theitalianpitbull

SWEET REVENGE

2010-05-17T05:47:00.000-07:00

In the midst if one of the worst weeks of my life, which I don't want to get into, I have dug deep and found some things to be positive about. First and foremost as I mentioned in my last post my fighter Mandy Anderson lost her last fight by way of disqualification and this past Friday May 14th in Guelph we got some sweet redemption. I truly believed we were winning that first bout before the DQ and I know Mandy is a better fighter then the other girl and that is why I really pushed for the rematch. We slightly tweaked the game plan in the 3 weeks leading up to the rematch and as I expected she went out Friday night and thoroughly outboxed the girl and won an easy 3 round decision with all 3 judges seeing the fight in her favour. Planning and proper execution gets the job done. Congrats Mandy!! Onward and upward.

This weekend we here at All Canadian Fitness participated in the Climb for Cancer charity event and it was a huge success. We hosted a 5km walk and also did the Chedoke stairs for 1 hour. I did the same event 2 years ago and did 12 sets of stairs in 1 hour. This year my goal was not to beat any records I just wanted my kids to be apart of the event with me. So what I did was every other set on the stairs I would take either 5 year old Rayna or 1 year old Athena. I did 8 total sets 4 with the kids and 4 without. It was very challenging yet very rewarding at the same time and for personal reasons it meant alot to me to do it. All in all a great and successful event.

Finally, as I also mentioned in my last post, I have been reading about training frequency and rest with regard to effective training. For myself personally working out less and resting more is paying off huge dividends as I feel bigger, stronger and I am down a few pounds. And I experimented for this fight with Mandy and had her only training 4 times a week with me with no additional workouts on her own. Not only did she put on a beautiful performance, she also commented after the fight that she was far less fatigued then after her other fights. So I guess it works for some people.

Again what the hell do I know. I'm no expert.

Train to live live to train TIP

Too Much?

2010-05-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last post. Things have been incredibly busy here at the the studio, with my fighters and in my life in general, so I have finally got a few minutes to update.
First off, as much as I love the month of May, I can't wait for it to end. We have birthday parties and events galore, our move in day for our new house is May 25th and all the appointments that go along with that(lawyer, final inspection etc.) are ridiculous. Thank God for planners.
My fighter Mandy had a fight on April 25th and was fighting beautifully and winning the fight when she was unfortunately disqualified for ducking too low when her opponent was trying to punch her. However we have been back in training and are getting a rematch with the same girl on May 14th in Guelph. Can't wait for redemption.
I have also been studying, reading and researching a lot as always and have come across an interesting book that has some interesting points with regards to training and the frequency as to how much we should be doing. Are some of us doing too much? With the obesity problem in society today most people are obviously not doing enough but some people work out day after day and running mile after mile and seeing no improvements and often end up injured. I know this all too well from personal experience. As a fighter we were always told we have to do this and that and run run run workout day after day because the person who trained harder and longer was going to win the fight. I trained excessively and now I am paying the price. I now have scaled the frequency back, not the intensity of my workouts and take longer rests in between workouts and it is helping and I actually feel better the less I train and the more I rest.
Now I am NOT telling people to train less just listen to your body and take rests when needed and evaluate your fitness goals. Less is sometimes more, and more is less, in terms of progression. Too often people train so much and actually go backwards with their results, I have seen it with others as well as myself. So take a step back and listen to your body.

The more I read the more I learn and the more I can experiment about how to get my clients best results. I don't take information I read as a whole, I dissect it and take from it what I could use and disregard the nonsense and come up with my own conclusion and people can take my advice for what it is worth.

Train to live live to train TIP

AGE: NOTHING BUT A NUMBER

2010-04-07T04:36:00.000-07:00

This past weekend 2 aging legends entered the squared circle for a boxing rematch that was way overdue and decades too late but we got to see 2 future Hall of Famers and 2 former great fighters get themselves ready for combat just one more time. Bernard Hopkins 45, and Roy Jones jr. 41, fought for the Middleweight championship of the world in 1993, a fight which was close and competitive and won by decision by Roy Jones jr. Now since that fight 17 years ago both fighters have accomplished a lot in the sport and are both shoe-ins for the Boxing Hall of Fame. Both fighters peaked and fell at different times in the respective careers. Roy Jones jr. continued his impressive career winning multiple titles in 4 different weight classes and was pretty much unbeatable for quite a few years. Then about 6 years ago had back to back knock out losses and ever since he has been a shadow of his former self. Bernard Hopkins career was a little different. He refused to be controlled by promoters and people interested in separating him from his money. So for years he did it his own way and missed out in some high profile fights. He did win the world Middleweight championship and defended it a record number of times. He finally did get some high profile fights and came through victorious on most of those occasions. While Jones was on the decline, Hopkins was on the rise and peaking later into his years beating much younger opponents while entering his 40's. Now with both fighters at the tale end of their careers they decided to finally fight again for the rematch won by Jones 17 years earlier. Critics said they were too old, too much erosion in their boxing skills, and the public just did not want to see it happen and didn't care for that matter. However they did fight last Saturday to a decent crowd and a fight won by Bernard Hopkins by decision. Sweet Revenge.
I did watch a few rounds of the fight and while it wasn't the most entertaining of fights, it was filled with fouls and illegal punches, I don't think it was as bad as people made it out to be.
People these days like to complain a lot about everything, and are never satisfied. The majority of people who complain are those who have never been in there and know what a brutal and savage sport it is. They knew both guys and their ages so what kind of fight were they expecting? I personally think both guys should just retire, they have both made lots of money and have nothing more to accomplish in there careers. Entertaining fight or not, what I got out of it is that age is nothing but a number, these 2 have a combined age of 86 years between them and got into great condition to fight for 12 rounds, that is an accomplishment in itself, so it should be an inspiration for people to achieve and work hard to accomplish goals and to not use age as an excuse. Pick a goal and strive for it. It may not be quite as hard a sport as boxing. But anything health and fitness related will do. If Roy and Bernard can do it, so can you.

Train to live, live to train TIP

INTERVAL TRAINING

2010-03-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

This day in age fitness trends come and go and some exercise studies seem to reveal better and more efficient ways to get fit. Although it is definitely not a new concept, interval training is constantly getting press and magazine articles for its effectiveness in the training world. However some people still stick to the never ending slow paced jog for hours at a time, to which I say to each his or her own, whatever works for you and whatever method you enjoy more. But the studies are out there and they say that short bursts of intense work followed by moderate to low rests is best for fat loss, cardio conditioning and they are time efficient. Depending on your fitness level the work to rest ratio and intensities would obviously differ, choosing longer rest intervals than work intervals and just decreasing the rest intervals as you get in better shape. You could use this type of training with any type of cardio equipment or even with weights as long as the loads are not maximal. If you are not doing intervals I recommend giving them a try if you are then I'm sure you are reaping the benefits. I myself, am about to do a workout consisting of various intervals to see which is most effective and best of all I am going to get one hell of a workout.

Train to live, live to train TIP

INJURY TREATMENT

2010-03-10T05:35:00.000-08:00

Being athletic, physically active and constantly pushing your body towards better fitness, whether it be for better health or better performance in a sport, repetitive strain injuries are ever present and could hinder your performance. Being aware of them, recognizing them and preventing or treating them are important in your overall health and well being. One that I would like to touch on briefly is one that I may be experiencing myself right now. Achilles tendinitis. The Achilles tendon connects the calf muscles to the heel bone and provides power during the push off phase of walking or running. When this tendon becomes inflamed acute or chronic pain could set in making things painful and uncomfortable. However rest will often relieve the pain. Further research is showing that it may not necessarily be inflammation but degenerating tissue with loss of normal fibre structure. If left untreated or unrested chronic pain may develop into acute causing further problems. Because of the lack of blood flow and cell supply to the tendon, the healing process may be long and slow. So recognizing, rest and treatment is extremely important so the condition does not lead to rupture of the tendon. If experiencing pain in the lower calf region frequently during exercise but subsiding with rest you may have Achilles tendinitis.
Rest, ice and cold compression treatment works well to reduce swelling and inflammation. Wear a heel raise if needed to elevate the heel and reduce impact in the tendon. Check and make sure that you are wearing proper shoes for what it is you are doing. Stretching of the calf muscle as well as strengthening the calf muscles by use of high load, eccentric contraction(the "negative" lengthening of the calf muscle) slowly, has shown to work effectively at decreasing pain and strengthening the tendon. Another effective way is by way of 1 leg balance training for proprioception. Now these are just suggestions and if problems persist it is best to consult a doctor or physiotherapist for more help.
Remember to recognize and treat the problem early to minimize the problem and avoid worse injury down the road and to keep you exercising your way to better health.

