In life, everyone has goals and endeavors they set for themselves. However, for some reason or another people get sidetracked or give up all together. Then, months or years later, they look back and regret the things they never achieved. Well, I think that life is too short not to achieve everything you want. My goal for everyone is to finally realize those, once seemingly insurmountable, goals. Never be satisfied with being average, strive for higher endeavors. Today is the day to stop making excuses and take a step forward. If you take a step forward every day, no matter how small, sooner or later you will reach your destination.
This site and my company's mission in general is to provide the information, inspiration, and means necessary to help individuals lead a truly inspired life.
Newton's Impact on Resistance Training
Written by Jason Cockfield
January 04, 2010
The concept of progressive overload, as it applies to resistance training, is essential to any results that one may desire to achieve. The standard form of progression is to add more weight to each exercise as strength and fitness levels increase. However, there is another way of following the principles of progressive overload that can be learned from Sir Isaac Newton.
Acceleration at its best
Trying to remember everything learned in high school physics class may be difficult for most, but hopefully Sir Isaac Newton and his three laws of motion sound familiar. The concept of progressive overload primarily addresses the need for a muscle to progressively generate more force. As stated above most people add weight to an exercise to generate more force. But if one were to look at Sir Isaac Newton's second law of motion it would be apparent that there is another way to increase force. Newton's second law of motion states that Force =Mass x Acceleration. Increasing the weight in an exercise covers the mass part of the equation. Most people fail to ever consider the acceleration aspect of resistance training. Unfortunately, this can greatly reduce the results that can be attained.
Drinking fluids with meals dilutes digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid. Therefore, minimal fluid should be consumed during a meal. Limiting fluid intake during a meal will ensure that the digestive juices are concentrated enough to properly breakdown the meal and prepare it for proper assimilation.
If a liquid is absolutely necessary it should be some form of a warm beverage like a tea and be four ounces or less. Otherwise, do not drink anything within 30 minutes before a meal and approximately two hours after a meal. This simple nutritional modification will increase the likelihood of proper digestion which will allow the body to reap the full nutrient benefits of the food consumed.
The Foundations of Success
Written by Jason Cockfield
October 20, 2009
When establishing a goal or attempting to achieve some feat there are certain steps that need to be taken. The steps can range from extremely simple to highly complex. Each step has its own place and potential benefits. In the U.S. a vast majority of people have health and fitness related goals and they want the quickest and easiest way to achieve those goals. Whatever magic pill or latest fad is in the media for their specific goal they will try. However, they fail to address the simple foundation of what they are trying to achieve.
How many people put a lot of thought into their quality of sleep? How about hydration levels? Does the typical American diet provide enough fiber for the body to function optimally? These are all very basic concepts that deal with the overall functioning of the human body. If the body cannot perform the basic day-to-day activities that are required of it, how can it be expected to achieve any kind of higher endeavor?
Using the analogy of a pyramid, with the goal being at the top, you have to build a strong foundation and slowly build up from there. It is time to start addressing the foundation of the human body and once that is addressed it is possible to progress upwards and beyond. The results that are achieved simply by addressing foundational concepts may be surprising and may actually allow the attainment of the initial goal.
Do It Yourself: Thick Bar Training Equipment
Written by Jason Cockfield
August 30, 2009
Training the grip can have tremendous impacts on overall upper body strength. It will even improve pulling strength in lower body movements like the deadlift or snatch. While most individuals in a gym setting avoid training the grip, and in some cases compensate for a weak grip with wrist straps, I advocate strengthening the grip through various methods.
One method that can be utilized to strengthen the grip is thick bar training. Charles Poliquin, a world authority on fitness, has an article addressing some of the ideas of using a thick bar for maximizing results. While the concepts and potential benefits of thick bar training are great, the ability to incorporate them into the average person’s workout can be very difficult.
The individual who has their own gym or workout area is stuck spending hundreds of dollars to get a good, thick barbell as well as dumbbells. Those in the typical corporate gym setting usually do not have any options. One solution is to purchase a set of grips that go over the bar that increase the diameter of the bar. I am aware of one product available and am a big fan of it, however it still may be more money than some people care to spend.
With that in mind, I will show how to make various apparatuses for thick bar training for less than $10. A quick trip to the local hardware store and a little handy man work will create many new grip training possibilities.
Biosignature Modulation: The Spot Reduction Solution
Written by Jason Cockfield
July 27, 2009
For years people in many different health and fitness related industries have been trying to create the ability to spot reduce body fat. The ability to reduce the specific fat around the abdomen or around the hips would be a tremendous accomplishment. However, it has always been understood that the idea of spot reduction is a fallacy. That is until Charles Poliquin created the revolutionary system called Biosignature Modulation.
