Strength & Conditioning
Bootcamp Starters!
02/05/13 14:35
Hey all new Bootcampers,
Great job at classes! Make sure you hydrate well and have a healthy balanced meal afterwards. If you are sore the next few days, that is completely normal and just means your body was working well!
If you would like to take a before and after picture, let us know and we can do that in studio. We can also do your complimentary body analysis so you can see your progress and stay motivated.
Please check out and join our Facebook group for Define Defense boot campers and you'll see tips and advice, discuss the classes and other events etc.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/326729627456891/
Great to have all of you, looking forward to many more classes! As I mentioned, one of our instructors is out next week so if you would like to do the picture or body test, please let me know so we can do it this week after your next class or the week after. Make sure you register online for classes since some are getting full. Don’t worry, if they get too busy we will add more classes and series. We have plenty of class times and opportunities to help you reach your goals!
PLEASE READ THIS LETTER IF YOU ARE A NEW BOOTCAMPER:
Bootcamp Letter
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us at Info@DefineDefense.com or send us a message!
Thanks,
Sander Vanacker
Owner Define Defense Martial Arts & Fitness
www.DefineDefense.com
www.TrainerVanacker.com
Find us on Facebook & Twitter!
0 Comments
Fitness Member of the Month April 2013
21/04/13 12:45
Define Defense's April Fitness Member of the Month is Brian C! Brian is a hard working athlete who never gives up and never complains. He has made a ton of progress and is STRONG! Keep up the good work.
Embarassing things that can happen to you in the gym!
26/03/13 14:44
Working out indoors has many benefits, such as being in a controlled environment where it’s cool or warm enough, you know your surrounding and you know what the dangers are. That being said, there are still things that you happen to you which are quite embarrassing:
1. Fall of the treadmill. One of the reasons Define Defense doesn’t have one! You think you can do that little bit more but you’re wrong. Good thing is you don’t necessarily get hurt much but your pride will take a little hit.
2. Flashing people. Whether you do yoga, weights, dancing or martial arts, you have to be aware of how your clothing is holding up. You might not even be aware until people around you look at you funny or hopefully someone lets you know!
3. Sweating and grunting. It’s great because it shows you are working out hard. But keep it in check and keep a towel close to you. You don’t want people to think you just took a shower or had an accident do you?
4. Peptalk to yourself. It’s very motivation but be aware. Others might look at you quite weird when you start talking to yourself about that last piece of chocolate pie you ate last night.
5 Singing. Especially with headphones in, some feel the urge to sing along. Just keep in mind there are athletes around you who prefer that song being sung by Beyonce, not you.
6. Gas. Don’t need to explain this one right? It happens to the best of us but try to avoid certain foods before you work out!
By Sander Vanacker, owner, instructor and personal trainer .
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
www.TrainerVanacker.com
Eight Ways to Make Running Less Boring
26/03/13 14:28
Running is a great workout, calorie burner and cardio booster. However, there are also many drawbacks. These could be joint pains, breathing problems and boredom. Here are eight ways to make running more interesting:
1. Variety: Avoid long stretches of straight roads, make sure you have bends, curves and different sceneries. This will make sure your brain stays busy as well and it doesn’t get too boring. If you run on a treadmill or the weather is bad, try to watch something on the gym’s tv, your phone or tablet.
2. Music! Make a great playlist of your favorite workout music and change it up every once in a while.
3. Further or Faster: Don’t get into a habit of always running the same distance and the same speed. Switch it up, it’ll give you much more variety and more challenges. This way you can create more small goals for yourself which will lead up to successfully reaching your larger fitness goals.
4. Run with a friend. That is, assuming you are at the same level and have the same goals. Chat about your life, your goals and motivate each other. Just make sure you don’t forget about your workout as well!
5. Register for a race. If you need a little more pressure, register for a race. It doesn’t have to be a marathon but there are plenty of 3-10k’s out there you can join and get excited about.
6. Compete a little bit. If there are other runners around or a person on the treadmill next to you, you can do a little bit of competition (even if they don’t know it). Just make sure you don’t overtrain or get hurt yourself. Know your body, level and limits.
7. Interval Training. It is a great way to get a lot of workout in a small amount of time. It also keeps your mind busy and you’ll definitely feel the workout and results afterwards. However, don’t make all your running about intervals, it’ll only get you so far. Endurance levels will not necessarily skyrocket from this training only.
8. Count your steps. Keep yourself busy counting your steps per minute or half mile. It might make time fly or it might drive you crazy! Try it out.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, instructor and personal trainer .
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
www.TrainerVanacker.com
Three Favorite Ab Exercises with TRX Suspension Band HD
26/03/13 14:27
By Sander Vanacker, owner, instructor and personal trainer .
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
www.TrainerVanacker.com
Inside Grip TRX Chest Press
10/03/13 15:13
By Sander Vanacker (Define Defense)
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
Your Environment Determines your Success
09/03/13 15:12
First of all, I love my clients. I love training with them, talking to them and instructing them. In our studio, we do our best creating a supportive and friendly environment for our clients. This creates a fantastic group atmosphere with people getting along great, supporting each other and having a great time together.
I see people smiling over and over. They have a great time working out together and enjoy coming in. The environment we have in our facility encourages clients to get to know each other and it appears some become great friends once they get to know each other before and after classes.
However, the key part of this paragraph was WORKING OUT. People come to Define Defense, its instructors and myself to get a great workout and learn valid skills. All our instructors are certified and very experienced in their field, whether it’s TRX, kettle bell, personal training or Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Group atmosphere is important and we make sure it’s where it needs to be but our absolute priority is offering a superb training experience in a clean and hygienic facility with skilled instructors. That is also what I expect from clients. I want their priority to be working out or learning, not only socializing. I see many studios and instructors focussing so much on socializing and chatting away that they forget to prioritize the workout. Isn’t that what we go to classes for? Some instructors chat too much, talk about unrelated topics or even hang out with clients in inappropriate or unrelated situations. Even though some people enjoy this, I believe it is unprofessional and very unproductive for your workout program.
If you take your training seriously, you will focus on training. If socializing is that important to you, perhaps you should join some other club. Don’t get me wrong, I think the social aspect is important and VERY enjoyable. However, I do not believe that you should go to a gym for the social aspect only.
More and more you see some organizations, instructors and brands that focus on the social aspect so much that people oversee it lacks in quality or safety. When I went to the gym before I opened Define Defense, I put in my earphones, killed my workout and left. Sometimes people were there before I came in until after I left and didn’t drop one drop of sweat because they were chatting away (or trying to pick up someone). Sometimes group classes stop the entire class for extended periods of time to chat away or yell at someone to motivate them. Not my kind of training… As an instructor, you need to have people work and learn as much as they can during that timeframe for maximum productivity. And if you need extra motivation, the trainer should make sure to motivate you and not have the other clients do it.
As an athlete or someone who is serious about any goal in life, always surround yourself with the best best possible people. Leave politics out of it. If you surround yourself with less skilled or lazy people, you might be among the better ones in that group but never reach your full potential as laziness and the act of compromising is contagious. If you surround yourself with better and hard working people however, you will be constantly challenged, motivated and become the best version of yourself. Be serious about your training and decide where you will become the best you can be. If you like an instructor and they leave but are replaced with someone else, give that person a chance. They just might be a whole lot better!
When I go to the gym, I’m there to work out and learn. Other might have different reasons, which is fine. I do believe in having a great relationship with your trainer and I care a tremendous amount for my clients (and always have a fun time training them). Maintaining a professional relationship is key though. As my clients know, I’m always there for them and am very responsive and flexible. I assist clients in many ways and will meet them outside of the gym to help them with their health and fitness goals. Being a trainer and instructor, being sociable, open (to a certain extent) and professional is key. Having an instructor you meet up after training with to get a drink, rarely ends up well. And when you go train, you don’t want to hear your trainer complain about things going on in their life either right?
I invite everyone to be open minded and have a critical eye to exercise programs, supplements and instructors. After all, it’s your time and your money you are investing to become healthier, more skilled and get in better shape. I believe that, if you are critical, you will make a better decision and I think Define Defense will benefit of that.
P.S. One of my favorite parts of my job is seeing people not only work out hard, but enjoying it together and talking with clients about their progress, training and helping them however I can!
By Sander Vanacker (Define Defense)
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
Basic TRX Chest Press - Video
04/03/13 15:13
By Sander Vanacker (Define Defense)
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
Starters TRX Workout
02/03/13 17:48
By Sander Vanacker (Define Defense)
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
Favorite Leg TRX Exercises
02/03/13 17:47
By Sander Vanacker (Define Defense)
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
What Sports Mean to Me
21/02/13 09:42
What do sports mean to you? Everyone has a different reason to work out. Yes we want to get in shape, we want to perform better or look ready for summer. But what’s the underlying reason?
Finding out what it is doesn’t necessarily mean that’s why you still do it. For myself, the reason I started doing sports and working out is different than why I do it now. Either way, it might help your intrinsic motivation. After all, if you do sports or work out for yourself and your own satisfaction, you are much more likely to continue with it long term. If you do it out of extrinsic motivation (to get a reward or doing it for others, even as simple as relying on compliments from the outside world), there is a chance it will be harder to continue doing it long term.
Video of me practicing some sports growing up:
Sander Kid Sports
The reason I always loved working out and started doing martial arts and later fitness was because of low self esteem. As a child, I had jaw problems and bunny teeth. It didn’t take much for the other kids to poke fun of it and aesthetically, my jaw and chin were way off. This dropped my self esteem tremendously as a child, which you can imagine. The worst part for me was that I was only allowed to get surgery (it was also a functional problem with chewing) until I was 16 years old. As a young child, you don’t really care but once you hit puberty, this kind of thing gets a lot harder.
One thing I had going for my self esteem was that I was always a pretty strong kid and had good muscle structure even early on. That kind of stopped some of the bullying even though I was a very quiet mellow kid. The fact that I was pretty strong made me pretty good at sports and eventually martial arts and fitness. Even though my family was always supportive, I needed that feeling of accomplishment when I did sports or martial arts. That’s what kept me going.
Once I was 16 years old, I underwent 3 jaw surgeries to correct the structure. After that, I underwent an emotional transformation and started the path to become a different person. Up to this day, I still struggle with some of this but I also realize it has made me stronger and it made me work harder. I make it a point to give it my all with sports and fitness. Yes I have my ups and downs but I set my standards high and constantly try to push my limits further to reach my goals.
Think about what your reasons are and dig a little deeper. Why do you work out? Do you enjoy working out and why / why not? How do you feel after killing it in the gym or do you have a hard time pushing yourself? Try to figure out these questions for yourself. Once you know the answers to these, you can really figure out (with the help of a trainer if you want) how to maximize your training, reach your goals and more.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, instructor and personal trainer .
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
www.TrainerVanacker.com
How to pick your personal or group fitness trainer
30/01/13 14:30
As a trainer, I’m very critical towards other trainers and expect the same from them. Everyone can always continue to learn and should take steps towards continuing their education and skills, no matter how long they have been a trainer.
Now how do you choose a trainer? I’d like to share some things I find important to ensure that you select the right trainer who can help you reach your goals. First, you have to figure out what you’re looking for in a trainer:
- Is there a certain style, workout program you want to pursue or a specific piece of equipment you want to focus on and is the trainer competent in teaching it?
- Are you looking for someone to give you tough love or to hold your hand?
- How much time and money do you want to spend on a trainer and does his/her availability and price fit into your plan? Many people can afford a trainer on a regular basis if the trainer proves to offer a big return in experience, knowledge and results!
- Important: are you ready for this?
- …
Next, once you know what you’re looking for, it’s time to learn more about your trainer:
- Does he/she have certifications and if so, are they valid and significant? Personal trainer certification companies just pop up every other day. Many require some reading and an online open book test. This doesn’t make a trainer. Intense classes, exams, hands on training and a whole lot of time makes a good trainer (and even so, there are some incredibly smart trainers out there who still don’t get results because of other factors).
- Is he/she in shape? I know this is discriminating but would you hire a dermatologist with bad skin or a child psychologist with badly behaved kids? I doubt it. It’s the same with trainers. If they take their job seriously and love what they do, they’ll do it for themselves. I know of many trainers and coaches (both fitness and martial arts) who have all these goals and years later, haven’t accomplished any of them. Not a good sign.
- Does the trainer have people skills? He/she doesn’t need to be the most social person in the world but they need to be able to push you, motivate you and help you when you need it.
- Are they experienced in many different workout methods, equipment and programs? Variation is huge in fitness training, both for your physical results and to prevent mental fatigue. The trainer needs to be able to switch things up and keep it fun by adding variety.
- Is the trainer open minded and critical at the same time? Being open minded is an important thing in training (and everything else). New equipment or methods may come out and it’s great to take advantage of that. A good trainer will take great things from different sources and put them together for a superior training experience. At the same time, being critical is vital because there are a lot of useless things in the fitness world. It is a multi billion dollar industry so many people out there promise you everything but give nothing but false statements.
- Does the trainer do any kind of assessments? These are great to check on your progress but also keep you motivated.
- Does the trainer offer packages, multi clients sessions etc. These might save you some money!
- As with some chiropractors (from my experience), a trainer who pushes you to buy their supplements, is a huge red flag. It’s ok if they introduce you to it or if you ask about it. However, if they keep being forceful about it, find someone else!
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
Kettle Bell Class Pictures
25/01/13 14:29
Here are some new pictures of our kettle bell classes last week:
Variation over Functional Training
22/01/13 14:16
Often people come to me and ask questions about ‘Functional Training’. It seems like those 2 words are very fashionable the last few years. Functional Training is great because when done properly, it helps you:
- Prepare for everyday activities
- Avoid injuries doing everyday activities
- Improve balance and joint stability
- Improve range of motion
- Etc.
Functional Training has many more benefits and is essential to good health and performance. However we need to be careful not to get stuck with these 2 words in our head and instead open our mind to other things. That’s why, instead of praising Functional Training, I prefer talking about variety!
Fitness and training has taken huge leaps in the last decades and we have learned so much. People used to work out on standard resistance machine with single plane motions and even though these are relatively safe, they also have a lot of drawbacks. Others perhaps did bodybuilding or just some morning walks.
Now that we know so much more about training, it has also become more complicated for the average person to figure out which workout is best. One person probably woke up one day and though about a concept called Functional Training. It’s a great way to market the product and makes people understand what the goal is.
Functional training is great but I believe variety is more important. Depending on your goals, mix things up. Nowadays, so many workout classes and equipment (TRX, kettle bell and even some machines) already give you such a great workout with multi plane motions and work the stabilizing muscles that you don’t have to worry so much about what’s functional and what’s not. Simply switch things up and do some hiking, some TRX classes, Cross Training classes, Kettle Bell workouts and yes, weight lifting and other types of resistance training.
I personally do TRX, kettle bell, body weight exercises, MMA, traditional and olympic weight lifting and I feel like my body is very prepared for everyday activities plus my injury rate is extremely low, especially if you consider all the activities I do on an everyday basis.
So don’t get hung up on 2 words that’s used for marketing purposes. Instead, try new things, do different classes and switch it up! As long as you work out responsibly and give your body the time to adjust, you will be happy you did!
