Badass Fitness

Your Badass Holiday Happy Hour Guide

The coming weekend officially kicks off the holiday drinking season, and you Badasses had best beware! Because the end result can be scary on that scale.

It starts with the Halloween parties, where a certain minimum amount of alcohol-induced bravery is required to go out in public in that costume. Then comes Thanksgiving and office parties, then Christmas and Hannukah and New Year's. At every party, there's drinking...which equals extra calories and less willpower against those fatty appetizers.

Before you know it, your pants are tighter and you're wishing you had been a little less welcoming of the Buttery Nipples (a personal 21st birthday favorite, as I recall....ugh). The best way to prevent the Holiday Alcohol Gain, or HAG, as I like to call it, is with knowledge. Knowledge is power, and HAG is no place to be.

If you know what's in those cocktails, wine glasses and shot glasses, you can budget and balance your calories accordingly. Remember the Bethenny mantras: You can have it all, just not all at once and Your eating is like a bank account that you must balance. So if you're drinking a few, don't eat cheeseburgers and fries the day before and keep meals light the day after.

So here's the skinny and the not-so-skinny on those drinks. Memorize the best and the worst choices, and choose accordingly. Drink the White Russian if you want it; just balance the rest of your eating and exercise accordingly.

Best Bets

• Michelob Ultra, or any light beer: 75-90 calories per bottle
• Vodka soda with lime: 75 calories per drink
• Wine: 100 calories per 4 ounce glass
• Rum and diet coke: About 80 calories
• Shot of rum or brandy: 80-100 calories

Not So Best Bets

• Guinness: 210 calories per pint
• Spiked egg nog: 400-425 calories per cup
• Buttery nipple: About 130 calories for 1.5 ounces (a big shot)
• Chocolate martini: 440 calories for 6 ounces
• Irish car bomb: 250 calories
• Margarita: 450 calories for 8 ounces
• White Russian: 270 calories for 3.5 ounces


Coming Friday: Got 15 minutes? Use them wisely!

New Mama Bear seeks out her former, leaner Badass

I have this student who regularly takes my classes at Sweat Therapy. Let's call her Mama Bear. She has a gorgeous baby boy, six months old and a healthy 20 pounds. But six months after delivery, Mama Bear is ready to shed the remnants of her pregnancy.

She wants to lose 40 pounds, ideally by the time Baby Bear is a year old. She came to me last week for advice. I know how much she works out, so my attention turned to her eating.

She conceded she tries but needs to eat better. And like so many new working moms, she struggles to juggle her own nutrition needs with the limited hours in the day that she has for work, baby, husband, and home.

I asked her to keep a food log for a few days and send it to me. I often do this with my clients, for a couple of reasons.

First, eating (not exercise) accounts 85 to 90 percent of the way we look. You can take two classes a day, but if you're consuming too much crap in between, it won't matter much to your scale. Second, the food log is a window into people's habits and tendencies. Do they skip breakfast? Wait six hours  between meals? Graze all day? Scrimp all day and Consume most of their calories at dinner?

So Mama Bear sent me her log, and I immediately saw good things (fruit, lots of chicken, almonds) and some not so great things (too many energy drinks, frozen meals, empty processed snack carbs). We agreed to keep her at roughly 1,600 calories a day to start, but also allowing her to get fruit or a low-sugar protein bar if she gets hungry, especially on days in which she exercises intensely.

We'll start from here, see what happens over a couple of weeks while monitoring her energy levels, and tweak from there if needed. I'm sharing this with the Badass Army because it's a good example of how your eating can be improved with just minor tweaks that are manageable and sustainable. No extreme calorie cutting, no extreme food plans. Just real eating, real food.

Here's what I did:

1. Cut back on diet cokes and high-caffeine energy drinks: Their is no nutritional value in diet coke, and it will just keep the sweet tooth alive and kickin'. And those empty calorie energy drinks are all about the energy spike and crash that follows.
2. Cut back on processed frozen meals and carbs like Lean Cuisines, Cheez-Its, etc.: Amy's Organic meals are the best choice when you must grab a frozen meal for convenience, but they still tend to be high in sodium.
3. Added fruits and vegetables: Low in calories, high in vitamins, fiber, and overall nutrition. If you're going to get sugar, fruit should be the (natural) source.
4. Added protein: It digests more slowly, requires more calories burned in digestion, and will keep her feeling full longer. Before I saw too many carbs, many of them processed and empty. (Cheez-Its, soft pretzel, etc)
5. Set up a schedule of eating every few hours: This keeps her feeling satisfied all day, and keeps her metabolism humming.
6. Retained many of her food "likes":She still gets one diet Coke. She still gets that frozen pizza. She still gets her iced lattes in the morning. Total deprivation or eating foods we hate only leads to bingeing.
7. Left room for the "cheat": She asked me, What if I give in and eat fries? So be it, I told her. If she eats clean most of the time and exercises regularly, pizza on Friday night or fries with her turkey burger won't wreck her weight loss. We still have to "live," and that means having a small piece of birthday cake or a glass of wine or whatever. Just think about balance and moderation.

