2017 January Tabata Challenge Week 1 Tally

This marks the end of the first week of the 2017 January Tabata Challenge. It has been great for me! I am enjoying an increase in capacity to do push-ups, pull-ups, and ab work. My squats, which were not so bad have gotten much better. I am feeling great! Everyone around me has noted that my attitude has improved tremendously. Why wouldn’t it? Exercising beats out every pharmaceutical on the market for lifting people out of depression, improving one’s outlook on life, and increasing the brain’s production of positive endorphins. This also, by the way, positively impact the hypothalamus, located in the amygdala. What? Where? Why? These organs in the brain are the center of our emotional states.

In short, depression will affect the amygdala. Over time, the amygdala shrinks. This makes it way more difficult to get out of depression. Enter anti-depressant drugs. Do they make us feel better? Yes, but they do nothing for the amygdala. It is far better to repair the damage done. Exercise helps in this endeavor.

Enter our Tabata Challenge. Not only are we all burning massive calories during the workout, but for up to two hours after the workout we are burning calories at an accelerated rate. The rate of burn will vary based on your body size and body fat percentage, but most studies show that our after burn effect can last for up to two hours and burn an additional 225 calories. While that sounds great, and I do like those numbers, yes, they could be more impressive; however, what nearly every study has forgotten is the anaerobic impact that this training has on us.

By building muscle we are increasing our resting metabolism. This increase in our metabolism when we are not training burns more calories. Muscles urn calories in order to exist and move. One pound of muscle is going to burn around six to 10 calories to remain healthy. That is quality calories. This also includes training to keep those muscles, right? Right!

Tabata drills are burning up our glycogen at an accelerated pace while doing them. We get to enjoy an after burn. AND we have some more muscle to gobble up a few more calories while bopping about during the day. Think about all of those mundane things each of us do. Walking about the office, yard work, chasing the kids about the house & getting them to school, shopping, and whatever else you may have on your list. All those activities now use more calories because you have more muscle to take you through them. How cool is that?

Anyway, truth time … my bodyweight at the beginning of the week was 240 pounds tonight, after my PT session is … 236 pounds. This week I have dropped 4 pounds. None too shabby for one week. Woo-hoo!!

So, how about you? How have you progressed this week?

Core Workout

Studies, and experience, show that sit-ups are harsh. They force your lower spine into an unnatural curve, cause rubbing and undue pressure on the tailbone where nerves are the least protected.

There are several benefits to having a powerful core. First, when all the muscles around the core are strong they hold your body upright in good posture, which means less pain. Second, these muscle groups act somewhat like a girdle. The muscles will lift and pull in the tissue that is supported by them giving a more immediate appearance of weight loss as your waist becomes smaller in diameter. There are more, but these two are the primary focus of this article.

A strong core is supports all of your body movements. If it's weak then your entire body is weak. When the core is strong and supple, your body is stronger and you feel better. Your posture and balance both improve.

Abdominal routines are not mega calorie burners. It is recommended that you also add a smart diet and aerobic activity to see the fullest results, and those sculpted abs.

Muscles of the Core

The muscles that are referred to include the abdominals (the six pack section, rectus abdominus), abdominal obliques (hidden under the “love handles”), those long muscles that hold your spine upright that are called the erector spinae, and your glutes. There are several more layers of muscles underneath these, but detailing those is not necessary; they all get worked.

Before starting any routine, clear it with your doctor first. You want to be certain that you are healthy enough to train. If something hurts that is more than the delayed onset muscle soreness, which should last one or two days and lessen as you train, stop the routine and see your doctor.

One other point needs to be made before going to the routine. As a powerlifter, I was constantly told form first and the strength will follow. That applies here, as well. Once you lose solid form in any of these exercises that set is finished. Two more repetitions are not worth the risk of injury.

Bridge – Laying on your back, bend your knees and lift your hips while your shoulders and arms stay on the floor

Hold for 2 to 4 counts, then lower your hips or hold the position for a set period of time

If holding it static, start at 20 seconds and work up to longer periods

Keep your knees, hips, and shoulders in a straight line

Do this for 3 sets

Planks – Can be done with your elbows on the floor or from your hands in a static push-up position

Tighten your abs and lift your hips

Keep your knees, hips, and shoulders in a straight line

Do not let your hips sag down or your buttock stick up in the air

Hold this up position for 2 to 4 counts, then lower your hips or hold the position for a set period of time. If holding it static, start at 20 seconds and work up to longer periods slowly

Side Planks – Lying on your side with your right elbow and foot on the floor, reach up with your left hand, tighten your obliques to slowly lift your hips into alignment with both your knees and shoulders

Hold this up position for 2 to 4 counts, then lower your hips or hold the position for a set period of time

If holding it static, start at 20 seconds and work up to longer periods slowly

Superman – Laying /on your stomach, stretch your arms straight in front of you and point your toes so that you look like Superman flying

At the same time, lift your hips and shoulders up away from the floor

Hold this up position for 2 to 4 counts, then lower your hips or hold the position for a set period of time. If holding it static, start at 20 seconds and work up to longer periods slowly.

