The Quest Continues with YOU!!!

     Three brothers, a 20% project, fitness, Cameron’s brain, and way too much adrenalin… add all of these together and you get this blog otherwise known as Bros and Fitness.

     As many of you know, Cameron, Landon (our mentor), and I have been on a never ending journey to become epic teenage mutant fitness ninjas (without the mutant part and only 2/3 of the teenager).  Over the past several months we have worked extremely hard researching and personally testing our new fitness strategy “The BRO Plan”.  This workout consisted of the fallowing steps.

·         Worm up

·         Strength

·         HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training)

·         Cool down (my favorite part)

     Our overall experience hasn’t been the prettiest quest.  There was sweat, there was yelling from pain, there was heavy metal in both our headsets and our weights, there where pinched fingers and crushed toes, and, not to mention, the occasional lose of blood, however, in all of this seemingly chaotic mess I can now bench press 200lb (in the short amount of time I had to get there, that’s awesome).  Long distance air HIGH FIVE!!!  Though our quest is never ending, our goal to create the best workout was a success.  I couldn’t have done it without my brothers though.  Landon was always there when I needed help.  When it came to understanding the science behind weight lifting, he always had my back.  Where Landon’s help was very much needed, it was Cameron that helped me stay at it until the end.  There were plenty of times when it seemed like I couldn’t continue, but it was Cameron that helped me stay on my feet and keep at it until the job was done.  His encouragement was what helped me face the gym again and again.  So, to Landon and Cameron, I say, thank you very much for your inspiration and helping hand. 

     While I’m on the topic of thanking people for being AWESOME, thank you guys for continuing to read my blog and offering suggestions.  Your input was very helpful in fulfilling our common BRO destiny.  Also, I will continue to answer comments until May 23, so this is your last chance to ask me any questions that you might have or tell me that you thought my blog was funny or say that it made you smile kind of or it was an inspiration or ……. Just kidding

     Thanks again for being awesome and good luck reaching BRO STATUS!!!!!

Road to Greatness

Journey recap and intro

     For the past six weeks, Cameron and I have been researching and testing (MythBusters style) in an effort to create the “Master Bro Plan” that would best suit most people’s needs and desires as well as our own.  Over these weeks, we got out of bed every morning like limp zombies rising from their graves, groaning from the nagging pain of being sore.  In this blog post of Bros and Fitness I will share with you a more detailed narrative of our adventure as we walked the road to greatness and challenged a made up character l like to call the HIIT man (That part will make more since later)…. By the way I will be using lots of brackets in this narrative to give you a better understanding of the thoughts and feelings of the main protagonist of this story (me)… just like that.

Two heroes will rise… to HIIT the gym

     It was a dark and stormy night… (Not really but it pants more of a dramatic picture for your enjoyment.)   Cameron looked my direction. He had just finished reading the e-mail sent from our facilitator. He said nothing (as usual).  “Any ideas” I asked. He still said nothing, but he looked as though he was contemplating… kind of.  It was then that our mother came into the office where we were having our silent discussion.  “What if you both come up with a fitness topic and use your brother as your mentor” she asked expecting our answer to be yes.  Immediately ideas started racing through my mind faster than I could put to speech, words actually came out of Cameron’s mouth for the first time in a long time and right then we both knew what had to be done.  It was perfect.  Cameron and I had been working out for years with our big bro Landon.  He had the knowledge, Cameron had the will, and I had… well… I’ll leave that to your judgment. Together we could accomplish fitness dreams.

     How hard could it be?

Let it begin!

     In our interview with Landon we began discussing what the perfect workout might look like. This workout had to suit most people’s wishes, as well as our own since I announced to my viewers that we would “try them out on our Arnold Schwarzenegger want a be bodies”, which was probably the dumbest idea I ever had, but I said it knowing very well that I wasn’t a tank.  At any rate, he told us that, in his opinion, the best workout would be to combine strength exercises (as discussed in the second blog post) with special kind of workout called HIIT.  (For those of you who are new you now understand the pun in the section heading.)  HIIT is an acronym that stands for High Intensity Interval Training.  Now, I had tried HIIT a few times when it was implemented into our volunteer fire training.  I can describe it in one simple equation.