OK, so here it is: Mama Bear's before and after....

MAMA BEAR, BEFORE

Thursday, October 14th
IndoRow class

• Iced latte with skim milk & sugar-free syrup: 150 
• Oatmeal: 160
• Coconut water: 120   
• Apple slices: 120
• Amy's frozen meal: 290
• Peas: 70
• Diet coke: 0
• Yogurt: 80   
• Sugar-free Rockstar: 20
• Protein drink: 150  
• Cheez-it crackers: 210   
• Vegetable soup: 160
• Cheez-it crackers:140
• Diet coke: 0

Total calories: 1670

Friday, October 15th
RealRyder class

• Iced latte with skim milk & sugar-free syrup: 150
• Protein drink: 150
• Apple slices: 100
• Coconut water: 120
• Spring mix salad with grilled chicken, mozarella, roasted peppers, sun dried tomatoes and black olives with vinegarette dressing: 550
• Diet coke: 0
• Monster coffee energy drink: 100
• Diet coke: 0
• Granola bar: 190
• Almonds: 100
• Soft pretzel:320
• Almonds: 200

Total calories: 1980

Saturday, October 16th
Walk around Lake Ella

• Fruit & yogurt parfait: 160
• Cereal protein bar: 140
• Starbucks double shot on ice: 160
• Tomato soup: 250
• Salad with grilled chicken, fruit & vinagrette dressing: 340
• Coleslaw: 50
• Diet coke: 0
• Granola bar: 190
• Almonds: 200
• Chocolate covered raisins: 420
• Diet coke: 0
• Popcorn: 50
• Jolly ranchers: 50

Total calories: 2010

Sunday, October 17th
RealRyder class

• Coffee with fat free coffeemate: 120
• Cereal protein bar: 140
• Monster coffee energy drink: 100
• Almonds: 100
• Granola bar: 190
• Banana: 80
• Almonds: 100
• Cheez It crackers: 140
• Cappucino: 150
• Grapes: 80
• Coconut water: 90  
• Smart Ones cheese pizza with olives and feta cheese added: 550
• Diet coke: 0
• Cereal protein bar: 140

Total calories: 1980

MAMA BEAR, AFTER

Thursday, Oct. 14th
IndoRow class

Meal 1

• One egg, one egg white: 100
• Low-sugar oatmeal: 160

Meal 2

• Banana: 100
• Iced latte with skim milk & sugar-free syrup: 150

Meal 3

• Spinach salad with 4 ounces grilled chicken, roasted peppers, tomatoes and black olives with light vinagrette dressing: 350
• Medium apple: 75
• Diet coke: 0

Meal 4

• 15 almonds: 120
• 10 baby carrots: 35

Meal 5

• 4 ounces grilled/blackened chicken or fish: 225
• vegetable soup: 160

Meal 6

• EAS chocolate protein drink (as dessert!): 150

Total calories: 1695

Friday, October 15th
RealRyder class

Meal 1

• Banana: 100
• EAS chocolate protein drink: 150

Meal 2

• One egg, one egg white, hardboiled: 100
• Apple slices: 100

Meal 3

• Salad with grilled chicken, fruit & vinaigrette dressing: 340
• Diet coke: 0
• 15 almonds: 120

Meal 4

• 2 string cheese: 160
• 1 cup strawberries: 50

Meal 5

• 4 oz lean filet mignon: 280
• Steamed or roasted broccoli, 1 cup: 50
• 1/2 Tbsp oilve oil for roasting/cooking: 65
• Small salad of lettuce and mixed vegetables with light vinaigrette dressing: 50

Meal 6

• No-sugar pudding cup or Fudgesicle, or a cup of grapes: 100

Total calories: 1565

Saturday, October 16th
Walk around Lake Ella
   
Meal 1

• 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt with one Truvia and 1/2 cup mixed berries: 200

Meal 2

• Banana or apple: 100
• Starbucks double shot on ice: 160

Meal 3

• tomato soup: 250
• One grilled chicken breast, 4 ounces: 225
• Diet coke: 0

Meal 4

• KIND fruit and nut bar or Pure Protein Bar: 200

Meal 5

• Shrimp stir-fry with extra veggies or 1/2 cup brown rice: 400

Meal 6

• One single-serving bag of light microwave popcorn: 100
• Sugar-free lifesavers (3): 25

Total calories: 1660

Sunday, October 17th
RealRyder class
   
Meal 1

• Coffee with small amount of creamer: 50
• One egg, two egg whites scrambled with tomatoes and 1 tbsp Romano cheese: 175
• One slice whole wheat toast, no butter: 80

Meal 2

• Grapes, 1 cup: 80

Meal 3

• One grilled chicken breast or fish, 4 ounces: 225
• Vegetable soup: 160

Meal 4

• One string cheese: 80
• 1 cup berries: 60

Meal 5

• Smart Ones cheese pizza with olives and feta cheese added: 550
• Small salad of lettuce and mixed vegetables with light vinaigrette dressing: 50

Meal 6

• Cappucino: 150

Total calories: 1660

Coming this week: Choosing wisely during holiday Happy Hours

Basic pushups: Just the beginning for a stronger Badass

Basic pushups are one of the best tools for tracking strength gains in your Badass journey.

