Trap Bar, Ab Wheel, Treadmill Workout OH YEAH

Heyyy! Hope everyone is having a great start to the week! I had quite a busy weekend, however I did get to enjoy this gem pictured below. I met a friend at the Paramount Cafe in South Boston (which is one of my favorite spots fo brunch lunch OR dinner) The menu is very unique with some great choices, always fresh and great service.

I ordered the Southwestern BBQ Chicken Salad (and added some additonal items to it)

In this salad it was packed to the brim with BBQ marinated chicken breast, avocado (extra-just the way I like it!) grape tomatoes, corn, black beans, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers and peppers. It was served with balsamic vinaigrette

It was so good and pretty I had to Instagram it!

Now that we got some food out of the way, its time to hit the exercise portion of the post. I wanted to talk about two 'new to me' tools that I have started using within the past few months and come to love. As always, I love to share this information with my readers for those who are interested in learning a new exercise and trying it out themselves!

The Trap Bar Deadlift

I have mentioned using "Trap Bar Deadlifts" quite a few times on my Facebook page and blog. It is one of my favorite deadlift variations, and I have gotten quite a few emails regarding how the heck to do it and what it is.

From first glance it looks pretty odd. No straight barbell, but rather this hexagonal shaped barbell  in which you stand "inside". I LOVE the Trap bar deadlift and think its the most amazing tool when teaching someone how to properly perform any deadlift variation.  

As you can see in the picture, the handles are on the sides, whereas with a barbell you grab the bar in front of you. You load up the bar on the sides with plates. Once loaded this lifts the bar off the ground a bit to allow for proper use of a neutral spine. Whereas a conventional deadlift you have to lean forward to grab a barbell in front of you, all you have to do with a trap bar deadlift is squat down and pull up blasting from the glutes and heels of your feet. There tends to be less pressure on the low back, therefore it is a great way to introduce deadlifting to any individual ranging from beginner, intermediate to advanced  various exercise history and backgrounds

By having your starting position inside of the hexagonal bar, this makes it so that the 'weight' or 'load' is closer to the individuals center of gravity. In a traditional deadlift the load is in front of your feet (on the barbell) This could potentially create more sheer stress on the lower back if you do not know how to properly deadlift. During conventional deadlifts, you stay behind the bar so most of the focus is on the posterior chain of the body (glutes, back, hamstrings) and less on the anterior (quads)

The load remains in line with your feet. The position that you are in while deadlifting neutralizes the torque and causes a bit more work and assistance from the anterior(quads) Because the anterior of the body is move involved, you may feel you are able to lift more performing the trap bar variation.   This is not to say that your posterior isn't crankin' OH you will feel this in the glutes!!

I found this video on youtube of a woman performing some trap bar deadlifts with great form! Check it out!

(source)

 If you are a deadlifting junkie like myself...you MUST Check out

this amazing article written by Nia Shanks who is by far one of the strongest chicks I know.  Seriously, if you want to check out some amazing chicks lifting HEAVY weight with different deadlift variations...this post is fabulous!

Proper Technique:

• Stand inside the trap bar with feet slightly narrower than shoulder width
• Your ankles should line up right behind where the weight is loaded.
• Begin by bending down at the knees, not the hips, squatting down, hinging your hips backward (weight in your heels and glutes)
• Keep the chest up and back flat
• Concentrate on "pushing" your feet and heels (and glutes!!) through the floor while maintaining proper form

This tool always intimidated me. I think because when it first came out, I would be flipping through the TV channels and an infomercial would pop up regarding this new fitness gadget. The people using it were always in such amazing shape and it was one of those infomercials that was a bad accident, you didn't want to watch it but still something drew you to keep looking on. Well years later, I am now aware that infomercials are made just for that purpose...BUT what I also came to realize was how amazing this little ab wheel is! 

The ab wheel trains your whole core, strengthening and really engages the abs in a very unique and challenging way. Not only will your upper abs, lower abs and obliques feel the intensity of this exercise, but your entire upper body including the lats and back will get progressively stronger while doing these.

