When Amy, an exercise enthusiast in the Boston area, asked trainers "Coach Sweat" and "Coach Glory" to run a boot camp for her and her friends, they initially refused. Coach Sweat had seen many boot camps out and about in the Boston area, and he liked the idea behind it, but he noticed that participants never looked like they were having all that much fun. Coach Sweat started thinking of ways he could provide all the benefits of a boot camp, while insuring that his participants had fun doing it.
A day later Coach Sweat called Amy back and proposed "The Ultimate Grind." A team challenge that was every bit as intense as a boot camp yet provided a culminating event in which her and her teammate would get to compete against other groups for the "Ultimate Grind Championship." Amy enthusiastically accepted the challenge and a new paradigm in fitness was born! So what is the Ultimate Grind and why are people so excited about it?
First let's talk about all of the benefits of a well run boot camp.
Boot camps encourage people to find time in their busy schedules to challenge themselves and get in better shape.
Boot camps provide participants with the support of a group, and many of us need all the support we can get when we're exercising!
Boot camps are typically led by qualified personal trainers.
What makes the Ultimate Grind superior to a typical "Boot camp" you might find in the Boston area is what Coach Sweat calls the "3 C's" of the Ultimate Grind; challenge, camaraderie, and competition.
Challenge - Each "Ultimate Grind" team begins the program with an assessment. After the coaches ask you about your specific goals, you will get a physical assessment that the coaches will use to customize the Ultimate Grind specifically for you and your group. They will design the Ultimate Grind to make it challenging, yet achievable.
Camaraderie - After the assessment, you will be given a teammate from your group. Some groups like to select their own teammates, but Coach Sweat and Coach Glory will usually advise groups as to how the teams will be broken down in order to provide a fair competition.
Competition - Nothing is more exciting than the "Ultimate Grind Championships" which will usually take place 8-12 weeks after the initial assessment. The Ultimate Grind will typically consist of 8 "legs" in which all participants are doing exercises. The coaches will score each event, and the team with the most points in the end will be awarded the championship.
The moral of the story...Boot camps are great, but the Ultimate Grind is even better!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Diet Wars -- Atkins vs. Ornish
What a match up! A high carbohydrate vs. a low carbohydrate diet! Someone must be right and someone must be wrong! Let's find out!
Ornish - Pros: The Ornish Diet recommends that you eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and soy products. No matter how you slice it....these things are good for you!
Ornish - Cons: Ornish is a low-fat, low-protein diet. It is very difficult for many people to stick to it for the long haul. Also, proteins and fats are an important part of any diet. If you choose to follow the Ornish Diet, my recommendations....take an Omega 3 supplement and don't forget the beans and soy!
Atkins - Pros: Who doesn't want to eat steak, eggs, and chicken at every meal! Since proteins and fats take longer to digest, someone on the Atkins diet would likely be less hungry throughout the day.
Atkins - Cons: The Atkins Diet may be attractive to someone who is sick of low calorie, low fat diets, but it is simply not healthy! What do you think all of that fat and protein is doing to your arteries, liver, kidneys, and heart?!? Let me assure you...it's not good! Also, do you really intend to stay away from carbohydrates for the rest of your life? Most of us will not...and when you eat those carbs, your body won't know what to do with them, and will store them directly as fat.....guaranteed!
Conclusion: Ornish wins...but be careful!
The Ornish Diet is clearly a healthier way to eat. That being said, it's difficult to stick to and a good diet that's impossible to follow is a bad diet! You also need to remember that losing weight and keeping it off requires a healthy lifestyle and your diet is only part of that picture!
Ornish - Pros: The Ornish Diet recommends that you eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and soy products. No matter how you slice it....these things are good for you!
Ornish - Cons: Ornish is a low-fat, low-protein diet. It is very difficult for many people to stick to it for the long haul. Also, proteins and fats are an important part of any diet. If you choose to follow the Ornish Diet, my recommendations....take an Omega 3 supplement and don't forget the beans and soy!
Atkins - Pros: Who doesn't want to eat steak, eggs, and chicken at every meal! Since proteins and fats take longer to digest, someone on the Atkins diet would likely be less hungry throughout the day.
Atkins - Cons: The Atkins Diet may be attractive to someone who is sick of low calorie, low fat diets, but it is simply not healthy! What do you think all of that fat and protein is doing to your arteries, liver, kidneys, and heart?!? Let me assure you...it's not good! Also, do you really intend to stay away from carbohydrates for the rest of your life? Most of us will not...and when you eat those carbs, your body won't know what to do with them, and will store them directly as fat.....guaranteed!
Conclusion: Ornish wins...but be careful!
The Ornish Diet is clearly a healthier way to eat. That being said, it's difficult to stick to and a good diet that's impossible to follow is a bad diet! You also need to remember that losing weight and keeping it off requires a healthy lifestyle and your diet is only part of that picture!
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Heroes of the Ultimate Grind!
A lot of people have been asking about the Ultimate Grind....Did we call it off because of bad weather?....Did we modify any of the events because of the bad weather?....Did the fans stay home because of the bad weather?