Pushups engage multiple muscle groups (chest, shoulders, triceps and core), and no matter how few reps you can do when you start out, you'll see a notable boost in your pushup endurance just by sticking with them. Three pushups today, four tomorrow, five a few days after that. Before you know it, you're banging out 15 pushups like it's nuthin'.

One way to get better at pushups is to work the muscles engaged during a pushup. That means shoulder presses, planks, chest presses and chest fly's, and tricep dips and extensions.

You can also get better by adding variety to your pushup routine. The basic pushup is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to pushup variations. By shifting the position of your feet, legs, hands and by shifting the angle of your body, you can add definition and beat the boredom.

Today, I present you with my Pushups Primer 101. Start with the basic pushup and progress from there. Noone will judge you for struggling at first. We all struggle, in different ways. Just know that you CAN do pushups, and there's no excuse not to get started.

After all, you can do them anywhere, no equipment required: at the gym, at home, on the trail, at the track, in your office, in your hotel room. So get to work!

Pushups Primer 101

Basic pushups:  Hands are slightly wider than shoulder width apart, and feet are about six inches apart or side by side. Keep your gaze slightly in front of you (no bowed heads!), and slowly lower down with control. When your chest gets close to the floor, your thumbs should be right at your chest line. Do these with knees on the floor, or "boy-style" with knees off the floor.

 

Bosu pushups: Take the Bosu and flip it onto its rounded side. With knees on the ground or off the ground in a plank position, do pushups. These are great for the core, because you have to stabilize the Bosu as you do pushups.

 
Decline pushups: A basic pushup, but performed with your feet in an elevated position - on top of a bench, Resist-a-Ball, step, chair or stadium stair. By declining into the pushup, you get more resistance so it's more challenging. And you'll work the top of your chest and shoulders more than a basic pushup.

 

Close-grip pushups: Get into a regular pushup position, but move your hands close together into a triangle shape. These can be done on the floor or with hands on top of a Bosu. Slowly and with control, push up and down. The key is to keep your upper arms close to your sides. If you do these properly, you will feel it mostly in your triceps.

 

Frog pushups: Position your hands for a basic pushup. Pull the feet in close to your elbows, until you look like you're a frog about to leap. Shift your weight forward so that your shoulders are tracking right above your wrists. Push down and up, feeling this in your shoulders and upper chest.

 

Pike pushups: Put your hands in a regular pushup position, and bring the feet forward and the butt up in the air to form a V, or "pike." Shift your weight forward so that your shoulders are tracking right above your wrists. Lower down and push up, feeling this in your shoulders and triceps.

 

Uneven pushups: Using a medicine ball or a Step bench, place the right hand on top of the ball/bench and the left hand on the floor. Position your feet for a basic pushup, and start pushing up and down. Switch hands, putting the left on top of the ball/bench. These pushups isolate one side of the chest at a time and - if you use the medicine ball - require lots of muscle engagement to stabilize the ball as you push up and down.

Plyometric pushups: Consider these your ultimate, Badass goal. The mutha' of all pushups. Get into a basic pushup. Lower down and push up with oomph, quickly clapping your hands in mid-air before bringing your hands back down to the floor. These are challenging, but do-able. Work for it!

Coming next week: A new mom's daily eating, tweaked for her Badass goals.

Badass CEO's Favorites, Fall 2010 Edition

I love Fall. It means football and tailgating, cooler mornings and crisper nights, and the start of the holiday season that includes costumed trick or treaters and Thanksgiving turkey leftovers. 'Tis also the season of greater food and alcohol temptations, so we Badasses have to find a few things that we love - to self-motivate us as we work to stay on the Badass path.

With that, I give you my latest fitness and wellness favorites:

Badass CEO's Favorites, Fall 2010

1. Athleta clothing: You know how on days when you're rocking a work or party  outfit you really like, it just sets the tone for the whole day? Like, "I look pretty put-together today, and I feel like I can do anything." Same goes for workout wear.

A great workout outfit can be just the thing to unleash your inner Badass. I love Lululemon, but lately Athleta by Gap is my go-to spot for slightly less pricey wears that are just as well-made and flattering for a variety of shapes and sizes.They have tops that show off the back but are more forgiving in the abs. They have loose tops, tight tops, pants of all fits, even casual wear for daily errands and lounging around. Best part: Mail-order convenience, and you can wash and wear them frequently.