Train to live, live to train TIP

IN THE LAB

2010-03-06T15:56:00.000-08:00

About an hour ago I hit my garage gym or "the lab", as I like to call it for some research. I came up with an MMA specific circuit which targets all the major muscle groups used in each fight as well as some specific functional movements involved in the sport. Now even though I am primarily a boxing specific trainer when it comes to combat sports I think I am quite knowledgeable and, even though I am not a huge fan I do watch the sport and have picked up on some of their movements. As for the techniques of the sport aside from the punching I can't really say much but from a conditioning stand point I think I know enough to put together a pretty tough and grueling conditioning workout as I have designed a couple in the past. As tough as they are, they are fun to do and have a lot of variety and movements in them. This particular one was pretty effective but I have some tweaking to do before I could finalize it. Maybe even a video. Stay tuned.

Personal trainers or sports coaches these days have to be more then just people who put exercises together, call it a program and put someone through it. We must have a beginning and an end to the program and we must strategize different aspects depending on what we are doing. i.e. meals and eating, workouts on their own or the psychological perspective of ones sport or program. This week I had to twice go beyond that coach or trainer to strategist to help people (hopefully effectively) get through a certain "tough spot" or down fall to push them through to the next level of their fitness or sport. I had a client who came to me 2 months ago with some limitations but with some goals in mind to achieve. Strength, mobility and cardiovascular goals were met and improvements were made but no change in body composition were made and we should have seen something after 2 months. We had a sit down and discussed the workouts which I was putting her through as well as what she was doing outside of training with me as well as her eating. We found that, like most people it is the commitment to proper nutrition that was the down fall and we had to do some re-tooling and re-education with to her eating habits. Lets hope we will now see some changes.
The second time was earlier today with my young fighter Mandy. She had recently lost her last bout and has been out of action due to injury but is now resuming her training with hopes of fighting in the very near future. We sat down together and watched both of her fights and compared them and looked at the positives and the negatives, weighed them out and decided what we needed to work on. As it turns out it was not so much technical nor physical but more mental, which is a huge aspect of the fight game. As a coach I have to come up with a psychological game plan as well every time we come out for a fight. I know the game because I have been there before as a fighter and she is a terrific learner and is early in her fight career so I know I will get her mentally, physically and technically ready for success in her next fight. Although I am early in my coaching career I am confident that the success I had as a fighter will carry over as success as a trainer and ultimately success for my fighters and clients.

Damn I love what I do.

Train to live, live to train TIP

WEEKEND UPDATE

2010-02-22T06:14:00.001-08:00

Team Menna fighter Mandy Anderson lost a 2-1 split decision this weekend at the Brampton Cup boxing tournament. Her opponent had a few more fights than her and has the luxury of training with the Canadian Champion in the 48-51kg weight class, which is the weight class both Mandy and her opponent were fighting in. So we had everything stacked up against us. We had a great preparatory phase getting ready for the fight, we just could have been a little more active and aggressive and we could have won the fight. I was very pleased with Mandy's performance and we just have to work that much harder now in preparation for the next fight which is another tournament called the McGibbon's Gloves and it takes place in 4 weeks time in St. Catherines. I will review the fight tape and take whatever measures necessary to help us do better this time around. However, like I mentioned early, I am very pleased with her performance and at such an early stage in her career she has so much potential and I am excited to see how far we can take this. Great job Mandy, keep up the hard work!!

Train to live, live to train TIP

GOING FOR GOLD

2010-02-19T04:34:00.000-08:00

As the 2010 Winter Olympic games get under way in Vancouver and we watch and cheer on our athletes as they compete for gold other athletes are hard at work also trying to compete in their respective sport trying to achieve success. Team Menna fighter Amanda Anderson has been hard at work in preparation for this weekends Brampton Cup boxing tournament. We have gone through an intense and well planned out 6 week prep phase and we are ready to rock and bring home gold. All the hard work is going to pay off this weekend. Good Luck Mandy!! Also here at the studio a good amount of my clients are achieving great success through their hard work and dedication. My client Peter Turkstra who has trekked to the north and south poles and endured treacherous climate conditions and physical pain all for charity and has came through these demanding physical feats through hard work in the gym. However a little less then a year ago he severed his Achilles tendon leaving him in rehab and not be able to do anything physically for a long time. After some time of rehab he got back into the gym and has now built his strength and size back in his calf and now does a 5km run and 10km bike ride in conjunction with our workout. Good job Peter keep up the hard work. There has been other impressive client success
lately as well as a couple of new clients have made impressive improvements and body composition change within only 4weeks of basic conditioning work. Congrats and keep up the hard. I also have one other client who has made some great progress. He has lost 30lbs and has dropped his BF% down about 6% and is well on his way to his 100lbs of weight loss. Keep up the hard work everybody as you all are doing great.

Remember one important thing with fitness goals. Do not set them too high and make them unachievable.

Train to live, live to train. TIP

5KM for Charity and Green Balls.

2010-01-22T06:06:00.000-08:00

With the craziness that is my life at the present time, I have not been able to blog as often as of late, but things are well and like I said in the last post this year is off to a good start.
However we must keep in our hearts and prayers the victims of last weeks earthquake in Haiti which has totally devastated that nation and has left many people dead, homeless and helpless. In an effort to help the people of this country, there are many ways people around the world are coming together to raise money to better the people of Haiti. In our little corner of the world here at All Canadian we are going to do a 5km run and donate funds to the relief effort. Me and my com padre Adam Higson have been in intense training for our everyday lives and keep ourselves at near peak conditions that we use to obtain when fighting. We are also doing this as a motivation to go out there and do this 5km run to help promote the importance of fitness but more importantly the effort to raise funds to help the people of the earthquake ravaged nation of Haiti. Again my thoughts and prayers are with these people at this horrific time. Anyone interested, the event is being held Saturday January 30th at Westdale High school time is yet unknown but inquire here at the studio for details.

Also this past week we have introduced new GreenLife eco-friendly stability balls into our training here at the studio. They are every bit as good as regular stability balls but the bonus is that they are PVC, phthalate and latex free which makes them better for the environment. I have got comments from clients that they actually like them better as they are a little firmer and more comfortable yet still get the unstable effect when training with them and they are still getting maximum results. Getting results and saving the environment at the same time. Could you ask for anything more?

Train to live, live to train TIP

OFF TO A GOOD START

2010-01-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

So far 2010 has started great on all fronts. First the studio is booming and we are all busy here. I personally have picked up a few new clients already and that is very promising considering it is the first week back from holidays. Now most people will say that its because everyone is doing their resolution thing but that doesn't really effect us here as clients come through on a steady pace with no real peak times, so the early activity is promising and hopefully a good sign of things to come. Team Menna fighters are back training prepping for upcoming tournaments and my own training is starting off well with 3 great workouts in the first week. I'm preparing for possibly running a 10km leg of the around the bay road race which occurs at the end of March. Hopefully that all goes well. The only snag so far is that I have got a flare up in my joints which sometimes renders me helpless and limits me with regards to training but I am pushing through and making the best of the situation. Also we have sold our house within the first week of listing which is perfect so now I don't have that stress to worry about for the next 5 months. Our new home won't be ready until May but the fact that our home is sold is hugely satisfying. So far so good and I hope this year progresses and continues as it has started.

Train to live, live to train. TIP

WELCOME BACK

2010-01-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome back everybody and get ready for a prosperous and healthy new year. Lots on the horizon for 2010 at the studio as well as for Team Menna fighters as we get back onto the swing of things this week. A big tournament called the Brampton Cup is on schedule for the end of February and I am looking forward to training my girls to gold medals and I know they can do it. It would be interesting to get them there as their mentor, yours truly, won Heavyweight gold in the very same tournament 13 years ago. I am very excited.