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer .
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
Buy Your Training Mask Here!
15/01/13 09:16
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How To Make Your Workout More Effective
11/01/13 07:35
Whether you're new to it or an experienced athlete, here are some pointers on how to make your workout more effective:
- Fuel your body well. A body that doesn't have what it needs to perform will be lacking in the gym. Just compare it to a car that doesn't have fuel or oil. Make sure you ate several hours before a workout but you can have a snack (with carbs and some protein) shortly before to give your body what it needs! Also hydrate well and have a snack bar / protein shake right after your workout, followed by a meal shortly after.
- Start with something fun to get you motivated
- Push yourself with intervals or compound exercises. Do high intensity intervals with short breaks or perform a lot of compound exercises (using different muscle groups at the same time) to intensify your workout.
- Keep the talking to a low. Working out with your best friend is a lot of fun and time might go fast but you are also sacrificing part of your workout with the talking. Either agree to keep it to a minimum, work out with a random person in a group class or by yourself. If you can't, maybe extend your workout or compete with your friend during the session.
- Compete with others, even if they don't know it. On cardio machines or in drills, try to pick one person and compete with him/her. You can either ask them or just do it for yourself. Try to stay in front of them or go a little faster. Just don't get hurt doing it!
- Try out new things. Don't get stuck in your same old routine. Try out something else, such as TRX Suspension Bands, Kettle Bells, yoga etc.
- Don't spend more time in the locker room than you do on the gym floor. I think this is pretty self explanatory :)
- Fuel your body well. A body that doesn't have what it needs to perform will be lacking in the gym. Just compare it to a car that doesn't have fuel or oil. Make sure you ate several hours before a workout but you can have a snack (with carbs and some protein) shortly before to give your body what it needs! Also hydrate well and have a snack bar / protein shake right after your workout, followed by a meal shortly after.
- Start with something fun to get you motivated
- Push yourself with intervals or compound exercises. Do high intensity intervals with short breaks or perform a lot of compound exercises (using different muscle groups at the same time) to intensify your workout.
- Keep the talking to a low. Working out with your best friend is a lot of fun and time might go fast but you are also sacrificing part of your workout with the talking. Either agree to keep it to a minimum, work out with a random person in a group class or by yourself. If you can't, maybe extend your workout or compete with your friend during the session.
- Compete with others, even if they don't know it. On cardio machines or in drills, try to pick one person and compete with him/her. You can either ask them or just do it for yourself. Try to stay in front of them or go a little faster. Just don't get hurt doing it!
- Try out new things. Don't get stuck in your same old routine. Try out something else, such as TRX Suspension Bands, Kettle Bells, yoga etc.
- Don't spend more time in the locker room than you do on the gym floor. I think this is pretty self explanatory :)
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer .
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
- Warrior Training
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Sander@DefineDefense.com
www.DefineDefense.com
Tough Mudder Team Training
24/12/12 10:37
Define Defense is again participating in the Tough Mudder in Beaver Creek, Colorado on June 16th, 2013! Tough Mudder CO is a 12 mile obstacle course to complete with a team (not a competition!). It’s a blast and gives you a great goal to work towards while having fun with your team mates. And let’s not forget, it gives you bragging rights for a long time!
We will be training all our participants and have a great offer for our team mates. If you join our Define Defense Team for Tough Mudder, you can get a 3 month unlimited fitness membership at our facility for only $200 or a 6 month membership for only $345.*
This membership applies to all our TRX, Cross Training, Warrior Training and Kettle Bell classes. On top of these, we will also do additional specific workouts to prepare ourselves for Tough Mudder.
That’s a stunning 50% off normal membership fees!
However, in order to get this amazing deal at our cutting edge studio, you have to commit to joining our Tough Mudder Team first. There is absolutely no monetary gain from your registration for Define Defense. However, we do this because it’s a lot of fun!
Everyone is welcome! We just ask you to come motivated and bring your team spirit!
REGISTER HERE AND JOIN OUR TEAM!
When you register, you have to click ‘Join an Existing Team’, the next page will require you to type in our team name:
Define Defense Martial Arts & Fitness
When you are all set, please email us at Info@DefineDefense.com to confirm your registration and we will get you set up with your unlimited membership for our TRX, Cross Training and Kettle Bell classes!
Do you have any questions? Just shoot them over!
*For new members only*
Discount on TRX gear
21/11/12 12:21
TRXTraining Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals!
Black Friday Deal - 20% Off All Trainers (Rip, HOME, PRO & Force) + Free Shipping
Use Code: TRXFRI
(valid 11/23/12 only)
Cyber Monday Deal - 20% Off All Trainers (Rip, HOME, PRO & Force) + Free Shipping
(valid 11/26/12 only)
Holiday Deals
20/11/12 09:34
Holidays are coming and Define Defense is in the holiday spirit! We are offering our new clients our best deals to date! We offer high quality training in:
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- TRX & Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell Classes
- Personal Training
From now until January 1st 2013, we offer the following deals:
Mixed Martial Arts:
20% off memberships and punch cards
+ a free T shirt or tank top
Self Defense:
Four self defense classes, a Mace 10% Pepper Gel and a Define Defense T shirt or tank top for only $99
TRX / Cross Training:
20% off memberships and punch cards
+ a free T shirt or tank top
Kettle Bell Program:
20% off memberships and punch cards
+ a free T shirt or tank top
Personal Training:
First session is free!
Youth Martial Arts:
20% off memberships and punch cards
+ a free Gi
Closed for Thanksgiving
17/11/12 17:42
We wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving! Since so many people are busy and out of town, Define Defense will be closing on Thanksgiving (Thursday), Friday 11/23/12 and Friday 11/24/12.
Have a great holiday and hope to see you in the beginning of the week or the next week!
As always, when in doubt, please check our online schedule.
You Get What You Work For
12/11/12 14:45
When I was a kid, my parents taught me early on how to take responsibility seriously and work hard. I started drying dishes, vacuuming the floors and dusting real early on in my life. When I was 8 years old, my parents did a kitchen remodel (extension) and my sister and I brought in all the broken bricks by hand for the foundation, as well as all the bricks to build the extension.
As a teenager, I had vacation jobs from picking out fish in the factory, drying dishes in a restaurant, metal work to planting corn by hand. No matter if I knew how to do something or not, I was eager to learn and willing to make up for my lack of knowledge by hard work and motivation.
Up until this day, that lesson has stuck with me and as a business owner or athlete, if I have a goal I will not be outworked.
That doesn’t mean I’ve been successful with everything in my life, absolutely not. As a competitive biker I had a good run but didn’t have what it took (mentally) to turn pro. I have lost tournaments, failed on personal goals and have disappointed people. For these things I take full responsibility and am sorry. However I do not blame others for my shortcomings.
It is the exact way with training. If you want to reach a goal but don’t make a change, nothing will happen. If you have a 1,000 excuses all the time, nothing will happen. If you seem comfortable with how things are and don’t show motivation, nothing will happen. And if you feel sorry for yourself, it’ll be damn hard to reach that goal. This might seem blunt but it is the truth. If you want to be successful in reaching your goal and see a change, you have to look at yourself first. Keep yourself accountable for the changes you have or haven’t made, see what you can do better and don’t be satisfied with how you do things right now. If you are successful and see results in your training, there wouldn’t be a need to make changes because you are already doing a great job.
Now this doesn’t work for everyone, some individuals have other situations and should be more confident in themselves to reach a goal. However, for many this does apply. My job as a trainer is to know how to motivate someone, know who to make them reach their goal and make them feel good doing it. I highly believe in positive reinforcement and challenging a client while giving them a successful feeling when accomplishing their goals. It could be a small as an exercise or as big as a weight loss goal in 4 months from now. I don’t find it necessary to be overly strict with my clients as they are doing a great job and are intrinsically motivated. But there are also many others who need more accountability. If you want your physical goals to happen, you have to be mentally prepared. It is a huge factor in sports and training. Set little goals and go for them. Obviously things happen and your results might be off but don’t use too many excuses. If you reach a lot of little goals, you will eventually reach your final big goal.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer .
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- TRX / Cross Training Classes
- Kettle Bell
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Martial Arts Studio Franchise with Define Defense
01/10/12 20:57
Define Defense has created complete franchising packages for any beginning or established studio, anywhere in the world. Our franchising packages take you and you studio to the next level and take advantage of the modernization of the sport. After all, many methods and practices have been proven to be ineffective and outdated, both in martial arts and in business. Our methods and strategies implement all the latest developments into your business. Not just in terms of martial arts but also your marketing, social media, networking, promotions, software etc.
Everything is laid out for you so you don’t have to spend money hiring people or time figuring it out yourself. Starting a business from the ground up can be extremely demanding and expensive. This is why our packages can greatly help so you don’t have to spend the time or money.
Our packages have been created by professionals and give you as a current or future Define Defense studio owner a more than solid foundation to build your profitable studio on.
Performance and Motivation Workshop
25/09/12 20:09
Define Defense is partnering up with Coach Meg from Spark Behavior Solutions to offer you a workshop about performance, motivation and learn how to master healthy habits for better results! This great workshop will take place at the Define Defense studio on November 15th from 6-7.30pm.
Before the workshop, we will be offering a free TRX / Cross Training class from 5-6pm for our clients and all workshop attendees.
$35 for DD members
$45 for non DD members
The TRX class will take place before the workshop. MMA class will be cancelled and our 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu class will start at 7.30pm.
Please register by emailing Coach Meg at info@sparkbehavior.com
Dowload the flyer here:
Define Defense Flyer
Back to School Promo
13/08/12 14:37
From August 15th until September 15th, we will be running a Back to School promo!
Youth MMA Program:
Any child who signs up, gets a free custom Define Defense Gi (value: $49.99)
Mixed Martial Arts & Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Program:
New clients get a free custom Define Defense rash guard (value: $40)
TRX / Cross Training Program:
New clients get a free Define Defense T Shirt (value: $19.99)
Recovery as Indicator
18/07/12 14:37
As a child and teenager, my focus was all too often on how hard I could go and how much I could do during training. It was all about weight, speed, intensity, duration etc.
One thing I realized when growing older (and throughout college education, training etc.) is that I needed to pay more attention to my recovery heart rate. After doing a set, an interval, a workout, see how long it takes for your heart rate to drop to (or close to) normal levels. If it continues to race for minutes, you might need to switch up your training routines or in extreme cases, go see a doctor.
If you heart rate drops pretty quickly, then you know your body is able to recover quicker and it is also acting more efficiently compared to someone’s heart rate who stays higher for a much longer time period. It is a great indicator of your current physical condition. If you recover faster, it enables you to do more repetition, keep your intensity high and outwork an opponent. If your body fails to recover, you will be forced to stop or slow down.
The easiest way to check is to count your heart rate during 15 seconds and multiply this number by 4, right after you finished working out or doing your last exercise and again after 1 or 2 minutes. If you continue to do this over a certain time period, you will see if there are any changes. Remember, every individual has a different level, different maximum heart rates, heart rate zones and recovery time. Compare to your own data over time, not others!
Now how do you improve your recovery time? Easy: by training! If are new to training, you will notice a significant difference quickly. If you have been training for a while and don’t notice any difference anymore, you can switch up your training and focus on different ways of working out. You can focus more on endurance (which plays a huge factor in improving recovery times), intervals, tempo training etc. Do things you are not used of doing to keep your body guessing. That is why cross training is so great! It shocks your body and makes it stronger in every single way. This new and improved body will be able to make more progress in the sport you want get better at.
Next time you are working out, don’t only focus on the workout itself, also measure up your heart rate after some sets and after your workout and take notes. These notes will be helpful down the road! It’s not all about training, but also about recovery, rest, nutrition etc.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
One thing I realized when growing older (and throughout college education, training etc.) is that I needed to pay more attention to my recovery heart rate. After doing a set, an interval, a workout, see how long it takes for your heart rate to drop to (or close to) normal levels. If it continues to race for minutes, you might need to switch up your training routines or in extreme cases, go see a doctor.
If you heart rate drops pretty quickly, then you know your body is able to recover quicker and it is also acting more efficiently compared to someone’s heart rate who stays higher for a much longer time period. It is a great indicator of your current physical condition. If you recover faster, it enables you to do more repetition, keep your intensity high and outwork an opponent. If your body fails to recover, you will be forced to stop or slow down.
The easiest way to check is to count your heart rate during 15 seconds and multiply this number by 4, right after you finished working out or doing your last exercise and again after 1 or 2 minutes. If you continue to do this over a certain time period, you will see if there are any changes. Remember, every individual has a different level, different maximum heart rates, heart rate zones and recovery time. Compare to your own data over time, not others!
Now how do you improve your recovery time? Easy: by training! If are new to training, you will notice a significant difference quickly. If you have been training for a while and don’t notice any difference anymore, you can switch up your training and focus on different ways of working out. You can focus more on endurance (which plays a huge factor in improving recovery times), intervals, tempo training etc. Do things you are not used of doing to keep your body guessing. That is why cross training is so great! It shocks your body and makes it stronger in every single way. This new and improved body will be able to make more progress in the sport you want get better at.
Next time you are working out, don’t only focus on the workout itself, also measure up your heart rate after some sets and after your workout and take notes. These notes will be helpful down the road! It’s not all about training, but also about recovery, rest, nutrition etc.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Mixed Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Tentative Schedule for Fall 2012
28/06/12 12:08
Here is our tentative schedule for the fall of 2012. As you see, all programs have a great selection of classes and class times.
If you have any recommendations or comments, go on our forum and leave them there. We will be compiling and reviewing them and make any changes that are possible to accommodate your requests.
Father's Day: What to Get?
13/06/12 14:36
Sunday is Father's Day! Sometimes it can be tricky to figure out what to get your husband, dad, grandpa, godfather etc. So here are some suggestions of the Define Defense Team:
A TRX Suspension Band: These are some of the best workout tools in the world. It may look like an innocent and easy piece of equipment but it will challenge you, no matter what level you are! Many pro athletes use it and Define Defense uses the TRX Suspension Bands every day for general fitness training, rehabilitation and MMA training! If that's not cool enough, keep in mind it was invented by a Navy Seal!
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA classes: Get him a membership or a punch card for BJJ or MMA classes! Little boys love wrestling and grappling and deep inside somewhere, all men are still sort of boys. So give him a chance to learn BJJ & MMA. He will thoroughly enjoy it and learn great skills. It is a lot more than just rolling around on the ground, it's a highly tactical and intelligent ground game with many skills and techniques, call it a human chess game if you want. Plus, what do you have to lose? You get a husband that's in great shape and he can protect you better!
Self Defense: Perhaps your husband or dad has been bugging you for years since he's worried about you. Well, you know what the answer is: Take some self defense classes and take away his worries!
Cross Training / TRX classes: None of the above? No problem, get him a punch card or membership for Cross Training / TRX classes and let him pick when he comes to work out. Define Defense has 7 classes every week and no need to register beforehand. He will get a great and safe workout that will give him fantastic results. The instructors at Define Defense are very individually oriented and make sure you reach your personal goals!