And ya know what? Maybe you aren't to the point where you feel comfortable wearing these outfits. Buy one anyway, and use it as motivation. "I will exercise and eat right, and one day in the near future, I will wear this outfit like the Badass I know I am."

2. Salmon burgers, in bulk: Proof yet again that Costco, the symbol of excess in mostly obese America, is getting better with its offerings. These wild salmon burgers, less than $14 for a bag of 12, are a healthy foodie's dream - and a discerning diner's dream. They're easy to prepare (just pop them on the outdoor grill or George Foreman, or pan-sear or bake them) and have 1,360 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids per patty (compared to 1,000 milligrams in 2 tablespoons of fish oil). And they'll cost you just 170 calories, 9 grams of fat and 20 grams of protein, and 2 carbs. A frequent meal for me lately: One of these burgers (naked or on a 100-calorie sandwich thin bun), plus sauteed salmon with olive oil and roasted zucchini. Delicious, and so healthy.

 2. Indulgent flavored coffee, sans calories: There is no denying the deliciousness of the Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte or White Chocolate Mocha Latte. There is also no denying the calorie and sugar nightmare of these popular Fall treats -- between 400 and 600 calories for a Venti. Ouch.

So as the weather cools, I start my mornings with a guilt-free, full-flavor coffee indulgence. One tumbler of coffee, with a splash of Torani caramel or hazelnut sugar-free syrup, and a splash of  vanilla-flavored soy creamer. The Torani syrups come in many sugar-free flavors, as does a line of syrup from Starbucks - cinnamon dolce being Da Bomb.

All the yumminess, none of the sugar and calorie overload. That's what I call having my cake and eating it too...

4. NikeiD: The joy of a new pair of kicks is multiplied times infinity with NikeiD, the Nike website where you can build your own shoe from the soles up. Pick the shoe model; the colors of everything from laces to stitching; and monogram it however you please. The price is slightly higher than what you'd pay for a great Nike shoe in the store sans "iD," but I deem this a worthy investment. It felt pretty awesome when the postman delivered my "Badazz Shannon" shoes in orange and blue (Go Gators! In all kinds of weather!). The customer service is so superior - with e-mail updates confirming the initial order, then telling me "we're building your shoe," then telling me they just shipped them - I'll even forgive the apparent no-profanity policy that forced me to spell Badass with "zz." Clearly, Nike doesn't understand that Badass Fitness isn't profanity. It's an Army, a state of mind, a fitness brand...Hoo-ah!

5. Fitness playing cards: My gym bag lately always carries three things -- iPod, the TRX FitDeck cards, and Jillian Michaels' Hot Bod in a Box cards. The iPod is an obvious essential, but these fitness "playing cards" are just as key to adding variety and challenge to my own workouts and the sessions with my training clients.

The TRX cards are color-coded for core, upper body and lower body moves. And each includes a picture and description to ensure proper form. Sometimes, I pick the cards. Sometimes, my clients get to randomly select their own "TRX fun." The Hot Bod in a Box kit  includes cards outlining several circuit workouts that take 4 to 60 minutes each, plus cards showing in detail proper form and technique for each exercise. These cards include lots of variety - multiple types of pushups, squats, lunges, crunches and biceps and triceps moves, many of which can be done at home sans workout equipment. Now there's no excuse for getting into a workout rut.

Coming Wednesday: "Fatass", "SlackAss," "Scared-Ass," "Shy-Ass," "Weak-Ass," - it's all Badass,no judgement.

'Tis the Season for calorie counting and swapping

For the next three months, my calendar is dotted with food. I'll bet yours is, too.

Office chili potluck, Oct. 29. A friend's annual Fall Soup Festival (featuring a lot more than soup!), Nov. 21. Office holiday party, Dec. 8. Throw in the fact that I could eat my weight in Halloween candy corn and M&M "Fun Packs," plus Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners and holiday Happy Hours with friends, and I feel ready to bust out my pooch pants.

I don't usually advocate strict calorie counting. I prefer a strategy of moderation and eating mostly clean foods (with occasional indulgences allowed) when your stomach signals it's hungry. Add in plenty of exercise, and you're golden.

But now through the New Year, opportunities for "occasional indulgences" multiply, and occasional begets "often." Before we know it, "often" begets those 5 to 10 holiday pounds that we end up vowing to work off come Jan. 1. 

So why not focus for the next three months on doing what it takes to avoid the holiday gain? Those of you trying to lose can even put off your weight LOSS goals in favor of a weight MAINTENANCE goal. It's better to survive the holidays by holding steady than by gaining. And it means you'll have less to lose once you resume your weight loss journey post-holidays. 

My strategy for maintaining during the holiday season? Count and Swap. 

It means being aware, and honest, about what you're putting into your Badass and strategizing accordingly. Bethenny Frankel talks in her book "Naturally Thin" about how "you can have it all, just not all at once." This is so true during the holidays. It means you can have the egg nog, you just can't have the egg nog after a cheeseburger and fries at lunch. Instead, lunch is a grilled chicken salad and the egg nog counts as dessert.

