I just found out that a very good friend from high school passed away recently from an alcohol and drug issue. Although I haven’t seen Pat in a very long time, I can vividly remember his infectious smile and great sense of humor. We played football together, and although he wasn’t the star of the team, I remember his passion for the game, his great work ethic and never give up attitude.

I’ve struggled with my own demons in life. My life, like most people has had it’s ups and downs, great accomplishments as well as setbacks. But the one constant has always been running. Through the good times and the bad it has never let me down. When I need time to think uninterrupted I go for a run. I have found many of the answers to my life’s problems out on the roads or trails.

I can’t emphasis enough the importance of making your running and training personal. You goals shouldn’t be to beat the guy or gal standing next to you. Your goal should be to surpass your own previous achievements. Your goals should include keeping your body, mind and spirit fit. Don’t compete for the sake of beating someone else, but to move forward in your own capacity. Your personal best will always come when there are other people around you, supporting you, and encouraging you. They will inspire you to push yourself to new limits, as your successes will push them to new seek new limits in their lives. Our goals should always be our own progress, and recognizing that progress should be one of life’s joys.

I love to run. I try to pass on that passion to everyone I coach. Sure there are mornings when I drag myself out of bed and think, “I don’t feel like it today.”  However, somewhere in the middle of the workout, that amazing feeling of accomplishment and sense of freedom I always experience prevails. My point is, if having fun, and enjoying your training is not part of your goals, you will never accomplish them.

So tomorrow when you’re stepping out the door and the sun is barely over the horizon. Don’t think, “Why am I doing this.”  Take those first couple of steps, get into that rythmn, put a smile on your face and think, “Oh yea, life is pretty good today.”

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun.

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

There is a no brainer in running; Nothing develops strength and speed, like strength and speed workouts. So here are some of my favorite workouts I have learned over the years and incorporate in my client’s training programs.

On The Road

Out and Backs

An out and back workout is great for developing finishing strength and confidence. Run these workouts at equal interval lengths. You may want to start with 20 minutes out and 20 minutes back and progress upward from there as you get stronger. The keys: Run your outbound leg in zone 2 or moderate exertion level. Then at your turn around point pick up your pace to zone 3 and increase it to zone 4  or a very hard effort and hold that pace until you finish.

Step Ups

The step up run is also a great run to develop finishing strength and stamina. I love step up runs. Divide your total run time into 3 equal segments. If you are running 60 minutes, run the first 20 in zone 1 and 2( moderate effort). Run the next 20 in zone 3 (a little harder than average). Then finish the last 20 minutes in zone 4(really pushing your effort). Really push yourself to hold that last segment. For beginners these can be don in shorter segments such as 10 – 10 and 10. The keys: Really focus on holding your zones (and exertion levels) through each segment.

Tempo Runs

Nothing trains your body for race days like tempo runs. Warm up easily for about 10 minutes. Then increase your pace to your upper zone 3 ( slightly above your long run pace) and hold this throughout the entire run. The keys: Again holding your pace is the key. This will get your body use to maintaining speed and burning lactic acid build-up more efficiently. Start out with shorter tempo runs and build them in short increments as you progress through your training. A good effort key is on longer tempo runs run about 10-20 seconds slower than you 10K race pace. On shorter workouts run about 5-10 seconds slower than your 5K race pace.

Road Intervals

 Road intervals will teach your body to get use to running at various speeds and stresses under different conditions. Keys: Start your workout in your endurance zone 2( conversational pace). Then increase your pace into upper zone 4 (very hard effort) and low zone 5 for a pre-determined amount of time and sets. Recover back to zone two for 3 minutes between each interval. You may want to start with 3 sets at 4 minute lengths and gradually increase your sets and time until you reach 6 – 8 sets at 8 minutes each.

Hill Repeats (1)

Do you ant to get faster and stronger? Do you want to those legs you see on all of the covers of magazines? Do hill workouts. Hill workout 1 should be done in the early part of your training. Keys: At the end of an easy workout run, find a hill with about a 5 – 6 % grade. Then run 3 – 10 second repeats as hard as you can up the hill. Recover by walking backward down the hill to your starting point.

Hill Repeats (2)

 As you get stronger and farther along in your training cycle, these are the workouts that will really push you over the top. Keys; Find a long hill with a 3 – 6 % grade (depending on your strength. Run up this hill for 90 seconds to 2 minutes with good posture in upper zone 4 and low zone 5( really hard effort). If you can’t find a long hill you can use a treadmill and adjust the grade to the desired level.