The answer to all of these questions is one resounding "NO!"
Here's the official report:
"This past Sunday four ladies realized their true greatness, on the Tufts football field in front of a capacity crowd of loyal fans!
It all started at 10:30, when the teams arrived for their warm-up as the coaches shoveled off the arena.
At 10:45 the fans began to arrive, at 10:57 the teams were introduced, the National Anthem was sung, and the competitors began the first event.
After 100 squat thrusts, 50 leg throw-downs, 100 squats, 100 foot-high cable jumps, 100 push-ups, 50 reverse chops, 50 Jackknives, 100 yards of dead-legged army crawls, and a mile run, the competitors stood....exhausted....freezing cold....and victorious!
It couldn't have been more thrilling for the fans! After a dramatic upset in the army crawl, "We Sweat Glory" went into the mile run with a 1 point lead over "Team Whippmore." This was no ordinary mile run, however...it was a mile run through a foot of snow....exactly what "Team Whippmore" had trained for, and they would not be denied the championship!
MVP performances were awarded to Becca, with the best squats in the history of the Ultimate Grind....Molly, who's lighting fast push-ups sparked a dramatic come-from-behind victory.... Amy, who's improvement in the Army Crawl was unprecedented....and Sonj, who blew everyone away in the mile run to win the championship!
Coach Sweat - reporting from Tufts University"
The answer to all of these questions is one resounding "NO!"
Here's the official report:
"This past Sunday four ladies realized their true greatness, on the Tufts football field in front of a capacity crowd of loyal fans!
It all started at 10:30, when the teams arrived for their warm-up as the coaches shoveled off the arena.
At 10:45 the fans began to arrive, at 10:57 the teams were introduced, the National Anthem was sung, and the competitors began the first event.
After 100 squat thrusts, 50 leg throw-downs, 100 squats, 100 foot-high cable jumps, 100 push-ups, 50 reverse chops, 50 Jackknives, 100 yards of dead-legged army crawls, and a mile run, the competitors stood....exhausted....freezing cold....and victorious!
It couldn't have been more thrilling for the fans! After a dramatic upset in the army crawl, "We Sweat Glory" went into the mile run with a 1 point lead over "Team Whippmore." This was no ordinary mile run, however...it was a mile run through a foot of snow....exactly what "Team Whippmore" had trained for, and they would not be denied the championship!
MVP performances were awarded to Becca, with the best squats in the history of the Ultimate Grind....Molly, who's lighting fast push-ups sparked a dramatic come-from-behind victory.... Amy, who's improvement in the Army Crawl was unprecedented....and Sonj, who blew everyone away in the mile run to win the championship!
Coach Sweat - reporting from Tufts University"
Monday, January 5, 2009
Fix Your Metabolism!
They say that up to 75% of the calories we burn on a daily basis is due to our "resting metabolism."
Don't get me wrong... if you're trying to lose weight, spending 90 minutes a day on the treadmill doesn't hurt! What I'm saying is that people who say "it's hard for me to lose weight because I have a slow metabolism" may have a legitimate gripe!
So, what can you do to speed up your metabolism?
Here are 3 things that will increase your metabolism so that you'll be burning more calories 24/7:
1) Pump some iron! You don't have to go crazy, but muscle is metabolically active...it burns calories all the time! If you build some muscle, you'll definitely speed up your metabolism.
2) Stay away from white bread, white rice, white potatoes, juice, soda and anything with added sugar. These foods will put your body on a "blood sugar roller coaster" causing you to store more of your calories as fat, while making you crave more of these lousy foods no time!
3) Don't skip meals! When you skip meals your body actually thinks you're starving so it slows down your metabolism to conserve energy. Not only that....your body will hold onto those calories the best way it can....by storing them as fat!
This is just a start, but if you've learned nothing else, I want you to realize that you have the power to fix your metabolism if you're willing to make a few lifestyle changes! Good luck!
Don't get me wrong... if you're trying to lose weight, spending 90 minutes a day on the treadmill doesn't hurt! What I'm saying is that people who say "it's hard for me to lose weight because I have a slow metabolism" may have a legitimate gripe!
So, what can you do to speed up your metabolism?
Here are 3 things that will increase your metabolism so that you'll be burning more calories 24/7:
1) Pump some iron! You don't have to go crazy, but muscle is metabolically active...it burns calories all the time! If you build some muscle, you'll definitely speed up your metabolism.
2) Stay away from white bread, white rice, white potatoes, juice, soda and anything with added sugar. These foods will put your body on a "blood sugar roller coaster" causing you to store more of your calories as fat, while making you crave more of these lousy foods no time!
3) Don't skip meals! When you skip meals your body actually thinks you're starving so it slows down your metabolism to conserve energy. Not only that....your body will hold onto those calories the best way it can....by storing them as fat!
This is just a start, but if you've learned nothing else, I want you to realize that you have the power to fix your metabolism if you're willing to make a few lifestyle changes! Good luck!
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