Same goes with all the extra alcohol we consume. If you plan on having wine, consider it dessert or skip the bread basket at dinner. Have a lighter lunch. Skip the mid-afternoon cookie with latte if you have a holiday party later.

Your daily calories are like a bank, and attention must be paid to the balance sheet during the holidays. Otherwise: Badass bloats up to....well, ya know, not-so-Badass!

So as the Halloween candy rears its head and gives way to holiday pies and warm Starbucks drinks, consider this calorie tally sheet:

• Nestle’s Crunch – Fun Size, 3 bars: 210 calories
• Peanut M&M’s – Fun Pack, 2 bags: 80 calories
• M&M’s – Fun Pack, 2 bags: 180 calories
• Snicker’s – Fun Size, 2 bars: 160 calories
• Milky Way – Fun Size, 2 bars: 150 calories
• Starbucks Venti Pumpkin Spice Latte: 400 calories, 63 carbs, 8 grams of fat. (You'd have to get on the rowing machine and go at it intensely for 30 to 45 minutes to burn it off.)
• Starbucks Venti Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha: 590 calories, 15 grams of fat, 98 carbs. (That penance will cost you an hour in the saddle for a cycling class.)
• Egg Nog, 1 cup: 343 calories, 19 grams of fat, 34 carbs
• Pecan Pie, 1 slice: 456 calories, 21 grams of fat, 65 carbs
• Candied Sweet Potatoes, one cup: 400 calories
• Stuffing, one cup: 356 calories
• Hot chocolate with whipped cream, one cup: 260 calories
• White Russian, one cup: 386 calories
• Hot Buttered Rum, one cup: 292 calories

Coming Monday: Pushups come in many forms...try them all!

Strong Core: An Abs-olutely Badass Essential

Sure, a great set of six-pack abs looks hot. It makes bathing suit shopping easier, for men and women. Clothes fit better. But there are more than just aesthetic reasons for building a strong core.

A lean, strong core is like a posterboard for the state of your health. It signals whether you eat clean, whether you have good posture, how active and fit you are. It can even can predict your likelihood of getting certain kinds of cancer.

If I could pick a body part I'm most proud of, in terms of the work put in and the results, it would be my abs. The Shannon Six Pack is the result of many hours of cardio, countless core exercises, and clean eating. Not glamorous, and not always fun, but worth it.

I often see people at the gym lift weights or do cardio for 45 minutes, never stopping to spend 10 or 15 minutes on their core. Or they just do 20 basic crunches and call it day - neglecting the lower abs, the sides (obliques) and the transverse abdominis.

They're missing out. The fact is, it doesn't take long to get in a good core workout, and the benefits are lasting: Faster run times; a leaner look because you'll stand taller; and better performance in sports because the core is key to stopping and starting and pivoting and jumping.

My client sessions always incorporate core, either in between upper and lower body moves; at the end; or as part of our strength and cardio work (mountain climbers, pushups, and Bosu squats all engage the core, for example). And we use a variety of moves to engage the entire six pack - not just a couple of "cans."

So here are my Shannon's Six Pack Tips, plus Must-Have Core Moves for each part of your six-pack or six-pack-in-training.

Shannon's Six Pack Tips

1. Eat clean: You are what you eat, but when it comes to building a six-pack you're best to leave the six-pack and its food accessories (wings, pizza, chips, fries, etc.) behind. Six-pack abs come when body fat is in the athletic-to-low range. Your abs might be strong like a rock, but we won't see those ripples of definition if there is a layer of pizza, cake and beer hiding them.

If you eat a diet heavy in fatty, salty foods, it will show in your gut through  water retention and an extra layer of "protection" (fat) that you do not want. Likewise, if you eat a diet rich in clean foods like lean proteins and vegetables (especially asparagus, cucumbers, parsley and other anti-bloat foods) while guzzling water and moderating your alcohol intake, your abs will thank you for it.

2. Cardio before Crunches: Cardio, in particular interval training, will help melt away the layer that's hiding your defined abs underneath. Unless you're already very lean, you can't just do 500 crunches a day without burning calories through moderate- to high-intensity cardio. It takes both to see results. Work accordingly.

3. All Core, All the Time: Even when you're not "doing abs," you should be doing abs. When you do a deadlift, pull that core in tight. When you squat, pull in that core. When you do dumbbell rows, PULL IN THAT CORE. Try to work in a TRX session once a week - every exercise on that Badass puppy requires core stabilization, so if your core isn't strong when you start it will be after several sessions.

Must-Have Moves for Your Six Pack

For Upper Abs

Regular Crunches: Place both feet on the floor, up near your butt. Tilt the pelvis up slightly to take out the space between your back and the floor. With head in hands and elbows all the way back, find a spot on the ceiling and slowly crunch up, then back, keeping shoulders off the floor.