On The Track

Mile Repeats:

I like to have clients that are training for 5K and 10K personal best incorporate mile repeats into the workouts. Keys: these mile repeats should be done at 5 – 10 seconds per mile less than your next race effort (5K or 10K). You should recover for 400 meters between each.

Progressive 1200’s

I like to schedule this workout early in the training cycle. Keys: At you local track warm up by jogging and stretching. Then you will run 4 times 1200 meters in zone 4. (hard effort) (3 Laps) On the first you should really push the last 100 meters in zone 5(very hard). On the second the last 200 meters in zone 5(very hard). On the third the last 300 meters in zone 5 (very hard) and on the fourth the last 400 meters in zone 5(very hard). Recover for 400 meters between each. This is really good stuff!

1000’s

 Always make sure you are warming and stretching before a track workout or any speed workout. Keys: You should run these 1000 meter runs (2 ½ laps) in zone 4(hard effort). Recover for 2 minutes between each. Really focus on good form and fast feet.

Yasso 800’s

World class runner and Runner’s World contributor Bart Yasso developed these workouts on the premise that a person can run a marathon close to the time they can complete 10 x 800 runs. For example: If you want to run a 3:40 marathon you should work to complete 10 x 800 in 3 minutes and 40 seconds. Recover for the same time you ran between each. I have used this workout with many of my clients and the success is amazing.

400’s

Four hundred meters runs will help you develop fast steady turnover and good running form. Really focus on good turnover and posture throughout each 400. Start out by doing 4 – 6 reps and gradually increase to 10. Recover for 90 seconds between each. Keys: Try to be consistent with each 400 and push yourself to work hard.

200’s

Pure speed! That’s what 200 hundred’s are all about. These runs will develop your fast twitch muscles and really give you a good finishing kick. Keys: You can add 4 -6 200 ‘s to the end of your track workout. Recover for 200 meters between each. Go all out on each one but really stayed dialed into your form.

Straights and Turns

 I like to add these runs to the end of 800 workouts. Keys: Do 3 – 4 laps of sprinting the straights on a track and jogging the turns. Again, you really want to do all out sprints with a focus on good form.

My experience reminds me no one likes speed or track workouts. However, the reality is, if you want to get faster, stronger, longer then you must incorporate speed and strength runs into your training.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

This morning at the suggestion of a fellow runner/triathlete in Fort Collins Co.  I took the short drive over to Coyote Ridge in Loveland for my Sunday long run. Wow!! Let me say that again, Wow! What a great run.

The first 2.1 miles of this run start with a rather challenging climb, that develops into a really challenging climb through a series of switch backs. Needless to say my zone 2 Sunday long run quickly changed into a zone 4 hill workout. When I reached the summit of Coyote Ridge I was immediately taken in by the amazing views of the entire Fort Collins/Loveland valley. I’ve been running in Colorado for 16 years and rarely have I seen a view as spectacular as this that didn’t come from the summit of a 14er.

After slowing down just enough to keep my heart from exploding through my chest and taking in the view, I began what I thought would be a series of gradually declining switchbacks into the meadow like valley below. Yea, come again. What I really found was a drop of about 1/2 of mile that is so steep the county has built steps into the trail. After carefully navigating my way down what any Easterner would refer to as a cliff face, I leveled off in the valley. Again I was just amazed at the beauty and serenity. The grass was shoulder high and resembled green shafts of wheat swaying in a light breeze.

I was quickly snapped out of my purple haze like reverie when I discovered that I was again quickly ascending up the other side of the valley. The soft gravel path turned into an amazing single track dirt path that wound up and around another climb of about a mile in distance. When I came around the last bend I was again slapped in the face by the beauty of the great state of Colorado as I was confronted by yet another magnificent view of the two valleys below.

Unfortunately at this point I had to turn around and head back to the park entrance. Down through the valley up the steep steps to the top of Coyote Ridge where gratefully I started the final descent to the parking area.  I let myself go and bounded  down the trail with a smile on my face that probably had the people passing me going up saying bad things about my intellect and heritage. However, I’m sure that each of them on their return trip had the same smile and feeling of elation that comes with finishing a seriously challenging run, in a magnificently beautiful setting.

