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gear-up: GoFit Ultimate ProGym

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Strength, flexibility and stability whenever you need it. Even if that’s before you leave for work. 

 

The first j-m gear-up post couldn’t have come any easier. This item’s main benefits aren’t aero dynamic advantage, moisture wicking technology or weight optimization via carbon fiber. Rather the value proposition is something simpler, more universal that anyone would value: time efficiency and opportunity. And it comes in the form of rubber tubes.

 

Strength, stability and flexibility training are critical but often dropped the second work, family or even sport specific training get in the way. The opportunities and, dare I say, flexibility provided by three colored coded pieces of rubber and some handles are nothing short of invaluable to anyone that isn’t a professional athlete who’s calendar is filled with  multiple daily training and eating sessions. Any takers?

 

Specifically, I am referring to the Go Fit Ultimate ProGym. The aforementioned rubber tubes come in three resistance levels indicated by color (Green = “15 lbs.”; Blue = “10 lbs.”; Red = “5 lbs.”), two handles that can be fastened to any combination of said tubes, a door stop (explained later), examples of workouts in print and DVD and a carrying bag. All told, when zipped up in the bag, the “gym” in its entirety is not much bigger than a toiletry case.

We’ll get to how they’re actually used, but let’s start with the most important asset of this item, the potential usage occasions. These are examples of scenarios where I have used these to find otherwise unavailable time or access to resistance training:

–  Traveling: Backpacking through Europe, visiting family, work travel, any time you’re not by your neighborhood gym.   I’d be willing to bet grandma doesn’t have a bowflex. Traveling for work and staying at the Marriott, you may not have time to head down to the gym. This fits as into your luggage as easy as anything else you could pack save for a pair of socks. It’s in my carry-on above my head as I write this.

–  Cardio compliment: After returning from a ride or run. Supplementing a three hour group ride with some strength training sounds about as appealing as pogo sticking to the dentist. It’s a lot more manageable when you can spend 10-15 minutes in your room when you get back and get in a full resistance workout and stretch. You’re overall fitness level will thank you.

– Time maximization: On the days where there isn’t enough time to even eat real meals let alone get in a resistance session. Have I brought these to work and found somewhere out of the way to do15 minutes of resistance during lunch? Yes, yes I have. (The living room at home is a more socially acceptable alternative)

– You just hate the gym: This one’s pretty simple. Some folks, especially endurance athletes, find spending time and effort in the gym unappealing for many reasons.

 

Now, how do these things actually work? The wonderful thing about this is that your muscles don’t know if you’re lifting iron or rubber. If the resistance is there, they’ll respond. So doing curls is as simple as: (1) choosing the combination of resistance you’d like; (2) snapping them to handles; (3) standing on the center of the tubes; (4) engaging a curling motion. Shoulder raises? Repeat steps one through three and do shoulder raises. Shoulder press…you get the idea.

However, where the range of exercises grows exponentially is in using the included door stop, which is how Go-Fit can call this a “gym.” It allows you to put the bands above any door hinge you can find, freeing both handles and your feet. And given that just about any door I know has multiple hinges, multiple angles exist for exercises such as chest press, leg extensions, rows and beyond.

Here are some exercises and usage instructions. You can also get creative and emulate other exercises done with more traditional methods.

Is the Go-Fit Ultimate ProGym the same as going to the gym and getting in a full scope strength session? Probably not – especially if you’re interested in 50 lb. curls…per arm.  But it’s pretty darn close. Especially if you pack the punch in the time you use them, doing core work as active recovery from chest press, for example. Not waiting in line or having to go back and forth between stations is a HUGELY underestimated efficiency win. Keep as active as possible and in 20 minutes, you can knock out a full session that will not leave you disappointed.

track-session: 10.06.11

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A weekly refresh to your workout tunes. New artists, all paces. Each week, the same format will be followed – warm-up…tempo…chief, I’m in the zone…cool-down. Note – not all songs will appeal to all folks, some may even include coarse language.

For the first track-session, we’ll get things moving with some some j-m workout favorites. They may not be the newest songs or the most popular, but damn if they don’t fit the workout just perfectly. Rock on, folks.

warm-up – get muscles movin’, wake up the mind, creep the heart rate upwards.

