Welcome back! Beginning your Beast training

This week's video: Front Squat!

The Beast on the Bay is an event that is going to tax its participants both physically and mentally. Preparation is imperative for successful completion and injury prevention. We are seven months out from the Beast on the Bay, so we have plenty of time to improve muscular strength and aerobic endurance. Being proficient in these two components will lessen the mental effect of the Beast, enabling you to focus on the physicality of the event and enjoy attempting its challenging obstacles. Along with any strength and conditioning program, is a balanced nutrition and hydration regimen. You’re going to need to properly fuel your workouts and recover from them, by eating the appropriate amount of macronutrients (carbs, fats and proteins). Finally, your performance in the Beast will be dictated by your attire (shirt, shorts and shoes).  You will be getting wet, so you will want to wear tightly fitting clothing and I advise on avoiding socks. We will be addressing each of these aspects throughout the training, as you prepare for the Beast on the Bay.

This table describes the phases of training. Off-season = January-April & Preseason = May-August

Period		Off-Season		Preseason
Variable ↓	Phase →	Cardiovascular Training	Hypertrophy/ Endurance	Cardiovascular Training	Strength/Power	Plyometrics
Intensity		Low – Moderate		Moderate - High
Volume		30 – 60 mins 3 – 5 miles (running) 3 – 5 days/wk	3 – 6 sets 10 – 20 reps 2 – 3 days/wk	45 – 90 mins 5 – 7 miles (running) 4 – 6 days/wk	3 – 5 sets 2 – 8 reps 2 – 3 days/wk	80-140 (foot taps) 1-2 days/wk
Primary Exercises		Chest Press       Chest Fly           Deadlift                V – Up                High Knees Lat Pulldown     Seated Row     Squat                    Rope Crunch     Carioca Drill Shoulder Press  Back Fly            Hip Abduction    Mtn Climbers    Box Jumps Lateral Raise      Farmer Walk   Hip Adduction    Glute Bridges    Bounds Tricep Press       Bicep Curl         Calf Raise            Torso Twist       Plyo Push-Up

Your yearly training program may be divided into four seasonal components, similar to training seasons in athletics. In-season represents the event (Beast on the Bay), and post-season refers to the period of time after the event for recovery. We’re going to focus on the off-season and preseason components. The first portion of your training (off-season) should consist of strength training to increase muscular mass and endurance (hypertrophy), and cardiovascular conditioning. Upper body strength days will focus on abs, chest, back, shoulders, biceps and triceps. Lower body strength days will address hips, glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings, abductors, adductors and calves. We will be working in all three planes of movement (sagittal, frontal and transverse), due to the Beast obstacles requiring your body to twist, flex and extend in multiple directions. Strength training should be performed two to four times per week, with alternating muscle groups on different days. We’ll be doing a combination of aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, consisting of long distance running and sprinting. I’ll be planning out the distances that should be covered from week to week.

                The next portion of your training will involve exercising on the beach, both in and out of the water. It’s beneficial to get used to exercising while wet and covered in sand, since this is how you will be throughout the Beast. Running on the sand will cause muscles, tendons, and ligaments of the hips, knees and ankles to become more active than running on pavement. So, you’ll want to be running on the sand a couple times a week, beginning in June, in order to practice your technique. You have to employ more of a shuffling stride to prevent from digging into the sand with your feet. Your resistance training will focus primarily on increasing strength, so the weight loads will increase with fewer reps.

                The final stretch of training (Preseason) will focus on replicating the movements required for completing the obstacles in the Beast. The obstacles will involve crawling, climbing, carrying, and dragging objects. To address the muscle actions required for these movements, we will provide video clips and pictures on the Barber Beast blog, “Nature of the Beast” and our “LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center” page on Facebook. We’ll be using kettlebells, ropes, medicine balls, bands, sliders, as well as demonstrations of exercises performed on the beach. Stay current with our blog for updates and training information, so we can be successful in our Beast on the Bay endeavor. Please contact me with any questions on our Facebook page, or email me at dhopkins@powerwellness.com. 

Final Prep!

     The Beast is this Saturday! You’ve done the training, now it’s time to perform and see the fruits of your labor. Be sure to check the Barber Center website for details about packet pick-up, and event-day info pertaining to wave times and shuttle transportation. Check out the obstacle names and what you think they may consist of, as well as the map showing their locations. The Barber Center website does a great job taking care of these details. My contribution will consist of pre-competition nutrition, hydration, stretching, foam rolling, and attire.

