12/13/2011

TOUGH MUDDER TRAINING

Hey all you Tough Mudders, Spartans, Warriors... Alpha Strong Sandbags are the perfect tool to train with. We here at Alpha Strong Gym run Mudder Camps to prepare for these events. We compete in these events, and we can't wait for the next one! It feels good to be strong! I read another blog this morning that says sandbags are the most effective way to train for these events. I agree! When we prepared for the Squaw Valley 2011 Tough Mudder we knew what we were up against.. We went up to Tahoe and tested out the mountains (actually, they tested us). The last 6 weeks before the Tough Mudder we ran with 40 pound to 50 pound Alpha Strong Sandbags; squatted, lunged, and did pop squats with sandbags; countless Plyo box jumps with sandbag deadlifts, loaded 100 pounds of sandbags onto the prowler along with 100 pounds of plates, did frog jumps with sandbag drags, Sand ball pulls with pushups, and lots of “good mornings” for our lower backs and hammies. We knew that the bulk of our training needed to be all about the legs! Endurance you will achieve with the Alpha Strong Sandbags, no worries there. The Alpha Strong Team finished one of the toughest Mudders of all... 14 miles of mountains, 20 obstacles, and the altitude... I can truly say that we trained right!!! We finished strong; running to the finish line. People were lined up along the mountains completely exhausted and wondering how they were going to get off the mountain. They were not prepared and truly just did not train right for the event. I was in the best shape of my life, I trained right, and it still kicked my ass! The last 9 miles were the toughest... I had a conversation with a guy that looked like he had more muscle than he knew what to do with... His legs were wrapped and he was in the worst pain I witnessed. There was a lot of pain on those mountains! He shared with me that he had done the Bear Valley Mudder and he thought he was going to kill this one, but he said “boy, did I guess wrong”. You need more than muscle to power through the Tough Mudder, and Alpha Strong Sandbags are the tools you need to train with.

Train Heavy, Train Hard, and Be Alpha Strong!

-Coach Hankins

11/17/2011

TIME

Why is it so easy to not exercise? When my clients share with me their excuses for not being consistent, the number one excuse is not having enough “Time”. They ask for a schedule, and my response is always the same: I’m not sure a schedule is what you need; it sounds like you need to make a Choice. So, let’s talk about Time! Time is a deal-breaker. When it comes to getting things done, we need more Time. Where does Time come from? Can Time be saved? Can we buy extra Time? Time, Time, Time… Blame it all on Time! Hmm... I’m blogging about this because it’s the number one excuse in my gym, and frankly I’m done with it! I’m going to see if I’m on to something here...

If you work 8 hours a day, and sleep 8 hours a day, you still have 8 hours left. So what do you do with those 8 hours? You probably spend an hour showering and getting dressed, 2 hours cooking and eating, and another hour shuttling kids around. Add in a few hours of cleaning, running errands, studying, and whatever chores are on your list for the day and you still have an hour left. I have an 8 year old, run 2 businesses, maintain 40 clients, work 13 hour days, and I still exercise. There is a difference between not having Time, and having it but choosing not to use it. If you don’t make Time to exercise, it’s like anything else in your life - you won’t do it.

Why am I blogging about this? As a fitness instructor and trainer I am tired of hearing about Time, but more importantly I’m concerned that every time you complain about not having Time, you’re teaching yourself that you don’t have the Time to be healthy, and I disagree. I say Choice is more important. Make a Choice, and the Time will appear! Choice is something we all have, and no one can steal that from us – No One. If you’re not healthy, not exercising, not eating right, overweight, and aging quickly, you’re choosing it. Time has nothing to do with your Choice to be unhealthy! Stop blaming Time, your job, your kids, and your spouse, and make the Choice to exercise! It’s that simple.

Choose to Be Alpha Strong!

-Kathy Hankins, Alpha Body Fitness