Santa is on his way and hopefully you've been a good boy or girl this year. With the arrival of the Holiday season it's time to do some serious wish list making. Now, you can go with the boring old jewelry or bathrobe… but why not think bigger and better. Living a life where Health and Wellness take center stage is more fulfilling and so are the gifts and gadgets that come with it. I've got 4 of the best fitness related items to either gift a loved one this holiday season or to put on your list.
1. Adventure and Fitness travel.
I've realized that experiences and memories have a bigger impact on life than any material item. The world is both a big place, full of culture and exciting adventure; and at the same time the world has never been more accessible through expanded travel routes and companies that can give you epic adventure with just one click. From DIY itineraries to all inclusive retreats, the fitness market is global now with people like yourself wanting not just to get fit, but to discover the world as well.
Adventure Travel comes in all shapes and sizes. You can easily plan a causal hiking trip in Utah where mindfulness and the outdoors are the focus. Or you can travel across the globe to Iceland where, in one day, you can get sweaty in the gym and hike a glacier! The choice is yours. I say, spin the globe and buy a ticket to wherever it decides to stop. Adventure and fitness await!
2. TheraGun Percussive Recovery Tool.
As much as we love to fitness, we must also be mindful of recovery. If you or someone you love is always in need of a massage but rarely gets the opportunity to do it, then the Theragun is the answer to your prayers.
Percussive Recovery tools have come a long way over the past 5 years. When I started using them they were simply a homemade Jig Saw with a tennis ball taped to the end! Now these sleek and stylish recovery tools are portable and powerful. If you haven't used one before the technology is quite ingenious. The oscillating head pulsates deep into the muscle to break up any inflammation and to increase blood flow. The result is less pain, improved range of motion and faster recovery after training.
The Theragun brand is my choice for its compact design and quick charging. At $300-$600 dollars, the tools are certainly on the higher end but with 0% financing the purchase definitely worth the value.
3. Lululemon.
I'm treading lightly here because once you go Lulu, it definitely becomes an obsession. Unless you are still buying Target brand workout clothes, you probably have heard of or maybe own a piece of apparel from Lululemon. If you haven't yet heard of the brand, it is an apparel brand that began with a simple mission to clothe the yoga community and has quickly become the global leader in active apparel . It can be argued that the brand has single handedly created a cultural movement with clothing that makes you look and feel good no matter what your body type.
Price is what usually keeps people from changing out their entire wardrobe for Lululemon products. But I will attest to the value that goes with buying their goods. From Underwear to Overcoats, these products are not just a piece of clothing, they are an investment. If you are in the market for a gift that will last for the person you love, this is it.
I recommend for women; Leggings and sports bras. For men; underwear and shorts. You will not be dissapointed.
4. Shoes for Any Sport.
Performance is built from the ground up. This begins with the right pair of shoes. In 2020, there is some exciting things coming out in the shoe industry where technology and culture meet.
As an athlete and coach, I will tell you that you need to treat your feet well in order to perform. Right now it's like the space race in shoe technology. Companies like Merrell, Nike, Under Armor, Adidas all have built state of the art campuses (a few right next to each other in Oregon) where engineers and designers design and test the latest in what feels right for the application it is intended for.
Point being, there is 0 excuse to show up to the gym in old shoes with no tread on the bottoms. Online deals and markdowns around the holidays allow you to pick and choose for value and type.
Here are my recommendations for shoes ;
Trail Running; Solomon or Merrell
Hiking : Merrell
Road Running ; Altra or Nike
Gym; Nike or Reebok
May your holidays be merry and bright. May your health peak this next year because of the choices and habits you form. And may the gifts you buy for others (and maybe yourself) this holiday help get you to your goal of becoming the healthiest and fittest version of yourself.
Love
Eric
Programming Notes 12/9-12/13 ***This is week 6 of the Strength Exposure cycle. Imy turning up the volume on intensity this week for the conditioning pieces to shift the nervous system focus from weight lifting. For strength sessions, we go to bigger sets with no tempo. Also the clean and jeer and snatch make an appearance so stick to the warm up progressions.
12/9
Baseline:
Row 500m
3X
10 banded Pull Aparts
10 Banded Pass Thru
6 Push Up With Shoulder Tap
6 Scorpion Dynamic Stretches
Shoulder Prep W/ 5# Plates:
-Bent Scarecrow + External Rotation
-Bent Reverse Flys
-Bent Scarecrow + Press
-Bent Supermans
-Standing Corkscrews
-standing front Raises
-Standing Lateral Raises
-Standing Y Press
-Standing Cross Over Presses
Strength:
Dumbbell Floor Press
3X 12
*Slow Eccentric +:03
Super Set with,
3 Point Bent Row
3X 12 (Each Arm)
Conditioning:
100 Medicine Ball Shots for Time,
*Every break , row 12 cals.
12/10
Baseline:
4X:30
-Barbell Good Morning
-High Knee Jump Rope
-Single Leg Toe Touch
-Deadbug Contra Lateral Reach
-Kip Swings
Hamstring Primers:
3X 8
-Stiff Legged Deadlift 135/95
-Pendlay Row
Strength:
Deadlift
3X 15 (60-70%)
1X5 (75%)
1X3 (80%)
*All overhand grip, no mixed grip.
Conditioning:
21-15-9
Power Snatch 135/95
Burpee Over bar
12/11
Baseline:
800m Run
3X
6 Elbow To Instep W/ Reach
6 Inchworm Push Ups
6 Wall Squats (slow)
6 Side Lunge
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Strength:
backSquat
15-12-9-6-3
*Building
*Free Tempo
Then,
Kettlebell Front Rack Lateral Lunge
3X12
Aerobic Conditioning:
24 Minute AMRAP
400m Run
15 Front Squat 115/75
9 Lateral Ice Skaters
12/12
Baseline:
5 Minutes Easy Bike
3X
5 Divebomber Push Ups
10 Jumping Pull Ups
15 Russian Twist
Banded Mobility:
-Lat Band Mobility
-Bully Stretch
-Scapula Distraction
Core Dev:
3 Rounds Not For Time
10 Heavy Sandbag Step Ups (8-12”)
100m Sandbag Carry
100m Double Kettlebell Off Balance Carry
Conditioning:
3X
15 Cal Bike
4 Strict Pull Up
4 Pull Up
4 Chest TO Bar Pull Up
4 Toes TO Bar
4 Bar Muscle Ups (advanced)
12/13
Baseline:
Agility Warm Up @ 10m Each
High Knee Pull
Quad Pull
Squat 180 **stepping the leg high over hip, swing opposite leg to 180, squat
High Knees
Butt kickers
Marching High Kicks
Groiners
Straight leg shuffles
Fig 4 Drill
Lateral Shuffle
Carioca
Lateral Bounding
Sprint W/ Change of Direction
Clean and Jerk Warm Up:
7@ Each
-Barbell Deadlift
-Shrug+ High Pull
-Muscle Clean
-Front Squat
-High Hang Clean + Strict Press
-Mid Hang Clean + Push Press
-Clean and Jerk
Conditioning:
3X 10 Minute AMRAP
A) 1500m Run, Max C+J @ 205/125
B) 1500m Run , Max C+J @ 185/105
C) 1500m Run , Max C+J @ 135/95
*Rest 4:00 between efforts
*Scale to 800m. Should have 3:00 for C+J.optimal