As for myself my plan is to stay active and expand on what I did workout wise last year. I calculated 168 workouts last year for an average of between 3 to 4 workouts a week. I feel big, strong and in good shape. So I have no huge goals, just to lose a few pounds(as mentioned in last post)and to do more workouts then last year. At almost 33years of age(on Jan16) I just want to stay in good shape for everyday life as I don't train for competition anymore. We will see what happens.

Train to live, live to train TIP

BIG GAINS

2009-12-29T05:16:00.000-08:00

During the last week I enjoyed wonderful times with my family and friends and had a VERY Merry Christmas. The 24th and 25th were an all out eating frenzy and I regret to admit that I put on somewhere between 5 and 10lbs. I did manage to get a couple workouts in so I guess the weight gain could have been worse. However I am now walking around heavier than I have ever been in my life.(210 to 215lbs). I am regularly working out and working out hard so I think I have gained some muscle because my fat % has not gone up. So all in all I do feel good but ideally I would like to be done closer to 190 to 195lbs so my clothes could fit a little better. Its hard to imagine that about a year and a half ago I weighed 172lbs. I usually never have new years resolutions, especially health related, but this year I am getting a doctors physical and getting my weight down. I look forward to goals and achieving them and also helping everyone else in this upcoming year to achieve their health and fitness related goals.

Cheers and Happy New Years

Train to live, live to train TIP

SEASONS GREETINGS

2009-12-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

Just want to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Enjoy the holidays and look forward to setting new and rewarding goals for 2010.

Best Wishes and God Bless

Train to live, live to train TIP

IT"S THAT TIME OF YEAR

2009-12-15T08:32:00.000-08:00

As the Holiday season is fast approaching and all the parties and get togethers with family and friends start to accumulate so does the caloric intake. We hap-hazardly eat whatever we want with no regard to how much. This could set people who have worked so hard and come a long way with their training results back. I am not going to tell anybody to not eat the treats and goodies associated with Christmas because I sure the hell am going to eat them. As long as we ingest in moderation and within reason and mix some regular exercise in there somewhere we won't be so set back come the new year. It will mentally and physically help you cope and your mind, spirit and body will be ready to focus more easily on your new years fitness goals.
ENJOY IN MODERATION

Train to live, live to train TIP

TOUGH LUCK

2009-12-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

Last night in Sarnia, Menna's House of Champs fighter Ashley Hall finally made her amateur boxing debut weighing in at 136lbs. Her hometown opponent came in at 141lbs. Despite a great performance Ashley was on the losing end of a 3 round decision. Both girls fought an action packed, entertaining fight to the delight of the crowd. Ashley fought a technically superior fight but her opponent was a little bit more active and threw more punches and that is what made the difference in the fight. Even though we were disappointed with the outcome I am still pleased with the performance and the mistakes that were made will be corrected and we will come back even better next time. At this stage of the game it is all about learning and getting better, win or lose. Congrats Ashley on a brilliant fight and we look forward to more great fights in the future.

Train to live, live to train TIP

ITS OVER ALREADY??

2009-12-04T15:05:00.000-08:00

For the past week I have been away from work at All Canadian Fitness as I was on vacation. "A vacation?" you ask, not the type with warm sun and hot sand at your feet and and a scantily clad girl serving you shots of tequila at the poolside. No, not that type of vacation but a week away from work. Not that I consider what I do work but just a week off. And damn did it go by fast. However I did get a lot accomplished in those seven days. First off I continued to train my fighters, one of which is fighting in her debut this weekend, the other maintaining and preparing for her next bout. On top of that we met with our real estate agent about putting our house up for sale in the new year. In preparation for that I painted the upstairs bathroom and hallway and also fixed a plug in the bathroom that hasn't worked EVER in the 4 years we have lived in our house. In addition we went and had family pictures taken which we have never done before and they went off nice and smoothly without child meltdowns. I also purchased a great book on performance training for athletes which I found very interesting and found it had some useful info in it, so a good bulk of my spare time was spent reading. Spent time strategizing for my fighter and finalizing the match, read fight game news and had 4 outstanding workouts myself. And lastly and most importantly I spent lots of quality time with my family. Yeah I fit all this in a week, and there are probably things I left out. It was a great week and I feel rested, recuperated and ready to rock next week with my clients at All Canadian and to finish the year off with a bang. Looking forward to the New Year and the great endeavours that await.

On a quick exciting note, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather jr. have reached an agreement and will fight for the biggest purse in boxing history(Even split on $50 million) on March 13 2010 at a yet to be determined site. REALLY looking forward to that one. Can't wait for 2010

Train to live, live to train TIP

HARD WORK PAYS OFF

2009-11-29T06:05:00.000-08:00

Last night in Niagara Falls one half of team Menna's House of Champs made her amateur boxing debut. Amanda Anderson weighing in at 110lbs handily beat her 115lbs opponent with a 3 round unanimous decision. Amanda came out blazing and set the pace in the first 30 seconds of the fight, taking control and never looking back as all the judges saw the fight in her favour. Her opponent was very tough and gave a good account of herself and also put up a great performance but Amanda was just too much for her. Congrats Amanda, all that hard work payed off. The other half of team Menna's House of Champs, Ashley Hall will make her debut next week in Sarnia and we are expecting the same impressive outcome. It was very exciting being in that atmosphere again, it has been awhile, I am on the other side of it now as a trainer and not as a fighter. I must say there was a little nervous energy there for me but not to the same degree as being a fighter but it was somewhat present, but as a coach you have to keep calm and composed for your fighter because they are feeling the nerves and you have to give them advice to keep them focused. All in all it was a great night and team Menna came through impressively and hopefully we will have many more successful nights in the future.

Train to live, live to train. TIP

THE BOSS

2009-11-24T15:25:00.000-08:00

This passed Sunday I was treated to quite a surprise when my cousin asked me if I wanted to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert in Buffalo. I could not pass up this opportunity because I am a fan of the Boss and have grown up listening too him as my brother and cousin are huge fans and have been to many of his concerts.(3 already this year) What made it even more amazing is that is was my first concert EVER, unless you can count Sharon, Lois and Bram when I was 5 years old. What a phenomenal concert. I had a blast and even though I didn't get to bed until 1am and got up at 4:50am to go to work, it was well worth it. I was thoroughly impressed and would go again in a heartbeat if the opportunity arises. ROCK ON BOSS!!

Train to live, live to train

WHAT A BATTLE!!

2009-11-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

Last night I watched the much anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto. It was worth every penny spent because I witnessed one of, if not the best pound for pound fighters in the world today beat another top fighter and a warrior of a man quite impressively and with that has potentially set up a huge fight sometime in the new year against one of the other pound for pound greats, Floyd Mayweather jr. After a few impressive rounds at the beginning of the fight Miguel Cotto succumbed to the vicious onslaught that was being administered to him by Manny Pacquiao and the fight was mercifully stopped by the ref in the 12th and final round. I had picked Pacquiao to win the fight but I didn't expect him to win so impressively. I actually thought that the fight should have been stopped by Cotto's corner after the 9th round because at that point he was just going backwards taking unnecessary punishment and was just trying to survive. I always liked Cotto and he is a fantastic fighter in his own right but Pacquiao was just too much for him. Great fight. Boxing needs more fights like this, but contrary to popular belief I don't think boxing is dead or dying for that matter it just needs some more high profile fights. What a battle!!

This week I got news that I had passed my Post Rehab Certification exam so I now have another certification to add and hopefully put it to good use with some clients. It would also come in handy with my fighters and other athletes as well as high intensity training over long periods tend to wear on the body and being able to identify and deal with certain injuries and how to correct or prevent them could make that much of a difference in an athletes career.

Speaking of injuries, I have not mentioned that my daughter Rayna broke her clavicle(collar bone ) about 4 weeks ago and is making a fast recovery. She never complained about the pain and only cried when it initially happened(she fell out of bed) and dealt with that pain and the pain from getting her H1N1 shot in the opposite shoulder about a week later. Now she is carrying on with regular activities as if it never happened. What a little warrior.

Finally, it looks like my fighters Ashley and Mandy are going to get there first fights. Both are fighting on separate shows although I would have like them to fight together. The fights look pretty much definite but as we know anything can happen in this game. Both are ready to rock. We just have to wait and see what happens.