Average human + HIIT = lots of painful experiences

But in this true story, no matter how much I made fun of myself in this blog, Cameron and I would not let our antagonist (or what I refer to him earlier as the HIIT man) win out. We would succeed. So let it begin!

Pain… so much PAIN

     The pyramid… The HIIT man’s most effective weapon, which could keep any brave sole from ever coming back to the gym to challenge his authority ever again.  The pyramid was a set of exercises that was accomplish kind of like the fallowing with a few changes depending on what the strength workout was targeting that day.

·         10 pushups

·         20 sit-ups

·         30 lunges

·         40 mountain clambers

·         50 jumping jacks

And then back down the other side of the pyramid.

·         50 jumping jacks

·         40 mountain clambers

·         30 lunges

·         20 sit-ups

·         10 pushups

Not to mention doing this after running around the gym several times and doing our strength workout of the day. [Do not try this if you’re new. Please work up to that stage first.] The HIIT man’s terms were simple; surrender and forever not reach “BRO STATUS” test him and there will be pain…so much pain.

     I still fight through the stresses of that pain almost every day.  Yes, it is painful when done correctly.  However, for those of you who are feeling not up to the task, know that the “HIIT man” is only as scary as your mind allows him to be. You must realize that (as much as I dramatize about him and this story… again for your enjoyment) you can overcome him no matter what level of Bro awesomeness you’re currently at.  I honestly think this is a good anecdote about life.  We will all get knocked around in life as well as at the gym and we will all face our own “HIIT man”.  But let me assure you, it’s never about how hard we get hit it’s about getting back up again.  Cameron and I both continued to go back to the gym for more and will continue to face “the HIIT man” for as long as our bodies allow us.  I know some of us a graduating soon and others still have more high school left to finish.  I say to you… never back down.  Always do the hard thing because it’s there to be done…. Let’s find out how our story ends. 

A never ending road

     “Cameron!” I announced panting at every breath and lying on the pavement behind the gym where we work out. “What is it” my brother replied in the exact same position I was in.  “I can’t feel my legs!” I said back to him.  Cameron tried to laugh but failed when he began coughing uncontrollably.  We had just finished the HIIT pyramid, which was the last thing to do before our workout was complete.  As we slowly walked back to the car exhausted, but victorious once again I told Cameron jokingly “This was all for your readers… and for science.”

     Thanks for reading Bros and Fitness! There is one last blog post left. In that post I will show you “The Master Plan”, which should give you an idea of what to do every day if you would like to try it for yourself.  Remember, push yourself but don’t take on more than your body can handle; only you can determine that.  Also, be sure to leave a comment on what you thought of this anecdote/narrative blog post of our never ending, but exciting, journey to greatness… and also if you have any questions. Later yall! :)

The intro before the real intro

     Four weeks ago my brother and I signed our death certificates when we decided it was a good idea to challenge all laws of fitness by discovering and testing the workout plan of ultimate power.  (Don’t worry that’s not the name we agreed on.)  This week we continued to test most of our test subjects, focusing them only on HIIT, which is a self explanatory acronym for High Intensity Interval Training.  The results from our test subjects have astounded us in that they are already feeling a difference in their physical abilities.  In this week’s post, I will show you that HIIT is the best cardio based workout… Not like this helps us move forward but it’s step 4 of the project handout.

The real intro

     Did you know that high intensity interval training has been known to speed up salivary production in dogs by 5%?  This is not true but now that I have your attention.  Many fitness junkies all over the United States believe that HIIT is the number one cardio based workout… I would agree that’s why I’m still typing.  Thanks to a lucky band of test subjects and some studies done from Bodybuilding.com, I have researched three reasons why that statement is accurate.  HIIT has been known to improve VO2 max (or maximal oxygen consumption) just as effectively as workouts that last longer periods of time.  HIIT has also been known to burn more fat in less time as well as decrease your rate of fatigue.

