All I can say is you guys that didn't attend missed one hell of a great training session with Steve!

We spent about an hour doing some great warm ups, then we started on swings doing timed sets with heavy, medium and light bells.

After a break we spent a lot of time workig on cleans, then I followed with some shoulder mobility drills, many of which I learned from my buddy Tom Furman (www.physicalstrategies.com ).

We took a break for lunch and cam back and started on jerks, we did several timed sets including a 14 minute set, 7 minutes each hand. Then Steve worked with each person on specific things.

Steve also showed us some movements for loosening up the lower back and QiGong exercises to help regain energy and t balance out the physical work we had done.

We broke at 5 and re-grouped with dinner at Cumberland Brews, a local micro brew & restaurant. Great Bison burger & bear.

Tomorrow we will start in on snatches after doing warm ups. The plan is to move into more body-weight work and from there we'll just have to see where it goes.

Are you an exerciser or an athlete? This question, posed by Charles Staley, a well-known fitness industry icon examines what differentiates the two.

Are you looking for a quick fix or do you set goals and try to met them and improve yourself in a defied and measurable way?

Ultimately, being an exerciser is a hard way to go. The exerciser lifestyle is about denial, self-loathing, and guilt.

 Read Part 1 and Part 2 to see what Staley has to say

Results, are you getting them with your current training methods? If not, why are you still using them?

Have you analyzed your training program to see where it has failed you? Are you knowledgeable enough to look at a program your personal trainer has given you to see if it is flawed?

How long have you been on your program? All programs work for the first month to 6 weeks, especially if you haven't been active for a while.

Are your goals too broad, unfocused?

•  Decide what you want, your end result - be specific
• Reverse Engineer - work backward from your goal to where you are now and determine the mini-goals 
• Write down your min-goals and the final one
• Put your list where you can easily see it
• Cross each goal off as you meet it
• Give it time, but not too long - if you aren't making strides to each mini-goal - reanalyze
• Make your health and fitness a top priority
• Don't get discouraged - find a support person or group, for example our CrossFIt classes
• If your current trainer hasnt helped you do more than count reps or helped you succeed in 2 months, FIRE THEM!!
• Find a training paradigm that not only works, but that you ENJOY

Part of training involves making it a habit. Try to train the same days and times every week. Tell the boss your kid is sick or the dog ate the neighbor and you have to leave. Creating a habit will ensure you meet your goals. Don't blow off a session because you are tired, usually a vigorous workout will make you feel energized.

P.S. There's no time like the present to set goals and start down the path towards health and fitness.

Come see us, we deliver results, guaranteed!

The Tabata protocol has been widely touted as being one of the best ways to train. It is the cornerstone of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). The protocol is to work as hard and as fast as possible for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. This cycle is repeated for 4 minutes per exercise.

Dr. Izumi Tabata at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan devised this method while doing research to compare the effects of moderate intensity exercise to high intensity exercise on aerobic capacity and maximum Oxygen uptake, commonly referred to as VO2max. (For more information visit http://www.cbass.com/FATBURN.HTM)

One of the best exercises for this protocol are squats. For 20 seconds you squat as fast as you can, maintaining proper form and going deep. Then you rest for 10 seconds and repeat. After 4 minutes your legs are trashed and your heart feels like it is going to explode! Ah such fun . You can do the same with burpees, pushups or any number exercises, even kettlebell snatches or cleans. Swings can be done but it is pretty tough to go very fast or very slow because you actually have to pull the bell down to go faster. However because it is a steady rate exercise doing them Tabata style will keep the heart rate up.