (0%)
  • Max Strength (0%)
  • Strength endurance (82%)
  • Power (0%)

So there we have it, of the people that voted, strength endurance is the most popular component of fitness to be targeted.

My vote was also for strength endurance. I choose to train this way in order to be able to compete physically for 90 minutes of football at the weekend. Also, so that i can kayak for long periods of time without becoming fatigued, and for life in general. It is more likely that you will need to be able to apply strength for long periods of time rather than a one off maximal strength effort.

By Daniel Posted in Polls No Comments

Body Weight Exercises - The Royal Marines

February 1, 2008 – 6:47 pm

99.9% need not apply


Image source Royal Marines

The Royal Marines are the Royal Navy’s amphibious infantry, and operate at sea, on land and from the air as one of the most resilient and flexible forces in the world.

source: royalmarines.mod.uk

The Royal Marines are one of the world’s elite fighting forces. Any male that seeks to join the brigade as a recruit must attend a selection course that is renowned for being one of the toughest basic selection courses of NATO forces. A potential recruit must attend a 3 day selection course called a Potential Royal Marine Course (PRMC), a potential officer attends a Potential Officers Course (POC), also 3 days in duration. No matter which course a potential marine attends he can be sure that he will never have experienced anything like it before. The courses will test him both physically and mentally, only those that have the potential to meet the requirements of 32 weeks commando training will be passed.

This is an example of a recommended body weight circuit.

1st SET

  • 15 Press-Ups
  • 20 Knees to Chest
  • 20 Squats
  • 4 Pull-Ups
  • 20 Alternate knees to elbow
  • 15 Box Jumps
  • 15 Triceps Dips
  • 20 Half-Sits
  • 10 Lunges (each leg)

    • 2nd SET

  • 20 Press-Ups
  • 25 Knees to Chest
  • 25 Squats
  • 6 Pull-Ups
  • 25 Alt to elbow
  • 20 Box Jumps
  • 20 Triceps Dips
  • 20 Half-Sits
  • 20 Lunges (each leg)

    • 3rd SET

  • 15 Press-Ups
  • 20 Knees to Chest
  • 20 Squats
  • 4 Pull-Ups
  • 20 Alt knee to elbow
  • 15 Box Jumps
  • 15 Triceps Dips
  • 20 Half-Sits
  • 10 Lunges (each leg)

    • This is an excellent circuit that will develop all muscular endurance of all the major muscle groups. Between sets allow a few minutes rest and then move on to the next set. Ensure that strict technique is maintained for optimal strength benefits. Performing 5 good pull ups is better than performing 8 with poor technique.

    For more information then visit the Royal Marines website here: link

    By Daniel Posted in Calisthenics No Comments

    What are the components of fitness? Part 2

    January 30, 2008 – 8:07 pm

    This guy has ninja skills

    Image source practical owl

    In exercise specific terms fitness is sub divided into two groups:

    1. Health related
    2. Skill related

    Health related components were discussed in Part 1 of this series, but, i will provide a summary here:

    • Muscular strength
    • Muscular endurance
    • Aerobic endurance
    • Body composition
    • Flexibility

    This post will discuss the skill related components, providing a definition, example of a sporting activity, and where appropriate its alternative name.

    Agilty:
    the component of fitness that enables a performer to move and change direction quickly and with control. Basketball is a sport that requires high levels of agility. A player has to dribble in and out of opposing players, set themselves up during the approach for a lay up, and finally execute the shot with fine control of the arm and wrist muscles. Agility is often classed as a motor skill.

    Balance:
    the skill of maintaining a desired posture or stance under control. Essentially ensuring that the centre of a persons mass remains directly above their base of support. For example when standing the average centre of mass of a person is located a just above the hips and close to the stomach. This is only an average and can differ greatly between men and women and simply between to people. Activities that require balancing skills include gymnastics, for example, the handstand.

    Co-ordination:
    a skill that requires a person to integrate many abilities and systems to perform a task. A good example of this is the tee off action in golf. This action involves balance, muscular control, visual skills, amongst many more. Tiger Woods is an exceptional example of an athlete with superb co-ordination skills. That said, many sports and exercise techniques require co-ordination, simply kicking a football requires foot to eye co-ordination.

    Reaction time: is the time between the onset of a stimulus and the start of a response. For example the start of a 100 metre sprint is often the bang of a gun. The reaction time is the time it takes for the sprinter to start moving. The best athletes reaction times are usually in the range of 120 mSec (0.12 sec) to 160 mSec. Tim Montgomery improved that to a near perfect 104 mSec - and came very very close to being false-started. In baseball the reaction time of a receiver is vitally important also.

    Power:
    is the amount of work done in a given amount of time, in human movement this is measured as the product of speed and strength. High intensity activities, for example, weight lifting require great strength and speed, and therefore power.

    By Daniel Posted in What is...? No Comments

    What are the components of fitness? Part 1

    January 28, 2008 – 6:57 pm

    Just like the cockpit of a plane, your body is made up of components.

    Image source Vision Aerie

    In the previous post we discussed titled “What is Fitness?” we established that, in general terms, somebody to be fit means that a person is suitably qualified to fulfil a task that is related to their environment or lifestyle, and that fitness is a means of identifying how suitable a person is at fulfilling a given task.

    In exercise specific terms fitness is sub divided into two groups:

    1. Health related
    2. Skill related

    This post will describe in greater detail the 5 main components of health related fitness.

    1. Muscular strength:
    defined as the maximum force that can be generated within a muscle or group of muscles during a single maximal contraction. Strength is required to some degree in all sporting and lifestyle actions. Sports most associated with strength are gymnastics and weightlifting. These types of activities are anaerobic (do not require oxygen) in nature and of a high intensity.

    2. Muscular endurance:
    the ability of muscles to work for a prolonged period of time and avoid fatigue. The type of actions that test muscular endurance are usually of a whole body nature or at least a muscle group performed at a medium or high intensity for up to 5 minutes duration. A good example is that of a boxer training against a sparring partner in the ring, he/she uses their lower body and upper body muscles for balance and power generation. Also known as strength endurance.

    3. Aerobic endurance:
    the ability of the body to perform exercise for an extended period of time using oxygen to release energy to the muscles. The types of sporting activities where this fitness component is important are typified by their low intensity and extended duration, for example, marathons, long distance cycling and the triathlon. Aerobic endurance is also known as cardiovascular endurance.

    4. Body composition:
    is a term used to describe the physical make up of the body. This often means the amount of fat mass compared to fat free mass. Fat free mass comprises of bone, muscle, and connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments. It is an important component of fitness simply because different sports require different body compositions. A boxer is usually very muscular for strength purposes whereas an endurance athlete does not require muscle mass since this requires a greater body mass to carry over long running distances.

    5. Flexibility:
    is simply the range of movement at a joint. Flexibility is limited or determined by the elastic potential of the ligaments and tendons at the joint, the strength and volume of surrounding muscles and the shape of the bones at the joint. The type of joints also determines the range of movement as some joints are designed for stability and others for mobility.

    The 5 components of fitness are very important in determining how to exercise for a specific sport. This is because each sport requires a different proportion from each of the components. As mentioned earlier a boxer is a completely different animal to a marathon runner that is different again to a swimmer.

    The components should be considered in a continuous loop:

    No single component is discrete, meaning that a boxer is not simply high with respect to muscular strength, he/she will require muscular endurance, a specific body composition, aerobic endurance, and flexibility in order to compete successfully.

    By Daniel Posted in What is...? No Comments