Coyote Ridge, try it you’ll go back.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

We are born with a natural ability to run. I’m sure that everyone reading this blog remembers running and playing games around the house and neighborhood with siblings and friends. In fact many of our childhood games were centered on running and just about every sport we participated in involved running. I often chuckle when a new client comes to me and says they can’t run, yet at sometime in their life they played tennis, softball or any sport that involved short periods of running. What the majority of these people are actually saying is they never ran for endurance or distance, because it just seems so boring, painful and unnatural.

As a coach the first thing I do with every new client is join them on a very easy run. I do this so I can get a feel for the person and observe their form and technique. Based on these observations I can begin the process of tweaking their running form to make running easier and more efficient. Again, because we are all different some will make these adjustments faster than others, but the results are always the same, easier running, faster times and fewer injuries.

It would be impossible to address all of the actions that are involved with running in this blog. So I am going to address the attributes that will have the greatest impact on you as a runner.

Tall and QuietThe first is posture and form. Although this may seem like a simple thing to change, I can’t tell you how many times I have to make small reminders to even some of my most experienced and successful clients. I often tell you in my training plans to run tall and quiet. This is the most important tip I can give you. For endurance runners keeping your head up, and back straight takes the weight off of your quads and significantly reduces the amount of pounding on your knees. Focus on pushing you knees forward with your lower leg swinging out in a pendulum type action. Not a high knee lift. This allows you to strike with a lot less force and cuts back on the braking action of each stride. Finally, relax your shoulders, arms, hands and even your face. Hunching up and bunching up will make your runs tighter and less fluid. Always focus on being relaxed.

Fast FeetThe next thing I address constantly in your training is having fast, light feet. Fast feet are accomplished by reducing your stride length and increasing the number of foot strikes per minute you use while running. You should be striving to reach 18 to 25 left foot strikes every 15 seconds. In the beginning you may feel like you are taking baby steps, but as you become more comfortable, you will feel how much more economical it is to understride than overstride. Long strides use more energy and cause more breaking action than shorter faster steps. Again, a high stride rate reduces the amount of force at impact and greatly reduces the risk of injury.

Light FeetWhen I tell you run with light feet I am talking about reducing the force, impact and amount of time your feet spend on the ground. For decades endurance runners ran with the notion it is best to strike the ground with the heel of your foot and roll forward before pushing off for your next stride. More recent research tells us that this causes two actions you want to avoid as a runner. The first is a stiff impact as your heel pushes into the ground, and the second is the longer length of time your foot is on the ground. Both reduce efficiency and speed.

However, if you land on your midfoot or forefoot, your foot will rebound almost instantaneously to initiate your next stride. This immediate energy return comes from the energy stored in your muscles as they are quickly stretched and then allowed to quickly release this energy. Therefore, landing farther forward on your foot improves your velocity with no effort on your part. In fact, research has provided that many world class runners take advantage of this action. One study showed that of the fastest runners 60 percent landed on their forefoot, 30 percent made contact at their midfoot and only 10 percent were heel strikers.

Keep in mind when you land on your heel, your foot must be well in front of your center of gravity. Whenever a support point is in front of your center of gravity your forward motion is slowed. Again, it’s like putting on the brakes with every step. Now you must increase your acceleration to counter the braking. This constant speeding up and slowing down uses a lot of energy therefore making you far less efficient and economical as a runner.

Lose Your BounceA huge energy waster is bouncing up and down with each step. That’s why converting your leg motion to the more horizontal pendulum swing from the vertical knee lift is so important. Fortunately increasing your foot turnover and reducing your stride length will naturally reduce your bounce.

Why is it important to bounce less? Here is a great example. In a 10K race if you are a 150 pound person and your center of gravity, (your hip, waist and pelvic region) bounces up and down 2 inches with every stride, you will have lifted the equivalent of 84 tons one foot high. However, if you reduce your bounce to one inch per step you cut your workload in half to 42 tons raised. That is a lot of saved energy.

Not only is energy saved by reducing your bouncing with a long stride, but your impact forces are greatly reduced over the course of the race. This of course reduces your risk of runner’s injury.

Strides

I love strides. Strides should be done year round in order to maintain good running form. They are also a great way to warm up before a race.

Do a good warm up. Next on a grass or a nice soft surface, run 20 – 30 seconds on a very slight decline concentrating on whatever running skill you need to improve the most (stride rate, reduced bouncing, light feet, good posture). Keep n mind these are not wind sprints. They are run a faster pace than your 5K pace but not all out. After each stride, recover by jogging or walking back to your starting point for about 90 seconds. You can repeat these for 5 – 10 reps during a workout.