Why I Love You – Jay-Z, Kanye West, Mr. Hudson Off the much hyped new album, Watch the Throne, the self (and oft critically) proclaimed kings of hip-hop team up for an album full of serious beats and self-touting rhymes. This one will get your body started. Cue the slow head-bob.

tempo – driving beats for a driving pace. Rev up the RPMs and hit cruise control.

The Pulse – Holy F*ck This rosily-named group hails from Toronto and uses a blend of standard and unorthodox (35mm film synchronizer?) instruments to produce energetic, organically produced electronic music. The title of this 2007 track says it all – perhaps the greatest driving beat of all time.

chief, i’m in the zone – intervals, hills, racing – whatever the challenge, you’re out-of-your-skull owning it right now.

Ruffneck Bass – Skrillex  The now incredibly famous LA-based DJ, Skrillex, successfully melded the face melting qualities of the most intricate electro styles and the chest bellowing bass lines of the less refined dubstep production trends. His music also serves as PEDs. For anyone who listens to him while they train, you will test positive for doping. Sorry folks, this unreleased track was not on Spotify.

cool-down – deep breath, flush it out, almost time to feast.

Worried – The Pack A.D. These Vancouver girls put the cool in cool-down as you’d never guess anyone was worried in this mellowed out, simple jam. If you like The White Stripes or Black Keys (arguably dissimilar, but that’s for another blog), you’ll love the grit this she-duo brings to the table.

As always, if you think YOUR tracks would get the bodies movin’, e-mail junkmiles.blog@gmail.com and tell us just what new tunes are keeping your workouts fresh

Big Kahuna

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Running in the loose, white sand of a warm beach. It is a storied, fond experience that is only further sweetened by the familiar context in which it takes place.

It’s a film memory that conjures so many images, ranging from romantic to fun to inspiring. Rocky and Apollo digging out an all out sprint, muscles glistening; your college buddy running down an “over-thrown” football into a bronze line of unsuspecting sunning girls; Fabio and a smitten woman trotting toward one another, arms open, each with long blond hair and a white blouse flowing in the wind.

It is for lovers.

It is for families; for friends.

It is…absolutely, undeniably, maniacally awful.

So any person would think after completing a long course triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run) and being forced to run 0.34 of a mile extra (my GPS doesn’t lie) through the sands of Santa Cruz just to reach the bright blue, inflatable finish line. No amount of tiki torches lining the way could have made this a fun experience. Not that it was unexpected – everyone knows you “finish on the beach” at Big Kahuna. But it’s not entirely clear how much extra you’ll be running to do this.

The revelation came at mile marker 8. Upon crossing, my neck committed its reflexive action of snapping downward to my watch – a Garmin 310XT capable of doing everything for you in a race other than moving your legs and pumping your lungs. “Distance – 8.34 mi.,” it said. You’ve got to be kidding. Another race production company that can’t walk the course with one of these things on their wrist…or drive it…or walk it with a meter stick and pencil if they have to! Well, let’s just check back in on mile 9. Maybe it was a placement mistake for the ocho marker. Yeah, could be it.

“Distance – 9.35 miles.” Damn. That “last little kick” needed to run mile 0.1 of the 13.1 – it was going to have to last until 13.44. Even that though was doable in my mind because, of course, only the last 100 yds. or so were in the sand. Right?

Like most races, I was strong on the run, completely in control of my mind, my body, my form. Like most races, this wasn’t entirely true during the last three quarters of a mile or so. That’s when you let loose. And upon doing so, you literally can tend to let loose. I don’t even want to know what folks on their Sunday stroll thought  as this seemingly possessed, diseased person came thundering down the sidewalk with facial contortions that would rival the earliest black and white vampire movies. I was determined though. I had executed a stellar race to this point. Counting the other athletes returning from the run turnaround, it couldn’t have been more than 10 or so. And I knew a lot of those guys were older. I had to be within a shot of podium. This thought drove each and every step forward I took. “If you slow down for a second, you’re jeopardizing the chances you land on the podium – you really want to do that, huh?”