      I recommend carb loading one to two days prior to the event. The Beast is 10 miles through the sand, so it’s imperative that your glycogen (stored glucose) is sufficient in providing you with the energy required to get you through the event. The number of grams of carbs varies between individuals, but generally ranges from 200-400 grams/day prior to the event. I use the Whole Foods Co-Op for their energy squares in the bulk foods section. They contain a number of organic seeds and nuts for packing in the quality calories and carbs. Bananas and Kind bars are always good for fueling your body, as well as figs and dates. I regularly use Lenny and Larry’s Complete Cookies from the Vitamin Shoppe. They’re all-natural, non-GMO, and a great source of carbs. Along with carb-loading, you should drink about 1 gallon of water each day for the two days prior to the event. Drink at least 1 quart (32 oz.) of water and 50 – 100 grams of carbs Saturday morning. There will be water and Gatorade throughout the course. 

     I recommend stretching your hip flexors, hip adductors, hip abductors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves thoroughly Friday night and Saturday morning. Accompany these stretches with foam rolling of the same muscles you’ve just stretched. Roll each of your feet over a tennis ball, especially in your arches, to alleviate pain and tightness in your feet. You can even use a tennis ball on your quads, hip adductors and abductors for areas that the foam roller is unable to release the myofascia.

     When it comes to your attire, you want to have full range of movement in your arms and legs. So, don’t wear layers, wear a single layer of a t-shirt/sleeveless or compression top depending on the weather. You are going to get wet, so make sure the material is a tight-fitting dri-fit top and bottom. You may want gloves, but it is not necessary for everyone. If you choose to do so, they should be fingerless lifting gloves. This is to enhance your grip as well as to allow proper drainage of water out of your gloves. I recommend a pair of running shoes or cross-trainers, and I do not wear socks. Socks get wet and may cause blisters. The important thing is that you are comfortable and that you are wearing the attire in which you have been training. Best of luck and see you on the course!

Beast on the Blog: Addressing Performance Anxiety

     Sport psychology is the subdiscipline of exercise science and is utilized in understanding the influence of behavioral processes on specific movement skills.  By tapping into the psychological processes taking place as we prepare for a competitive event, we can better understand and address the factors that may hinder our performance. Everyone responds differently to challenges and the possibility of failure. It all comes down to anxiety and how you overcome it in order to perform at your optimal level to achieve success. First, we must understand the definitions of the types of anxiety.

State anxiety – A subjective experience of apprehension and uncertainty. It’s a negative experience, but may have a positive influence on performance.

Trait anxiety – A personality variable relating to the probability that one will perceive an environment as threatening. Individuals with high levels of this type of anxiety exhibit thoughts of failure.

Cognitive anxiety – Negative thoughts.

Somatic anxiety – Physical responses such as tense muscles, elevated heart rate, and upset stomach.

              

     I’ve found that the two best ways to address these types of anxiety, are through self-efficacy and motivation. Self-efficacy refers to the level of self-confidence you have about a given skill, task or event. The more confident you are about your abilities, the less you will be concerned about certain stressors attributed to your event.

The two types of motivation are intrinsic and achievement:

Intrinsic motivation – The desire to be competent and self-determining.

Achievement motivation – Relates to the athlete’s wish to engage in competition, or social comparison.

     These types of motivation can be further broken down into the motive to achieve success (MAS) and the motive to avoid failure (MAF). The MAS athlete thrives in situations that have a 50% probability of success. The MAF athlete prefers situations that are either very easy or so difficult that they are not expected to succeed. 

                

     With all of this information, it’s imperative to identify the type of anxiety that best exhibits your competitive nature. Next, is to figure out whether or not you are confident in your abilities through the training you’ve done in preparation for the Beast on the Bay. Once you’ve covered that, you can then move on to how you are optimally motivated. Whether it’s through achieving success or avoiding failure, you can thrive in either state. It just becomes a matter of addressing it appropriately and effectively. You’ve put in the training and you wouldn’t be doing something as challenging as the Beast on the Bay if you were truly afraid of failure. So, have confidence in what you’ve accomplished in your training and do your best to extinguish negative thoughts. Enjoy the Beast!

Beast on the Bay Blog: Carb Loading

     The purpose of carb loading is to enhance muscle glycogen prior to extended aerobic endurance exercise. The theory was developed in 1931 and has taken a variety of forms since its induction into the fitness realm.  First, let’s talk about why we call them carbs in the first place. Carbohydrates are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with the acronym of CHO, hence why we’ve shortened the structure to “carbs.” Their primary role is to serve as an energy source and can be classified into three groups according to the number of sugar molecules they contain.

     Monosaccharides – glucose, and fructose (fruit)

     Disaccharides – lactose (dairy), and sucrose (table sugar)  Limit these sugars as much as possible.