Gift card: Can't decide between all these awesome choices? Well then you can just get a gift card and let him decide for himself! He can even use towards our retail products, such as boxing / MMA gloves, rash guards, pepper spray etc.
You can simply come into our studio to purchase or order something or contact us at info@DefineDefense.com
Define Defense at Tough Mudder Colorado 2012
13/06/12 14:22
I had a great time since I've been looking forward to it for a long time and was fortunate enough not to have any injuries or limitations. It's great to find new challenges and this particular one would challenge my endurance, balance, coordination, problem solving skills and especially: mental toughness.
Some of the obstacles were especially mentally challenging, such as the ice bath (water with 1.5 feet of ice and you had to dive under a wooden board before exiting), and the electroshocks. There were not one, two but three obstacles with live wires this year! The first we had to crawl in water, second on an ice sheet and the third is the well known one running through live wires. Of course, not all wires are charged but that makes it even more nerve wrecking. I was shocked a total of 7 times. During the last obstacle, right before the finish line, I got shocked twice on the head and it dazed me pretty well. However, I was fortunate enough not to drop (we have seen other people go unconscious for a few seconds). Even though the shocks aren't fun, it's part of the game and it added to the experience. Obviously, if you have medical issues you shouldn't go through the electroshocks.
I did all the obstacles of the course and they were all great for different reasons. A few objections I have with the challenge though are:
- Some of the obstacles that require physical skills, such as climbing, ducking etc. were too short. They should have been longer in length.
- The course was reasonably tough and despite the fact that Tough Mudder needs to accommodate the general population of may different levels, I thought it would be harder. The hardest part of the course was absolutely the altitude changes. You had to run uphill, downhill, hike etc. which was GREAT! That makes it a lot harder but I would like to see harder physically challenging obstacles. Perhaps they should do the course as it is and do some extra things for an 'Elite Tough Mudder'?
P.S. A big thank you to the team and the people who came out to support!
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Extreme Diets: Why Do People Do Them?
08/06/12 07:21
A few days ago, I was watching a 20/20 episode we recorded a while ago. It discussed a number of diets out there that are controversial, yet a lot of people follow them.
First, the episode showed more about the feeding tube or K-E Diet. This in particular was extremely concerning. Basically, a doctor puts a tube in your stomach through your nose and a pump provides you with a blend of nutrients throughout the day, for a total of 800 calories a day.
This amount of calories is shockingly low as it is not even enough to support your body’s basal metabolism (the amount of energy your body needs to keep vital functions going without any extra activity). Therefore, you end up losing a lot of important tissue in your body which is not fat, plus it is not enough to support your organs to function properly.
Surprisingly, many brides do this diet since it gives quick results for their special day. However, it is not without danger for your health. It also makes your body retain more after the diet and I can imagine many people splurge and gain more weight back later.
The statistics show that 80% of people on diets regain their weight. Now why is that? One reason for it is that most diets are so extreme that people can’t stay on them. They get some results (often not as much as they are hoping for) and they get back in their old habits. Other diets revolve around pills, of which many are nonsense. Some that do have active ingredients may have some effect. However there is no such thing as a magic pill. Instead, you need to change your habits, eat well, work out responsibly and adjust your lifestyle.
Also please be wary of ‘before and after’ pictures. Just check out this video.
We all know obesity rates are extremely high and it is a huge problem. Even though we live longer than we did hundreds of years ago, we can do much better. Many companies and individuals take advantage of people feeling desperate and helpless and promise them amazing results. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way and even more sad is that so many people believe these ads or claims.
Please do not let someone talk you into spending tremendous amounts of money for something that doesn’t really work or may be hazardous for your health. Instead, find an honest professional who will tell you the truth. And you may not really like it but at least you will do the right thing and get your body healthier. Instead of losing 30 lbs. in 30 days, it may take you 90 days but at least you can rely on this information and your body will become healthier without any exaggerated stress, chemicals or deprivation. Plus you will not have to spend an extraordinary amount of money.
With hard work, dedication and good support, you can change your lifestyle and become a healthier you. However, be cautious and critical when looking for ‘magical’ solutions.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Carb Loading for Athletes
07/06/12 14:51
If you are familiar with the term carb loading, you know it’s a method used by a lot of endurance athletes to increase the storage of glycogen (for energy use) in the body.
For many martial artists, this does not necessarily apply if you are cutting weight for tournaments. You can still cut carbs the days before (which you have to anyway) and then maximize your intake after weigh ins but you will by far not have the same exact effect as for example a cyclist doing carb loading because you do not have enough time to load carbs after weigh ins, which are often the day before the event.
An average person in normal circumstances has enough glycogen stored in the body to last you for 90 minutes when doing a physical activity, such as running, cycling, etc.
When you carb load, you can increase the amount of glycogen stored from 25-100% (for adult men shown in some studies, results for women are less steady), which means it your body’s reserves will last you longer than 90 minutes so any loss in performance by lack of energy will be postponed or not be present at all if you fuel your body during the activity.
First and foremost, it is important to increase your carb intake the last few days before your goal event or race. You do need to make sure this does not cause any intestinal problems that may affect your performance. If you have never done carb loading before, try it out before during training to see how your system reacts.
The first phase of carb loading:
A week before the race, decrease your carb intake (don’t cut them out all together) and resume your training as normal. Increase your protein and fat intake to compensate for the lowered carb intake. This will make your body react to the lack of carbs but not deteriorate your body of performance by cutting calories. About 50-55% of your caloric intake should come from carbs during these two to three days.
The second phase of carb loading:
Three to four days before the event or race, increase your carb intake drastically and cut back on your fat intake. At this point, about 70% of your total calorie intake should consist of carbohydrates. Lower your training intensity and frequency to allow your body to store more glycogen (converted from carbs) than normal. The day before the race, rest completely or do an extremely light workout to loosen your muscles.
Even though you do carb loading, you may still feel fatigued during or after the race. This may be muscle damage, buildup from lactic acid etc. Energy storage and processes are only one piece of the puzzle. However when done right, it may benefit your performance drastically. Don’t forget to continue to fuel your body during the race to prevent fatigue. When carb loading, a temporary weight gain is seen frequently. When your body stores more carbs it also stores more water, therefore the weight gain. This should however be temporary. If you have long term weight gain, you are most likely consuming too many calories overall.
Every individual responds differently to carb loading and discuss the process with your doctor, trainer or nutritionist in more depth before attempting.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Define Defense Tough Mudder Team: Drew
22/05/12 13:32
Name: Drew Ash
Age: 27
Profession: Brazilian Jiujitsu instructor
Where do you live: Boulder, CO
Have you participated in Tough Mudder before: No, though I had a dream about it once
Have you participated in any other mud competitions, like Warrior Dash or MuckRuckus: No
What got you interested in participating: Seeing the course
Describe your training regimen for the event: Daily Brazilian jiujitsu with Strength and conditioning classes 4-5 times a week
When did you start training: Year round
Tough Mudder can be an intimidating event. Any fears or concerns: Yes, that my heart will explode when I go through "shock therapy". As well as ankle injuries from the mud.
Are you in it for the die-hard competition or more for the fun? Fun
How have your friends and family reacted to you doing Tough Mudder: Most of them pat me on the back in a very patronizing way.
Besides Tough Mudder, what’s the most extreme thing you’ve ever done: Mixed martial arts
Daily Camera Workout of the Week: Cross Training with a TRX Boost
16/05/12 13:49
Workout of the week: Cross training with a TRX boost
Danielle Mulein For the Camera
Posted: 05/15/2012 08:21:30 AM MDT
Updated: 05/15/2012 08:26:29 AM MDT
Danielle Mulein For the Camera
Posted: 05/15/2012 08:21:30 AM MDT
Updated: 05/15/2012 08:26:29 AM MDT
Define Defense, 1805 11th St., Suite B, Boulder, 720-340-6254, definedefense.com
Instructor: Belgium born Sander Vanacker, co-owner and head instructor of Define Defenses, a martial arts and personal training gym, has a passion for fitness. Vanacker has been a martial arts devotee since childhood with extensive training in Wado Ryu Karate and Japanese Ju Jutsu.
Vanacker dabbled in semi-professional cycling in Belgium, triathlons, weight lifting and general fitness training, while getting a bachelor's degree in physical education, personal training and sports management.
Matt Iwaskow (right) and Hawk Vanek (left) workout at Define Defense in Boulder. ( MARK LEFFINGWELL )
Two months ago, Vanacker got TRX suspension band certified. The weight-free exercises allow for more control over workout intensity, he says. He began incorporating TRX into a cross training fitness class.
What is the workout?
The class is a combination of cross training and TRX exercises designed for a full body workout. Utilizing the entire space, Vanaker designs a circuit workout that keeps the entire class energized and alert while working on core, endurance, strength and cardio.
The workout started with running and then made its way through kettle bell lifts, undulation ropes, squats, crunches, TRX suspension bands, and a vibration plate -- just to name few. With music pumping in the background and calls of encouragement or instruction from Vanaker, the class was upbeat and extremely dynamic.
What's different?
The class is a mix of cross training and TRX band exercises enabling a very well-rounded workout. Although the class is challenging, it allows for individual pacing and modification.
"Sander is exceptionally good at being able to modify for injury or specific need," said Aaron Hamilton, a loyal client who has struggled with a shoulder injury for years.
Equipment used:
Vanacker's combination of traditional weights and medicine balls with undulation ropes and a vibration plate is key in keeping the class exciting. I had never used a vibration plate, TRX bands or undulation ropes, but Vanacker was a supportive and knowledgeable teacher who focused on explaining proper technique.
Cost:
The first class is free. Define Defense also has month-based memberships ranging from $85 to $110 for unlimited classes or punch cards, 10 classes for $200 and 20 classes for $350.
Level:
Although this class is not for the weak and weary, you work at your own level. A typical active person could step into the class, never having even seen or heard of circuit training or TRX bands, and be able to keep up.
What to prepare:
Workout clothes you can easily move in are a must, along with some water, although there is a drinking fountain. The class is taken barefoot on the martial arts mats, so workout shoes are unnecessary.
Muscles worked:
It truly is an all-encompassing workout targeting core and oblique muscles, shoulder and arm conditioning, glutes, inner thigh, calf and quad strengthening. It is a highly cardiovascular class that focuses not only on strength improvement but overall health and wellness.
What I loved:
I actually loved the whole class. I have never done anything remotely like cross training or TRX and I was pleasantly surprised. The TRX, though, probably was my favorite, because it's all based on your own strength and bodyweight. Oh and they validate parking, always a plus in downtown Boulder.
What I didn't like:
I didn't care for the shoe-free workout. We were on mats, which was fine, but sweat made my feet slippery and caused difficulty gripping the mat, which caused my balance to be off during some exercises.
How I felt after the class:
Sore, I am not going to sugar coat it. I left the class pumped up on endorphins and loving life, but woke up the next morning with a nice variety of soreness, including my shoulders, arms and upper back, as well as well as my oblique and calf muscles.
-- Reported by Danielle Mulein
Define Defense Tough Mudder Team: Sander
16/05/12 13:29
TRX / Cross Training Class
11/05/12 11:49
Review: TRX Suspension Bands
03/05/12 14:38
TRX has become very popular during the last few years. All our clients use it and many other people have used it or at least seen it before. TRX makes Suspension Bands and Rip Trainers (which are also coming to our studio soon).
Define Defense has been using TRX Suspension Bands since its opening weekend. We absolutely love using them for many different reasons. Because they are so great, our head instructor Sander completed the official TRX Suspension Bands certification course.
The background of it is pretty cool as well. The founder was a Navy Seal Team leader and made the Suspension Band when they were on missions and in safe houses. Since there is not much room in these places, they needed a way to stay in shape and work out their bodies. That is how the Suspension Band was created.
Now, years later, it has become one of the best pieces of equipment that I have ever used. My personal biggest reason of this is because you can work so many different muscle groups in ways that are hard to replicate. You utilize your body in such a way that many parts of it are working at the same time, therefore it is extremely functional. Although I do have huge reservations about ‘functional fitness’, the TRX band is the best example of how to do it right. More about my take on functional fitness another time, just realize that TRX bands do work the entire body in every plane of motion. Therefore, TRX training is very practical to strengthen your body for everyday use and activities. It is also perfect to avoid injuries, coordination and body awareness (something that is very important for everyone and especially elderly people).
A great aspect of them for myself is that you can choose any intensity you want. There are many adjustments you can do to change the difficulty and resistance of the exercise. There is no doubt that you can do an extremely hard workout with the TRX Suspension Bands. That is why it’s a perfect workout tool for any athlete because you can train for performance with them. Of course, variation is key and I am a huge believer of using many different pieces of equipment, exercises etcetera but you can absolutely get a very intense workout with simply the TRX Suspension Band.
Many of our clients train for self defense, MMA, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and more. All of them are able to use the TRX bands very effectively. It strengthens them, makes them react quicker, makes them less prone to injuries, creates better body awareness and core stability etcetera.
Define Defense offers 7 TRX / Cross Training classes every week and utilizes all our equipment during our martial arts classes as well to provide our clients with a great workout as well as learning effective skills for self defense, MMA, BJJ etc.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
'If you talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk' - Goals & Determination
19/04/12 12:48
When growing up, my parents had a certain saying: It’s better to get a B or C after trying really hard than getting an A without trying at all. That being said, I was a very good student but it showed the values that were important to them. I guess it’s in line with the saying ‘Hard Work Beats Talent’ and I couldn’t agree any more. If things go too easy for you, then you never learn determination, the satisfaction and rewards of hard work.
The point is, you have to work and you have to try hard. If you put a lot of effort and determination in something, good things will come your way. The road may not be always full of sunshine and there will be bumps in the road but nothing ever goes perfectly. This absolutely applies to training as well. If you train hard (and smart but that’s for another article), then you will see progress. If you don’t put 100% in, then don’t expect all your goals to come true.
Now that has absolutely nothing to do with performance. As a trainer, I never expect our clients to perform the same or compare them to each other. For example: I prefer much more that a person is giving a 100% lifting a 20lbs. kettle bell than the person next to him/her lifting a 50lbs. kettle bell without breaking a sweat. Everyone works at their level and gets the equipment suited for them. However, we do expect everyone to do their best and to give a 100% in their workouts, whatever their fitness level allows.
I believe in perseverance or as the saying says: ‘If you talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk’ (last saying I promise). Of course, if you don’t enjoy something it is likely that you will quit at some point which is fine! There is so much out there that enables you to choose what you really love to do. Also, you will fail at some goals in your life and that is normal. Everyone does but as long as you gave it a fair shot and put your energy into it, then there is nothing to feel bad about.
My family was always very motivating in every hobby I had but also very strict. I could not be any more appreciative for that. It taught me discipline and determination. At the same time, that is why I was able to reach my personal goals. If they didn’t bother putting rules in place and taking the time to enforce them, I would not have learned the lessons that I did. So find motivation in your training, no matter what it is, be confident and persistent. As your trainer, I will do my part as well as I can but I need to see the focus and determination in your eyes.
