personal trainer
Three Favorite Ab Exercises with TRX Suspension Band HD
26/03/13 14:27 Filed in: Fitness | TRX / Cross Training | Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training
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
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Your Environment Determines your Success
09/03/13 15:12 Filed in: Fitness | Strength & Conditioning | TRX / Cross Training | Kettle Bell | My experiences | Personal Training | Other
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
Inside Grip TRX Chest Press
10/03/13 15:13 Filed in: Fitness | TRX / Cross Training | Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training
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 Filed in: Fitness | TRX / Cross Training | Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training
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 Filed in: TRX / Cross Training | Strength & Conditioning | Fitness | Personal Training
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 Filed in: Fitness | Strength & Conditioning | TRX / Cross Training | Personal Training
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
How to pick your personal or group fitness trainer
30/01/13 14:30 Filed in: Personal Training | Martial Arts | Strength & Conditioning | TRX / Cross Training | Kettle Bell | Other
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
$148 Personal Training Certifications Really?
10/01/13 12:00 Filed in: Other | Personal Training | My experiences | Fitness | TRX / Cross Training | Kettle Bell
I am in shock right now. It was just brought to my attention that Livingsocial sold online personal training certifications for $148 and sold 1,162 of them! I get that people want to pursue their career of choice and become a trainer but is this really the way to do it? Hey, maybe I should watch a documentary about space travel and call myself an astronaut… OK, maybe too much.
It seems like anyone can create a personal training certification company and start selling certifications, without any guidance, limitations or quality control. How can you possibly become a good personal trainer by only taking an online course, without any hands on experience? There definitely are many individuals who have been training for years, would make great trainers but are missing the papers. For others, this might be the first step of many to come so they can become a fitness trainer. Fully understandable, however the majority of these vouchers sold are most likely to people who think it would be fun to be a trainer, have no background whatsoever and think this will suffice (thank you tv networks for creating a certain image).
This kind of practice degrades our industry. I spent 3 years in college, graduated cum laude and continue to pursue more skills and knowledge to make myself a better trainer. Throughout college, my peers and I had about 32 hours of classes every week, of which 10-12 hands on sports practice, coaching etc. In my mind, there is simply no way you can become a trainer by only taking an online course and test (which you can use your lesson material for).
There are fantastic trainers who are not certified or never went to school for sure but you can see my point. Some of the individuals who purchased this deal will still charge the same as a qualified, properly instructed trainer does. This practice undervalues the real trainers, is dangerous and unethical.
I personally still take courses (as I did with TRX and Kettle Bell because when I went to school for my degree, this was not practiced yet in Europe) and these are great if you are a trainer with a strong base and a thorough understanding of training, physiology, anatomy, exercise form etc. It is not great for people who have never trained clients before and think that, once they take the one day course, they can call themselves a trainer. For example, when I did my TRX certification course, there were some wonderful trainers there but also loud annoying individuals who didn’t even have the slightest understanding of what training is about! You can talk all you want but your clients won’t gain from it. So let’s raise the standards! Let’s make a harder to become a trainer! I spent my time, money, blood and sweat to become the trainer I am today and it is my mission to keep improving as long as I can.
Sorry for being so upfront but a person can’t call him/herself a doctor after watching ER right? Pretty much the same thing.
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
You Get What You Work For
12/11/12 14:45 Filed in: Other | My experiences | Martial Arts | Fitness | TRX / Cross Training | Strength & Conditioning
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
How I Have Prevented Injuries
08/11/12 13:40 Filed in: Other | Fitness | Kettle Bell | TRX / Cross Training | My experiences | Martial Arts | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Sometimes, I find it easiest to write a blog post about my own experiences. It makes me write about not only the practical side of the topic but also how it effects other things such as your motivation, results and many others.
I have been wanting to write for a while about injury prevention. It’s a topic I have written about before and this will probably not be the last one either.