But anyways, an important role of your midsection is stabilization. This skill tests your ability to maintain muscular tension through the midsection and maintain correct form.

What you want to be sure you learn how to do prior to ab wheeling is how to perform a proper pelvic tilt. By keeping the core activated and engaged, this will take pressure off of the low back that most people tend to 'feel' when they perform the ab wheel roll out. 

Below is a picture of an anterior pelvic tilt. My entire abdominal region is not engaged at all and as you can see there is a bit of a forward arch in my back

Below is a picture of a Neutral Pelvis (fully engaged) The pelvis, pubic bone and hip bone remain in the same plane. The pelvis is not rotated forward or tilted backwards either. It is in this neutral position that the abdominal muscles can be fully contracted and engaged. The pelvis should not necessary 'tuck under' but it should just remain in one even plane.


One way I like to introduce the neutral spine to clients is to have them lay flat on the ground with their knees up and feet flat. I will have them try to rotate their pelvis into the mat so there is no space in between their back and the mat. They should try to 'imprint' their back into the mat. After they get this down, we repeat for 2 sets of 10 reps...contracting and releasing. This will teach the body to activate that neutral spine

You can control the pelvis to be tilted forward to backwards, which in turn will change the curve of your lower spine. By tilting the pelvis backwards slightly before you roll out with the wheel, you can engage the abdominal muscles  properly, keep the midsection tight, and be able to pull yourself back up into standing position. Note that moving the pelvis does not involve moving the shoulders.

I like to begin this exercise in the kneeling position and from there make further progressions. I place some cushioning (either a mat or bench rest) under my knees.

--From your knees you begin to push the wheel out in front of you, keeping your body in one smooth motion. As you wheel farther out, more stress is put on the abs and back to stabilize the body. I would say this is an advanced movement because if you don't have a very Strong core, you will immediately lose the position thus arching the back and possibly injure yourself. 

--Begin by limiting your range of motion to only rolling down halfway. 

Tips:

-You want to make sure to keep the head down and tuck the chin. This will ensure that your spine stays neutral and flat

-If you feel any sort of twinging in your low back, this is a sign to STOP and come back up

-Engage and SQUEEZE even before you begin the motion. Right away you should feel your abs 'fire'

-Stay focused on form the entire time and really feel the mind muscle connection

-As you roll back up, try to come up in one motion...(not letting your glutes come back up first then your body)

Now if you want a kickbutt new treadmill workout?!


'TRY TO BEAT ME' TREADMILL ROUTINE

Time	Speed	Incline
0-3:00	3.8	5%
3:00-4:00	6.0	10%
4:00-5:00	3.0	10%
5:00-6:00	6.2	10%
6:00-7:00	3.0	10%
7:00-8:00	5.5	15%
8:00-9:00	2.0	15%
9:00-10:00	5.6	15%
10:00-11:00	2.0	10%
11:00-12:00	8.0	3.0%
12:00-13:00	3.0	3.0%
13:00-14:00	9.5	0%
14:00-15:00	3.0	0%

REPEAT MINUTES 3:00-15:00 one more time through!!

As always before you perform any workout...make sure you are properly warmed up!
AND If you missed my post on 5 of my favorite new exercises check it out for even more great new exercises you can start incorporating.


Any favorite new workouts/exerices or tools?

What Has Been Making Me Happy

Every few months or so, I like to think back and evaluate what has been going on in my life. What new things have I learned, tried, gone or seen. Have I adpated new habits? Picked up old habits? What has been making me happy. These are just a few of the recent things that have really been doing that for me.

Setting Goals unrelated to Fitness/Nutrition or Health

Working as a trainer, being a fitness competitor and doing all things health/wellness/nutrition 90% of the time--this can get a bit taxing and draining. I have made it a goal to step away from that world to exercise my mind in different ways. I always want to strive to stay balanced in life, in relationships, in work and with my family so this is an extremely important bullet on my list to stay focused on. I have been reading 1 book a month that has NOTHING to do with fitness/health/wellness. I just finished the book "Sarah's Key" Which was fabulous and before that I read "The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo" I find that reading is a small escape that helps me to just relax. It takes me away from my professional world as well as away from the computer screen. I also want to go indoor rock climbing!!