Train to live, live to train TIP

RICH'S RANT. AND THE ZEN MASTER?

2009-11-09T05:36:00.000-08:00

My post is going to be two-fold and almost a contradiction because I am going to rant and rave about some fights in the combat arena that occurred this weekend and on the other hand I am going to talk about practicing zen meditation and about being calm and cool and not getting upset and stressing all the time. Yeah quite a contradiction.

The All Time boxing greats like Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey must be rolling over in their graves after this weekend in the combat world. First and foremost, my love, the sweet science had a heavyweight title fight this weekend. Now even for most casual fans or if you even somewhat follow boxing probably didn't even know it was happening. Remember the days when this event was bigger than the Super Bowl. This particular match featured a 7 foot 2 inch 320 lbs giant Russian who cannot fight worth a lick but is somehow the WBA heavyweight champion of the world. The challenger was a brash, trash talking fighter from Britain who was former cruiserweight world champion and has moved up to the heavyweight division. After just 2 meaningless fights at heavyweight and after backing out of 2 undeserved title shots against both Klitchko brothers, somehow gets this title shot. He won via Split Decision which means 2 judges gave the fight to him and 1 judge saw the fight a draw. I briefly saw highlights and this guy fought going backwards the whole fight throwing a few punches here and there and boringly, if it is even a word, won the fight. Un F'n believable. What heavyweight boxing has come to. Now in the MMA world there was a fight between the so called greatest fighter pound for pound in MMA and possibly ever, fought some guy with 10 fights and who a year ago was changing tires for a living. Now I wasn't that thoroughly impressed as he was taking some punishment before landing a shot that knocked his opponent down and as he jumped on to finish him with a couple of useless slaps the ref jumped in and stopped it. Again I'm not bashing as I frequently watch and follow MMA but websites I see where guys try to compare the two sports and their respective athletes is ridiculous, and I know that MMA is still in it's infancy but their sports all time great against boxing's all time great, which in my opinion is Sugar Ray Robinson is not even close. 2 different sports, 2 different stages of their evolution lets just leave the debating to rest and let the 2 sports co exist, end of story. The era of the true warrior, where no one ducked anybody and actually fought their way to the top is now over and guys looking to take the path of least resistance to the top is apparently evident nowadays. If that's what these guys want to do fine, but don't call yourself a great.

Now that I am done ranting( I did it in a calm, meditative state) I actually am trying to control stress and the rigors of every day life with some time for meditation. I have actually read some books on Zen and meditation and I believe if done right and often enough, could have some benefits. For myself just trying it and changing my mindset on some things has already made a difference and I feel calmer and able to handle situations better. Now I am no Zen master by any means but starting with just 5 minutes a day, sit in a quiet place, breath deep and try to think of absolutely nothing. Concentrate only on your breathing. Just enjoy the moment and let the stresses of your day slip away. In this age of hustle and bustle and having no time for anything this could be difficult, but just give yourself 5 minutes of nothingness. Try it, maybe it will work for, maybe it won't. What the hell do I know I'm not a Zen master but it sure beats the way some people deal with stress.

Train to live, live to train TIP

Boxing Updates

2009-11-03T06:01:00.000-08:00

Just some updates this post with regards to the sweet science, both in my life and the world boxing scene. My fighters, Ashley and Mandy continue to train diligently for there debuts. We are gunning for sometime this month and hopefully the beginning of December and then we will shut it down for the rest of the year, enjoy the holiday season and start up for the tournament season in the new year. Training is coming along very well with constant progression and improvements being made daily. I can't wait to see them perform and put all that knowledge to use in the ring. I continue to train fairly hard and have continued with some basic boxing training and strength training to keep myself fit. I still have that lingering debate in my head as whether i should give it just one more shot. I don't honestly believe I could go onto some super stardom or a world title but I think I still have enough in the tank and some skill and reflexes to do fairly well, maybe even win a Canadian title or something. But, of course, there is the "Menna Luck" looming above my head and the fear of being let down and disappointed yet again. At 32 I don't have that much time on my side or much luck for that matter so I highly doubt that I will try for it again but you never know. I guess I'll keep myself and whoever else cares in suspense.

On November 14th Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto will wage war in a highly anticipated match. I am really looking forward to this one as both fighters display tremendous heart and warrior minds and with that will put on quite a show. I am going to go with Pacquiao on this one just because he has had a better run as of late however both are great fighters and this should be a good one. I think I might even pay the pay per view cost and watch it from the comfort of my home.

Lastly, I believe I have mentioned in a past post about the importance of rest in fitness training, as well as proper nutrition, make up important pieces to your optimum health and fitness puzzle. I cannot stress enough that just as important as actually getting your ass into the gym and putting in the hard work, we must make sure that proper pre and post workout meals are being ingested for the energy factor and for the recovery factor, and sleep as well(7 to 9 hours a night)
for energy and recovery factors as well. And I know it is often neglected with some of the people I work with. Again with all the pieces of the puzzle fitting together you will see your health and fitness goals attained faster.

Train to live, live to train TIP

30 MINUTE METABOLIC BLAST

2009-10-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you readers of this blog who are currently physically active and are bored of your current fitness routine or are interested in taking your fitness to another level I offer 30min metabolic blast sessions at the studio. These are high intensity, high speed, hybrid mix of strength, cardio and boxing aimed at boosting metabolism and torching fat. Are you ready?
If you are interested or know someone who is contact me at the studio.

MENNANOMICS 101

2009-10-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

In the past year as a personal trainer I have veraciously studied and researched ways to help my clients, family members and friends better themselves through health and fitness which is my passion and the reason I do what I do. At times I got frustrated because one research would say to do it this way and another fitness guru would say do it that way and so on and so on. On top of what I already knew from my past training as a boxer and the slew of other information I was reading I would drive myself crazy trying to figure out what was best. I would sometimes even lose sleep at night. That's just my ambition and drive for perfection. However, I soon realized there is no perfect way to do anything. In life, as in fitness its a struggle and essentially it is through trial and error that we find what works or what makes us happy. So what I did was stopped analyzing what other trainers did or what certain researchers said and just took my own knowledge and common sense and make it work through trial and error to see what works for these people. My theory is every BODY is different so what works for one person may not work for someone else. I look at the gym as a laboratory and I do my own research and come up with my own findings and conclusions. And I guess it is working because people are seeing results and improving steadily with what I am doing with them so I must be doing something right. I label my training Mennanomics, similar to economics, with supply and demand and so forth, that's all I really know about the subject. Anyway the goal for most people is to just get fitter and lose some weight, get leaner etc. Now supply=calories and demand=exercise to use calories. For weight loss you want to burn more calories then you take in, it is quite simple, just put in the hard work until demand exceeds supply. Obviously for other fitness goals the equation might be a little different but this what the majority of average everyday people want. Put in work, hustle and move, just do it, by any means necessary and get the results case closed. Some trainers may beg to differ or have different opinions but in the end it's what gets people the results in the safest and most efficient manner that counts most.

On a quick, funny side note I have a client who who trains with me 3 days a week and who works hard and who I have a blast training, however his sense of humour, brings about some of the funniest,"I can't make it to the workout" excuses ever. 1. Stuck in a snow storm( in July) 2. The wind is blowing me in the wrong direction. 3. Anal Glaucoma, I can't see my ass getting there. Hilarious.

Train to live, live to train TIP

FINALLY---IT'S OVER!!

2009-10-18T05:50:00.000-07:00

This Friday we finally wrote our Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist exam after 6 months of it lingering above our heads. I felt it was pretty tough, 100 multiple choice and 5 case studies, but I am positive that I passed and will now have another certification under my belt and now I can implement specialized training programs for people with certain medical conditions. It was pretty interesting stuff that we learned. I hope that I can put my knowledge to good use.

On another note, as I think I have mentioned in past posts, I am now on Facebook which I never wanted to do but for marketing purposes and for getting my face out there and letting people know what I do, I finally broke done and joined. I have a personal page and a fan page. I am not too active on it but every time I make a post I get a reaction. I already have got a few new clients and sparked some interest in people since I started and I have only been on about 2 months. It is pretty cool to see the power of networking and the more I practice, the better I get at it. If you reading this are on Facebook and haven't already joined my fanpage feel free to do so maybe you will see something that will spark your interest.