Raised-Knee Crunches: From the regular crunch position, raise your feet and position the legs so they're at a 90-degree angle. (pictured below) Keep crunching as you were before, gaze up at the ceiling. Note: You don't want to be curling up and rounding the back, you want to be crunching up with tiny squeezes.

For Lower Abs

Hanging Knee Raise: Get up on the pullup bar, palms facing inward and grip shoulder width apart. Let your legs hang and steady yourself. Now slowly raise the knees, curling them toward your navel. Slowly lower back down for a total of 15 to 20. Note: For an extra challenge, do this gripping a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell between your feet.

 

 

Seated Ab Crunch: Sit on a bench or the ground, your hands at your side for support. Keeping the feet side by side, extend the legs until you feel your lower abs engage. Pull them back in, and extend out.

For Obliques

Weighted one-armed pull-downs: Attach a hand grip to the upper pulley on a weight station. Grab the grip with your right hand, and lift the heel of your right foot. Pull the grip down at a side angle, squeezing your right obliques. Do 25 reps, then switch sides, grip in the left hand and squeezing down with the left obliques. Note: I do this with the weight set at 30, but if you're just starting, try 10 and then 20 pounds and see how it feels. (I caution against going much heavier than 50 or 60, even for guys, because you want to tighten your obliques, not add much bulk to them. )

   

Seated Medicine Ball Twists: Holding a medicine ball, sit on a mat and lift your feet a few inches above the floor as you lean back, just to the point where you feel your abs engage. Now twist the medicine ball to the right, tapping the ball on the floor at your right side. Do the same thing on the left, for a total of 10 to 20 on each side.

For the Transverse Abdominis

Plank on Resist-a-Ball: Position your forearms on top of the ball, and your core and legs behind the ball in a plank position. Get steady, and hold the position for 30 seconds. Challenge option: Lift the right leg for 10 seconds; lower and lift the left leg for 10 seconds.

 

Resist-a-Ball Pull-Ins: Roll out on top of the ball until it's just below your knees. Your hands are in a pushup position. Using your core and ab strength, pull the knees in toward your chest. Roll the ball back to the starting position. That's one rep.

Roll-Outs: Using Gliders, small towels or paper plates, get on all fours. Place one palm on each disc/towel/plate. Position your knees and arms as if you were about do a pushup on your knees. Slowly, with control, push the discs out in front of you, keeping the core tight (belly button pulled in toward the spine). As soon as you feel the abs engage and lengthen, pull the discs back in. You will feel this in your core, and a little in your arms and back.

Coming Friday: 'Tis the Season for Counting and Swapping Calories.

Badass Lessons from the Football Field

So my Gators lost to LSU on Saturday, and in a really painful last-minute, end-of-the-fourth-quarter-when-we-were-up-by-3 kinda way. Eff. Yeah, it sucked.

But even in loss, we Badasses have to find lessons. And as I watched the game, I kept thinking that many of the habits and strategies our favorite teams and players use each weekend are worth mimicking in the Badass Journey.

So as another week and another countdown to football gameday begins, consider:

Gridiron Badass 101:

1. Always warm up: On football game days, we "warm up" by tailgating. But the players are out there, throwing passes, running, jogging in place with high knees, etc. Warming up before a workout - whether it's a game-day workout or your typical morning routine - is key. All it takes is 5 minutes of light cardio - jogging, the elliptical, a brisk walk on the treadmill, a light pedal on the bike - to get the blood flowing to all those about-to-be-pumped muscles.

2. Know your enemy: The best teams know their enemies inside and out. They study game tapes, they get to know their signature plays and styles of offense and defense.

We Badasses need to know our enemies so that we can fend them off. Mine is candy and lack of sleep. Sometimes, it's chocolate - and my inability to sack it into oblivion. What's your enemy? Maybe it's that little voice that gives you all sorts of excuses for why you should not be working out today. (I'm so busy, I'm so tired, I'm so big anyway it's too late.) Maybe it's tailgate food and beer. Whatever it is, know it and devise a few "plays" to get past the enemy. Because once you do, the goal line (aka victory) is on the other side.

3. Make the stadium your gym: If you have a college or high school football stadium near you, then you have access to the best outdoor gym there is. The possibilities inside a football stadium are endless: Sprints, stadiums, pushups, tricep dips, step-ups, dropsies, cardio drills (mountain climbers, high knees, fast feet, side shuffles). I do them just about every weekend with my Badass Boot Camp "soldiers," and they'll tell you it's an hour of no-mercy Badass whoopin'.  All without a single dumbbell, Smith machine or leg press machine. If it's good enough for the players, it's good enough for us.

4. Fuel with a purpose: My friend's son just started as a top recruit for college basketball, and the first thing coaches did was put him on a 5,000-calorie-a-day regimen of healthy, whole foods and lots of protein - all to add about 15 pounds to his 6-foot-7 frame. Most of us don't need 5,000 calories a day (though that might be fun for a few days, right??!?), but we do need to pair exercise with a healthy eating routine. Results are 85 to 90 percent what we eat, not exercise, so fuel is key to a leaner, stronger Badass.