Step Counting

A great drill to practice in the early phases of your training plan is step counting. In the beginning of your run count your left foot strikes for one minute. Then try to increase your foot strikes by practicing one of the skills talked about earlier in the chapter (landing more forward on your feet, reducing your stride length, etc.).

Hopping

Do this drill on a soft surface (a mat, your carpet etc.). Put the toes of your right foot on a step, a chair or any platform about 12 – 18 inches in height that won’t collapse. Get into your running position with your left knee slightly bent. Then very quickly lift your left foot toward your rear end and drop it to the floor. Don’t bounce! Focus on keeping your center of gravity as steady as possible. Change legs and do 3 sets of 10 on each leg. Increase this as you get stronger until eventually you can do 30 hops with each leg.

Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is as productive a drill for runners as it is for boxers. Your focus should be to keep the amount of bouncing you do with each jump to a minimum. Concentrate on raising and lowering your legs instead. This is a great drill for strengthening your feet and lower legs. Jumping rope is also an excellent warm up exercise before lifting weights.

SkippingJust like when you were a kid. This is a great drill for practicing foot lift and minimal foot to ground contact. Do these drills before your track workout after you are warmed up. Do three to eight sets 20 – 30 seconds in length with 2 -3 minutes of jogging between.

Remember doing drills equals better skills

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

We spend a minimum of 8 hours a day at work. That’s 1/3 of our entire day. Let’s face reality though. Most of us in this economy, are putting way more time into our jobs than we were 3 years ago. The day to day stuggles and stresses of work and making ends meet at home has compounded immeasurably over the last 4 years. The increased work hours, and the fight to stay afloat takes a toll that reaches deeper than our bank accounts. Job stress, mental stress, emotional stress all impact our total wellness.

What can an employer offer his employess in an effort to help manage these difficult times, reduce stress, and physical illnesses, without stretching his/her budget, and at the same time increase productivity, company morale and time utilization? An easy answer, a health and wellness program.

By creating a wellness program in the workplace, employers can lower health-care costs, absenteeism and stress in the workplace. It might sound costly, but in actuality, it can be pretty inexpensive, with the benefits to everyone greatly outweighing costs.

The two key elements to the success of the program are support from mangement and of course employee participation. Connie Meir of the American College of Sports Medicine says, “There has to be an incentive for employees to be part of a fitness and wellness program.”

Not surprisingly many corporate executives follow their own fitness program, and many larger companies have fitness centers located on their premises. However, many small to medium size companies are not taking advantage of the opportunity to better their overall working enviroment by offering their employees a wellness or fitness challenge.

How can an employer determine what type of program to implement and how to go about it? There are many easy and inexpensive ways to establish the needs and the participation levels of your employees. Bring in a fitness and wellness professional to conduct a seminar on fitness and nutrition. A smart professional will do this at no cost to the employer in order to establish a relationship with the company. Ask whatever person you bring in to take a survey of your staff  to determine what kind of wellness programs would most benefit them, and be easiset to incorporate into their daily life.

Then work out a plan and a challenge with your staff, that is fun, measurable and slightly competitive. Bring in a professional to help your employees reach their new fitness goals. There are many options for implementing fitness programs into the workplace, from subsidizing training costs, to setting up simple walking or running programs. There are just as many ways to provide incentives to your employees to participate.

The benefits are obvious, improved health, alertness and the general well being of your staff. In effect, a fitness program will help your employees become a happier, healthier and more productive workforce.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

When you train at levels where your body goes from aerobic to anaerobic, (light controlled breathing to heavy troubled breathing) there is a very rapid increase in the production of lactic acid, and your body cannot keep up with its removal. The lactic acid then begins to build-up in your blood, interfering with energy production and muscle contractions. This lactic acid build-up then causes muscle fatigue.

Our bodies can only run at or above our lactate threshold for about one hour before the effects of elevated lactate levels start to diminish our performance. Simply put, this means the shorter the event, the higher the lactate levels you will be able to tolerate. Therefore, for endurance events, a high lactate threshold or LT is essential to maintain fast paces.

                                                                                        Testing Your Lactate Threshold

How do we test for lactic threshold (LT)? Again, the best and most accurate method is in a lab. There, they will test blood lactate levels at frequent intervals during ever-increasing work intensity. Although this is the best and most accurate way to be tested, again it can be expensive and a little extreme for the everyday runner.