Eating More Fats

I love fats. I think more than any other food group. It is the most satisfying, always can curb hunger and aids in fat loss.  I know that many people (women especially) get 'scared' to eat more fats in their diet and let me just say that this is the biggest mistake if they are looking to actually lose fat and gain muscle. 

More healthy fats in your diet mean that the receptors can bind more easily, which our bodies need to increase metabolism  and produce energy. I have done a whole post on the importance of fats and I am sure I sound like a broken record, but I do truly believe in the power of fats; so don't fear them--embrace them.  Omega-3 fats in particular are super important when trying to shed fat. Benefits such as less risk of heart disease and diabetes, for example–are great on their own. But omega-3 fats contribute to a better physique as well. Omega-3s reduce inflammation throughout your body. That not only prevents heart attacks (inflammation in the tissues surrounding blood vessels is a major cause) but also helps your muscles recover faster from workouts.  

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Focus on Form not weight

I see time and time again (mostly men) come into the gym, no warm up prior and grab a heavy set of dumbbells and begin to lift with god awful form. Don't get me wrong, when lifting, those last 2-3 reps in a set should be very challenging however when I see people start their set with awful form (due to heavy weight) this is not only hindering their muscle growth and strength gains, but also increasing the risk for injury 10 fold.

Recently I have slowed down. A lot. and I mean with weight. I used to just grab whatever I thought I could lift and slam out however many reps I was aiming for. Then I realized I was not engaging the proper muscles. I am a huge believer in the mind muscle connection. To truly engage the muscles that you are working with any given exercise you MUST think about the contractions. You should be able to FULLY engage the muscles properly even when no added weight is provided. Before squats, perform glute bridges and body weight squats, squeezing the glutes to really get a feel for the proper muscles you should be working. It is SO easy to just 'go through the motions' of exercises. Before performing back rows, squeeze your shoulder blades down and together and holding that position even before rowing back should feel like 'work'  I have made stronger gains and increased my strength just by truly listening to my body and checking my ego at the door.

Allow myself some flexibility with Training:

I used to be as uptight as a grumpy, old math teacher when it came to my workouts. I had set workout days, I knew exactly what I would be working, when my rest days were etc. This set me up to become a crazy lady not to mention workouts took up 12372% of my brain time. It would go like this. I had a "planned rest day" on Sunday and then a friend would call me up to do something on Sunday afternoon. In my mind, I started freaking out. This is going to THROW OFF MY ROUTINE!! My life, my workout, my week...what am I going to do!!! (Yes these thoughts went through my head) I have since learned to actually have a life. If I wake up and skip a workout that was 'planned' Oh well. I realized I was flipping out about...nothing. It is too draining to be so uptight about a regimented schedule because I would much rather have a life. Of course, I still like to know what I am doing for my workout beforehand, but that may only take 10 minutes of planning right before my workout. I write it out, or grab my sheet that has already been written and get to it! I now plan my workouts around my life not my life around my workouts.

Doing "Unconventional Workouts" I know so many of us get stuck in our own little routines. I worked at a fitness center for 2+ years and I could close my eyes and tell you the routines of some of these folks from the moment they step foot into the gym until the last second they left; for TWO YEARS. I would want to poke my eyes out, personally, if I did the same exact routine for two straight years. I have to admit, I get stuck in my own routines every now and then, but recently, I have realized that it is so refreshing, fun and a huge plateau buster to step out of your comfort zone and try something new for crying out loud! Last week my friend brought me to a Hip Hop Yoga class which is very unlike to me to even think about, but ya know what? I wanted to try something new. I went, it was great....not so much challenging, but fun and that 90 minute class flew by. I felt invigorated at the end and will definitely go back.  I am always so used to saying 'no' to trying certain workouts or classes but as a fitness professional as well as a health junkie I think it is both important and meaningful to step outside the box once in a while. 