One of the big changes for the FSU Seminoles this year has been in what the players eat - whole, organic foods that are tailored for each player's needs. A 300-pound lineman doesn't need the same daily diet that a 185-pound running back needs, so know what your Badass needs to be its best. And eat the processed junk sparingly. Because if football players ate the way we tailgate, the scoreboard probably wouldn't be so pretty.

5. Hydrate: This lesson is brought to you by the Gainesville university that brought you Gatorade. When players are dehydrated, they cramp up and either collapse in a muscle spasm or limp off the field like a shot deer. And the coaches promptly pump them with water, Gatorade, electrolytes. We're not suiting up for ESPN Game Day, but we need to hydrate, too, or our performance will suffer. So drink up. (I prefer coconut water.)

6. Never give up, even when it feels like you're losing: There are days when we just don't feel like staying on the Badass path, right? The alarm goes off and it seems too early. Happy Hour seems like more fun than a Happy Hour cycling class. Pizza seems more tantalizing than grilled salmon with spinach. And it's OK to give in sometimes, but never think that one wayward step makes you a game-day loser. We all fall, and we all can get right back up and keep working toward a win - whether the "win" is a 5K personal best or a 5-pound weight loss. Next time you feel like throwing in the towel, remember how many times your team came from behind to win.

7. Always have the goal line in sight: Players know exactly where they're going: Over the 1-yard line and into touchdown territory. We have to know where we're going, too. We have to keep in sight our reasons for doing all these exercises and making all these healthy meals. The goal is what drives football players, and it has to be what drives us.

Coming Wednesday: Abs-olutely Essentials.

 

Fitness buys that aren't worth your money

Fitness and wellness doesn't always come cheap. There are gym memberships, sneakers, workout clothes, healthy food (which is, unfortunately, often more expensive than processed junk), vitamins, etc.

Many of these buys are worth the investment in your Badass fitness and long-term health. But some of them are just expensive bunk. Today, I present you with three. Cross these off the weekend shopping list, and if you've already purchased them, drop down and give me 50 pushups:

1. "Toning" shoes: The Skechers Shape-Ups, Reebok Easy Tones and various spinoffs by sneaker companies are a big pet peeve of mine. Yet another example of consumers' tendency to seek fitness in a magic little pill - or in this case, a magic little sneaker. The sneaker makers claim that the wobbly heel will tone your legs and boost your calorie burn if you walk in them. Whatever. A study recently found what I suspected from the start:

“Across the board, none of the toning shoes showed statistically significant increases in either exercise response or muscle activation during any of the treadmill trials. There is simply no evidence to support the claims that these shoes will help wearers exercise more intensely, burn more calories or improve muscle strength and tone.”

Maybe people wearing these shoes will suddenly start to walk more - which is a good thing. But if anyone expects to get Serena Williams calves just by slipping these on, they're about to be sorely disappointed. Shapely legs are the result of exercise, clean eating, and even genetics. So spend the money for those toning shoes on a Badass pair of running or cross training shoes that will motivate you to work harder for those hot legs.

2. The "Shake Weight": I'm pretty sure the creator of this ridiculous product was just looking for a way to sneak a pornographic commercial past the television censorship committee. The Shake Weight commercial, aired constantly on channels like Versus, basically shows a muscular guy who appears to be getting his, um, tension, out by yanking this dumbbell like he just saw Beyonce or Jessica Simpson walk by. According to the commercials, all you need is 6 minutes a day of this yanking to get toned and ripped. Oh, really?! Do cows fly, too? Save your $19.95 "plus shipping and handling" and use it toward a month's membership at the gym or a set of regular dumbbells for the house.

3. Fat burner pills: Fat burners make all sorts of claims about turning you from a flub-ster into a lean, mean ripped machine by speeding your Badass' metabolism and "fat-burning" ability. But the reality is this: The primary ingredients in many of these fat burners, which sell for anywhere from $30 to $60 for a bottle of pills, are caffeine and green tea extract. Guess what? You can buy caffeine and green tea in capsule form for less than $15 at a Vitamin Discount Center or allstarhealth.com, my favorite affordable online source. It gives you the boost in a more natural form, without all of the scary Frank-engredients that you can't pronounce. Oh, and guess what else? The best way to burn fat is to MOVE: endurance running and cycling, intervals. SWEAT! Your lean Badass won't come in a pill. It comes from you and the determination with which you work for it.

Coming Monday: Lessons from the football field...

Hump-Day Humor for the Badass Army

The Badass Journey isn't easy. Sure, all those 5ks and squats and pushups and cycling classes make us stronger and leaner. But they also leave us sore, tired and sweaty.

And the oatmeal and egg whites and fruits and vegetables make us healthier, but sometimes we just want a cookie topped with ice cream, right? Fo' sho.