     Polysaccharides (complex carbs) – fiber, starch, and glycogen (stored glucose)

     Glucose is the most common monosaccharide and is found as circulating sugar in the blood. The storage form of glucose is called glycogen, of which 2/3 is found in skeletal muscle and 1/3 in the liver. It’s the glycogen that is the most important when referring to carb loading. The intent is to overload your glycogen stores so that it can be broken down into glucose and utilized for energy during the physical event. The most accepted method of carb loading with the fewest side effects (water retention, weight gain, digestive issues) is 3 days of a high-carbohydrate diet along with tapering exercise the week before competition and complete rest the day before competition.

     The following table is an easy and effective way of gauging your carb intake for a given workout or event. The Beast on the Bay will take you between 1.5 and 3.5 hours, depending on your aerobic conditioning. 10 miles at a pace of 3 mph would take 3 hours and 20 minutes. Most people with adequate training should pace between 4 and 6 mph, which would take between 1 hour and 40 minutes and 2.5 hours. Based on the recommendations presented in the table, you should consume 4 -6 grams of carbs per kilogram of body mass (BM). To calculate this amount, use the following equation: BM/2.2 x 4. For example, I weigh 86 kg and should therefore consume 345 grams of carbs per day for the three days prior to the Beast. This is assuming that I am giving my best effort for the entire 1.5 hours. If I were just walking, I would only consume about half this amount. It’s imperative that you find out how your body reacts to high carb consumption prior to the week of the event so you can make adjustments as necessary.

-Dave Hopkins, M.S. ACSM-HFS, NSCA-CSCS

Fitness Supervisor

LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center

5401 Peach Street Erie, PA 16509

Phone:(814)868-7800

Fax:(814)868-7804

dhopkins@powerwellness.com

www.lecomwellness.com

Snacking for Training

Beast on the Bay Blog:  Snacking for Training

                

     A great way to prepare for training and recover from training is by snacking on nutrient-dense foods high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and low in saturated fat. I usually train first thing in the morning between 5 and 7a.m., but if I have to train in the afternoon, I like to eat lighter throughout the day. I’ll snack on bananas, peanut butter, almonds, and Kind bars in preparation for my afternoon workout. I try to consume 300-500 calories every 3 hours with at least 1 gallon of water per day. I use a vegan protein powder after my workouts, which uses split-peas as the protein source.

Shake recipe: Approximately 500 calories

2 scoops split-pea protein powder

1 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk

1 banana

2 tbsp. natural peanut butter

6 ice cubes

The following foods are my favorite snacks and the ones I routinely use for dietary and training needs.

1)  Chia seeds – Put 2 tbsp. of these in a glass or bottle of water in your refrigerator for about 3 hours to allow them to absorb as much water as possible. Chia seeds are a perfect post-workout recovery drink as well as a great way to stay hydrated through the night for your morning exercise routine. They have 5 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein and 7 grams of polyunsaturated fat per serving (2 tbsp.).

2) Peanut butter – I live on peanut butter. I use it in my shakes, with apples and bananas, and I make my own peanut sauce for chicken, steak, noodles and rice. It’s a great source of healthy fats and some protein. Its high caloric value helps fuel my long runs and keeps me satiated throughout the day.

3) Almonds and natural almond butter – I have a giant jar of almonds on my refrigerator from which I grab 2-3 servings per day (1 serving = 1 handful). Almonds are a great source of healthy fats, some protein, and help keep you from getting hungry throughout the day.

4) Coconut oil – I use this along with minced ginger and minced garlic every time I cook vegetables, noodles or quinoa. It’s in solid form in the jar when you get it, so just use 1 tbsp. in the skillet and it melts down quickly. It’s a source of saturated fat, which should only constitute about 10% of the fat you consume per day. It tastes great and it is known to enhance satiety (helping you feel full and stave off hunger.) 

**For more information about the benefits of healthy snacks and some great ideas for on-the-go snacking, you can check out the Newark Nut Company on their website at Nuts.com. 

-Dave Hopkins, M.S. ACSM-HFS, NSCA-CSCS

Fitness Supervisor

LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center

5401 Peach Street Erie, PA 16509

Phone:(814)868-7800

Fax:(814)868-7804

dhopkins@powerwellness.com

www.lecomwellness.com

Beast on the Bay Blog: Myofascial Release

     Knee pain is a common among those in any running program—including those training for the Beast on the Bay. Any time I’ve experienced knee pain, I have been able to resolve it with a technique demonstrated below: self myofascial release and trigger point therapy.