Never Closing My Mind: It is so important to be open minded. I used to (and probably still am) a bit stubborn when it comes to certain things. In my field is it SO easy to get sucked into the idea that 'my way is the highway' This is similar when I see people who are passionate about Crossfit or Yoga or Intermittent Fasting (or any other trends) That this is the ONLY way to do things. It's not. Before I started my new job, I knew basically nothing about kettle bell training. People would ask me and I would brush it off because (well really I didn't know enough about it) so I would say something like "oh its a waste of time" Then I started using KB's. My world opened up to a whole new avenue of fitness. I am in NO way a crazy KB advocate, however, opening my mind up to this new fitness trend made me more aware, knowledgeable and conscious of the amazing benefits it can produce.

I am not a fan of running-at all. Sure, I sprint, but long distance running? Its not for me in the least. If I have a client who runs marathons and love it, who am I to tell them to stop? Exercise, passions, life, religion should be about happiness and what makes you YOU and who am I to take that away. Of course I will always have some fitness rants that drive me bonkers, but these are just generalities/myths that I really don't believe in 

Living in the Moment: I sometimes wonder why people put so much pressure on themselves to aim higher, do more, work harder and strive to hit that '5 year goal' (whatever that may be) I used to be one of these people. When asked "Naomi, where do you see yourself in 5 years" I used to freak out, get extremely anxious and say something-without truly knowing if this IS where I want to be in 5 years. After being asked this question time and time again, I realized that it's OKAY to not know exactly what my life will be in 5 years--in fact, I love not knowing where my life will be. I know this: I have passions, I have goals, visions, support, an extremely hard work ethic and I know what makes me happy. As long as I know this, I KNOW that in 5 years...I will be happy, successful and (hopefully) stress free. It is all about the things you learn along the way that shape who you are.

What has been making you happy?

Chicken Soup with Cabbage and Apples

It was 4 degrees in Boston yesterday. Yep, a balmy 4 degrees. I walked from my car to the grocery store and had trouble feeling my fingers once inside. I have never been a winter person and have lived on the East coast my whole life--go figure. Now, while I am not a big fan of the winter time, one thing that I am a HUGE fan of is soup. Soup, stews, chili's...you name it...if it is served hot in a bowl and can warm me up--I am all for it. Recently I made a sweet and sour cabbage soup which was so unique and turned out much better than I had ever imagined. 

I'm going to cut right to the chase because you should go make this soup now; or at least bookmark it now so you never forget it.

The new Cookinglight Magazine was packed with all new, quick and easy chicken dishes which made me very excited because I am ALWAYS on the lookout for new ways to make chicken interesting. And then I came across this soup 

I took that recipe and attacked it. 

This soup is a twist on traditional chicken soup-which we all know screams comfort as it is. This chicken soup was packed with cabbage, caraway seeds (the seeds that give rye bread that delicious taste) and sweet granny smith apple slices. I was so intrigued from reading the ingredients list. It also called for shredded chicken and I got lazy

So I picked one up at Whole Foods. What a beauty

I started by getting all of the vegetables chopped and prepared so I could just throw as I go. Here we have the celery and carrot. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of each, but to be honest, I never measure and I am sure I had more than 1/2 cup. 

Into the pot went garlic cloves (minced) the onions, carrot and celery. I let these vegetables cook down for about 6 minutes

Caraway seeds on the left and fennel seeds on the left. These spices together make for such an amazing flavor. Caraway seeds are the seeds that are found in rye bread. Fennel has that licorice/anise flavor and the caraway seeds basically taste like the flavor of rye bread.