In front of me, I saw a guy on what seemed to be dead legs. He had raced hard to get to this point and he was doing all he could for the last mile. He wasn’t in my age group. I didn’t care. I wanted to pass him so definitely that he had no chance of even seeing me cross the finish line. When you’re a runner in triathlon, the chip on your shoulder is massive. Guys have built a lead right off the bat on the swim, you hang on for dear life on the bike trying to match their effort, on the run – well the run is all you have. No one is going to take that away from you. Not a strong swimmer ahead of you on the clock, not an athlete who’s found their second wind behind you and certainly not a race director who wants to create a signature event with collapsing finisher photos.

I descended controlled-free fell down the final hill, made the turn to the beach parking lot and entered the same beach we exited the swim via a wooden ramp. The plunge I took into the powder beneath me was more awakening than the 59 degree water I rushed into four and a half hours earlier and my legs immediately sent signals to my brain so as to say, “Um, we really don’t think you should be doing this. ” Shut up legs, not now. I look back – no one. Now it was my brain’s turn to produce some logic, “You know…technically if you were going to get podium, you’d have it by now. If no one from your age group is going to catch you on this beach, you really could just coast in and all you’d be sacrificing is a couple overall ranking spots.” Not a chance. Not after months and months of training, eating, sleeping; not after Friday nights alone with Netflix anime and pasta; not after four Olympic distance triathlons with improving results throughout the spring and summer; not after my parents flew out from Columbus, OH to support me – was I really going to mail it in while they were at the finish line waiting to cheer me on, just because I was pretty sure I had a spot on podium? That’s not how runners do it in triathlon. I’ll say it again – it’s all we have.

So I made the turn, along the water. “You look strong!” a group of supporters said. Either I was putting on a good show or they said that to finisher #621 as well (no offense #621 – many congrats). “Watch your head!” What? The pier – I had to duck under it, run through the washed up kelp, and re-enter the white blast on the other side. WHERE IS THAT FINISH LINE?? #*%^! Disoriented by this point (and in need of my first eye examination…sad times), I legitimately couldn’t see it. All I could do was try to find hard sand, because this stuff – sucked. The water was consuming any of that which would naturally be available. Tire tracks…I hopped into the compressed sand of the tracks of a truck. Not much better, but there was a mental advantage.

There it was, the finish line. My failing eyes couldn’t even miss that big, blue blob of an inflatable finish line. At this point I was making noises and faces that I didn’t think I could make. Thank goodness there aren’t “finisher videos” for this race…or at least I really hope there aren’t. As I rumbled into the finishers’ chute, I the announcer called me out while announcing my name incorrectly – that makes 5 for 5 this year – and indicating that I was “working hard” (endurance athletics speak for, “Jesus, he’s leaving body parts back there”). I saw my parents who immediately rushed to me with hugs and kind things said (I assume, I can’t remember any words that were said for about 2 minutes after the finish). It was incredible to see them and I’m eternally thankful they wanted to be there.

And there it was, 70.3 in the books. I had officially upped distance. After that 2 minutes ended, I could begin to function like a normal human and talk about it with my folks. After another handful of minutes I could eat. More minutes, more finishers. Later yet, the initial results were posted. And after 2.5 long hours, I was on the podium with a tiki trophy for 3rd place, age group, enjoying the podium finish I was so certain I’d secured, but needed a menacing stretch of beach to test if I’d truly desired.

Official results:

Total – 4:36:26 18/621 (overall – including elites), 3/57 (age group)
Swim – 34:10 201/621 (overall); 20/57 (age group)
Bike – 2:33:47 21.8 mph 51/621 (overall); 9/57 (age group)
Run – 1:22:34 6:08 mi 1/621 (overall); 1/57 (age group)

Mike’s Notes:
– Missed 2nd place by 1:26; was 1:34 slower than 2nd place in transitions 1 & 2 combined. Remember that saying, “Races can’t be won in transition, but they can be lost?” Faster!
– I did the swim in what I expected. Now to get better and set better expectations.
– The bike went very well and I was able to attack…until I hit head wind. Increase amount of resistance training to focus on bursts of strength.
– Nutrition and water were managed masterfully leading up to and through the event – emulate this for future races, but remember to always factor in weather.
– Keep running fast. Your races depend on it.