While posting yesterday on Facebook I mentioned that I have helped my wife Ashley get her pre pregnancy body back and I posted before and after pictures and it immediately drew some attention. Through my one on one schedule or through a small group class I would really like to help women get that pre pregnancy body back just like I did for my wife Ashley because I understand the frustration and the self confidence issues that occur during this time for women. I know I have seen Ashley go through it twice, and twice she has gained her body and more importantly her confidence back. For more info contact me at the studio. Monday to Friday 6am to 2pm.

Train to live, live to train TIP

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2009-10-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, a very Happy Thanksgiving to all. Enjoy all the delectable treats that you are about to ingest today as well as that cozy nap on the couch following the feast. I am looking forward to it, as well as looking forward to a busy 4 day week at the studio, and the continuing progress of my fighters. A local MMA fighter has enlisted my help in polishing up his boxing skills as well as the help of my comrade in combat Adam Higson to sharpen up his Muay Thai skills. I'm excited to see what we can do with him, as he will have a good team behind him. I am also in the final crunch time of studying for the Post Rehab certification exam which we are writing this Friday. I can't wait to just get it over with because it has been looming about for the last 6 months.

The Road To Hope race is creeping up and I believe it is on October 31st. I have run the 10km the last 2 years and I hope to be able to run it again this year. I haven't really been in training for it so I don't know how my results will be this year. I don't really care how fast I run or where I place because for me it is just a run for fun and to raise money for charity.

I am now on my way to do a pre Thanksgiving Meal workout to open up some caloric space for all the turkey and stuffing that will be eaten. Consider it a prelude to the feast, an eating warm up, a guilt reliever or whatever you want it to be. Do it too if you feel up to it, if not enjoy the day and give thanks.

Train to live, live to train TIP

DISAPPOINTMENT

2009-10-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

A little disappointed this weekend as our fighters did not fight in the tournament we were hoping to fight in. Mandy was definitely not fighting because her license was not sent away in time but Ashley had all of her stuff sent away she was just not registered by the deadline date and unfortunately they did not let her enter the tournament. We were upset because we were ready to go and we put in lots of hard work. I hope the "Menna Luck" does not rub off on my fighters. We are staying positive and ready because there are lots of fights coming up in the next few weeks.

This weekend was one of very few that I have had absolutely nothing to do so we had some good family time together. I also decided to purchase some Power Block Dumbells for me to use at the house. This set ranges from 5 to 50lbs and is great because they condense together and take up little room. I personally do not use free weights very much, I use mostly just bodyweight and explosive exercises when training, but adding dumbells for complex training is a great way to build muscle(not maximal), strength(not maximal) and endurance and is a great way to lose weight by using up minimal time, space and equipment. Complex training using dumbells or barbells was popularized by a man named Istvan Javorek, a Romanian strength and conditioning coach. What you do is pick a number of exercises and do about 6 reps for each and move rapidly through each exercise without stopping. You do not need really heavy weights when doing them, the key is to move quickly and explosively, but with proper technique. This type of training can be done by the average person just trying to get fit or for the athlete trying to get conditioned for their particular sport. Obviously you would change weight and rep ranges to accommodate for a your fitness level. It is time efficient, fun(if you consider exercising fun) and changes up from the norm of traditional training. I use complex training myself and with my clients in certain phases of their training. I use it with very light weight and low reps as a warm up, for the base of a workout, or even as a "finisher" if someone has a little juice left at the end of a workout. Very simple and very effective, try adding a complex to your training. Here is a sample:

*Squat and Press 6 reps
*High Pull 6reps
*Front Squat 6reps
*Clean 6reps
*Snatch 6reps

This one is a little more advanced so and easier one might look something like this:

*Shoulder Press 6reps
*Upright Row 6reps
*Tricep Kickbacks 6reps
*Bicep Curls 6reps
*Squats 6reps

Mix and match according to you and your abilities and have some fun.

Train to live, live to train TIP

FIGHT GAME

2009-09-28T06:08:00.000-07:00

Quick post this week, just keeping up to date with the progress of my fighters Ashley and Mandy. We went to Regency Boxing Club and my old teacher Dave Finch for some sparring for my girls. Despite being outweighed and under experienced they did very well and impressed me with their determination. Ashley is finishing up last her last week of training in preparation for next weekends tournament. We still don't know if we are 100% going to fight because of licensing glitches. I am praying that it comes through for her because she has been working hard and waiting for a long time for this moment. Mandy is definitely not fighting as her paperwork for her license was not sent out in time. Lots of time and fights ahead to look forward to. On a quick note Ernie just asked me as I was writing this, if I had read the article in the Spec this weekend about the old time wrestlers that were featured and how they used to regularly wrestle in front of big crowds in the city. It was very interesting and I know back in the day they used to have regular boxing matches as well. It just boggles my mind that a tough, gritty city like Hamilton does not host more fighting events. I would love to be able to bring the fight game back to this great city but it would be very difficult as the athletic commission is not as easy about putting events together like they used to. If we could get through all the red tape one day maybe we can bring the fight game back to the city. At least we can dream.

Train to live, live to train TIP

GARAGE SESSION AT MENNA'S HOUSE OF CHAMPIONS

2009-09-21T07:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had my 2 fighters Ashley and Mandy in for some rounds of sparring as we put the finishing touches on our training with what we hope is their first fights in St. Catherines on the weekend of Oct.3 and 4. they have been regularly sparring each other as well as some of my good friend and colleague Adam Higson's fighters. I am pleased with their progression with their technical abilities as well as their conditioning. This weekend we decided to throw my wife Ashley in to the mix and show them a different style fighter so they can get used to as many styles as possible. My wife Ashley has been out of boxing for quite awhile and with her just recently getting back to exercising following the pregnancy I thought she would give them a few rounds at best before tiring, but to my surprise she ended up doing 8 rounds and her stamina was pretty good and her technique was quite sound for someone who had been out for so long. Maybe we have fighter #3 at Menna's house of champions. All in all I was very pleased with what I saw from all the girls and I am looking forward to the upcoming fights. Some other accomplishments I wish to make known is client Mike Blackborow you trains with me at All Canadian Fitness who has recently competed in 2 tri-a-tri triathalons and did very well as well as his 30lbs of weight loss and a new shape to his body, thats just evidence of his hard work and commitment. Way to go Mike. Also client Brian VanOosten who was preparing to compete in a half marathon. So apart from his running that he was doing on his own I had a low weight high rep multi phase program that I put him through. And a testament to hard work and commitment showed as he beat his predicted, expected time by 15mins. Thats impressive. Good job Brian.
To them and everybody that I am currently working with good, job and keep up the good work.
And finally I told you drinking your own(or someone elses for that matter) urine does not help you perform better as Juan Manual Marquez got spanked by Floyd Mayweather jr. this weekend in a big boxing match. Again hard work and dedication no magic potions...or URINE

Train to live, live to train TIP

TRAIN THE TRAINER AND FAREWELLS

2009-09-19T07:03:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday we did our train the trainer event for charity and my bidders Peter Turkstra and Rob Braley put me through a grueling workout for one hour, in which I am still sore from 2 days later. It was fun and I look forward to challenges like this. I have a competitive background from my boxing days and with all the trash talk going on over the weeks leading up to the event I was out to put on a good showing. There goal was to make me puke or quite. That just isn't in my blood. I prepared myself with a grueling workout of my own on Tuesday which consisted of an hours worth of burpee related or burpee variations all done in interval fashion. I took Wednesday off to let my body rest and carb loaded that day and the next day so I would have plenty of fuel for the event. In the end it was exhausting but I finished strong and felt good completing the workout on my feet and the fact that all of it was done for a cause(money raised went to spinal cord research) made it all worth while. Loads of fun and can't wait for next years event. In this post I also want to bid a farewell to Sheila who is leaving us and heading out west. I want to thank her for the help over the past year that I was there and to wish her the best of luck with whatever she chooses to do, I know she will succeed. Finally on the boxing front I am looking forward to the big fight this weekend between Floyd Mayweather and Juan Manual Marquez. Should be very interesting and entertaining. One quick side note before I go. Training video of Marquez leading up to the fight shows him drinking his own urine for the benefits of getting nutrients. This is not what all boxers do and please people DO NOT do this, there are better and more tastier ways to put nutrients in your body.