After simmering the spices with the vegetables, the vegetable broth was added along with the sweet potatoes. I let all of the ingredients come to a boil (with the cover on)

After a 10 minute boil, the apples, cabbage, apple cider vinegar and shredded chicken were added in. The Granny Smith apples cook right down and leave such a natural sweetness to the soup

Chicken Soup With Cabbage and Apples from Cookinglight Magazine (February 2012)

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 t caraway seeds
• 1/2 t fennel seeds
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 C chopped onion
• 1/2 C chopped carrot
• 1/2 C chopped celery
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 oz chicken apple sausage, sliced I used 4oz more shredded chicken 
• 5 cups low sodium chicken broth I used low sodium vegetable broth
• 8 oz chopped Yukon gold potatoes I used 8 oz sweet potato
• 3 cup thinly sliced green cabbage
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast (about 8 oz)
• 2 C thinly sliced Granny Smith apples
• 1 T apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 t Kosher salt
• 1/4 t black pepper

Directions

• Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add caraway seeds and fennel. Cook 2 minutes. Place in spice grinder, process until ground. (I skipped this step and didn't 'process' the spices) I just added them to the one pot all at once
• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook until softened (about 6 minutes) add spices and cook 30 seconds longer, stirring constantly
• Add chicken or vegetable broth and diced potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add cabbage and remaining ingredients (apple, chicken, vinegar, salt, pepper) Cook for 3 minutes (I kept it simmering for about 45 minutes) 
• Serve and enjoy!

Are you looking for a more 'hearty' stew?

Beef tangine with butternut squash soup

Pumpkin turkey chili

Moroccan chicken stew

Chickpea and chicken minestrone soup

Paleo Pumpkin coconut turkey chili

Do you have a favorite soup or chili/stew?

Giveaway Winner, New Recipes, New Workout, LIFE!

Heyyyy! How are you all doing?

Hopefully you all had a chance to check out the foam rolling video I posted the other day to learn proper technique for some of the movements that I use it for. If you haven't tried it out yourself, take a peek!

Now first I want to annouce the winner of the great giveaway that I posted last week. The giveaway winner will win a FREE  pain relief program from the amazing Myoforce/Perfect Postures studio from Aaron Brooks. Like I mentioned in the previous post, all of the programs, upon purchase (or in this case WINNING) are completely downloadable in PDF format so you will get it right away! 

The WINNER: Melissa at Melissanibbles. Melissa...please email me at Onefitfoodie (at) Gmail (dot) com for more info on how to recieve your pain relief program. CONGRATS!

Now, what else have I been up to?

Last week I made a delicious HOMEMADE tomato sauce. I was in the mood, and not for the canned stuff. I had some time, so I basically used what I saw in the fridge and cabinets to throw together a delicious, fast sauce. Want the recipe? I will do my best, but if you know me, you know that I tend to just 'wing it' when it comes to some recipes. For you? I will give it a shot!

Once you DO make this sauce, I highly recommend you use it in the meat free, healthified lasagna recipe!

Onefitfoodie Tomato Sauce

Yields: Lots (you will have leftovers to freeze!)

Ingredients:

• 1 16 oz can crushed tomato in its juice (I used organic crushed tomatoes from Whole Foods)
• 2 T tomato paste
• 4-5 cloves fresh garlic, crushed or chopped
• 1-2 T oil of choice (I used coconut, but you can use olive oil etc)
• 1 small white onion
• 2 C chopped celery
• 2 C chopped zucchini
• 1 large handful of mushrooms
• 1 C chopped summer squash
• 2 T italian seasoning
• 2 T FRESH basil, chopped
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 C vegetable or chicken broth (I used low sodium vegetable broth)
• water to desired consistancy
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat a large quart pot over medium heat. Place oil of choice in the pot followed by the chopped onion. After about 5 minutes (slightly soft and golden brown) throw in the chopped garlic, celery, squash and mushrooms.  Cover and let cook down until vegetables become soft (about 8-10 minutes)
• Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, italian seasoning, bay leaves broth, water (if desired but I wait until the end to see the thickness and then add the water AFTERwards)
• Let simmer for about 30 minutes.
• Add in fresh basil and stir. Let simmer for an additional 20 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. ENJOY!