Injury prevention is something I find extremely important, both as an athlete and as a trainer. Safety is always my number one priority when training clients. Sometimes this gets tricky because a trainer has to push the client to get most out of the session and get the results they want. However, it needs to be done in a safe way. After all, if you get injured, you will be out for days, week, months or in some cases even years! Whatever you were doing at that point in time, was probably not worth this kind of injury.
When I train my clients, whether it’s a private session or group class, I always tell them that form should be their main focus. If they do cheat but it does not affect their safety or risk of injury, I will let them finish and then tell them what to change next time they do the exercise or drill. If it does affect their safety, I will pause the exercise right away and correct immediately.
As for myself from a personal standpoint, I have been very fortunate (and careful) to have a healthy body without any main restrictions or injuries. I have been training hard since I was seven, trained with adults at the age of 12 and did competitive martial arts and bike racing, as well as countless hours of sports in college as a part of my sports education. Anyone who knows me, will tell you I don’t hold back when training either, I give it my all and work my hardest. Through all of this, I have been able to avoid any main injuries that affected me long term (I had a lower back issue at one point but recovered from that). Many and most people I have ever met who trained at my intensity (not clients), have had serious injuries. I believe the main reasons to preventing injuries for myself are:
- I know my body well and know where my limits are.
- Even if I push through my limits, I take calculated risks.
- REST is extremely important, know when to take a break.
- I fuel my body right, nutrition is so vital.
- I take responsible supplements (vitamins, Omegas, and some others such as the following one)
- Glucosamin, Chondroitin and MSM have been very important supplements (comes in one) for me to protect my joints. The difference for me is remarkable.
- I don’t live like a crazy man or do many unhealthy things such as going out, eating or drinking too many bad things.
- I listen to my body.
- Stretch a lot, tight muscles are prone to injuries.
- Personal one: I love massages! They help you recover and stay loose.
- Follow the normal guidelines (warm up well, follow the game rules etc.)
When training clients or groups, I try to share some of these tips with them. It is fully understandable that everyone has their own life and wants to do their own thing. Some things might not even work for someone. However, from my experience, these little and very simple pointers make a huge difference and have kept my joints, ligaments and other parts safe.
Use your common sense and listen to your body. Train HARD but also take care of yourself to prevent injuries!
P.S. Now let’s hope I don’t fall down tomorrow and get injured!
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
Kettle Bell Certified Instructor at Define Defense
This past Sunday, I got my Kettle Bell instructor certification training by the USAKL. It was one of the things that I’ve been wanting to do for a while and get better at. As a trainer, I was able to do many things with kettle bells but the advanced technical moves were not part of my skill set yet. The reason for this was that when I went to college for Phys Ed, Sports Management and Personal Training, kettle bells weren’t really used in Belgium.
Another reason was that I was shown incorrect form on many occasions. When I went to some other gyms or worked with other trainers, I was shown certain methods to do the clean, jerk and snatch. On all of these occasions, I left with lower back pain and extreme muscle soreness.
At the instructor certification course however, I learned PROPER technique and how to perform the clean & jerk and snatch in a correct way that will increase your skills, endurance, mobility, body awareness etc. I must have done 800 scoop swings yesterday (yes with low weights but still many reps) and there is no sign of any back pain or other muscle soreness.
I was very impressed with the course and am very proud to be a certified kettle bell instructor that can demonstrate correct form in a responsible way. There is of course a long way to go and much to learn but learning these technically advanced moves was a huge step in mastering the idea behind kettle bells, therefore being able to teach safe and performance enhancing kettle bell classes!
Soon, Define Defense will start kettle bell classes, combined with cross training by using all our other cutting edge equipment in our facility. Come check them out and join a class for free. Kettle bell exercises are great to get in shape, strengthen or tone your body and improve your performance. As I experienced, I guarantee you it’s a fantastic workout like you’ve never done before!