By Sander Vanacker, owner, head instructor and personal trainer of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
Video: TRX Biceps Curls
27/03/12 06:36
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
(720) 340 6254
Info@DefineDefense.com
TRX Group Classes
12/03/12 14:46
Starting this week, Define Defense is offering TRX group classes! Define Defense’s personal trainer and head instructor Sander has completed the certification course for TRX instructors. The TRX suspension bands are great workout tools and use your own bodyweight to offer you a complete workout! The TRX classes will take place along with the Cross Training (strength & conditioning) classes and will as always give you a great workout while focussing on your individual goals. Depending on your goals, different methods and equipment will be used!
Monday:
6.15-7.15pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Tuesday:
1-2pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Wednesday:
11-12pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
5.15-6.15: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Thursday:
5.15-6.15pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Friday:
11-12pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Saturday:
1-2pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Monday:
6.15-7.15pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Tuesday:
1-2pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Wednesday:
11-12pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
5.15-6.15: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Thursday:
5.15-6.15pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Friday:
11-12pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Saturday:
1-2pm: Cross Training / TRX Group Class
Tough Mudder Medicine Ball Workout
01/03/12 11:16
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
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TRX ab exercise
01/03/12 11:14
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
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1805 11th Street Suite B
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My Training Progress & Paleo Preparations
26/02/12 16:30
Last Thursday, Mike and his wife Jessica told us more about their experiences with the Paleo diet (aka Cavemen diet). The concept of doing the hunter/gatherer diet really appeals to me since it doesn’t allow anything that was not available at that time in history. And if that isn’t enough, just keep in mind that individuals such as Jason Statham, Frank Mir and Forest Griffin use the Paleo diet to cut weight!
I won’t get into the details since I’m not a nutritionist and also don’t know all the details about the diet but here are some great links if you are interested:
During the month of March, I will strictly follow the Paleo diet. It’s my intention to eat healthier (goodbye manipulated or processed foods) and also lean out. After all, many off the illnesses and diseases we deal with are caused by our nutrition.
To prepare, I have slightly adjusted my meal plan already before starting on the Paleo diet. Since last week, I have slightly dropped to 12% body fat. My workouts have been the same but my meals have been leaner. The 2% drop corresponds well with the weight difference on the scale, however I believe I was holding water before which played a factor in my earlier measurements. My body does adjust quickly and is very responsive, which helps a great amount and just makes me more excited for my Paleo experience!
A few examples of my workout days this past week:
Wednesday:
- Bag striking drills and kicks (45 minutes)
- Shoulder workout with cleans, shoulder raises and front raises (40 minutes)
- Full body strength & conditioning class (60 minutes)
- Modern Martial Arts class, leg heavy (60 minutes)
Thursday:
- Drills and games in the Youth martial arts class
- Full body strength & conditioning class (60 minutes, I focussed mostly on abs and back)
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class (45 minutes)
This wasn’t my hardest week since I took a few days off and lacked some time to work out. However, the training was plenty to maintain and in combination with my adjusted meal plan, good to cut some weight. My average week will contain 4 weight lifting sessions, 3 full on strength & conditioning workouts and a mix of Modern Martial Arts and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu 5-6 days/week.
By Sander Vanacker, owner and head instructor of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
TRX band exercise: Inverted V-up
20/02/12 14:13
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
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Goal Setting: The Next Phase in my Training
17/02/12 15:30
The first few years after cycling and doing weight training off and on, I gained a great amount of muscle mass. At this point in time, I weigh about 215lbs with a fat percentage of approx. 14% (up from 8% when cycling). The reason behind the higher fat percentage is less cardio (I was on the bike 18 hours/week) and a less strict diet since I was no longer competing until now.
It was very important for me to retain my full range of motion, flexibility and speed. Mass means nothing if you can't put it to good use after all, especially as a martial artist. This is why I always focussed on explosiveness, speed drills, stretching and giving martial arts training 100%. The right attitude means everything. You can train 6 hours/day but if you only give 50%, results will stay behind. I was also very fortunate to study in a great college (while cycling) and since one of my majors was Physical Education, we had about 12 hours of different sports every week. This absolutely made me a more complete and diverse athlete, challenging me in every way. I feel stronger than ever and haven’t compromised my speed, flexibility etc.
Next week, we are doing a workshop about the Paleo diet. I will do a 30 day Paleo diet challenge throughout March and expect this to be a great help in my training. It will also be a great experience as I really like the idea behind the Paleo diet. I will be posting blog articles, updates and videos about my upcoming training, progress and Paleo diet experience. Every week, I will show you what I am doing and what differences I notice by changing my routines.
Until then, my training will be stepped up a notch and the focus will be on 5-6 meals a day with unsaturated fats, complex carbs and protein in every meal. Drinking lots of water is vital and fruits, vegetables and lean meats will be my refuge. Stay tuned for more updates!
By Sander Vanacker, owner and head instructor of Define Defense Martial Arts & Personal Training.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulators
06/02/12 10:50
If you have ever seen someone using electrical stimulators, you may have thought they were in some kind of medical trouble or so. Fortunately, they’re not (although they are used in rehabilitation to strengthen muscles and prevent atrophy).
Neuromuscular electrical stimulators (NEMS) are used in the athletic world but there is still a lot of potential since many athletes are unaware of the technology. The Soviet Union started using them in the athletic world in the 60’s and claimed their athletes increased their strength by 40%.
Basically, what happens in our body all the time is that the nervous system transports electrical impulses. When it reaches a muscle it makes the muscle contract, therefore move (of course there are a lot more processes going on but this is the most relevant one for this topic).
The electrical stimulator works by the same principle. It send electrical current through the skin and makes the skeletal muscle contract. Depending on the frequency, different types and quantities of the muscle will contract.
At first, the feeling is extremely uncomfortable and this is a turn off for many people. However, you are in full control and can start off easy and build your way up to higher intensities. Different individuals will have different sensitivities so don’t compare levels and intensity of shocks between multiple people.
There’s a few different ways you can use an electrical stimulator as an athlete. The first one is low frequencies, which is great for recovery and ‘massage’. It makes your muscles gently contract to increase blood flow which increases recovery by supplying nutrients and oxygen and takes away metabolic waste products from the muscle. In my opinion, nothing beats sport specific active recovery but using the NEMS is absolutely advantageous, especially compared to passive rest.
The second method to use a muscle electrical stimulation machine (there’s many different names for it but they are all about the same) is to use higher frequencies. This will benefit your maximal strength and power output by targeting your 2a and 2b muscle fibers. The NEMS can make your muscles contract harder than a voluntary contraction (especially with large muscles), therefore recruits more muscle fibers and also offers a more intense training. Treat the sessions as a weight training workout. Do the same amount of sets, duration, rest etc.
The biggest problem of the NEMS is danger of overtraining. Because you are able to recruit more muscle fibers and you are not limited by other factors such as cardio or respiratory limitations, you are in danger of training too hard. This can result in massive muscle damage, too little rest etc. Start of very easy and build up. Many beginners without guidance can’t move the trained area for a few days after their first NEMS workout, which indicates that the intensity was too high.
There are contradictions about this type of training. Some use the argument that you need to train a muscle through the whole range of motion to really shape it and make it stronger. Since NEMS contracts the muscle in an isometric way, only a part of the muscle is being worked at that time (although isometric exercises have a solid place in a workout routine). Pro studies have shown that after using NEMS, many of the benefits are caused by an improved connection between the nerves and the muscle. This enables to muscle to recruit more motor units, which increases power output (therefore more efficient).
In my opinion, NEMS is a fantastic tool to supplement your training! However, sport specific training should always be the focus. You cannot skip training and use an electrical stimulator instead while watching tv and expect the same results. What you should do instead is train hard/smart and supplement your training with the NEMS. Put the focus on training specific, do exercises to maintain your full range of motion and keep shocking your body to make it adapt. A neuromuscular electrical stimulator absolutely has a place in a workout routine but you need to use it wisely.
Stay tuned for some video tutorials on how to use a neuromuscular electrical stimulator (coming this week).
Warning: when used properly, these devices are safe. However, there are many risk factors so check with the seller and your doctor before utilizing the NEMS. Also hire a trained professional to show you how to use the device properly.
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
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1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Training the energy systems
19/01/12 11:04
Part 4 of our Periodization workshop on 1/18/12:
Lactic acid tolerance training
This will improve your tolerance but also your body’s ability to buffer it and increase lactate removal from the muscle.
Intervals of less than 1 minute will require 4-8 repetitions with long recovery periods in between (15-30 minutes)
Longer intervals of 2-3 minutes are desirable but only if you can hold the intensity.
This is a very hard workout so don’t overdo it.
Maximum oxygen consumption training
Intervals of 3-5 minutes, max intensity. Heart rate up to 10 beats under your max.
Improve efficiency of the oxygen transport system.
Anaerobic Threshold Training
Tempo training with speed slightly above comfortable. Intensity should be 60-90% of max and you have to hold it throughout your training. Lactate levels will be above 4 millimol and will build up.
Phosphate system training
Short bursts of maximum intensity up to 10 seconds. Long recovery necessary to prevent lactate production.
Aerobic Threshold Training (Long Slow Distance Training)
More than 1 hour
No lactate production
Comfortable intensity (have to be able to talk)
Will improve endurance and recovery time
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Lactic acid tolerance training
This will improve your tolerance but also your body’s ability to buffer it and increase lactate removal from the muscle.
Intervals of less than 1 minute will require 4-8 repetitions with long recovery periods in between (15-30 minutes)
Longer intervals of 2-3 minutes are desirable but only if you can hold the intensity.
This is a very hard workout so don’t overdo it.
Maximum oxygen consumption training
Intervals of 3-5 minutes, max intensity. Heart rate up to 10 beats under your max.
Improve efficiency of the oxygen transport system.
Anaerobic Threshold Training
Tempo training with speed slightly above comfortable. Intensity should be 60-90% of max and you have to hold it throughout your training. Lactate levels will be above 4 millimol and will build up.
Phosphate system training
Short bursts of maximum intensity up to 10 seconds. Long recovery necessary to prevent lactate production.
Aerobic Threshold Training (Long Slow Distance Training)
More than 1 hour
No lactate production
Comfortable intensity (have to be able to talk)
Will improve endurance and recovery time
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Energy Systems
19/01/12 10:59
Part 3 of our Periodization workshop on 1/18/12:
Energy required for muscle contraction is released by by the conversion of ATP into ADP+P
Therefore, ATP sources need to constantly replenished by different energy systems:
Phosphagen System
Readily available in the body and can be used instantaneously for efforts up to 8-10 seconds. Very important for weight lifters, sprinters etc. No lactic acid production and no oxygen necessary.
After the effort, in the first 30 seconds, 70% of the creatinephosphate is replenished and in 3 to 5 minutes, a 100% is replenished.
Lactic Acid System
The lactic acid system provides energy for resynthesizing ATP for events up to 40 seconds (first 10 will be Phosphagen system). It breaks down glycogen stored in the muscle cells and liver and produces lactic acid (no oxygen used which creates an oxygen debt).
Restoring glycogen takes 2 hours for 40% and 24 hours for full restoration after a workout with breaks throughout. For a continuous, high intensity workout, it can take 48 hours.
95% of the lactic acid is removed after 1 hour and 15 minutes so the muscle pains you may feel for the next few days are not lactic acid but micro damage in your muscle.
Aerobic System
Fully activated after 60-80 seconds (warmup is important) to produce energy for resynthesizing ATP from AD+P. Energy sources are fats and glycogen (and protein occasionally).
Primary energy system for endurance athletes.
No lactic acid production or buildup.
However, in most cases, the aerobic system and lactic acid system work at the same time! The ratio depends on the intensity of your efforts.
The best indicator of which energy system you are actually using when exercising is measuring the level of lactic acid in the blood. The threshold (point where both energy systems are working but no build up of lactic acid) is 4 millimoles. Over that and you will get a buildup because your body is producing more than it can take away.
You can raise the threshold by training. An athlete with a good aerobic base (endurance) can work with higher intensity before crossing the threshold.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Energy required for muscle contraction is released by by the conversion of ATP into ADP+P
Therefore, ATP sources need to constantly replenished by different energy systems:
Phosphagen System
Readily available in the body and can be used instantaneously for efforts up to 8-10 seconds. Very important for weight lifters, sprinters etc. No lactic acid production and no oxygen necessary.
After the effort, in the first 30 seconds, 70% of the creatinephosphate is replenished and in 3 to 5 minutes, a 100% is replenished.
Lactic Acid System
The lactic acid system provides energy for resynthesizing ATP for events up to 40 seconds (first 10 will be Phosphagen system). It breaks down glycogen stored in the muscle cells and liver and produces lactic acid (no oxygen used which creates an oxygen debt).
Restoring glycogen takes 2 hours for 40% and 24 hours for full restoration after a workout with breaks throughout. For a continuous, high intensity workout, it can take 48 hours.
95% of the lactic acid is removed after 1 hour and 15 minutes so the muscle pains you may feel for the next few days are not lactic acid but micro damage in your muscle.
Aerobic System
Fully activated after 60-80 seconds (warmup is important) to produce energy for resynthesizing ATP from AD+P. Energy sources are fats and glycogen (and protein occasionally).
Primary energy system for endurance athletes.
No lactic acid production or buildup.
However, in most cases, the aerobic system and lactic acid system work at the same time! The ratio depends on the intensity of your efforts.
The best indicator of which energy system you are actually using when exercising is measuring the level of lactic acid in the blood. The threshold (point where both energy systems are working but no build up of lactic acid) is 4 millimoles. Over that and you will get a buildup because your body is producing more than it can take away.
You can raise the threshold by training. An athlete with a good aerobic base (endurance) can work with higher intensity before crossing the threshold.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Supercompensation
19/01/12 10:57
Part 2 of our Periodization workshop on 1/18/12:
Everything we do in our training and our training planning is affected by supercompensation. It refers to the biological state your body is after working out and rest. When you work out, your body is fatigued in many different ways and this reduces the functional capacities of your body. After resting, your body will recover and replenish and if the training stimuli were big enough, you will achieve a higher homeostatic level. This means your body will be stronger, you will have more endurance, more glycogen stored etc.
If you do not allow your body to rest before working out again, you will land in a negative spiral and exhaust your body more. This will lead to decreased performance and overtraining.
If you rest too much, you will lose the supercompensation results and you will be right back at where you started. The right (smart) training and the right amount of rest is key!
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Everything we do in our training and our training planning is affected by supercompensation. It refers to the biological state your body is after working out and rest. When you work out, your body is fatigued in many different ways and this reduces the functional capacities of your body. After resting, your body will recover and replenish and if the training stimuli were big enough, you will achieve a higher homeostatic level. This means your body will be stronger, you will have more endurance, more glycogen stored etc.
If you do not allow your body to rest before working out again, you will land in a negative spiral and exhaust your body more. This will lead to decreased performance and overtraining.
If you rest too much, you will lose the supercompensation results and you will be right back at where you started. The right (smart) training and the right amount of rest is key!
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Multilateral Physical Development
19/01/12 10:56
Part 1of our Periodization workshop on 1/18/12:
Different people have different objectives of training. Some may train for a healthier body, others may want to break their own records and become stronger and some want to compete to test themselves with others.