VO2 max

     Where it may seem like strenuous activity for a longer period of time would increase VO2 max, however studies show that HIIT increases VO2 max at the same rate. Though HIIT will defiantly make you sore in the morning because the amount of effort required to make HIIT happen, this goes to show that HIIT can defiantly compete with other workouts that last longer as far as this concept concerned.

Fat loss

     Forget everything you knew about taking nice jogs through the park with your dog as a lovely way to lose fat.  HIIT, on the other hand, can allow you and your dog to burn fat and calories at a greater rate in less time…and that is a true fact.  Studies from McMaster University show that 10 minutes of HIIT is equivalent to 50 minutes of steady cardio exercise.  So yeah, that whole time you thought you were murdering fat by running with your friends for an hour before going to work or school was kind of a waste of time.  Sorry I had to be the one to break it to you.  Please keep reading my blog.

Fatigue

     Have you ever felt that burning feeling in arm as you go for that one last dumbbell curl right before you drop that weight on the ground from physical exhaustion?  That feeling in your arm is not just the feeling of success, but it’s also the building up of Hydrogen ions.  This accumulation can lower the pH levels in your body causing muscle contraction to be more difficult and also lead to fatigue.  However, because of the intensity, HIIT provides a better way to train your body to neutralize all of those hydrogen ions that build up throughout your workout.  In the European Journal of Applied Physiology, a study was published that said that six sessions of HIIT that was spread across four weeks increased the skeletal musical buffering capacity of cyclists. It also decreased their rate to fatigue and increased their maximum energy output.

     In my opinion HIIT is the number one cardio based workout.  Incorporating HIIT into our plan is vital to our quest for awesomeness.

Be sure to leave a comment if you have any questions our have any ideas on how to improve Bros and Fitness.  Ok let’s be honest, leave a comment because your facilitator told you. ;)

     A newbie fitness blogger once said in the middle of testing his new intense fitness plan…

“I’m DYING!”

~Joel C~

Time to Test

     I mentioned I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I picked this blog topic three weeks ago for my 20% project.  For those of you who don’t like reading old information or comments, my brother and I have been searching for the greatest fitness plan that would best suite most people’s wishes and desires for their bodies, as well as our own.  This plan is designed to gain muscle, lose fat, and increase cardio (not for people who distance run mind you.) Last week we discovered that HIIT (a style of fitness training that stands for High Intensity Interval Training) combined with basic strength training seems like the best solution.  This week we continued to put that idea to the test…and it hurts.  So if you like reading about mediocre fitness guys getting themselves, and their test subjects, injured for science continue reading Bros and Fitness.

     Cameron and I have been testing out this mix of strength and HIIT, as suggested by our mentor and brother, Landon, for about two weeks.  It’s very painful but unbelievably effective.  Already I’ve found that my body can lift more, move faster, and achieve more awesomeness points in all of my other physical activities like Parkour and martial arts.  The rest of our test subjects have just begun this plan.  They have already started an introductory regime to prepare them for this new plan which includes light weight, full body strength workouts, and light variation HIIT. (Without the variation of HIIT, this plan is very common among new people who are just starting their workout path to destiny). 

Addressing some comments

            For nutrition, as requested by a commenter of ours, we have been focusing on eating proteins to continue building fast-twitch fibers before and after our workouts.  Ok…what?  Proteins are used to build fast-twitch fibers which are one of two types of fibers in your muscular system that can be activated by building muscle growth.  The other type of fibers are slow-twitch fibers which require very little protean and are activated by training specifically in cardio.  I hope that clicked in your brains. We have also been avoiding foods like fats, simple carbohydrates, chocolate, and my mom’s world-famous laired pudding dessert made with chocolate pudding, whip cream, grounded Oreos, and…ok moving on.