Train to live, live to train TIP

On The Horizon

2009-09-13T11:30:00.000-07:00

First off yesterday the Locke Street festival was a success we met a ton of people and hopefully a few of them will enlist in our services to help transform their bodies and change their lives. We had a blast and the 60 second rope test drew a crowd every time someone had a go on it. Also this coming week is the train the trainer event which will be held at the studio this Thursday September 17th at 7:30pm. I have been in intense training for the event and we look forward to having a blast. I have finally gotten on Facebook and I had always said I wouldn't do it but I did. I am using it as a way to get my name out there and so far it has worked pretty good as someone has already contacted me with regards to training and it has only been about 2 weeks. I have a personal and a fan page and I have been encouraging people from there to check out this blog page and vice versa if you are reading this now feel free to join my fanpage. I have also done a video of me training client Mike Blackborow and it is on the All Canadian Fitness youtube channel and hopefully to be put onto my Facebook page. In the future I plan to add more video of training as well as boxing related video for your fitness entertainment. And finally also on the horizon for me this fall is an upcoming fight fit group class, a post-pregnancy group class and possibly a lunch time half-hour blast with teachers at various schools. Very exciting prospects on the horizon for myself and everyone here at All Canadian Fitness so stay tuned to future posts and see how it all turns out.

Train to live, live to train TIP

WATERMELON ANYONE?

2009-09-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

Even though summer is coming to an unofficial end it is never too late to enjoy the wonderful taste of a piece of watermelon, the refreshing fruit of summer. Delicious and nutritious watermelons pack a combination of antioxidants and other healthy nutrients not to mention research has shown it may produce the same effects as Viagra. (For those in need) Because of its high water content of about 92% and its low calorie count of about 50 calories per cup it is a good choice to satisfy your hunger while trying to maintain a healthy diet. Loaded with vitamin A
vitamin C, potassium, lycopene, and magnesium watermelon should be the after dinner treat for those trying to lose weight instead of trying to grab for that bowl of ice cream. One more reason to opt for a slice of watermelon is that the fruit contains an amino acid called citrulline which converts into another amino acid called arginine, now these 2 amino acids together do wonders for the heart, circulatory and immune systems and also lowers blood pressure. It has also shown in studies to improve insulin sensitivity in people with type 2 diabetes with insulin resistance. Can you ask for anything more out of a fruit, I don't think so. Go to your local supermarket and reap the benefits of the wonderful watermelon.

Train to live, live to train TIP

SAY WHAT?

2009-09-01T06:50:00.000-07:00

I was reading a story in the Hamilton Spectator about another article from Time magazine telling how some researchers are now saying that exercise is actually making people fatter. No wonder why America has an obesity problem. Their basis is that by exercising people are getting a false sense of security and after exercise are actually eating more. Who comes up with these studies, and to release them to the public when there is already an obesity problem. Wow that's a step in the right direction. As a health and fitness professional you know my take on this and if I discuss any further I am going to start getting nasty. Don not listen to this garbage. Exercising has a host of health related benefits and weight control is one of them with a balanced diet. Just do it, exercise and don't listen to the negativity.

Train to live, live to train TIP

ACCOMPLISHMENT

2009-08-25T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have had a couple more client success stories to share this month and I am proud of their accomplishments in just 4 weeks of training. First off Joe Moscato came to me at the beginning of July looking to get back into shape after 15 years of inactivity. Joe was a former football player who attended school in the U.S. on a football scholarship but had since stopped working out and was out of shape and came to a point in his life where he wanted to make changes. He wanted to regain some of the strength of his youth and to fix his ailing back through exercise as well as drop weight and improve his cardiovascular conditioning. I must say in our first workout I did not think Joe was going to make it. It turned out to be a real eye opener as to how out of shape he was and it was frustrating and tough for him. He cancelled his following appointment and I had a fear that he was going to fall off because of the results of the first workout, however he called back, decided to not cancel and show up for the appointment as well as his appointment the following day and continued for 3 days a week for the next 4weeks. His commitment, hard work and determination was astounding and in 4 short weeks his strength, cardio and attitude toward workouts had changed for the better not to mention a few pounds of weight dropped as well. He came quite a long way in just a short period of time. Unfortunately he could no longer fit into my schedule and is now training later in the day with Roger, however I am confident his progress will continue and he will reach his goals with Roger's guidance.
My other client accomplishment was Bill Gordon who came to me because his busy schedule had made him inactive to a degree and extra weight gain had him fearing for his health. He committed to a 1 session a week schedule and continued to do homework I assigned him for 2 to 3 other days a week. Now for Bill the beginning was also very tough but he stayed focused and committed and after the first 4 weeks of just basic conditioning with him, he informed me that he had dropped 10 pounds and a checkup from the doctor revealed his elevated blood pressure had significantly dropped since he started working out. The best thing is that this is just the beginning and they are on the right path to achieving their fitness goals. Congrats Joe and Bill and keep up the good work!!

Train to live, live to train TIP

Post Pregnancy Last 10 pounds

2009-08-17T10:43:00.001-07:00

After dropping the first 40lbs fairly easily after the pregnancy, my wife Ashley came to a bit of a standstill with her weight loss. She was 20lbs away from her pre pregnancy weight and she started doing some workouts that I had designed for her.(see past post) So after coming to a little plateau we ramped up the workouts and tweaked the diet by slightly altering portions and she all of a sudden dropped 10 quick pounds and is now 10lbs off her target weight. After only 3 months I would say that is pretty good. Put in the hard work sacrifice and dedication and you can achieve anything. When things aren't working or have stopped working just switch it up and make it work for you.

Train to live, live to train TIP

THIS AND THAT

2009-08-11T08:06:00.000-07:00

Little tidbits of info for this blog. Baby Athena update, she's almost 3 months(Aug 13) old. She is getting stronger(probably through my infant training routine) Just kidding. Smiling and laughing alot and much more attentive, grasping at toys and laughing at big sister Rayna. Man I am going to have my hands full with these two when they get older.
We have just bought a new house to be built in Binbrook sometime in April. Very excited yet very stressed at the same time. I guess it is time for those stress busting workouts again. Speaking of stress busting workouts I came up with a pretty intense routine which would be beneficial for fighters as it consists of high intensity, full body exercises done as a circuit for 10x20sec intervals with 10 sec rest in between exercises which works out to 5min rounds. Repeat circuit 3-6 times depending on fitness level with 2-3min rest in between circuits. This routine, in which you can use any explosive and full body exercises(ie.burpee and its variations), took me about 30 minutes in which I maintained a 85-90% Max Heart Rate, burned 500 calories and had me almost vomiting. Now this type of training is not for everybody but you could scale down exercises and intensity and increase rest. As you get fitter you could minimize rest and increase intensity. This type of workout, 3 days a week along with a some good nutrition and plenty of rest will get you fit and lean in no time. I don't recommend doing this type of training more then 4 weeks at a time without a rest because the intensity could actually have negative effects on the body caused from over training. Listen to your body and take well deserved breaks when needed.

Train to live, live to train TIP

VERSATILITY

2009-08-04T06:12:00.000-07:00

This blog is going to done in three parts.
First, with regards to a past post dubbed "SUPERFOOD" I talked about Quinoa. Well I tried it yesterday and it was quite good. It does not have a distinct taste so it is very adaptable and pretty much tastes like whatever you season it with. Have for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Very versatile food.
Second, I am close to finishing my Post Rehab Certification and can expand my client base to people who are looking for strength and conditioning beyond there various injury or surgery rehabilitation. Having trained as an athlete in the past as well as training various athletes and people of all walks of life for different health and fitness purposes and now training the post rehab client this has now given me versatility as a trainer.
Lastly, even though we are in a recession and for some people times and finances are tough, I have still been able to keep a full and busy schedule this summer, but with the arrival of fall some spots on my schedule are opening up and with my quest to be one of the most sought after trainers in the business I would like to fill those spots. If you reading this or anyone you know is interested in reaping the benefits you could contact me here at the gym or by email rich@allcanadianfitness.com

Train to live, live to train TIP

New Toy

2009-07-30T05:01:00.000-07:00

I have recently invested in a heart rate monitor watch and so far it has been quite useful in my own training. It has helped me train harder and has helped me track the calories and fat burned during workouts. For optimal fat loss and fitness some people are sometimes not doing enough, so being able to conveniently monitor your heart rate during exercise and know the proper heart rate zone you should be in can help you maximize results. Mine cost me about $60 some are more expensive some are cheaper but in my opinion it is a useful tool for improving fitness and is worth the money.