I also whipped up another batch of my basil balsamic roasted veggies (this time made with brussels sprouts, onions and cabbage) I like to cook up a BIG batch and then keep them cold in the fridge, using them throughout the week on various salad, dinners, lunch dishes. 

I made some salmon. Very basic but very delicious. I marinated it in some soy sauce with ground ginger and dijon mustard (spread on top of the fish before placing in the oven) I have been craving salmon lately and enjoy it roasted, grilled and also smoked salmon!

I also have been doing my fair share of this. Wining and dining. 

I also threw together this super easy chicken dish which at first sounded quite strange, but again I looked in my fridge and wanted to use what I had on hand!

Coconut Soy Basil Marinated Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lb chicken breasts
• 1 T coconut oil
• 1 sliced red onion
• 2-3 T FRESH basil
• 1/4 C soy sauce

Directions

• I combined all above ingredients in a ziploc bag. Placed the chicken in the bag and let it sit overnight.
• Roasted it in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees

I got a new PR playing a stranger on Words with Friends...142 points! WOOHOOO

I discovered and fell in love with a new favorite food and incorporated into a new favorite snack.

The food: Brown Rice Tortillas. I got these at Trader Joes but I am sure you can find them at Whole Foods or even at a local supermarket. These tortillas are a bit 'tougher' than traditional Whole Wheat ones. They don't tend to roll up as well as the Whole Wheat, so I wouldn't suggesting making a wrap with them BUT, I decided to toast it up one day and it became an amazing cracker-like snack! 

The snack: Plain Greek yogurt mixed with 1 T protein powder (I used chocolate) 5 drops of stevia. Mix that all up and serve with a toasted Brown Rice Tortilla 

How to eat: Im a dunker, but you could also sspread the yogurt on the tortilla and eat it like a pizza!

I went to a HIP HOP YOGA class with a friend today! Thes studio is called Sweat and Soul Yoga I had no idea what to expect but it was fun! It was basically a power yoga class with an amazing hip hop/dance playlist. The great thing about this company is that they post their playlists of every class on their Facebook Page (you can view after you 'like it' The tunes were great and made the class fly by

Oh and workouts...I have a good one for you!

THE 10x10 WORKOUT

This workout consists of 10 different exercises. Your job? Go through the 10 exercises 10 times through for a total of 100 reps. Yeah GET IT!!!!

This is certainly more of an advanced workout, so feel free to set a goal of going through the giant set only 4 or 5 times to start...work your way up to 10!

Make sure you are properly warmed up before this workout. 

Complete the exercises 1-10 with no break and then take a big break at the end (about 1 minute)

1. Squat Press: Begin in a squat position, weights on shoulders. Squat down and as you come up perform a shoulder press upward, keeping the core engaged
2. Burpee/Floor Jack: Perform a burpee at at the bottom of the movement, when you are in a high plank, perform a floor jack. Shoot the legs back towards your hands and jump up!
3. Stability Ball Knee ins: Feet on ball, hands on ground, use your core to roll your  your knees toward your chest
4. High plank front raise (use LIGHT weights or no weights) (10 each side)
5. TRX Back rows OR Cable Back Rows
6. Jump Squats-Wide and Narrow: Perform a wide jump squat, then feet together, narrow jump squat and that is ONE rep.
7. Bench Hop Overs (10 each side)
8. Push up/knee to elbow: Perform a push up and at the top altnernate bringing right knee to right elbow. Then do the same on the left (10 each side)
9. Burpee/Row Combo : Perform a burpee (hands on dumbbells on the ground) When you shoot your feet out, in that solid high plank, perform a row on each side. Proceed to jump your feet towards your hands and jump up (you can bring the weights with you or not!)
10. Wall sit with leg extension: Perform a wall sit and alternate sticking one leg out in front of you (10 each side)

What workouts have you been enjoying lately?

What is one new item/food/experience/recipe/book you have tried this year?