No matter what your objective is, every athlete should work on their multilateral physical development. This serves as a training base and means you increase your endurance, strength, speed, flexibility, coordination etc. Even if it does not directly affect your goal or performance, it is important to work on these things because indirectly they will greatly help you in reaching your goal (and preventing injuries).
For example: a long distance runner still needs to strengthen their core, do speed drills etc. because it will improve their performance. Or a martial artist who runs 10 miles won’t punch harder but will have better cardio and recover faster.
Once you have a base, you need to work on your sport-specific development, which means training to improve in the specific area of your sport.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Different people have different objectives of training. Some may train for a healthier body, others may want to break their own records and become stronger and some want to compete to test themselves with others.
No matter what your objective is, every athlete should work on their multilateral physical development. This serves as a training base and means you increase your endurance, strength, speed, flexibility, coordination etc. Even if it does not directly affect your goal or performance, it is important to work on these things because indirectly they will greatly help you in reaching your goal (and preventing injuries).
For example: a long distance runner still needs to strengthen their core, do speed drills etc. because it will improve their performance. Or a martial artist who runs 10 miles won’t punch harder but will have better cardio and recover faster.
Once you have a base, you need to work on your sport-specific development, which means training to improve in the specific area of your sport.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
When and how much to work out?
06/01/12 13:20
When is the best time for weight training and how much should you train? It's a question that probably has been asked millions of times. It is a great question though. After all, if you put the time and effort in, you want to make sure that you reap the maximum benefits of it.
The answer is very difficult though. It depends on your physiological state, how much you have been working out, what your goals are etc. it is more important to understand the basics so you are more aware of what you're doing yourself.
I know there are many articles out there about the best time of the day to work out and when you burn the most, have the most energy etc. Fact is, for most people, the best time to work out is when it fits in your schedule! Better to have a great training when you have the time than rushing through a workout when you only have 20 minutes...
As to how often you workout. If you look at professional martial artists and other athletes, they put a lot of hours in the gym but they do split workouts for their strength, then they add cardio and at another time of the day, they will work on techniques. This is not realistic for most people either so a good guideline for someone that wants to add strength and size is to train 3 times/week full body. Work mostly on the large muscle groups and spend less time on the small ones (arms, shoulders). This way, you challenge all muscle groups multiple times a week. Downside is however, you can't spend as much time on each individual muscle group.
Another option is to do split workouts. For example you can do chest and triceps on Monday; legs, shoulders and abs on Wednesday; back and biceps on Friday.
There are many variations and it is up to your trainer to figure out what will work best for you, depending on your goals, level, limitations etc. The thing you want to accomplish is working your muscles hard and frequent enough to stimulate an increase in size and strength without overtraining and making sure it fits in the time you have available.
A few other training splits:
- Four days a week: you will work out half your body one day, the other half the other. After these 2 training days, you will take 2 days off. This way, you get 4 training days per week in and you can spend more time (sets) on the different muscle groups.
- Six day split routine: you will divide your training into 3 different workouts. You train for 3 consecutive days and then take a day off. Then repeat.
- One muscle per day: exactly what is sounds like. Disadvantage is that you can't work out the same muscle more than once a week.
The last question to answer is how long to work out. If your goal is to gain size and lift heavy weights, 30 to 45 minutes is ideal (depending if you work out one or two muscle groups - or more). If you go for high volume training, more sets and more reps for muscle endurance, then a typical workout will be 60 to 90 minutes. If you add cardio for weight loss or to lean out, it can go up to 120 minutes.
Please note that these are only some examples and there are many different options in training. Training planning depends on many different factors and needs to be put together per individual. After all, no two people are the same so the same workout routine will not have the same effects.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
New exercise videos
06/01/12 13:18
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness
04/01/12 15:15
Delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS is the muscle soreness most people start feeling 12-24 hours after a workout. During your workout, the burn you feel is caused by buildup of lactate, generated by anaerobic energy systems in your body which supply your muscles with energy (ATP).
DOMS however, is not caused by lactate. Instead, it is caused by micro damage in your muscles, especially after weight training, sprints, plyometrics etc. Physiologists used to believe the remaining lactate created the soreness but now we know better.
Even though the muscle soreness is welcomed by many people (it reassures them they had a good workout), it is not an indicator for a good workout. Athletes at higher levels don't get very sore after workouts, even though they trained very hard. It depends on the workout, your physical condition etc. Beginners will experience DOMS frequently until they reach a higher treshold.
If you know your body or your work out frequently, you will know the difference between soreness and an injury. If you feel an injury, immediately have it checked out and act accordingly. If it is soreness, it may last up to 3 days after your workout. If it lasts longer than 3 days or it limits you in normal day to day activities, you probably pushed yourself too hard in that workout.
A frequent question I get is whether you should work out the same muscles when you experience soreness. If the soreness is mild, go ahead and work out but know your limits. You do not have to train until exhaustion or failure every session! You need to shock your body and challenge it so you improve but that does not mean you should push your body to the limit every time.
When the soreness is significant, do not work out those muscle groups. If you do, you may risk overtraining and landing in a catabolic state. At that point, there is no progress to be made, the only thing that can be done is resting so try not to get to that point.
There are a few things you can do to reduce the soreness:
- Stretching when you are warmed up, preferably after your workout. Stretching will improve blood flow and you should stretch anyway to retain your range of movement.
- Cardio will also increase blood flow so there is better transport of nutrients, oxygen, waste etc. A short cardio session with low to medium intensity after your workout is ideal.
- Massages are great for reducing and preventing muscle soreness. It removes waste products from your muscles and increases delivery of nutrients and oxygen.
Even though muscle soreness satisfies us and shows us we trained hard, it is not necessary. You have to train hard but don't worry if you don't have sore muscles after a workout. It just shows your body has gotten stronger. Alternating your workout, using different techniques and switching it up will challenge your body again. Don't do the same workout for 6 months, you will hit a plateau. Make sure you have a lot of variety in your training.
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Define Defense in Boulder, CO
- Modern Martial Arts
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & MMA
- Self Defense Classes & Workshops
- Personal Training
- Cross Training / TRX Classes
1805 11th Street Suite B
Boulder, CO 80302
Periodization Workshop
01/01/12 12:50
Wednesday January 18th, we will have a periodization workshop from 6.15-7.15pm.
During this workshop, you’ll learn more about:
You can sign up at this link:
http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=14713&stype=-8
During this workshop, you’ll learn more about:
- How to lay a good basis for your training
- Principles of training
- How to lay out your training program (training cycles)
- When to take rest and recover
- Peaking for competitions
You can sign up at this link:
http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=14713&stype=-8
Cross Training for Better Performance
28/12/11 13:27
What defines being in shape? Is it something universal we all test ourselves up against or is it subjective? Will the same person be considered in shape if he/she goes to Portugal vs. China, Colorado vs. Connecticut? I don’t think so. The opinions are very subjective and in different places, you will be assessed differently.
It will also depend what sport or workouts you specialize in. Are you a lifter or an avid runner and who do you compare yourself against?
If you look up ‘shape’ in the dictionary, it will tell you (one of the meanings): the contour of a person’s body, the figure. Obviously this is not what we have in mind when we discuss the physical athletic condition of an individual. For example, some people who may seem heavier may have incredible cardio and ripped weight lifters may barely be able to run 100 yards.
On the other hand, you have athletes who excel in their sport and are in great shape. Let’s say a person who goes running 5 times/week wants to go kayaking. Will the runner who is in great sport specific shape be able to go any faster than the average person? The answer will be no. Neither will the runner be any less prone to upper body injuries.
For myself, there is a great difference between being in sport specific shape and being in overall great shape. I have experienced first hand the difficulties of long distance running while I raced with the road bike. Even though you use the same muscles, they do not function properly and are not used to the new movements. This does not take anything away from the fact that cyclists are incredible athletes; it simply shows that their performance is very specific to the sport they compete in.
These were just a few examples to make you think. In my opinion, cross training has become extremely important and will continue to become more important in health, athleticism and performance. Cross training classes (sometimes called circuit training, strength & conditioning etc.) will challenge and condition different muscle groups, increase your cardio levels and help the muscles support each other. If you build strong quads, you will need to have strong hamstrings and a strong lower back to support them. If you develop these with cross training, your risk of injury will decrease drastically.
At Define Defense, we encourage everyone to do a good amount of cross training. We start off with a cross training warmup and include our strength & conditioning classes in our membership (without extra cost). We thoroughly believe that our cross training sessions help build better martial artists. Our clients become leaner, stronger, get better muscle endurance and balance out their body. These classes are also a lot of fun because they offer something different every time to keep it interesting. We mix traditional training methods and equipment with the latest tools in the fitness world. You get a full body workout with top notch equipment and will see the results quickly!
We now offer monthly membership for our strength & conditioning (cross training) classes. You can attend unlimited classes and we are pleased to offer these for a lower rate than other cross training workout studios. Our clients are trained by a certified personal trainer at our facility.
Our Strength & Conditioning classes:
Monday 6.15-7.15pm
Wednesday 11-12pm
Wednesday 5.15-6.15pm
Thursday 5.15-6.15pm
Friday 11-12pm
Saturday 1-2pm
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
It will also depend what sport or workouts you specialize in. Are you a lifter or an avid runner and who do you compare yourself against?
If you look up ‘shape’ in the dictionary, it will tell you (one of the meanings): the contour of a person’s body, the figure. Obviously this is not what we have in mind when we discuss the physical athletic condition of an individual. For example, some people who may seem heavier may have incredible cardio and ripped weight lifters may barely be able to run 100 yards.
On the other hand, you have athletes who excel in their sport and are in great shape. Let’s say a person who goes running 5 times/week wants to go kayaking. Will the runner who is in great sport specific shape be able to go any faster than the average person? The answer will be no. Neither will the runner be any less prone to upper body injuries.
For myself, there is a great difference between being in sport specific shape and being in overall great shape. I have experienced first hand the difficulties of long distance running while I raced with the road bike. Even though you use the same muscles, they do not function properly and are not used to the new movements. This does not take anything away from the fact that cyclists are incredible athletes; it simply shows that their performance is very specific to the sport they compete in.
These were just a few examples to make you think. In my opinion, cross training has become extremely important and will continue to become more important in health, athleticism and performance. Cross training classes (sometimes called circuit training, strength & conditioning etc.) will challenge and condition different muscle groups, increase your cardio levels and help the muscles support each other. If you build strong quads, you will need to have strong hamstrings and a strong lower back to support them. If you develop these with cross training, your risk of injury will decrease drastically.
At Define Defense, we encourage everyone to do a good amount of cross training. We start off with a cross training warmup and include our strength & conditioning classes in our membership (without extra cost). We thoroughly believe that our cross training sessions help build better martial artists. Our clients become leaner, stronger, get better muscle endurance and balance out their body. These classes are also a lot of fun because they offer something different every time to keep it interesting. We mix traditional training methods and equipment with the latest tools in the fitness world. You get a full body workout with top notch equipment and will see the results quickly!
We now offer monthly membership for our strength & conditioning (cross training) classes. You can attend unlimited classes and we are pleased to offer these for a lower rate than other cross training workout studios. Our clients are trained by a certified personal trainer at our facility.
Our Strength & Conditioning classes:
Monday 6.15-7.15pm
Wednesday 11-12pm
Wednesday 5.15-6.15pm
Thursday 5.15-6.15pm
Friday 11-12pm
Saturday 1-2pm
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Cross Training: Our New Strength & Conditioning Program
30/11/11 15:33
Cross training is one of the best ways to get in shape while working pretty much all of your muscle groups. If done right, you can accomplish different goals by training in different ways. You will get stronger, faster and your cardio will improve. By fine tuning your cross training workout, you can also lose weight or gain muscle (or both).
The way we do cross training at Define Defense in our strength and conditioning classes is by working all muscle groups with short rests between different stations. By working all muscle groups, we end up burning many calories and we challenge all muscles, which makes them adapt and improve. We have different formulas we use in different classes but we always make sure our training methods have clear reasoning behind them and these are backed by our knowledge in physiology, anatomy etc. In our strength and conditioning classes, we also make sure everyone is working at their own level and they are training to reach the goal they want. That is why we like to call it personal training in a small group. After all, the same exercises and training will NEVER work the same for different people.
Our classes are a full hour training session, 6 times/week starting in January 2012 (depending on a membership or punch card, you choose whenever and how many times you want to attend!) As for now, we have 3 classes/week.
Cross training can be done in several ways as mentioned, however there are many brands that do it in a very irresponsible and dangerous manner. Safety always comes first but unfortunately some brands do not make this a priority.
A few experiences I have had (outside of Define Defense):
- 15 minute workouts that make you breathe hard, sweat and make you feel like passing out. These workouts may feel hard (and they are), but they will NOT do anything for you, except to deteriorate your body. You do not get any rest, you do too many exercises in a small time frame, something that occasionally can be beneficial for a trained athlete but not for the average person wanting to improve or live healthier. Since there is no rest, your muscles will not grow, ever... For cardio purposes it is not long enough either and pushing yourself that hard every workout is unhealthy, period. If a 15 minute workout would do what they claim it does, everybody would be a professional athlete. But it doesn't! Any trainer can push you that hard for 15 minutes but it's not a good thing.
- Making the clients do compound exercises without warmup and for too many reps. Compound exercises are fantastic for anabolic growth, burning calories and general strength and health. However, if you become fatigued, your form and technique will deteriorate, especially with technically challenging exercises. These need perfect form as they can be hazardous for your body. I have seen studios that made their clients do tens of these compound exercises at a time (with horrible form).
- Dirty, dirty and dirty to a point my lungs burned and my hands were black. OK this one is place determined but it's a big no-no!
- Having to sign a waiver that states they are not liable if you get hospitalized with Rhabdo. Really??? Sounds shady to me and with responsible training (even pushing limits), you should never experience this!
- Unqualified trainers: some brands are franchised which means that if you do a one day workshop, you are allowed to open a branch. Great isn't it? Not really... It takes years to master training others and being certified after one day is simply dangerous.
You would be surprised how much these kinds of situations happen or how many cross training studios build their businesses on these irresponsible strategies.
At Define Defense, we strive towards quality and responsible training for optimal results and the safety of our clients. That is why we are expanding our strength & conditioning program to 6 classes/week starting January, 2012!
All our martial arts clients have free access. Non members can also enjoy these great cross training classes by purchasing a punch card or getting a strength & conditioning membership. Our classes are 60 minute workouts with a lot of personal attention and cutting edge gym equipment (see our facility). We utilize back to basic exercises as well as the latest proven methods in the fitness world. We will push you and make you better, that's a promise. Besides your training, we also educate you about the reasons behind the training.
Our pricing structure:
- A 10 class punch card for $200
- A 12 month membership for $85/month (unlimited classes)
- A 6 month membership for $95/month (unlimited classes)
- A 3 month membership for $110/month (unlimited classes)
Stay tuned for our new schedule (starting January 2nd, 2012) and take advantage of the strength & conditioning classes!