Train to live, live to train TIP

SUPERFOOD?

2009-07-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

So I read this article recently about Quinoa (keen-wah) the new so called superfood. It is a cereal grain that is high in protein(about twice as much as regular cereal grain),high in fibre, has a dose of healthy fats and fewer carbs than regular cereal grains. Not to mention it is delicious and easy to prepare. It is also considered a complete protein which is vital for building and maintaining muscle. Now I am a bit of a skeptic when it comes to a lot of things so do I believe that it is a superfood. I don't know I have never tried it, but I am definitely going to and find out for myself. Maybe you should too.

Train to live, live to train TIP

RIP Thunder

2009-07-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend the boxing world lost a boxing legend and future hall of famer Arturo"Thunder" Gatti. Born in Italy and raised in Canada, Gatti was known as an ultimate blood and guts warrior who never put on a boring performance. He wasn't the most technical fighter but the 2 time world champ was a none stop punching machine with a huge heart and that was what he was known for best. Just recently retired Gatti passed away at the young age of 37. His wife has been arrested and may be charged with his murder. RIP Thunder.
Secondly this weekend I watched UFC 100. Now I'm not going to go too far with this but I just can't seem to get into this sport. They are great athletes and there is alot of technique involved in there various disciplines but I just don't get as much out of it in comparison to a great boxing match. Now I'm not saying I haven't seen a great UFC fight or a bad boxing match but when these guys go to the mat and start rolling around for 5 minutes, I get bored. I guess coming from a boxing background maybe I'm a little biased. I wasn't impressed with the fights Saturday night. If you want to see great fights go to youtube and look up any of the aforementioned late Arturo Gatti's fights especially his three epic battles with Irish Mickey Ward. Now thats fighting.

Also last week the great Alexis Arguello passed away, he was another phenomenal fighter from the 70's and 80's. Lot of celebs and athletes passing in 09 RIP to all of them.

Train to live, live to train TIP

STRESS RELIEF

2009-07-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

I've learned first hand that exercise is great for stress relief. We are in the process of buying a house and man is it taking its toll me on. But to combat some of the stress, which was in abundance yesterday I devised a stress busting workout which I dubbed "30 minutes in the belly of the beast" and I tell you it did work, temporally anyway, so whenever you feel some stress or anxiety try a workout to take your mind off things.
On another note I have another client to add to the ever growing list of people who enlist in my services to help get them into shape and it is my wife Ashley who I am now responsible for getting rid of the last few pregnancy pounds. She has already lost close to 30lbs and is looking to drop that last 20 to bring her back to her pre-pregnancy weight. So last week we had a little workout together and she was introduced to the leg cranks. She did very well and even though it was a demanding workout she still finished it and felt good doing it, although she couldn't walk for a couple of days. Ahh good old leg cranks.

Train to live, live to train TIP

HAPPY CANADA DAY

2009-07-01T11:31:00.001-07:00

Happy Canada Day to all!
An odd mid-week day off but it works for me. A day of BBQ, beer and rest. Consider this a cheat day and come tomorrow back to normal. So have some fun and enjoy yourself.

Train to live, live to train TIP

REJUVENATED

2009-06-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

This weekend I watched 2 important and 2 entertaining boxing matches. One was for the Heavyweight Championship of the world, and one for the light heavyweight championship of the world. The first was a fairly good match but could have been better, the second of the 2 was a fantastic war between two Montreal based fighters, this was non stop action and these types of fights are whats missing from boxing these days. Boxing needs more competitive, evenly matched fights or its going to be more and more criticized and scrutinized. Having said that it was good to watch some good boxing this weekend.
I recently have had an old boxing student of mine come back and resume training with me after about a year off. Ashley had been training with me for about 4 years and was licenced and ready to make her amateur boxing debut but it unfortunately fell through and she did not end up fighting. For personal reasons she took some time off and is now back with a vengeance looking to box some time in the fall. She has also brought her friend Mandy to train and she too is looking to have a fight. Both are very technically proficient and have a very promising future in the sport. So I am excited to up my skills in the competitive coaching game. I have trained for fitness and recreation and I have helped trained some for competition but these girls have been training with me from the start so I'm excited to see where we could go with them. Good luck girls keep punching and keep up the hard work. Menna's house of Champions starts with you guys.

Train to live, live to train TIP

Tri-Fecta

2009-06-15T06:23:00.000-07:00

I recently had 2 clients of mine entered into a mini or try-a-tri triathalon which consists of a 400m swim
a 10km bike and a 2.5km run. I have been training Kelly and Jordan now for about 8 months and they have come such a long way. They have improved strength, endurance, stability, and overall fitness not to mention a few pounds have been dropped as well. So when they told me they were going to do the try-a-tri triathalon I was pumped to get them fit and ready to beat the time that they did it in from last year. I put them through a 6 week program aimed at improving there cardiovascular fitness and muscle endurance as this is what is needed in this type of event.
They endured tough circuits which became progressively tougher as the weeks went on and there rest periods were also shortened and bike, swimming and running were done on there own. It was tough but they stayed consistent and worked hard right to the end. Unfortunately for Kelly she injured herself and was unable to compete. As for Jordan he competed and beat his overall time from last year by 3 minutes. Congrats guys and keep up the hard work.

Train to live, live to train TIP

MAKE TIME, NOT EXCUSES

2009-06-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

I know time is a precisious thing and I am especially realizing that with the arrival of our new daughter but it should not be an excuse for not working out and maintaining some level of fitness. When time is a factor take the simplest bodyweight exercises and do them fast, explosively and with little rest and you can get an amazing workout. What I do when I am pressed for time is my all time favourite exercise, the burpee, which involves a pushup, squat thrust and a jump perfomed as fast and explosively as possible, and I do 100 of them for time and then run 1 mile fast. That takes me less then 15 minutes to complete and is very challenging. I time the 100 burpees and the mile and the next time I do this particular workout I try to beat my times. If burpees are not your cup of tea then try something less challenging, pushup, situp, squats all work effectively and if running is not for you then try skipping rope or running or walking up and down your basement stairs. Either way you look at it make time not excuses when it comes to getting fit.

Train to live, live to train TIP

JUST MY OPINION

2009-05-31T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Canadian government gives tax credits, incentives and grants for people in various situations for example universal child care, tax credit for renovations to homes as well as recently I have heard of governement money being given for a surgical procedure in which doctors insert a band to make peoples stomach smaller which in turn they will get full faster and eat less causing them to lose weight. A great quick fix. Quick fixes don't work in fitness and weight loss which I have touched on in the past but for medical reasons if people need this procedure then so be it but my point here is that with the health related problems in the news today and the government giving money for all these things, which I don't disagree with, why doesn't the government give money or tax credits towards health and fitness, it would give people incentive to workout and get fit and it would help the fitness industry to prosper especially in these tough economic times. But hey thats just my opinion.

Train to live, live to train TIP

1 week in

2009-05-24T16:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a little over a week since the arrival of little Athena Angelina and so far(knock on wood) it has been a pretty smooth transition. She is a good baby and quite content. She whines a bit when it is time to eat or be changed but in general she is a good baby, what a joy to have 2 beautiful daughters. Now that the chaos of the last couple of weeks is over it is time to get myself back to some serious training. I recently have just done whatever when it has comes to fitness with every workout being something different. I don't want to get bigger or stronger I just want to be fit, ultrafit. I get people who ask me when they see me training if I am training for an event and I just say that I am training to live, to live easier and without aches and pains or any serious health related issues that is my real goal I guess. I have been working out in some way shape or form for the last 20 years and at 32 I still feel good and I hope and would like to think I have quite a few years of working left because I have such a passion for it I don't know what I would do if I couldn't train anymore. On another note I just finished watching George Foreman fight Evander Holyfield for the Heavyweight Championship of the World from April of 1991. Wow what a fight. Imagine the then 42 year old Foreman challenging the young 28 year old Holyfield for the title and giving a good account of himself despite losing a decision. It seems these days that age is nothing but a number when it comes to some athletes. It shows how sports science and fitness have evolved over the years. So don't laugh at your grandpa next time he tells you he wants a tryout with the Tiger Cats.