Paying attention to signs your body is giving you is another great way to determine your LT. A reduction in coordination when running hard, burning in your muscles or rubbery legs are certain signs of working above your LT. If you tune into these feelings and track your heart rates and perceived exertion levels associated with them, you can reduce your intensity accordingly. Keep in mind that using your rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and pace in conjunction with your heart rate will get you the best results in monitoring your training. Most runners spend way too much time training at or near their LT. This will lead to fatigue, or injury.

The last way to determine your LT is the method I use for my clients. (only when I know they are in shape and have been cleared by their physician).

Go to your favorite running spot. The place where you are most familiar with the distances and landmarks. (the test takes about 40 minutes) The site location is important, because as you become stronger your LT will increase, and re-testing at the same location will help you get the most accurate updates.

Start your run at a nice easy pace to get warmed up. At the fifteen-minute mark of your run, hit the lap button on your heart rate monitor. Then pick up your pace to the absolute fastest pace you can sustain for 20 minutes. (if you have to slow down you will have to repeat the test again the following week) At the end of the 20 minutes hit the lap button on your heart rate monitor again. The average heart rate you maintained over the fastest 20 minute period is your LT.

Do a nice 10 to 15 minute cool down and some stretching.

You should perform this test every six to eight weeks during your training if you are trying to achieve faster race results or personal bests. Make notes in your log after each test about the relationship between your heart rate and your pace per mile during the test. Use all of this information to really key in on your training. The more you understand about what is going on with your body, the better runner you become.

High intensity training should be a small, but very important part of your training. Knowing your LT and doing training runs at or just below will return great dividends.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

I just finished reading an article in Time Magazine by John Cloud. I’m not quite sure what reaction John Cloud was going for when he wrote it, but he certainly got a reaction out of me. First a shaking of the head, second a little anger, last of all this blog.

I couldn’t help but notice John’s own exercise routine that keeps him locked in the gym working with a personal trainer that is probably more concerned with John’s payment plan than his overall wellness. Mr. Cloud talks about exercise increasing his hunger and thusly eating more. Maybe John should have focused his article on overall fitness. If he and his trainer took the time (about 5 minutes), to calculate just how many calories John needs to support his lifestyle, that includes work (sitting on his uninformed backside writing articles) and his exercise routine (that doesn’t seem to be working, hence the belly fat) they could easily work out a weight management program that would keep Mr. Cloud’s hunger satiated and his weight stable.

The fact of the matter is folks; if you are trying to live a healthier lifestyle that includes a fitness program designed for your needs, you should also include a solid weight management program. A good trainer can, and will take the time to help you calculate how many calories you are taking in and burning on a daily basis. They can show you how to properly manage your calorie intake (protein, carbs and fats) throughout the day so you are not hungry or getting low blood sugar drowsiness. Your trainer will explain to you that most people will actually gain weight as they develop new muscle in the beginning of their program (muscle outweighs fat 3:1) but your weight will begin to drop after a short time.

Exercise promotes overall health and wellness. A properly designed cardio, strength and nutrition program can and will promote higher fitness levels and weight loss. Fortunately, you don’t have to go to a gym and work a program like a “farm animal” to achieve great results. I’m 54 years old, I’m the same weight I was at my high school graduation. But unlike Mr. Cloud, my fitness and health levels are better. I have less body fat, more lean muscle and exceptional cardiovascular health. I’ve achieved this through a solid well balanced exercise and nutrition program that enhances my daily lifestyle.

So John, my suggestions for you are; Pull your trainer aside and have him/her do a nutrition and overall fitness evaluation for you. Have them design a real fitness program, that focuses on cardiovascular conditioning, strength and core work. Discuss your strengths, weaknesses and goals. Then formulate your new plan based on the conclusions from these evaluations and discussions. Then you should achieve the results you are looking for, you might even loose that hanging belly fat and learn how to eat healthier.

Working out like a “farm animal,” creating pain and sweat are not the ingredients for a successful fitness program. Gradual, steady and consistency are the keys to healthy and lasting overall fitness.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

I know how you feel, I hate it too. When I ask my clients what they dislike most about training, almost to a person it’s stretching. Pretty funny when you think about it. Running does not do much to promote flexibility. One of the big problems that results from running is the actual shortening and tightening of the muscles and the connective tissue. This happens because our muscles very rarely go through the full range of motion. In other words when you are running, every stride you take actually stops short of full extension and complete bending.