We also got another comment that suggested that we make workout videos to show you how it’s really done as well as suggest other fitness nerds of greatness. The beef in the video that will be shown soon is my brother, Landon.  Prepare to check out the canons on this tank.  Landon has been studying to be a physical trainer, has completed college coursework in physiology, kinesiology, weight training, and nutrition.  He is a firefighter-EMT for Cal Fire and volunteers with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department Mountain Search and Rescue team.  He has been an avid weight lifter, runner, hiker, and all-around fitness junkie for 12 years. Yes, I copied that part from my last blog - so what!?  Also check out workout videos from Six-pack shortcuts (Mike Chang) as well as websites like Bodybuilding.com for more workout tips and Choosemyplate.gov for tips on nutrition.

SPECIAL BRO ANNOUNCEMENT

     I’m getting tired of calling our new fitness plan “our new fitness plan”.  We would like to give you the opportunity to name this unofficial.  To do so drop a comment below and we will chose the coolest name suggested by you guys.  You may post up to three name ideas each.  The last day to submit your fitness plan name is on April 28, 2016. [Few will enter fewer will win].  Also don’t forget to leave a comment if you have any suggestions on how to make this blog or Cameron’s blog better or if you just feel like telling us how your day’s going… (I don’t know why you’d want to, but it’s cool).  Also, I know I said I was going to post in full detail exactly what to do for all four levels of workout awesomeness (if you read last week’s blog). I didn’t do this because it goes along so well with the topic of next week’s post, so I’ll be showing you guys and gals that next week instead.  See you then.

The Bro Interview

     If Cameron (my brother) and I didn’t realize that we were fitness noobs before, we certainly do now. Though we have been “working out” for several years, we know now that we’ve been doing a lot of things wrong.  In today’s weekly blog post of Bros and Fitness we will be discussing our mentor interview and how we came to formulate our hypothesis, which we will be testing over the next few weeks, to answer our ultimate question… What plan will make us the Elvis Presley of fitness?

Our Mentor

     Our bro, Landon, is studying to be a physical trainer, has completed college coursework in physiology, kinesiology, weight training, and nutrition.  He is a firefighter-EMT for Cal Fire and volunteers with the Shasta County Sheriff’s Department Mountain Search and Rescue team.  He has been an avid weight lifter, runner, hiker, and all-around fitness junkie for 12 years.  Landon is our mentor for our 20% project (in case you didn’t read the comment section) and he has enlightened us on some very interesting points. Landon is a believer in the fitness religion known as HIIT, which is an acronym for High Intensity Interval Training.  The idea of HIIT is to work at maximum capacity for a relatively short interval, (usually 15 seconds to a minute), take small breaks in between sets, and then “HIIT” it again…(see what I did there?).  Now I know what you may be thinking: “Joel, this is insanity. Do you honestly think this is the perfect plan for me?”  If that’s your question right now I’m going to leave you hanging, instead, I’ll explain what we discussed in our mentor interview.

The interview

     In the interview we discussed the average persons work out plan for strength, if their goal is to be a tank, and cardio, if their goal is to be the Flash.  Landon explained to us that people who work out to be strong tend to work extremely hard for a short amount of time and do a small amount of reps, take a long rest period in between sets, and then go at it again.  On the other hand, he also told us that people who specifically train in endurance cardio, (like distance running), take their work at a lesser intensity, but over a longer period of time.  He also drew diagrams similar to the ones below to show how hard each type of person works and how often they usually rest.

 

Landon’s suggestion for us was to combine both strength and HIIT.  A basic layout of his plan is shown below.  Keep in mind that this plan is the best and most efficient way to gain lean muscle and lose fat (or so we think for now).  This plan is NOT designed for endurance cardio.  Landon’s formula is also excellent for training in sports like Football, MMA, Wrestling, Parkour, and Gymnastics. We’ll talk about other plans for different goals in the next blog post.

·         Warm up with low intensity cardio

·         Strength with weights

·         HIIT set(s)

·         Cooldown with low-intensity exercises and stretching

Where do we go from here?