Squats with Knee Lift – Stand with your feet shoulders width apart

Keep your abs tight and your shoulders and head up, when performing the squat it may help to look upwards at the ceiling as this will keep your back upright and aligned (powerlifting safety tip that really works)

Bend your knees and lower your hips

Stand up

As you are standing upright lift one knee up to hip height

Repeat, this time raising your other knee to complete one repetition

Do 3 sets of 10

Back Lunges – Stand up straight and tall

Step backwards with one foot

Lower your back knee gently to the floor

Return to the starting position

Repeat with the other leg for one repetition

Your forward knee should not extend further than your toes

Do 3 sets of 10

Eating for Fitness Results

Eating, it's something that we all do. The vast majority of us really like it, we look forward to the next time we can get something tasty. But, what about eating while being healthy and fit? How does eating fit into a workout routine? Happily, these are simple to answer.

Food is fuel, our bodies need the calories in order to produce the energy our muscles need to propel ourselves through not just our day, but also our workout. I;m not talking about a full meal on the way into the gym. If you are anything like me that would be an awful idea. But, we all need to eat something before we workout AND we need to refuel, eat something, immediately after our workout.

Choosing the right food to eat before working out also means that you need to understand that different nutrients are broken down at different rates. Fat takes between 4 and 6 hours to be digested, protein takes 3 hours, and carbohydrates 2 hours. What we're seeing here is that you would do very well to have something like peanut butter and bananas at noon if you are hitting the workout at 3. This will allow the protein and carbs from your meal to be digested and ready for your body to use for you to power through your training.

After your workout your body is going to go into overdrive to repair all that muscular damage. Let's face it, exercising causes muscle fibers to break, this is trauma to the body, it's damage. Your body is going to work hard to repair that damage and to replenish the glycogen stores that you have just burnt through. So, take a shower and go get some quality protein and carbs within the first hour after your session.

The window of optimal effect is 15 minutes to one hour. Take that shower and then go fuel your recovery with something like your regular protein shake, some chicken and rice, yogurt and fruit, turkey with cheese and apples. Aim for foods that are high in protein and healthy carbohydrates. These foods will go into restoring your energy. Your body is still in a fat burning mode in order to repair that damage you just did. Oh, it would also be advisable to get some solid antioxidants into you, too, as these will help make your recovery more comfortable.

Protein and carbs a few hours before your workout and within the first hour afterwards will, according to research, serve you best.

Abs -- What Works

There have been articles written about sculpting your midsection, your abs. We have done countless scrunches, tons of trunk twists, and too many leg lifts. Most people make the mistake of only training their abdominal core.

There are more muscles in play than just "the abs". For trunk stability, a more fit look, and sexy torso people need to understand and train the muscles in play. From the picture below you will see the six muscles involved in gaining that sexy middle that we are all striving for.

Don't just work abs, work the core to include the abdominal obliques as well as the abdominal core ... but, how?

I found an article at Fit Watch (http://www.fitwatch.com/weight-loss/effective-ab-workout-superset-6287.html) about 9 different exercises that are done one set each for each ab workout. The routine also requires some specific equipment. This would mean that we either go to a gym or buy that weightlifting equipment for home. Not sure about you, but no equipment and simplicity are on my short list.


There are back muscles that also help with core stability, for now, though, we will look only at the abs.

Bicycle crunches are a mainstay in this. The bicycle crunch will work both your rectus abdominus (the abs), the big one down the middle, and the obliques.

Doing bicycle crunches is simple. Lay flat on your back with your hands laced behind your head. Bend your knees and lift your legs up while lifting your upper body at the same time.

Once in that position you will bring your right knee to your left elbow. You will extend your left leg straight out and twist your torso touching your knee with your elbow activating your obliques. Now, bring your left knee up and your right elbow together. Do as many repetitions as you can.

I follow up with an immediate set of regular crunches. I do these until reaching the point of muscular failure. You may want to do a bit less it you are just starting out. Also, doing this routine every other day will allow your body time to recover for your next session

These two exercises, bicycle crunches and regular crunches, will work the obliques and the core. My results when I first started doing these I went from a 40 inch waist to a 36 in a month.