By Sander Vanacker, owner of Define Defense Martial Arts & Training in Boulder, Colorado
Milk For Muscle Growth
16/11/11 16:28
Milk has been promoted for ages to be a great supplier of calcium, necessary for bone growth and strength. The truth is, there are better food sources than milk but it is readily available, inexpensive and still a good product.
What you rarely hear people talking about is drinking milk for muscle growth and recovery after a workout. There is a movement out there that promotes low fat chocolate milk for a post workout drink and it's great for certain sports and athletes! It has the correct carb-protein ratio, tastes good and has many vital substances to aid recovery. For serious gains however, you will need more than chocolate milk. You would need high quantities in order to fulfill your body's need for growth (we are talking about weight lifting, high resistance training etc.).
Milk has its supporters and opponents, often both radical in their ideas. If you have seen 'Pumping Iron', the documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you probably noticed his reply to the question whether he drinks milk. If you didn't, this is what he said: 'Milk is for cows.'
And indeed it is. It is unnatural for an adult being to drink the milk of another species. However, that does not mean it is bad for you and no matter what, it is still a natural product and much better for you than any chemically produced supplements. If you have an intolerance or an allergy, you obviously do not want to start drinking high quantities of any milk whatsoever. It is also shown that different ethnic groups have a different tolerance towards milk.
Personally, I have always loved milk. I grew up with it and drank tons of milk growing up and I have never experienced any intolerance, which makes it easy for me.
Throughout the last few years, as I started doing more resistance training, I have realized the advantages of drinking milk for my recovery and progress. A few advantages:
- it is cheap, much cheaper than most other sources of protein
- it is readily available everywhere
- it provides high quality protein, both whey and casein so your body gets protein instantly with fast acting whey and progressively with the longer release time of casein
- the calcium in milk does not only give you strong bones but also helps relaxing your muscles. Too little calcium combined with intense activities may give your cramped muscles
- drinking a lot of milk has proven to cut fat (calcium also plays a role in fat mobilization, as well in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure etc.)
Arguments against milk:
- it has growth hormones, cancer causing steroids etc. in it because the farmers want their cows bigger and more productive
Yes, the growth hormone rBGH is used for higher milk production. This hormone however only works when injected. If ingested, our digestion tracts destroys these hormones. This does not justify the fact that the cows are being injected with it but it does not affect you when drinking milk. You can also buy milk from sources that guarantee not to use any hormones in their live stock (Whole Foods for example who sells antibiotic and hormone free milk).
- it makes me gain weight
Milk has been proven to lower cholesterol levels. Actually whole milk lowers levels more than skim milk! Milk also lowers the chances of getting a heart attack or stroke.
I mostly drink non fat milk since my calorie intake is pretty high and I gain easily. For a better ratio though, try 2% milk or even whole milk if you have a hard time gaining.
The quantity of milk you should drink varies. I go through about 2 gallons/week and have great gains with my training and diet combination. Other supporters of milk go through 1 or 2 gallons per day! It will completely depend on your diet, calorie intake, amount of protein, body type etc. But at least give milk a chance!
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
What you rarely hear people talking about is drinking milk for muscle growth and recovery after a workout. There is a movement out there that promotes low fat chocolate milk for a post workout drink and it's great for certain sports and athletes! It has the correct carb-protein ratio, tastes good and has many vital substances to aid recovery. For serious gains however, you will need more than chocolate milk. You would need high quantities in order to fulfill your body's need for growth (we are talking about weight lifting, high resistance training etc.).
Milk has its supporters and opponents, often both radical in their ideas. If you have seen 'Pumping Iron', the documentary about Arnold Schwarzenegger, then you probably noticed his reply to the question whether he drinks milk. If you didn't, this is what he said: 'Milk is for cows.'
And indeed it is. It is unnatural for an adult being to drink the milk of another species. However, that does not mean it is bad for you and no matter what, it is still a natural product and much better for you than any chemically produced supplements. If you have an intolerance or an allergy, you obviously do not want to start drinking high quantities of any milk whatsoever. It is also shown that different ethnic groups have a different tolerance towards milk.
Personally, I have always loved milk. I grew up with it and drank tons of milk growing up and I have never experienced any intolerance, which makes it easy for me.
Throughout the last few years, as I started doing more resistance training, I have realized the advantages of drinking milk for my recovery and progress. A few advantages:
- it is cheap, much cheaper than most other sources of protein
- it is readily available everywhere
- it provides high quality protein, both whey and casein so your body gets protein instantly with fast acting whey and progressively with the longer release time of casein
- the calcium in milk does not only give you strong bones but also helps relaxing your muscles. Too little calcium combined with intense activities may give your cramped muscles
- drinking a lot of milk has proven to cut fat (calcium also plays a role in fat mobilization, as well in reducing stress, lowering blood pressure etc.)
Arguments against milk:
- it has growth hormones, cancer causing steroids etc. in it because the farmers want their cows bigger and more productive
Yes, the growth hormone rBGH is used for higher milk production. This hormone however only works when injected. If ingested, our digestion tracts destroys these hormones. This does not justify the fact that the cows are being injected with it but it does not affect you when drinking milk. You can also buy milk from sources that guarantee not to use any hormones in their live stock (Whole Foods for example who sells antibiotic and hormone free milk).
- it makes me gain weight
Milk has been proven to lower cholesterol levels. Actually whole milk lowers levels more than skim milk! Milk also lowers the chances of getting a heart attack or stroke.
I mostly drink non fat milk since my calorie intake is pretty high and I gain easily. For a better ratio though, try 2% milk or even whole milk if you have a hard time gaining.
The quantity of milk you should drink varies. I go through about 2 gallons/week and have great gains with my training and diet combination. Other supporters of milk go through 1 or 2 gallons per day! It will completely depend on your diet, calorie intake, amount of protein, body type etc. But at least give milk a chance!
By Sander Vanacker, Define Defense’s certified personal trainer and head martial arts instructor, based in Boulder, Colorado. Take a look at www.DefineDefense.com, www.TrainerVanacker.com or check out our videos on YouTube.com/DefineDefense !
Tough Mudder Training Outline
08/10/11 09:45
Please find out Tough Mudder training outline underneath. Today and next week, we will be giving additional information and pointers in person but this is a good way for you to keep track of you training. Please note, this is only an outline and is not individualized since it is a team effort. Normally, we produce much more detailed and personal training schedules.
ToughMudderTrainingProgram
ToughMudderTrainingProgram
Martial Arts & Fighting
19/09/11 16:32
Often, martial arts is stigmatized with negative actions or behaviors. This is caused by media, the film industry, certain professional or amateur fighters etc. However, in this blog article, I would like to prove that this should not be generalized and it does not have to be this way.
Originally, martial arts was developed to increase the chance of survival. Later on, it started to be used as a sport, in competition, as an art form and more. Mostly, the code of honor and respect was central and utterly important for the practitioners. Of course, there are always bad apples and all human advancements are always used for good and bad causes (think about samurais who valued honor vs. ninjas who were spies and mercenaries).
Some of these traditional martial arts styles are still widely practiced but unfortunately are also very outdated. This will be a ongoing discussion but someone practicing Tai Chi, Karate, traditional Judo etc. will learn many techniques that are simply not functional in a real life situation. This does not mean however, they are less worthy as an art form or for personal development. For self defense, these and many more styles are very overrated and sometimes even useless.
On the other side, martial arts has also evolved over the last decades. Think about Mixed Martial Arts. This is the ultimate competition martial arts form and has proven itself over and over again. For self defense reasons, it may also not be 100% effective though (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will not work with multiple attackers, an MMA fighter will not know how to defend against a knife or gun attack…)
The issue with this progress is that the self defense aspect is often overlooked and the honor and respect are mostly forgotten. The ratings have gotten so important that most fighters talk badly about each other and have very little respect left. There are exceptions, think about Georges St. Pierre, who has very strong values and is also one of the best martial artists and fighters in the world.
Martial arts and fighting overlap each other, no doubt about it. For me, it is your personal attitude that shows which one you are. You do not have to be mean or disrespectful to be a good martial artist AND fighter. Talking badly and insulting others only shows a bad attitude (and fear?) Honor and respect are extremely important in our facility. We respect our friends, instructors and teammates. We push each other and ourselves and test each other during training to become the best we can be. But there are no egos, disrespect, insults or anything else.
Our clients have different goals. Some want to become a martial artist to defend themselves, other want to get in shape and others want to compete. But we only train martial artists… that are really proficient in what they do, whether it is being prepared for protecting themselves/other or testing themselves in competition. Many martial artists can become fighters but not every fighter can become a martial artist. You will gain a huge amount of knowledge and skills to reach your goal and at the same time, you will gain friends and have fun.
Define Defense focusses on being the best studio in Boulder and offers a modern approach to martial arts, which consist of the most effective and realistic ways in martial arts. But we have also not forgotten about honor and respect. These are values that should never be forgotten. We don't practice traditional martial arts by any means but these values are timeless. We train individuals to better themselves and learn martial arts so they can feel safer, better about themselves or compete. We respect everyone's goals and do everything we can for you to meet those.
Originally, martial arts was developed to increase the chance of survival. Later on, it started to be used as a sport, in competition, as an art form and more. Mostly, the code of honor and respect was central and utterly important for the practitioners. Of course, there are always bad apples and all human advancements are always used for good and bad causes (think about samurais who valued honor vs. ninjas who were spies and mercenaries).
Some of these traditional martial arts styles are still widely practiced but unfortunately are also very outdated. This will be a ongoing discussion but someone practicing Tai Chi, Karate, traditional Judo etc. will learn many techniques that are simply not functional in a real life situation. This does not mean however, they are less worthy as an art form or for personal development. For self defense, these and many more styles are very overrated and sometimes even useless.
On the other side, martial arts has also evolved over the last decades. Think about Mixed Martial Arts. This is the ultimate competition martial arts form and has proven itself over and over again. For self defense reasons, it may also not be 100% effective though (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will not work with multiple attackers, an MMA fighter will not know how to defend against a knife or gun attack…)
The issue with this progress is that the self defense aspect is often overlooked and the honor and respect are mostly forgotten. The ratings have gotten so important that most fighters talk badly about each other and have very little respect left. There are exceptions, think about Georges St. Pierre, who has very strong values and is also one of the best martial artists and fighters in the world.
Martial arts and fighting overlap each other, no doubt about it. For me, it is your personal attitude that shows which one you are. You do not have to be mean or disrespectful to be a good martial artist AND fighter. Talking badly and insulting others only shows a bad attitude (and fear?) Honor and respect are extremely important in our facility. We respect our friends, instructors and teammates. We push each other and ourselves and test each other during training to become the best we can be. But there are no egos, disrespect, insults or anything else.
Our clients have different goals. Some want to become a martial artist to defend themselves, other want to get in shape and others want to compete. But we only train martial artists… that are really proficient in what they do, whether it is being prepared for protecting themselves/other or testing themselves in competition. Many martial artists can become fighters but not every fighter can become a martial artist. You will gain a huge amount of knowledge and skills to reach your goal and at the same time, you will gain friends and have fun.
Define Defense focusses on being the best studio in Boulder and offers a modern approach to martial arts, which consist of the most effective and realistic ways in martial arts. But we have also not forgotten about honor and respect. These are values that should never be forgotten. We don't practice traditional martial arts by any means but these values are timeless. We train individuals to better themselves and learn martial arts so they can feel safer, better about themselves or compete. We respect everyone's goals and do everything we can for you to meet those.
Three basic supplements
20/07/11 17:44
Define Defense has started a partnership with Max Muscle in Boulder, CO. This partnership will benefit all existing and new clients for both businesses. For example: all our Modern Martial Arts or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu clients receive a $75 gift card to use towards nutrition plans or sports nutrition products.
Since our clients have voted on our Facebook page on the subject of our next article, I will be discussing some general supplements. These can be taken by any athlete, regardless of your level.
Creatine
Creatine is a natural substance that is produced by our body and also found in red meats. Creatine plays a vital role in providing energy to the muscles. It does this by splitting away from a phosphate group, which provides energy to form Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), which provides the energy to the muscle to contract.
When cooking red meat however, most of the creatine is degenerated. Since Creatine Phosphate is used for anaerobic efforts up to 8 to 10 seconds, supplementing your body is mostly done by athletes who require a explosive effort, such as sprinters, weight lifters, wrestlers etc. As an endurance athlete, supplementing with creatine will not be beneficial unless you want to focus on sprint training. The basic form of creatine is creatine monohydrate and will make you hold water so this is a negative side effect, especially for endurance athletes. Also note it has been associated with asthmatic symptoms and overuse of creatine can lead to kidney and liver damage so always cycle on and off! When used properly however, it can be a very advantageous supplement.
Protein
Protein are the building stones of your muscles so are of extreme importance in an obvious way. Protein are made out of amino acids, essential and non-essential ones. Non-essential amino acids can be produced by the body itself while the 8 essential amino acids can’t. This means it is important to provide your body with enough of the essential amino acids:
Isoleucine
Leucine
Lysine
Methionine
Phenylalanine
Threonine
Tryptophan
Valine
Essential amino acids are mostly found in meats but also in some vegetables such as beans. Foods can be classified by biological value. This means that the higher on the scale, the more it compares to what your body is made of and needs. Eggs are excellent sources of protein (but be careful of the fats in the yolk).
Flax Seed
Flax seeds are very beneficial to the human body, especially when straining it by working out. It is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, antioxidants, magnesium etc.
Because of the Omega 3’s, it controls inflammation which is important for athletes. This may also prevent heart disease, diabetes and breast, prostate and colon cancer.
Please note: flax seed supplements are more ‘whole’ than flax seed oil (which only contains a part of the whole seed).
Of course there are many more supplements out there but this blog would become a book if I discussed all of them. These 3 substances are basic supplements that may be beneficial to you. Please consult your doctor before commencing supplementation. This blog is meant to be purely informative and does not cover all the aspects of every substance and does not instruct you to any actions.
Getting your body into an anabolic state
29/06/11 17:22
As discussed in a previous post, with health and fitness comes recovery. If you don’t pay attention to recovering and giving your body the time to heal, you will not just feel tired and unmotivated but the training you have put in will not pay off.
The trick is to find a healthy balance in training, proper nutrition and recovery. A big part of the latter will be sleep, which we have addressed in another article. Nutrition plays a big role as consuming (for example) 3,000 calories in junk food will be very different than spreading it over 6 meals a day with unsaturated fats, protein and complex carbs.
Training by itself will never give you the results you want, whether is is increasing endurance, losing weight, gain muscle etc. In my experience, I feel like nutrition plays a 60-80% role in achieving your goal, depending on what that is.
When you want to achieve a larger amount of muscle mass, you will need to get your body into an anabolic state. This means that your body will combine amino acids to construct polypeptide chains, which will build protein strands and finally muscle tissue.
Even if your goal is not to build muscle mass and are for example a cyclist, you will still want to keep that anabolic state when you want to improve your performance. If you train hard on the bike and do not achieve this anabolic state, your muscles will start breaking down which ultimately ends in performance loss and perhaps overtraining.
Please note: an anabolic state of mind does not automatically mean you will be gaining weight, it means that your body is in a position to build mass instead of breaking itself down (or staying neutral).