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
Recovery as Indicator
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
Carb Loading for Athletes
07/06/12 14:51 Filed in: Fitness | Nutrition | My experiences | Martial Arts | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | Other | Strength & Conditioning
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
30 Day Paleo Challenge: Final Article
During March, I participated in a 30 day Paleo challenge. As you may have read in my previous posts, my experience was double sided. I did really enjoy some of the healthy changes I had to make, such as eating more fruit, vegetables, soup and nuts. This made a huge difference and got me more into a routine of eating these items, which are of course fantastic for your body and health. Please note I will not go into the details of the diet and what to do, this is purely about my experience and not intended to explain what you should be eating.
Other things, I wasn’t as much a fan of. So many things were cut out of my diet that it caused me to get very bored of certain foods. Also, dropping so much water weight (6lbs. at a certain point) wasn’t very fun. I was thirsty all the time and got dehydrated very quickly, not to mention I looked very deflated (since you retain more water when you eat more carbs).
During the challenge, I ran into a bigger problem though. Since my work requires me to stand, run, exercise and do many more things for long periods of time, my total exercise duration every week (with individual training as well) easily exceeds 15-18 hours of sports. Doing the Paleo diet caused my performance to go down. As I wrote in my previous article, I switched to Paleo for Athletes and reintroduced carbs to accommodate my high levels of exercise. This made a huge difference and got my performance levels back to their original levels (and went up since). This was more in line with how I normally cut weight and watch my food intake when cutting. It is a very manageable way of eating and fueling your body right. The right amount of carbs in the right times are hugely important, combine that with the health benefits of some Paleo ideas and you’re on the right track! Since starting on March 1st, I lost 10lbs, am close to my goal competition weight and did not compromise my performance or lean mass.
In my opinion, athletes need to eat more carbs than the Paleo diet can offer, that is why Dr. Cordain, who wrote the books on the Paleo diet, recommends athletes to make these adjustments.
Even though it was not ideal for me (which I knew beforehand but I considered this an experiment), the Paleo diet may work much better for others. Certain ideas of it make perfect sense and most importantly of all, it does not allow you to eat manipulated and processed foods, chemicals etc. These foods are a huge reason why so many individuals are unhealthy and obese. In my opinion, eating unprocessed foods is one of the most important changes you can make in a diet.
People need guidance. Perhaps that is why the Paleo diet is so popular and I am positive it works for many people. If you are looking to cut weight and you are not very active, it is likely to do just that for you. If you are very active, it may still work but I think there may be better ways. There are many articles and studies out there that tell you why to eat and why not to eat certain foods. Many foods have changed (the nutritional value) over the last 10,000 and even 50 years. However, for every pro study there is a con study. At the end, you need to do what works for you, using common sense.
You should strive to eat as healthy as possible, fuel your body and give it what it needs and don’t get frustrated along the way because if you do, you are likely to give up. Go ahead and cheat a bit every once and a while, just be smart and disciplined about it. If you need help or you plan on starting a new nutrition or training program, go to a professional and ask for advice and motivation, both for nutrition and training needs.
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
Buy your TRX Suspension Bands at Define Defense
02/04/12 15:35 Filed in: Other | TRX / Cross Training
Now you are able to purchase your TRX Suspension Bands through Define Defense! Simply click on this this link and you can order them online and enjoy free shipping.
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
Switching to Paleo for Athletes!
Since my latest blog I’ve made quite a few changes in my 30 day Paleo experiment. I have also made a lot of progress!
In my second week of doing the Paleo diet, I found myself to be lacking energy to work out hard and also my performance went down. Especially with weight lifting, the difference was remarkable. Perhaps I didn’t eat enough of certain things or too many of others but whatever caused this, it was a problem. The fact that I teach martial arts and do personal training for a living has surely something to do with it. My body definitely needs more fuel than others since I am on my feet all day and I try to participate when teaching as much as possible. This easily adds up to 18 hours of training every week.