Train to live, live to train TIP

IT'S A GIRL!!

2009-05-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

I am proud to announce the arrival of our second child Athena Angelina Menna born on Wednesday May 13 at 10:34am and weighing 8lbs 10oz. Big sister Rayna is excited about the arrival of a baby sister. Mom and baby are doing well and hopefully will be home on Saturday.
Dad is still trying to figure out how he is going to cope with all the estrogen that will be in the Menna household. Very busy and exciting week even though I have been off work. Looking forward to getting back to the grind on Tuesday.

Train to live, live to train TIP

Crunch Time

2009-05-05T04:34:00.000-07:00

No I'm not talking about the good old abdominal crunch, which is, having said that, a simple and effective exercise that works your rectus abdominis(abdominal muscles). What I am talking about is the nearing due date our second child. May 19 is the due date which is a planned cesarian section. Our doctor does not believe we will even make it that far and that there is a good possibility we could go early. Sunday night/Monday morning we were in the hospital with what turned out to be false labour pains so we are still waiting. We see our doctor today to determine what the next step will be. Maybe later this week the baby will be born but that is really up to mother nature. Speaking of Rectus Abdominis you should see the size of my wife's stretched RA. Wow it is amazing what the human body can do. On a another note a good boxing match this weekend with Manny Pacquiao beating Ricky Hatton by 2nd round knock out. Apparently Brutal. I missed it. I must start watching good boxing when it is available. I used to but they don't show much any more. Boxing is still the greatest combat sport.

Train to live, live to train TIP

Spring Cleaning

2009-04-10T14:54:00.000-07:00

With the changing of the season and hopefully the end of the cold and snow some people may do some spring cleaning around the house and yard, me however I like to do a good old total body detox cleaning. I have been doing it every 6 months for the last 5 years to get rid of all the toxins and other bad stuff our bodies ingest in our everyday lives. Mine lasts for 30 days and is a total body and colon cleanse. Some cleanse kits are shorter than others but each are very effective(in my opinion) plus you lose a few pounds and your energy levels increase. Also this week I was asked to attend the Adventure Bootcamp Ernie is running and to put the ladies through a 15 minute boxing routine at the beggining of their 1 hour session. It was inspirational to see 30 ladies at 5:30am skipping and punching their way to better health and fitness at such an early hour and with so much enthusiasm. Way to go ladies.
Happy Easter All

Train to live, live to train TIP

More Client Success and The Million Dollar Baby

2009-03-26T10:58:00.001-07:00

2 topics of mention today. First client Kathryn Nelson who came to All Canadian Fitness in November looking to change her life. Living an inactive lifestyle and putting on some extra pounds in the last few years made Kathryn finally say "it's time for change". At our first weigh in she weighed 311lbs and could hardly do one single push up. The first couple months were tough to get going having to adjust to getting up early to train, mixed with numerous bouts of illness however Kathryn pushed forward and continued to overcome obsticals. Now, since starting 4 months ago she has lost nearly 30lbs, is training with me steadily 1 day a week as well as doing The Adventure Bootcamp with Ernie 3 days a week. Her energy level and confidence are through the roof and she continues to get stronger physically and mentally, and the funny thing is that she is just getting started. Keep it up Kathryn the sky is the limit.
Secondly, I had to mention the starting of a new generation of pugilistic(boxing)sensation. I have officially begun training "Sugar"Rayna my soon to be 4 year old daughter in the great sport of boxing. Its funny because there is no real structure to it, we go into the garage skip some rope for about 20 seconds, jump on 1 foot and then she throws some punches at the focus mits for maybe a minute, then she gets distracted by the neighbours dog or some kids walking by and then I hear "daddy I'm tired" and training stops until next time. I don't do this because I want to encourage her to fight, its just a way of keeping her active and learning a form of self defence and the fact that it is fun and we get some daddy daughter time. She is actually pretty good, although that doesn't suprise me because boxing is in her DNA. Both her parents were boxers.

Train to live, live to train TIP

GET SOME SLEEP!

2009-03-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

As was laying awake in bed last night trying to figure out how to fall asleep I realized that one of the underestimated keys to developing optimal results in fitness is a proper sleep of about 7 to 9 hours a night. In short your body needs proper rest to perform to your max and muscle growth occurs during rest. So to optimize fitness results GET SOME SLEEP! And someone please let me know when they find an effective way to get some good restful sleep.

Train to live, Live to train TIP

AGE IS NOTHING

2009-01-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

I have been training 64 year old retiree Chuck Crozier for 5 months now and his progressions and improvements on training are astounding. He works as hard as anybody I have trained and is constantly grasping for new heights with strength and general fitness. Last week we did his 1 rep max for various exercises and I was amazed by the results. In the squat he did 305lbs in the 1 arm row he didi 125lbs, 175lbs in the bench press and 300lbs in the deadlift. Truly amazing. Way to go Chuck. Keep up the hard work. There are other stories of people I train who have reached or are near reaching goals and are seeing changes in their bodies. It is truly inspiring and it makes me proud. Not proud of what I have done, but proud of them because they have commited to, and stayed commited to working hard and achieving goals. Keep working hard. Believe and you can achieve.
Train to live, live to train. TIP

2009-01-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

Belated Happy Holidays. I have been very busy over the last few weeks and have not been able to post anything. I, like most others, overindulged over the holidays and was ready to rock fitness wise once January 1st hit. I started my New Years Day off with a 3 mile run on a sunny but cold day and felt great doing it. As I mentioned in a past post I have some New Years fitness
goals and I am already diligently attacking them. My goal is to add a little more muscle and reduce body fat. 6 months ago I weighed 172 lbs through a 16 week training regimen in preparation for a June boxing match that did not end up happening. I was around 200lbs at the beginning of the 16 weeks. Now I am again around 200lbs. However I would like to stay at this weight and get a little leaner. Being a personal trainer it shouldn't be too hard as long as I stay disciplined. We will see what happens. Now for those of you setting New Years Resolution fitness goals, set them modestly and realistically so it will help you to stay on track and to avoid discouragement. Good Luck to those of you who have set goals and hopefully a prosperous year for all of you.

Live to train, train to live. TIP

2008-12-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

I was recently going through an old issue of the Ring Magazine from 2005 when I noticed an article about high altitude training and blood doping. These are ways elite athletes train to help increase their endurance. Its an easy way or "quick fix"to better themselves in shorter periods of time and to gain an edge on their competition. However both have negative effects or downsides and blood doping can even be fatal. The benefits of both are increases in red blood cells which carry oxygen throughout the body so logically more red blood cells equals increased oxygen carrying capacity which results in better stamina. Altitude training leads to appetite supression and an increased metobolic rate which means any errors in nutritional intake can have adverse effects on the individual which can alter training results. Now blood doping is essentially athletes removing a unit of blood weeks before an event and then transfuse it back into their bodies just before the event when by this time the body has replced the lost unit in turn once again allowing for more red blood cells. However adverse effects here include blood thickening which causes sludge to build up in tiny arteries which could cause heart attacks.
Sudden death during sleep has also been linked to blood doping. The moral here being that there is always an adverse effect with regards to cheating. With athletes or people in general just trying to get fit or lose weight. People want the easy way out or that magic pill. Unfortunately there are none and the pills and supplements available have side effects. So in order to achieve results we must go through some pain or discomfort through good old hard work. Try it, it works and you'll feel better about your accomplishments in the end. Plus you're not putting your body at any risks.
-Live to train, train to live TIP

2008-11-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Yes I am finally online. I have been here at All Canadian Fitness for a little over 3 months and really enjoy what I am doing. This is truly my passion and I am looking forward to evolving and improving as a trainer. The Holidays are fast approaching I am currently in training for the eating fest that normally happens during this time. I am looking forward to setting some fitness goals for myself come the New Year and I am curious to see how I progress and the results I can achieve.
Until next time. TIP

2008-11-28T08:39:00.001-08:00

Rich is online!!!