Charles Poliquin, the world-renowned strength coach, developed Biosignature Modulation over 20 years by comparing blood, urine, and saliva tests against the measurements taken by skin fold calipers. Through mathematical correlation he was able to find commonalities between certain skin fold ratios and hormonal levels or imbalances. Over time, through the study of endocrinology, Poliquin was able to develop nutritional, supplementation, and exercise protocols to address the various hormonal imbalances and, in effect, create the ability to spot reduce.
A Return to Chemistry Class, pH's Affect on the Body
Written by Jason Cockfield
July 17, 2009
The typical American diet, high in acid forming grains and protein while lacking alkaline forming fruits and vegetables, greatly affects the overall pH of the body. The human body works very hard to maintain a blood pH around 7.35-7.45. Going back to high school chemistry it may be remembered that a pH lower than 7 is acidic while above 7 is alkaline. Diverging too much from the ideal range in either direction can be potentially harmful, but the American diet subjects the body to a much higher acid-load than is optimal.
Without getting too scientific in this article, understand that the negative health consequences of an acidic blood pH are many. One of the biggest consequences, in my opinion, and generally overlooked until recently, is the effect on osteoporosis. If the body is too acidic it will utilize stored alkaline buffering minerals in an attempt to regain the optimal pH. One of the primary stored buffering minerals in the body is calcium. Under acidic conditions the body will resort to pulling calcium out of the bones in an attempt to regain homeostasis, thus creating the potential for osteopenia or over time osteoporosis.
Rock climbing is a hobby, or sport, that requires one to use their hands, feet, and ultimately their entire body to scale walls both short and long. The routes may have varying levels of difficulty determined by the size and placement of holds and degree of pitch. Regardless of these facts, individuals still use their own bodies to climb. Why is it, then, that people think the general rules of physiology, biomechanics, and nutrition do not apply to climbers?
Reading rock climbing magazines and websites offering advice to their readers can be both shocking and frustrating. The writers do not mean any harm with their writings but at times they are quite misguiding with their recommendations. Rock climbers do not live in a bubble where the body performs too differently from other individuals. However, there are still odd recommendations with respect to training, improving performance, nutritional needs, among many other topics pertaining to rock climbing.
During recent talks in Bellaria Italy, a theme developed which reflects what I consider to be a problem in the way that most people think about resistance training. In particular, during one roundtable discussion on EDT training, I fielded numerous questions about the so-called “correct” number of sets, reps, rest duration, etc., etc., for EDT workouts.
Finally, I saw the underlying problem behind the various questions I was fielding: the attendees were focusing too much on the means of optimal weight training and not enough on the ends. As I thought about it, virtually ALL resistance training systems and philosophies focus on means, often to the total exclusion of the ends.
Case in point: HIT training. HIT (which stands for "High Intensity Training") revolves around the performance of only one (or sometimes two), all-out sets to failure, as opposed to the more conventional methodology of several sets per exercise. Thus, the defining feature of HIT is the use of an unusual set of means.
Another example of a popular training system that focuses on means is Power Factor Training. This system advocates the use of restricted range of motion (for example, performing leg presses over the last 6 inches of extension only) in order to allow for the use of heavier loads. Again, the salient feature of this system is the means rather than the ends.
Life seems better when there is music playing. Music can give you the desire to get up and dance. It can make people smile, laugh, or even cry. Music can even inspire people to perform acts of greatness. For that reason I have incorporated the internet radio site Pandora into my site. You will find links on the right side of the page that lead to some bands that I enjoy. The station then selects music that sounds similar to the selected group. It is an interesting an enjoyable way to listen to favorite bands while also finding potentially new artists.
Enjoy.
Determining Individual Success? The Psychology of Motivation
Written by Jason Cockfield
May 21, 2009
If you were to ask different people why they exercise, eat well, or engage in an active, healthy lifestyle you would find a wide variety of answers. Some people genuinely enjoy exercising while others detest it. Some people willingly eat foods that are deemed boring or tasteless to others because of there health benefits. What differentiates people in their ability to initiate and adhere to varying lifestyles?
The self-determination theory, SDT, began to take form in the 1970’s as research was being done on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. A continuum was developed to describe how intrinsic or extrinsic one’s motivation is towards certain habits or activities. By understanding the concepts behind SDT and the associated continuum, motivation can be evaluated and a shift towards the intrinsic can begin. This can bring more success to any future endeavor.