One more problem I had with the diet (which is a personal fault) is that I got bored of most foods. As mentioned before, if you are a picky eater it will become frustrating since you can’t eat certain things and you have to eat tons of others. This is of course a personal problem and most people are not as picky as myself (if in doubt, talk to my mom or wife about my eating pickiness!)
With these issues in mind, I decided to keep the general ideas of the Paleo diet but modifying it so I could again eat more carbs. Therefore, I switched to the Paleo for Athletes diet. This is a customized Paleo diet with the needs of athletes in mind. Our bodies need more energy and need quicker recovery. When training in and outside of classes as much as I do, I believe it is necessary. The first week I seemed to have no issues but after, I felt this was the right thing to do for me personally.
After the first week I dropped 7 lbs. As mentioned before, most of that was water weight, which I didn’t like. Once I started eating carbs again, I retained that water weight back (thankfully because I seemed very deflated!) Once retaining the water put to normal levels, I weighed 210.5 lbs. Since I switched to the Paleo for Athletes method, I dropped to 207 lbs. I feel great and energetic and feel like this is the best way for me to go Paleo. I can sustain my blood sugar levels, am not losing lean mass and am dropping the right weight. I’m looking forward to keep going on the Paleo for Athletes diet and continue to get leaner in my preparation for my triathlon races and Tough Mudder!
Again, this is my personal experience and does not reflect on anyone else and should not be considered nutritional advice.
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
In my second week of doing the Paleo diet, I found myself to be lacking energy to work out hard and also my performance went down. Especially with weight lifting, the difference was remarkable. Perhaps I didn’t eat enough of certain things or too many of others but whatever caused this, it was a problem. The fact that I teach martial arts and do personal training for a living has surely something to do with it. My body definitely needs more fuel than others since I am on my feet all day and I try to participate when teaching as much as possible. This easily adds up to 18 hours of training every week.
One more problem I had with the diet (which is a personal fault) is that I got bored of most foods. As mentioned before, if you are a picky eater it will become frustrating since you can’t eat certain things and you have to eat tons of others. This is of course a personal problem and most people are not as picky as myself (if in doubt, talk to my mom or wife about my eating pickiness!)
With these issues in mind, I decided to keep the general ideas of the Paleo diet but modifying it so I could again eat more carbs. Therefore, I switched to the Paleo for Athletes diet. This is a customized Paleo diet with the needs of athletes in mind. Our bodies need more energy and need quicker recovery. When training in and outside of classes as much as I do, I believe it is necessary. The first week I seemed to have no issues but after, I felt this was the right thing to do for me personally.
After the first week I dropped 7 lbs. As mentioned before, most of that was water weight, which I didn’t like. Once I started eating carbs again, I retained that water weight back (thankfully because I seemed very deflated!) Once retaining the water put to normal levels, I weighed 210.5 lbs. Since I switched to the Paleo for Athletes method, I dropped to 207 lbs. I feel great and energetic and feel like this is the best way for me to go Paleo. I can sustain my blood sugar levels, am not losing lean mass and am dropping the right weight. I’m looking forward to keep going on the Paleo for Athletes diet and continue to get leaner in my preparation for my triathlon races and Tough Mudder!
Again, this is my personal experience and does not reflect on anyone else and should not be considered nutritional advice.
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
30 Day Paleo Challenge: Day 7
07/03/12 14:07 Filed in: My experiences | Nutrition
Let’s start with the numbers: 7 lbs. in 7 days! I know, I was shocked too. However, keep in mind that a big part of this amount is water weight. Since I eat much less carbs, my body also retains less water. Fortunately, I still feel energetic and have no dips in my energy levels throughout the day. Also, after weight lifting my muscles seem to be recovering at the same pace as they did before the Paleo diet. This seems to demonstrate that my post training recovery is similar and this should prevent muscle atrophy (I hope)! I am keeping a close eye on feeling weak or lacking energy since that may be a concern (although there are no signs at all yet).
