Military Workouts Wed 29 Jun 11

Meant to be a recovery session:


40 minutes of cycling, rowing or running.
Keep the HR between 110 - 130 bpm.


Tp Comd has decided that the Tp is going to do a Basic Fitness Assessment. No one is due for another two months but it makes him look good that we are all current for another 6 months.


Maximal Push Ups in 2 min
Maximal Sit Ups @ a 3 sec cadence for 5 min
Run 2.4km

Military Workout Tue 28 Jun 11

Fran

Thrusters @ 40kg (can be scaled to suit)

Pull Ups

21-15-9

The Tp Comd decided to make Tuesday the Tp Comd/SQ Challenge PT day. Listed below is what he considers challenging since he's only done one or two sessions of the programmed PT since I took over:

Play a half fast game of soccer for 30 min

Then:

Run/Jog 2.4km

Military Workout Mon 27 Jun 11

Work up to 1RM,
Then:
3 x 5 @ 5RM.


Pick 3 from the following exercises:


Deadlift
Back Squat
Front Squat
Leg Press Machine
Squat Press Machine
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Weighted Heave
Bent Over Row,
Seated Row
Machine Bench Press
Machine Shoulder Press
Lat Pull Down


Machine weights are for the medically restricted members.

Military Workout Fri 17 Jun 11

A.M. 


Sprint Training


50-50-100-100-50-200-100-50-100-200-50-100-100-50-50


P.M.


Work up to 1RM Dead Lift
Then:
Work up to 1 RM Weighted Heave

Military Workouts Wed 15 Jun 11

A.M.  Tabata Session


Push Ups
Get Ups
KB Swing
Atomic Situps
Mountain Climbers
Handstands


P.M.


4 Rounds of:


400m Row
5 x Clean and Press

Military Workout Tue 14 Jun 11

Work up to 1RM,
Then:
3 x 5 @ 5RM.


Pick 3 from the following exercises:


Deadlift
Back Squat
Front Squat
Leg Press Machine
Squat Press Machine
Bench Press
Shoulder Press
Weighted Heave
Bent Over Row,
Seated Row
Machine Bench Press
Machine Shoulder Press
Lat Pull Down


Machine weights are for the medically restricted members.

Military Workout Fri 10 Jun 11

Fartlek Training


2.4 Km @ 40-100 seconds normal running to 10-20 seconds sprinting.

Dr.Eades on Saturated Fat

I frequently receive a newsletter from Dr. Mercola in my inbox. Sometimes it seems pertinent to nourishing my family and other times not so much. This particular headline grabbed my attention: 7 Reasons to Eat More Saturated Fat. The following comes from a new book by Drs Michael & Mary Eades: The 6-week cure for the middle-aged middle. I have yet to read the book, but am interested, considering their 7 reasons to eat more saturated fat:

1) Improved cardiovascular risk factors. Saturated fat plays a key role in cardiovascular health. The addition of saturated fat to the diet reduces the levels of a substance called lipoprotein (a) that correlates strongly with risk for heart disease. Research has shown that when women diet, those eating the greatest percentage of the total fat in their diets as saturated fat, lose the most weight.

2) Stronger bones. Saturated fat is required for calcium to be effectively incorporated into bone. According to one of the foremost research experts in dietary fats and human health, Dr. Mary Enig, Ph.D., there’s a case to be made for having as much as 50 percent of the fats in your diet as saturated fats for this reason.

3) Improved liver health. Saturated fat has been shown to protect the liver from alcohol and medications, including acetaminophen and other drugs commonly used for pain and arthritis.

4) Healthy lungs. For proper function, the airspaces of the lungs have to be coated with a thin layer of lung surfactant. The fat content of lung surfactant is 100 percent saturated fatty acids. Replacement of these critical fats by other types of fat makes faulty surfactant and potentially causes breathing difficulties.

5) Healthy brain. Your brain is mainly made of fat and cholesterol. The lion’s share of the fatty acids in the brain are actually saturated. A diet that skimps on healthy saturated fats robs your brain of the raw materials it needs to function optimally.