Now how do we reach this opportunistic situation? The first and main way is to prevent any catabolic processes to occur in your body. As you may know, catabolic is the opposite of anabolic and will break down larger molecules into smaller molecules. This may be breaking down muscle tissue, cells, membranes etc.
The big enemy of athletes is the cortisol hormone. As we have addressed this in a previous post, I will not be getting into its ‘evils’.
The second way is to train. When you train, especially short and intense resistance training, your body will release more growth hormone and testosterone. These are the prime anabolic hormones and they naturally occur in the body. When you overtrain, these hormone levels go down while cortisol goes up and you end up in a negative spiral unfortunately.
The third method is sleep. Sleep is so important for your mental and physical health and recovery so make sure to sleep enough. Rest is the prime anabolic time for your body to heal.
As mentioned, nutrition plays a vital role as well. As an athlete, no matter what level you are at, you need good quality food. Make sure you get enough protein as training damages the muscle tissue and this needs to heal. This muscle damage is not a bad thing, it actually makes your body make the muscle stronger than before. However, there needs to be a balance between training and recovery as it needs time to heal.
Carbohydrates are of extreme importance as well as they ‘fuel’ your body. When you have the option, choose complex carbs (whole wheat rice, pasta, bread etc.). Try to avoid simple carbs such as sugars, white bread etc. These will make your blood glycogen levels spike, which is unhealthy and should be prevented. There are times you do need simple carbs but more on that in another article.
Water water water! Drink tons of water. When training, you lose so much water that you need to substitute. Water has a direct effect on your health and performance so is is very important.
Finally, if your goal is to build muscle or improve the quality of your muscle, you need to have a positive calorie diet. This means your intake will exceed your needs. However, if your nutrition is right you will not be gaining fat.
The trick is to find a healthy balance in training, proper nutrition and recovery. A big part of the latter will be sleep, which we have addressed in another article. Nutrition plays a big role as consuming (for example) 3,000 calories in junk food will be very different than spreading it over 6 meals a day with unsaturated fats, protein and complex carbs.
Training by itself will never give you the results you want, whether is is increasing endurance, losing weight, gain muscle etc. In my experience, I feel like nutrition plays a 60-80% role in achieving your goal, depending on what that is.
Even if your goal is not to build muscle mass and are for example a cyclist, you will still want to keep that anabolic state when you want to improve your performance. If you train hard on the bike and do not achieve this anabolic state, your muscles will start breaking down which ultimately ends in performance loss and perhaps overtraining.
Please note: an anabolic state of mind does not automatically mean you will be gaining weight, it means that your body is in a position to build mass instead of breaking itself down (or staying neutral).
Now how do we reach this opportunistic situation? The first and main way is to prevent any catabolic processes to occur in your body. As you may know, catabolic is the opposite of anabolic and will break down larger molecules into smaller molecules. This may be breaking down muscle tissue, cells, membranes etc.
The big enemy of athletes is the cortisol hormone. As we have addressed this in a previous post, I will not be getting into its ‘evils’.
The second way is to train. When you train, especially short and intense resistance training, your body will release more growth hormone and testosterone. These are the prime anabolic hormones and they naturally occur in the body. When you overtrain, these hormone levels go down while cortisol goes up and you end up in a negative spiral unfortunately.
The third method is sleep. Sleep is so important for your mental and physical health and recovery so make sure to sleep enough. Rest is the prime anabolic time for your body to heal.
As mentioned, nutrition plays a vital role as well. As an athlete, no matter what level you are at, you need good quality food. Make sure you get enough protein as training damages the muscle tissue and this needs to heal. This muscle damage is not a bad thing, it actually makes your body make the muscle stronger than before. However, there needs to be a balance between training and recovery as it needs time to heal.
Carbohydrates are of extreme importance as well as they ‘fuel’ your body. When you have the option, choose complex carbs (whole wheat rice, pasta, bread etc.). Try to avoid simple carbs such as sugars, white bread etc. These will make your blood glycogen levels spike, which is unhealthy and should be prevented. There are times you do need simple carbs but more on that in another article.
Water water water! Drink tons of water. When training, you lose so much water that you need to substitute. Water has a direct effect on your health and performance so is is very important.
Finally, if your goal is to build muscle or improve the quality of your muscle, you need to have a positive calorie diet. This means your intake will exceed your needs. However, if your nutrition is right you will not be gaining fat.
Weight Training for Women
08/06/11 18:53
When you enter a gym and walk over to the free weights section, you will mostly see more men than women. In my personal opinion, I feel this is unfortunate because women can benefit as much from weight and resistance training as men.
The reasons behind why women often stay away from resistance training can be very diverse. A few could be:
In this article, I would like to specifically dig deeper into the last reason. Many women mistakenly think they will become bulky and overly muscular because of weight training. These images of female professional bodybuilders linger through our heads and have caused a dramatic fear of resistance training for women.
The fact is, the female body will not allow you to become that muscular and the only difference in weight training between men and women will be the weights used. Men naturally produce more testosterone and build more muscles than women. This will cause more natural strength. However, even with this in mind, studies have shown that, during the first 16 weeks, the short term gains in power are very similar between men and women (although much of this is caused by an improved neuromuscular function). After, the long term gains in strength are higher for men. This is not an issue since most women do not wish to become powerlifters or bulky anyway. Most women’s goals are to tone up and gain more definition, which is exactly what weight training will do for you.
As a woman, you will use the same methods, rests, techniques etc. You will simply use less weight and you will see different results. Will you gain muscle? Yes you will, that is what weight training does but that does not mean you will become bulky. The female body will not build anywhere as much muscle as a man’s body does but the quality of muscle will be the same for both sexes. It has been shown that women have 10 to 30 times less the amount of anabolic hormones as men do. You will gain definition and tone up if you combine weight training with cardio.
Other advantages of resistance training for women:
The reasons behind why women often stay away from resistance training can be very diverse. A few could be:
- intimidation by men working out with weights
- don’t know how to train with weights correctly
- afraid of hurting themselves
- think they will become bulky and masculine
In this article, I would like to specifically dig deeper into the last reason. Many women mistakenly think they will become bulky and overly muscular because of weight training. These images of female professional bodybuilders linger through our heads and have caused a dramatic fear of resistance training for women.
The fact is, the female body will not allow you to become that muscular and the only difference in weight training between men and women will be the weights used. Men naturally produce more testosterone and build more muscles than women. This will cause more natural strength. However, even with this in mind, studies have shown that, during the first 16 weeks, the short term gains in power are very similar between men and women (although much of this is caused by an improved neuromuscular function). After, the long term gains in strength are higher for men. This is not an issue since most women do not wish to become powerlifters or bulky anyway. Most women’s goals are to tone up and gain more definition, which is exactly what weight training will do for you.
As a woman, you will use the same methods, rests, techniques etc. You will simply use less weight and you will see different results. Will you gain muscle? Yes you will, that is what weight training does but that does not mean you will become bulky. The female body will not build anywhere as much muscle as a man’s body does but the quality of muscle will be the same for both sexes. It has been shown that women have 10 to 30 times less the amount of anabolic hormones as men do. You will gain definition and tone up if you combine weight training with cardio.
Other advantages of resistance training for women:
- Increased bone density (important to prevent osteoporosis)
- You will burn a good amount of calories and benefit from the afterburn once the workout is over
- It will make you stronger so every day activities will not be as intense as they used to be
- Decrease your risk of diabetes
- Strengthen your core muscles, which will prevent back pains and injuries
- Improve your mental health
- Become a more diverse athlete
Sleep & Recovery
23/05/11 15:18
When training or working out, we focus on form, intensity, cardio levels, heart rate, reps and sets etc. One thing most don’t pay enough attention to is sleep - even though it is one of the most important factors in your recovery and progress.
During our workouts, we put our body to the test by decreasing or depleting our energy supplies and putting a strain on our muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs etc. For example, after doing an intense workout, your muscle fibers suffer from micro damage. This is what causes you to be sore 1-3 days after a workout. However, since these muscle fibers got damaged, your body reacts by making them better. This means they can get larger (hypertrophy) after weight lifting or become more efficient (better blood flow, more mitochondria in the cells etc.) after an endurance workout. These are only a few examples of how the body improves the function of the muscle that was trained and micro damage is not the only aspect that needs recovery. Think about restoring the glycogen levels, processing the excess lactate* in the muscles, re-instituting body fluids and much more.
All of these processes take time and can be sped up if you do certain things after training. One of the most important is sleeping enough.
Everyone knows that rest between workouts will help you recover but there is still a difference between rest and sleep. A few processes that occur while you sleep:
So instead of getting paranoid over your supplements or whether you did or did not train hard enough today... get some sleep first. It will benefit you both mentally and physically and the next day you will be ready to work out again.
During our workouts, we put our body to the test by decreasing or depleting our energy supplies and putting a strain on our muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs etc. For example, after doing an intense workout, your muscle fibers suffer from micro damage. This is what causes you to be sore 1-3 days after a workout. However, since these muscle fibers got damaged, your body reacts by making them better. This means they can get larger (hypertrophy) after weight lifting or become more efficient (better blood flow, more mitochondria in the cells etc.) after an endurance workout. These are only a few examples of how the body improves the function of the muscle that was trained and micro damage is not the only aspect that needs recovery. Think about restoring the glycogen levels, processing the excess lactate* in the muscles, re-instituting body fluids and much more.
- Contrary to popular belief, lactic acid is not what builds up in skeletal muscles - lactate is. Biochemist used to believe that the body produces lactic acid which immediately turns into lactate after losing a proton. Now it has been proven that this was incorrect.
All of these processes take time and can be sped up if you do certain things after training. One of the most important is sleeping enough.
Everyone knows that rest between workouts will help you recover but there is still a difference between rest and sleep. A few processes that occur while you sleep:
- Cortisol levels go down. Cortisol levels elevate in periods of stress. Since training is a form of stress on the body, cortisol gets released. This unfortunately can be catabolic in long term. When you do not rest enough in between training sessions, your body will go into a state of overtraining and cortisol levels will remain high while insulin levels will remain low. Since insulin is a great hormone to build tissues, this may lead to performance and/or muscle loss. Sleeping is a great way to lower the cortisol levels.
- Increased levels of Human Growth Hormone. When sleeping, your natural levels of HGH get elevated. This mainly occurs in the later and deeper phases of sleep so when you cut your sleep short, you are missing out on a significant opportunity to recover. HGH supports muscle recovery, promotes lipolysis (decomposing fat), stimulates the immune system etc. No doubt this will aid your recovery and performance.
- Higher testosterone levels. The more and better you sleep, the higher your testosterone levels will be when waking up. This gives you mental and physical energy and promotes bone and muscle mass since it is an anabolic steroid. The body produces testosterone itself in men and women. The levels differ but women have testosterone in their system and men have estrogen in their body.
So instead of getting paranoid over your supplements or whether you did or did not train hard enough today... get some sleep first. It will benefit you both mentally and physically and the next day you will be ready to work out again.
The Science Behind Training
16/05/11 18:46
Training is a science. Slowly but surely we are starting to understand how the human body works and even though we believe we grasp the functions and processes that take place in our bodies, we have only scratched the surface.
Thankfully for anyone active in the field of sports, there is an extensive knowledge about how the body reacts to training, what and when it does certain actions and how we can improve how we train. After all, for most of us it’s not about training harder but it’s about training smarter.
That is why we at Define Defense have created our own straightforward assessments and follow up logs for our clients (and ourselves). This enables us to keep track of your performance, progress and helps us detect flaws or aspects that may need improvements. As a client, you will get these logs and assessments every 2 months so you can review them yourself and see your progress. You can even hang them on your refrigerator if you want.
Keeping track of your actions this way will help you make better progress as we continuously review, adjust and personalize the logs. One of the main principles in training is that nobody is the same so why treat them the same? Every person will react differently to exercises, training, nutrition or may simply have different goals.
As a trainer, I always try to educate my clients/students about the basic principles of their training. That is why we never do the same workout twice and every change or step is explained. It is important to know what aerobic vs anaerobic means, what the different nutrients are, what creatine phosphate does in your fast twitch muscles etc.
Even if you don’t have much time to train, keep a log when you do. You will understand better how your body reacts and you may become much more motivated to make more time once you see progress on those logs!
Stay tuned as we will be posting several more articles soon, more specifically about the basic principles of training and the science behind them.
Thankfully for anyone active in the field of sports, there is an extensive knowledge about how the body reacts to training, what and when it does certain actions and how we can improve how we train. After all, for most of us it’s not about training harder but it’s about training smarter.
That is why we at Define Defense have created our own straightforward assessments and follow up logs for our clients (and ourselves). This enables us to keep track of your performance, progress and helps us detect flaws or aspects that may need improvements. As a client, you will get these logs and assessments every 2 months so you can review them yourself and see your progress. You can even hang them on your refrigerator if you want.
Keeping track of your actions this way will help you make better progress as we continuously review, adjust and personalize the logs. One of the main principles in training is that nobody is the same so why treat them the same? Every person will react differently to exercises, training, nutrition or may simply have different goals.
As a trainer, I always try to educate my clients/students about the basic principles of their training. That is why we never do the same workout twice and every change or step is explained. It is important to know what aerobic vs anaerobic means, what the different nutrients are, what creatine phosphate does in your fast twitch muscles etc.
Even if you don’t have much time to train, keep a log when you do. You will understand better how your body reacts and you may become much more motivated to make more time once you see progress on those logs!
Stay tuned as we will be posting several more articles soon, more specifically about the basic principles of training and the science behind them.
Personal Training Assessments
14/05/11 11:51
At Define Defense, we offer private personal training sessions. These are not just great because you have the whole gym and all machines to yourself but you also get your assessments every 2 months. This shows your progress and what you have done/earned. We believe training should be backed by theory and science, that is why we carefully log your efforts and study them to guarantee you get the best possible training.
Motivation and Training
02/05/11 16:09
Everyone knows that working out has major benefits for your physical and mental health. Doing sports can relieve stress, make you look and feel better, prevent diseases, improve your health, give you some fun alone time and much more.
So if everyone is aware of all the advantages of working out, why do many people feel like they are not doing it enough?
The answer can be lack of time, injuries, fear of failing and so on. However, one of the main reasons is motivation issues.
Before we get into the factors that influence motivation, we need to understand the types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is your internal desire to get something done, accomplish something or simply win. It does not matter what anyone else thinks or what the prize is because you are doing it for yourself. Athletes who are intrinsically motivated believe they can control the outcome by the effort they put in, luck is not a factor and they want to be the best in what they do.
Extrinsic motivation refers more to the rewards an individual gets when they reach a certain goal. This can be prize money, a trophy or simply a confirmation of one’s accomplishment or a tap on the shoulder. Extrinsic motivation can also apply when a person tries to prevent punishment. Too much extrinsic motivation can lead to a decline in intrinsic motivation since the subject learns that a reward is always waiting. Also, a person may not even really enjoy the activity but will do it anyway since a reward is waiting.
Motivation theories have been widely studied and many more factors apply in this field of study. However, let’s move on to why and how you motivate yourself.