As I mentioned before, Saturdays are a pretty intense workout day for me. This is what I did last Saturday:
- Youth martial arts class (teaching and joining in the interactive games)
- 60 minutes of weight lifting (chest and shoulders)
- 30 minutes of a Modern Martial Arts class (Drew taught the rest of the class)
- 30 minutes of a Strength & Conditioning class (instructed the rest without joining)
- 1.5 hour Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, of which about 40 minutes rolling (grappling with your opponents)
As you can imagine, I was eating all day (to a point that my clients said: ‘Are you eating again??’) Nonetheless, I dropped a good amount of weight that day, mostly because I couldn’t keep up with my water intake vs loss.
Sunday and Monday I was mostly out of town, which did not make this diet any easier. Luckily, we were able to bring a lot of previously prepared foods and we had access to an empty fridge where we stayed. This made it more manageable but it was still not easy at all.
So far I have been able to keep up with the diet but it is definitely a challenge. This is not how I normally eat at all. I can imagine the Paleo diet is a slight change for many people but for me it’s pretty much a complete turnaround. The temptation is not a major issue right now, however the biggest problem is variety. This is why we’re exploring more options to cook the same foods, the problem is that I am a picky eater so I am forced to resort to the same foods pretty often. I have to say I am eating many different things but considering the amount of food I have to eat, it gets quite boring.
So far this week these have been my workouts:
Monday:
- 45 minutes weight lifting (chest and shoulders)
- Brazilian Jiu Jitsu class (60 minutes)
- 30 minutes Strength & Conditioning
- Modern Martial Arts (60 minutes)
Tuesday:
- 30 minute run
- 45 minutes weight lifting (back)
- Modern Martial Arts (of which I joined 30 minutes)
Wednesday:
- 60 minutes weight lifting (upper back and shoulders)
- 60 minutes Strength & Conditioning
- 60 minutes Modern Martial Arts
I have not yet measure my body fat % but will most likely do tonight. I will keep you posted!
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
30 Day Paleo Diet Challenge: Day 2
This is day 2 of my Paleo diet challenge. Please don’t consider me a Paleo specialist, all this is intended for is to share my experience :) Please consult a nutritionist or dietitian for nutritional advice.
Unfortunately, during the first day I couldn’t satisfy my hunger. I don’t think it was as much physical as it was mental. I do believe we are addicted to some foods and after eating those, you need more and more in order to satisfy yourself. Not being able to eat these items, makes it hard to satisfy my hungry feeling! However, since it is such a change in diet, I think it just needs time. The first 2 weeks I expect to be pretty rough. However, today (2nd day) I am doing better already and feel less hungry (believe me, I’m eating a large amount of food).
Training wise I was pleasantly surprised I didn’t feel a dip in energy! I am sure it has a lot to do with all the meals I had, which kept my blood levels more steady. Although, I was still surprised since I did not have any pasta, bread, rice, potatoes etc. and I didn’t feel weak at all. My training yesterday was:
- A light Modern Martial Arts class (60 minutes)
- A Strength & Conditioning class (50 minutes + 10 minutes stretching)
- Teaching a Self Defense class (some parts can be pretty intense when instructors are the subjects to takedowns, self defense techniques etc.)
Today, my wife and I went for an hour hike and I worked out for about 45 minutes (weight lifting) and still did not feel a drop in energy! This was a major concern for me but I’m happy to admit there is no such drop!
Tomorrow I’ll be training a good amount (at least 3 hours) so I’ll let you know what happens!
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
TRX ab exercise
01/03/12 11:14 Filed in: Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training | Fitness | TRX / Cross 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
Training the energy systems
19/01/12 11:04 Filed in: Fitness | Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training | Other | My experiences | Martial Arts
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 Filed in: Fitness | Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training | Other | My experiences | Martial Arts
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 Filed in: Fitness | Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training | Other | My experiences
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
When and how much to work out?