6) Proper nerve signaling. Certain saturated fats, particularly those found in butter, lard, coconut oil, and palm oil, function directly as signaling messengers that influence metabolism, including such critical jobs as the appropriate release of insulin.

7) Strong immune system. Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil (myristic acid and lauric acid) play key roles in immune health. Loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi.

One More Reason to Eat Saturated Fat

Their is some research out there saying that you need saturated fat to help you absorb fish oils and cod liver oil. Researchers found that the saturated fat and the x-factor in butter helped you absorb the vitamins and essential fatty acids in cod liver oil. Makers of cod liver oil have recognized this and now make a combination cod liver oil and high butter oil supplement which you can find here.

Sources of Saturated Fat

A few years ago I was scared of saturated fat and I probably weren't getting enough of it in my diet. Today is another story. I eat heaps of it, mainly from:

butter
coconut oil & coconut milk
cream
meats 


Do you eat enough saturated fat?  Do you need another reason to eat more?  Please post to comments

Military Workouts Wed 08 Jun 11

60 x Push Ups
500m Run
40 x Med Ball Slam
300m Run
20 x Heaves
100m Run
Rest 5min


Then:
60 x Shoulder Press
500m Run
40 x BOSU Bench Press
300m Run
20 x Upright Row
100m Run
Rest 5min


Then:
60 x MedBall Situp
500m Run
40 x Mountain Climbers
300m Run
20 x Burpees
100m Run

Military Workout Tue 07 Jun 11

30 x Shoulder Press

40 x Heave
50 x KB Swing
60 x Sit-up
70 x Burpee

80 x Push Up

90 x Squat

Niacin and Statins

So, it seems they're at it again.  The NIH has stopped a cholesterol lowering trial 18 months early when the researchers didn't get the results they were after.


Some previous smaller studies had hinted that niacin (Vit B3) may be effective in preventing heart attacks or strokes, however this group has made no such findings.  They found that prescribing high dose extended release niacin with statins doesn't reduce the risk of... well anything.


Niacin is currently taken to reduce LDL- and increase HDL- cholesterols.


In the now-halted trial, 3,414 people took simvastatin (Zocor), and some also took a second cholesterol-lowering drug, ezetimibe (Zetia), to ensure that LDL levels remained low. About half of the participants also received a high daily dose of extended-release niacin.


The guys in the niacin group did increase their HDL-cholesterol levels but it seems that didn't stop them having the same risk of a heart attack.  It seems that a few more people in the niacin group had ischemic strokes than the non-niacin groups.  They also lowered their LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and increased their HDL but this doesn't seem to have had an impact on them getting heart attacks, strokes or acute coronary syndrome.


The take home message as I see it?  This stuff doesn't make a bit of difference to your risk of having CVD.


But what if I want to decrease my risk of CVD for the future?  Stress less, eat a paleo diet, take your fish oil, lift heavy things often.

A quick update and an apology

I must apologise for the lack posts last week, there was a small family emergency so the posts were not as forth coming as they should have been.


Training for the troop has not been as productive as it could have been in May due to numerous work commitments. Because of this, I have decided to do last months program again. The workouts will be different however the structure of the programming will remain the same.


There will be a later post on programming structure.

Military Workout Mon 06 Jun 11

Interval Training


200-400-200-400-800-400-200-400-200

Military Workout Fri 03 Jun 11

Fitness Assessment


Max Push Ups at a 2 second cadence.
Max Sit Ups (max of 300) at a 3 second cadence.
Max Overgrasp Heaves (strict military)
MSFT (beep test)

Military Workouts Wed 01 Jun 11

Run, Row, Ride for 40 min.


HR to remain between 110-130 BPM.

Military Workout Tue 31 May 11

Boxing Session


Intro session to basic combos, finishing with 20 minutes of sparring.

Military Workout Mon 30 May 11

Sprint Training


50-50-100-100-200-100-50-100-200-100-100-50-50