One of my training clients' friends learned the meaning of "sore" this past weekend, when she came with my client to my Badass Boot Camp for the first time. As I type, this Badass Boot Camp virgin is still feeling the burn from all of those ramp sprints, pushups, and trips up and down the stairs of Doak Campbell Stadium.

She e-mailed my training client to explain just how sore she is ("I was asked yesterday if I had blisters on my feet because I was walking so funny due to extreme overworking of my calves on Saturday," she wrote.) My client, funny Badass that she is, replied with a Top 10 List of things she has discovered during her own Badass Journey.

I'm sharing it as we embark on Hump Day, hoping that you Badasses will put it on your fridge or near your computer at work. If anything, it will remind you that you are not alone.

Top 10 Badass Journey Wisdoms
 
1. I threw up after my first work out and proceeded to lay on the floor still and silent for at least 45 minutes.
2. One night I was so sore and tired, that I actually ate dinner in the bathtub.
3. My vagina is on its second life from the cycling bikes and I've had bruises in weird places from the resista-bands.
4. I've eaten so much spinach, flaxseed, almonds and fiber cereal that I feel like a squirrel.
5. I had to buy WIDE trail running shoes to accomodate my bunions.
6. Once it took me over an hour to get out of bed to go work out.
7. I was in Publix in the produce section and smelled something horrible and just figured it was the vegetables, but then I realized it was me after a workout.
8. My shoulders are getting wider by the minute - now all I need is a Speedo tan to be like my swimming days.
9. I've been hungry for a good ten weeks now.
 
And the final and most important one . . .
 
10. I've pretty much accepted that my body only likes to lose .1 lb a week, as clearly shown through the past four weeks.

Coming Friday: Is that fitness "must-buy" worth your dough? 
 

TRX ... Totally, Really (e)Xausting...and Badass!

When a workout system is designed by a former elite Navy Seal and then adopted by trainers in the NFL, NBA and NHL, you know it's not going to be a walk in the park. You pretty much know it's gonna whoop your Badass.

So I learned Sunday, when I and several others spent eight hours getting certified to teach group TRX Suspension Training classes at the fitness studio where I work. We sweated, grunted and hoo-ah'd through two-legged squats, one-legged squats, jump squats, lunges, hamstring curls, side lunges, rows, chest presses (pictured at left), chest fly's, bicep curls, triceps extensions, crunches, planks, pikes (pictured below, right) shoulder presses with squats, deltoid fly's, even pilates roll-ups.

And we did it all without a single dumbbell or weight machine.

Instead, our Badass bodies served as our machines. This is the (genius) basis of TRX, which was developed by Randy Hedrick when he and his fellow Seals were stuck on top-secret international drug missions and had no access to gyms or weights. So he and his buddies rigged parachute material and an old Tae Kwon Do belt to whatever anchor they could find - doors, poles, trees - and worked up a sweat. Voila!

In TRX, the body weight works as resistance against industrial nylon-grade straps attached to a single anchor point -- in this case, a TRX A-frame, but any door or wall mount can serve as an anchor. 

We change the resistance by changing the position of our bodies. The more extreme the angle (for example, the more the feet are out in front of you while doing a back row), the more extreme the resistance. We can change the intensity of our core engagement by moving from wide-legged stances to one leg or both feet close together - the narrower our stability rod (i.e. legs), the more intense the workout. And by adding plyometrics like squat jumps instead of squats, or lunges with hops instead of just stationary lunges, we can get our hearts pumping.

The beauty of TRX is two-fold. It is versatile: The system weighs all of 2 pounds and can be taken and used just about anywhere that you have a door, a tree or a pole. It's also adaptable to you and your fitness gains: As you get stronger, you can keep using it to push yourself harder. All you have to do is work at different angles, pick up the pace, or move from what you can do easily (two-legged squat) to what is more challenging (one-legged squat).

TRX is only in 2 percent of gyms and fitness facilities in the United States, including Sweat Therapy Fitness where I work and train in Tallahassee. But it's catching on thanks to "this stuff works" testimonials from professional athletes like NFL quarterback Drew Brees. Men's Health calls it "the best total-body tool," and my sore muscles agree!

TRX continues to grow in popularity at gyms and fitness studios and in home gyms because it's relatively inexpensive (less than $200 for a home setup) and because it works - not just for strength, but for flexibility and agility and core power.

I love lifting weights just as much as the next Badass, but those seated bicep curls and seated leg presses and seated leg extensions aren't doing anything to make us what I like to call "functionally strong." When we sit in those machines, the back rest supports us - which means the core isn't engaged.

We're better off strengthening our Badasses in ways that allow us to live life better - to run up to our seats at a football game, to pick up a heavy box of Christmas decorations, to pick up a grandbaby, whatever.

So find the TRX straps in your gym, or get your own. If it works for the pro athletes and the Navy Seals, it will work for the Badass Army.

Coming Wednesday: Five fitness buys not worth your money.