Does flexibility make us better runners? Absolutely! Flexibilty will enhance your overall performance for several reasons. First, stretching lightly before and more vigorously after your workouts will help you reduce your chance of injury. Second, flexibility can contribute to improved physical performance. Thirdly, flexibility can contribute to an overall sense of well being simply by helping you carry out your everyday activities more easily and pain free. It is very difficult to measure how the difference between flexible and inflexible bodies have a noticable effect on overall health and well being. However, more and more studies are telling us that stretching can reduce fatigue, increase blood flow and reduce inflammation in the joints.

It would be a mistake to think that stretching is the answer to injury free running. Most running injuries are seldom the result of being inflexible. However it does play a very important role in injury prevention, and any injury avoided is one less that can take you away from your regular training routine. I have found that stretching after a run is a great way to share time with my training partner or clients. We talk about past races, upcoming races or maybe just general gossip. It’s a terrific way to unwind and it takes less than 20 minutes. Make it part of your routine, it’s worth it!

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

Running can have a high rate of over-use injuries. Shin splints, plantar fasciitis, patellofemoral pain (runners knee) or Achilles tendinitis. The good news is all of these injuries can be avoided, by having a well rounded, diverse training program that incorporates the five major components of fitness with proper rest and recovery.

The American College of Sports Medicine lists the five components of fitness to be, cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, body composition and flexibility.

There was a time when strength training was considered a taboo for runners. Today some runners still avoid the weight room. Don’t make that mistake! I incorporate into every training program I design a muscular strength, muscular endurance and core strength plan. As well as a guide for stretching. I am convinced beyond a shadow of doubt through personal experience and by monitoring the results of my clients, that runners who adhere to the simple strength programs I have designed suffer 95% fewer injuries.

A recent study of runners that introduced a strength and core program to their training reported not only a reduction of injury but also an increased time to muscle exhaustion on their runs. The people in this study ran farther at a measured intensity level following a strength program for just a few weeks.

Your slow twitch muscles, or you endurance muscles, gain strength from weightlifting allowing them to carry more of the workload than your fast twitch muscles. Since your fast twitch muscles burn more glycogen and produce more lactic acid, your endurance benefits from the increased strength of you slow twitch muscles. The most recent studies show that runners who added a strength program to their training regimen show endurance improvements ranging from 10-35%.

In a nutshell, adding a weight training and a core strength program to your training and race preparation will increase your endurance levels, greatly reduce your risk of overuse injuries, give you overall body fitness and add a nice variation to your weekly training routine.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com

Hey, I gotta tell ya. I love being an online coach. I love the involvement with runners all over the country. I really believe in being as communicative and involved as much as I can. Understanding personalities and lifestyles is my focus when developing training plans, as much as training history.

Well, over and over again I hear from clients that they don’t like going to the gym, or they don’t have time to incorporate the gym into their daily training plans. So last week I decided I would film a strength and core workout from my home, that you can do in your home. My goal is to get this posted on the web site and youtube so it is accessible to everyone at no cost.

So Diane and I set out on this project with enthusiasm and vigor. We got a great camera, the additional software to download to our laptops and then upload on the web and youtube. We were stoked. I was so excited that I was going to be able to add another great service to my clients or just anyone who wanted to train from home and save a little dough.

Long story short. We spent 7 hours trying to get one decent hour on film. Me flubbing dialouge, forgetting dialouge, even forgetting one time which order I wanted the core exercises in. Then of course there is the obvious, Diane looks great on camera and I am no box of chocolates, so I had to get over my fear of the camera. So you can only imagine what the scene in the living room was like as we started stopped, started stopped, retake after retake.

Finally 7 hours later we began the upload process to youtube, when much to my surprise the message said upload will be complete in 17 hours. “SEVENTEEN HOURS!” At that point I was ready to jump out the window. Then like a bolt of lightening, I remembered my web guy saying to me when you shoot this, do it in 3-4 minute segments, it uploads easier. So here we go back to the drawing board.

Know this though folks. We have now laid out a script, mapped out the exercises and are ready to begin the filming process again this week. I promised you a workout you could do from home that would give you great total body strength and toning. I promised it would be available at no cost, and I promised you could do it with a minimal outlay for equipment. We will keeep this promise and the workout will be online by this weekend.

Be Healthy, Train Smart, Have Fun

Jeff

coach@prsfit.com