    

  Myofascia is a type of connective tissue that covers and protects structures in the body, including  muscles. The other types of connective tissue are tendons and ligaments. When the myofascial develops knots, it will pull at one or both ends of a muscle, at its origin and/or insertion. This will cause pain at the hip, knee, Achilles tendon and feet, when referring to the lower extremities. You can also experience discomfort in your neck and upper back due to tightness within this connective tissue.   

  Think of knots in your myofascia as wrinkles in a dress shirt. To get rid of the wrinkles, you can’t stretch them out, you have to iron them out, and this is the strategy behind foam rolling and other types of myofascial release. Foam rollers come in a variety of models, but the three most common are white (least dense for rehab), blue (moderately dense), and black (most dense). I use a black roller every day and I recommend the same to everyone else. The following descriptions are for the primary areas of focus for myofascial maintenance and repair.

     Hold each position 1 – 2 minutes for each side. If pain is felt, stop rolling and rest on the painful area for 20 - 30 seconds. The exercises can be performed 1 – 2 times daily.

 Iliotibial Tract (IT Band)

Position yourself on your side lying on the foam roller. Bottom leg is raised slightly off the floor. Roll just below hip joint down the lateral thigh to the knee. This area should address most lateral knee and hip pain.

Piriformis

Begin positioned as shown with foot crossed to opposite knee. Roll on the posterior hip area. This will also help with sciatica. 

Hamstring

Place hamstring on the roll with hips unsupported. Feet are crossed to increase leverage.

Quadriceps

Body is positioned prone with quadriceps on the foam roller. Keep abdominals in a drawn-in position and keep gluteus tight to prevent low back compensation. Roll pelvic bone to knee. This area helps with patellar tendon pain. 

Adductor

Extend the thigh and place foam roll in the groin region with body prone on the floor. This will address medial knee pain.

Latissimus

Position yourself on the side with arm outstretched and foam roll placed in axillary area. Movement during this technique is minimal.

Rhomboids

Cross arms to the opposite shoulder to clear the shoulder blades across the thoracic wall. Roll mid-back area on the foam roller.

In addition to these examples, you should also use the foam roller on your calves. Use the same technique as demonstrated for the hamstrings. You can intensify the effect of the roller on your calves by crossing your ankles. This should help with Achilles pain and plantar fasciitis in your feet. 

-Dave Hopkins, M.S. ACSM-HFS, NSCA-CSCS

Fitness Supervisor

LECOM Medical Fitness & Wellness Center

5401 Peach Street Erie, PA 16509

Phone:(814)868-7800

Fax:(814)868-7804

dhopkins@powerwellness.com

www.lecomwellness.com

Beast on the Bay Blog: Sport Psychology

When training for any competition, it’s important to understand how the mind can influence physical performance. First, you want to strive for the “ideal performance state,” which is the goal of every athlete. In this state, you do not use negative self-talk, you have a strong feeling of efficacy (confidence in exercise ability), and an adaptive focus on the task-relevant cues (performing when it counts). The ideal performance state consists of the following characteristics:

1. Absence of fear – especially the fear of failure

2. Not thinking about or analyzing performance – reliance on trained motor patterns

3. Narrowing of focus on the activity you’re performing

4. A sense of effortlessness – creating an involuntary experience

5. A sense of personal control

6. Distortion of time and space – time seems to slow down, which may be attributed to our eyes seeing more frames per second, allowing us to respond or react with greater precision

               

  The ultimate goal for the athlete is to be confident in their abilities and “just let it happen.” Walter Payton, one of the greatest running backs of all time, said:  “I’m Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde when it comes to football. When I’m on the field, sometimes I don’t know what I am doing out there. People ask me about this move or that move, but I don’t know why I did something. I just did it. I am able to focus out the negative things around me and just zero in on what I am doing out there. Off the field I become myself again.”

      The notion of motor skill learning consists of 3 stages through which the athlete progresses:

     

      1.        The cognitive stage - the effortful and conscious regulation of the movement.    

      2.       The associative stage - the athlete has to focus on the task, but they’re less concerned about the details of the movement.

      3.       The third stage is automaticity - the mind is relaxed and the skill is performed automatically without thinking.  With proper instruction and training, the relaxed mind filters out all irrelevant cues and focuses only on what is relevant to the task required of the athlete.

       The concept of the “ideal performance state” directly relates to how you perform in the Beast on the Bay.  Most people might be hesitant about embarking on a 10-mile obstacle course on the sand.  It is the desire to challenge yourself physically and mentally that sets you apart from the rest of the world that is satisfied with the status quo. Invest yourself in your training and in proper instruction and you will reach your goal in completing the Beast on the Bay. When you come upon an obstacle, you will “just let it happen” and rely on your training and ability in successfully completing each obstacle and stretch of running.