Someone who trains for a race may be motivated either way. A person training for the beach season as well. For example, if you want to accomplish looking better for yourself it would be intrinsic. If you want people to notice you being in better shape and maybe get a compliment, it is extrinsic.
Now does this really matter? Yes it does... Depending on your goal and reasons, you need to be motivated differently - whether it’s by your trainer or yourself.
A few ways to motivate yourself to go work out:
Not everyone enjoys certain activities as much as others but remember Henry Ford’s quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!”
We hope this helps you find your own motivation!
So if everyone is aware of all the advantages of working out, why do many people feel like they are not doing it enough?
The answer can be lack of time, injuries, fear of failing and so on. However, one of the main reasons is motivation issues.
Before we get into the factors that influence motivation, we need to understand the types of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation is your internal desire to get something done, accomplish something or simply win. It does not matter what anyone else thinks or what the prize is because you are doing it for yourself. Athletes who are intrinsically motivated believe they can control the outcome by the effort they put in, luck is not a factor and they want to be the best in what they do.
Extrinsic motivation refers more to the rewards an individual gets when they reach a certain goal. This can be prize money, a trophy or simply a confirmation of one’s accomplishment or a tap on the shoulder. Extrinsic motivation can also apply when a person tries to prevent punishment. Too much extrinsic motivation can lead to a decline in intrinsic motivation since the subject learns that a reward is always waiting. Also, a person may not even really enjoy the activity but will do it anyway since a reward is waiting.
Motivation theories have been widely studied and many more factors apply in this field of study. However, let’s move on to why and how you motivate yourself.
Someone who trains for a race may be motivated either way. A person training for the beach season as well. For example, if you want to accomplish looking better for yourself it would be intrinsic. If you want people to notice you being in better shape and maybe get a compliment, it is extrinsic.
Now does this really matter? Yes it does... Depending on your goal and reasons, you need to be motivated differently - whether it’s by your trainer or yourself.
A few ways to motivate yourself to go work out:
- Share the experience with friends
- Do group classes
- Get a trainer to motivate and/or push you
- Take a before and after picture
- Take out those old jeans that don’t fit anymore
- Wear a heart rate monitor and keep a training log to track your improvements
- Set small realistic goals for yourself and take small steps to accomplish them
- Think about your long term health and what you want to do later in your life
- For experienced athletes: the ‘Runners High’ by endorphin production
- Think about how good you will feel after your workout/class
- Give yourself rewards if you accomplish a good training session
- Visualize yourself reaching your goal over and over again
- ...
Not everyone enjoys certain activities as much as others but remember Henry Ford’s quote: “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right!”
We hope this helps you find your own motivation!
Isometric vs. isotonic
22/02/11 07:55
When working out, you do exercises that fall into two categories: isometric and isotonic exercises.
Isometric exercises do not create a shortening or lengthening of the muscles but keep the muscles at a steady length. This means that these exercises involve techniques in which you activate the muscle but it’s not moving anything. For example you are pushing with all your weight against a (sturdy) wall. The wall won’t move but you are using your muscles and it does cost you a good amount of effort!
Isotonic exercises are the most well known and commonly used exercises. Think of bench presses, squats, biceps curls and simply running, jumping, throwing a ball etc. All these activities involve a shortening and lengthening of the muscle. For example, when you do a biceps curl, your biceps will shorten since the muscle contracts. At the same time, the triceps will lengthen. If the triceps would work as hard as the biceps is, then your arm would not move and it would not be an isotonic exercise.
Now which technique is best? Well I’m sure you can see this one coming but the answer is neither. Both categories are useful for their purposes.
A client that would like to gain muscle mass, would primarily be doing isotonic exercises since these are proven to gain more muscle than only isometric exercises. However, isometric activities do add ‘hardness’ to a muscle.
If your goal would be fat loss, general conditioning, muscle endurance, core power or just about anything else I would advise a combination of both categories. This means that you combine them in your workouts and your training regime. Not necessarily in each workout but in your overall training program. The key to success is variation. If you do the same routine over and over again, your body will get used to it and will not improve anymore. This means your progress will stagnate, no matter if your goal is to become leaner and more toned, gain muscle or improve your endurance.
We strive towards variated programs and workouts so your body, as well as your mind, will never get used to the same routine. Boredom is a dangerous opponent in any training!
Isometric exercises do not create a shortening or lengthening of the muscles but keep the muscles at a steady length. This means that these exercises involve techniques in which you activate the muscle but it’s not moving anything. For example you are pushing with all your weight against a (sturdy) wall. The wall won’t move but you are using your muscles and it does cost you a good amount of effort!
Isotonic exercises are the most well known and commonly used exercises. Think of bench presses, squats, biceps curls and simply running, jumping, throwing a ball etc. All these activities involve a shortening and lengthening of the muscle. For example, when you do a biceps curl, your biceps will shorten since the muscle contracts. At the same time, the triceps will lengthen. If the triceps would work as hard as the biceps is, then your arm would not move and it would not be an isotonic exercise.
Now which technique is best? Well I’m sure you can see this one coming but the answer is neither. Both categories are useful for their purposes.
A client that would like to gain muscle mass, would primarily be doing isotonic exercises since these are proven to gain more muscle than only isometric exercises. However, isometric activities do add ‘hardness’ to a muscle.
If your goal would be fat loss, general conditioning, muscle endurance, core power or just about anything else I would advise a combination of both categories. This means that you combine them in your workouts and your training regime. Not necessarily in each workout but in your overall training program. The key to success is variation. If you do the same routine over and over again, your body will get used to it and will not improve anymore. This means your progress will stagnate, no matter if your goal is to become leaner and more toned, gain muscle or improve your endurance.
We strive towards variated programs and workouts so your body, as well as your mind, will never get used to the same routine. Boredom is a dangerous opponent in any training!
Vibration Plate Training
16/01/11 17:15
At Define Defense, we strive towards incorporating the best and most effective training methods into our lesson strategies and training sessions. We use both traditional and alternative equipment and techniques, in both our personal training sessions and our martial arts classes. One of these unorthodox machines we use is the vibration plate.
Vibration training actually increases the frequency of the muscle contraction. On the plate your muscles will contract 30-50 times per second, which increases the intensity of the workout. Studies have shown that conventional exercises engage approx. 40% of the targeted muscle fibers, while vibration plates engage approx. 97% by involuntary muscle contractions.
There is a wide variety of exercises you can do on the vibration plate, for both upper and lower body. Simple exercises such as planks and squats will become more intense and efficient.
Vibration training was first developed by Russia somewhat 40 years ago, trying to combat the effects of space travel with zero gravity for astronauts. Soon after, it was taken into the field of sports. Since then, it has been proven that vibration training can be a vital training tool to increase strength, flexibility and improve balance.
Other benefits are:
The real question is, to what extent does vibration training help an athlete reach his/her goals? Can a person neglect other training aspects and replace it with a vibration plate? Some claims suggest that 10 minutes of vibration training can have the same training benefits as 30-40 minutes of conventional training. However, we at Define Defense realize the potential and have experienced the magnificent results ourselves but feel that vibration training is a supplement more than a replacement. The human body needs variety in order to grow and improve. That is why we continue to use many different training tools and always try to improve our programs. One thing is sure though: a well guided training session on a vibration plate will boost your training and you will absolutely feel the results!
If you have never experienced training on a vibration plate, you have the opportunity in our facility during our private training sessions and even in our martial arts classes! We strive to incorporate many different methods in our lesson strategies.
Stay tuned for news on our opening weekend in March!!
Vibration training actually increases the frequency of the muscle contraction. On the plate your muscles will contract 30-50 times per second, which increases the intensity of the workout. Studies have shown that conventional exercises engage approx. 40% of the targeted muscle fibers, while vibration plates engage approx. 97% by involuntary muscle contractions.
There is a wide variety of exercises you can do on the vibration plate, for both upper and lower body. Simple exercises such as planks and squats will become more intense and efficient.
Vibration training was first developed by Russia somewhat 40 years ago, trying to combat the effects of space travel with zero gravity for astronauts. Soon after, it was taken into the field of sports. Since then, it has been proven that vibration training can be a vital training tool to increase strength, flexibility and improve balance.
Other benefits are:
- Optimize recovery from injuries
- Improve the mass and mechanical capability of bones
- More flexibility, strength and hormone release
- Improve your motor skills
- Reduce cellulite
- Enhance blood flow
- ...
The real question is, to what extent does vibration training help an athlete reach his/her goals? Can a person neglect other training aspects and replace it with a vibration plate? Some claims suggest that 10 minutes of vibration training can have the same training benefits as 30-40 minutes of conventional training. However, we at Define Defense realize the potential and have experienced the magnificent results ourselves but feel that vibration training is a supplement more than a replacement. The human body needs variety in order to grow and improve. That is why we continue to use many different training tools and always try to improve our programs. One thing is sure though: a well guided training session on a vibration plate will boost your training and you will absolutely feel the results!
If you have never experienced training on a vibration plate, you have the opportunity in our facility during our private training sessions and even in our martial arts classes! We strive to incorporate many different methods in our lesson strategies.
Stay tuned for news on our opening weekend in March!!
PNF stretching
01/01/11 14:46
PNF stretching is a very effective way of stretching. However, it has more risks of injury than static stretching.
This way of stretching will focus on the relaxation of the muscle after activation. Basically, you do a normal static stretch for 10 seconds. After these 10 seconds, you stay in position but you will push your stretched body part away from the direction is is being stretched (for example you will try to sit up when a partner is pushing you down when you stretch your hamstrings with straight legs on the floor). Your partner will keep you from doing this so you are pushing without moving (you are still in the basic stretch position you started in). After you push for 6-10 seconds, you will relax again and do a static stretch. This will result in a much deeper stretch!
This method is highly effective but not without danger. You have to work with a partner and make sure you communicate with each other to prevent injuries.
This way of stretching will focus on the relaxation of the muscle after activation. Basically, you do a normal static stretch for 10 seconds. After these 10 seconds, you stay in position but you will push your stretched body part away from the direction is is being stretched (for example you will try to sit up when a partner is pushing you down when you stretch your hamstrings with straight legs on the floor). Your partner will keep you from doing this so you are pushing without moving (you are still in the basic stretch position you started in). After you push for 6-10 seconds, you will relax again and do a static stretch. This will result in a much deeper stretch!
This method is highly effective but not without danger. You have to work with a partner and make sure you communicate with each other to prevent injuries.
The myths of stretching
01/01/11 14:46
Stretching is a vital part of the workout. Some people often forget about it or prefer not to do it because they don’t believe in it. The truth is: it is necessary and you should do it every workout.
Stretching has a lot of advantages, for example:
- quality and speed of your movement can improve because of the bigger ‘radius’ of the movement
- injuries are prevented when your muscles are more flexible
- More blood (which means more oxygen as well) is transported to your muscles, which improves recuperation
- lactic acid can be processed faster because the blood flow is improved throughout the muscles
- stress levels decrease
- improve your body awareness
-…
Some researchers still claim that stretching has negative impacts on performance. Is this true? Yes… this could be true. It is shown that stretching can decrease muscular strength in some cases. Does this mean athletes have to stop stretching? No, every athlete should stretch their muscles. Even people who want to develop muscles or strength should stretch up to a normal level of flexibility. They don’t have to be able to put their feet in their neck or be extremely flexible. What can be recommended is stretching after the training though, to prevent their muscles from being extremely short and their workout won’t be affected of the decrease of strength (which mostly lasts a short amount of time). But everybody should stretch, for all the advantages shown on top of this article! Every sporter should have their own stretching program though, specific to their sport, health situation or wishes.
Everybody knows that muscles stretch but what most athletes don’t know is what prevents a muscle from being stretched? There are 2 proprioceptive organs in our muscles: the Golgi tendon organ and the muscle spindle.
The Golgi tendon organ is a little proprioceptive (‘self sense or awareness’) organ that is located at the connection of the muscle and tendon. This organ measures the tension, created by stretching the muscle. When the tension gets too big, the organ will send a signal which will create a reflex to contract the opposite muscle. For example: you are stretching the hamstrings (back of the leg) and are going too far. The Golgi organ will send a signal and your quadriceps (front leg muscles) will contract to prevent your hamstring from being overstretched and damaged…
The muscle spindle will measure the length of the muscle and will give feedback to the central nervous system so this can determine the position of body parts. When the muscle becomes too long (overstretches), the central nervous system will act and will contract the opposite muscle, just as before.
When you stretch frequently, not only the muscle will be able to stretch further but also these organs will adapt and will allow the muscle to be stretched further.
A few tips for stretching:
- stretch at the end of your workout
- when it hurts, you went too far
- spend time on stretching several times a week, you will lose flexibility if you don’t maintain it
- stretch your muscle for 20 seconds if you do static stretching (different types will be discussed in another post)
- consider your stretching as a workout in a workout… Don’t neglect it!
Stretching has a lot of advantages, for example:
- quality and speed of your movement can improve because of the bigger ‘radius’ of the movement
- injuries are prevented when your muscles are more flexible
- More blood (which means more oxygen as well) is transported to your muscles, which improves recuperation
- lactic acid can be processed faster because the blood flow is improved throughout the muscles
- stress levels decrease
- improve your body awareness
-…
Some researchers still claim that stretching has negative impacts on performance. Is this true? Yes… this could be true. It is shown that stretching can decrease muscular strength in some cases. Does this mean athletes have to stop stretching? No, every athlete should stretch their muscles. Even people who want to develop muscles or strength should stretch up to a normal level of flexibility. They don’t have to be able to put their feet in their neck or be extremely flexible. What can be recommended is stretching after the training though, to prevent their muscles from being extremely short and their workout won’t be affected of the decrease of strength (which mostly lasts a short amount of time). But everybody should stretch, for all the advantages shown on top of this article! Every sporter should have their own stretching program though, specific to their sport, health situation or wishes.
Everybody knows that muscles stretch but what most athletes don’t know is what prevents a muscle from being stretched? There are 2 proprioceptive organs in our muscles: the Golgi tendon organ and the muscle spindle.
The Golgi tendon organ is a little proprioceptive (‘self sense or awareness’) organ that is located at the connection of the muscle and tendon. This organ measures the tension, created by stretching the muscle. When the tension gets too big, the organ will send a signal which will create a reflex to contract the opposite muscle. For example: you are stretching the hamstrings (back of the leg) and are going too far. The Golgi organ will send a signal and your quadriceps (front leg muscles) will contract to prevent your hamstring from being overstretched and damaged…
The muscle spindle will measure the length of the muscle and will give feedback to the central nervous system so this can determine the position of body parts. When the muscle becomes too long (overstretches), the central nervous system will act and will contract the opposite muscle, just as before.
When you stretch frequently, not only the muscle will be able to stretch further but also these organs will adapt and will allow the muscle to be stretched further.
A few tips for stretching:
- stretch at the end of your workout
- when it hurts, you went too far
- spend time on stretching several times a week, you will lose flexibility if you don’t maintain it
- stretch your muscle for 20 seconds if you do static stretching (different types will be discussed in another post)
- consider your stretching as a workout in a workout… Don’t neglect it!