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
Cross Training for Better Performance
28/12/11 13:27 Filed in: Fitness | Strength & Conditioning | MMA | My experiences | Personal Training
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 !
New Year Resolutions - 2012
02/12/11 09:15 Filed in: Other | My experiences | Martial Arts | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu | Personal Training
Most of us consider the holiday season to be the end or new beginning of a time in which we want to accomplish our goals. That is why so many people make their New Year’s resolutions and vow to fulfill these before another year passes by.
Many of our clients have come to us to fulfill some of their New Year resolutions, such as:
Self Defense
A surprising amount of people want to learn self defense but for some reason, never actually do it. This is the time of the year that you should get some self defense classes in! The weather is cold, the sund goes down sooner and Define Defense offers a unique program in Boulder, CO. Self defense is not the same as martial arts so it requires a different approach; something you can experience with us. After all, it’s better to be prepared just in case! We offer both classes (with a punch card) or private self defense workshops for groups!
Get In Shape
The holiday season is a period of joy but not necessarily for your body. All that great food might stick around. If you would like to get stronger, feel better about yourself and have a healthier body. Then you can join our new strength & conditioning program (6 cross training classes/week with punch card or unlimited memberships) or practice martial arts with us. Ask any client of ours: you will get a great workout and see the results quickly!
Martial Arts
There’s a part in many of us that LOVES martial arts and wants to be great at it. It’s fantastic for so many things: self defense, competing (with yourself or others), getting in great shape, looking and feeling better, being more confident, empowering yourself etc.
Now is a great time to finally act on that wish and learn martial arts. Since we have different program for different goals, you will have a great time doing it. A big plus is that you won’t be learning outdated techniques and instead you will be learning all the best elements from different martial arts that actually work! We teach all ages, genders and levels.
Personal Training
Did you know Define Defense also does personal training? If you didn’t, it’s probably because our personal training sessions are fully private so there is nobody else in the facility! We make sure you get our undivided attention, access to all cutting edge equipment and there is nobody staring at you! No matter what your goal is, we can help you achieve it. Our training is backed by science and we keep logs, which we share with you every 2 months so you can see your own progress!
When 2012 starts, get some of these of your bucket list and come to see us. We will help you achieve that goal and make sure you have a great time doing it.
If you have someone else in mind, you can always gift them a gift card which they can use towards any of our programs.
Have a great holiday season and a happy 2012! We will see you soon.
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 Filed in: Other | Fitness | My experiences | Strength & Conditioning | Personal Training
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
Happy Thanksgiving! Black Friday and class times.
22/11/11 18:18
25% sale on ALL gear this Friday and Saturday during class times!
We will be open on:
Friday 5-7.30pm
Saturday 10.30am-12pm
Saturday 1-3.30pm
Take advantage of these deal to get yourself more protective gear, merchandise etc!
Also, our advanced online system enables you to purchase gift cards! These are a great holiday present for anyone looking for high quality products or someone who wants to get started on their New Year's resolutions (self defense classes, getting in shape)!
If you are shopping online, use the code 25FS for your 25% off!
http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=14713&stype=43
We will be open on:
Friday 5-7.30pm
Saturday 10.30am-12pm
Saturday 1-3.30pm
Take advantage of these deal to get yourself more protective gear, merchandise etc!
Also, our advanced online system enables you to purchase gift cards! These are a great holiday present for anyone looking for high quality products or someone who wants to get started on their New Year's resolutions (self defense classes, getting in shape)!
If you are shopping online, use the code 25FS for your 25% off!
http://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ws.asp?studioid=14713&stype=43
Personal Training Assessments
14/05/11 11:51 Filed in: Other | Fitness | My experiences | Personal Training | Strength & Conditioning
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.
New training video
30/04/11 13:46 Filed in: Other
Kettle Bell Class Pictures
Here are some new pictures of our kettle bell classes last week:
