Most people look at setting up training one main way: sets x reps.  This is great and works well; however, there are other ways to increase strength and work capacity.  One great way is timed reps.  You can find awesome information on this method in older russian books such as Explosive Power and Jump Training for All Sports by Starzinski and Sozanski.  Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell has also talked about its effectiveness.  With timed reps, you try to complete as many reps as possible of a given exercise or pairing of exercises in the alotted amount of time.  As an example, if you are doing it with front squats: pick a weight you could do 15 reps with and do sets of 10; resting for about 10-20 seconds as you need to, for 5 minutes.  If you did a 3 week cycle with this; you should aim to get at least 20 more total reps in that 5 minute window by the end of the third week.  You can do 2 to 3 rounds of 5 minutes for a few big bang exercises. This can be done with squats, presses, rows, pullups or any compound exercise (not as big of a fan with deadlifts because risk to reward ratio gets worse as fatigue sets in though romanian deadlifts can work ok). 

Another great way to do this is with a good superset pairing.  In the video below, you will see Joy completing her second round of 5 minutes with barbell hip thrusts and chest supported rows.  She completes 8-10 reps for one exercise followed by reps of the other exercises and goes back and forth nonstop.  She did 2 rounds of 5 minutes of bench press and front squat before this pairing.  Next week she will try to get one more "set" during the 5 minutes and beat her total reps.  If your total reps go up, your work capacity, strength, and conditioning will go up; they have no choice.  Once she completes her round here, she jumps into assistance exercises for her scapulae, cuff, abs, arms, etc.   Timed reps provides an awesome metabolic effect, sets up a fat burning hormonal environment and will get you in shape, plain and simple.  It can be a nice change up if you are coming off of a high intensity/heavy cycle of lifting or if you just need to provide your body with a new challenge to adapt to. 

Her  Day One workout looked like this. 

1a) Front Squat 2x5minutes
1b) Bench Press 2x5minutes
2minutes rest between rounds

2a) Barbell Hip Thrust 2x5minutes
2b) Chest Supported Row 2x5minutes
2minutes rest between rounds

3) Waiters Carry w/ kettlebells 2x20yards
4) Face Pulls 2x8
5) Db Curls/Db Extensions 3x8-10

Her Day Two workout features different exercises and she alternates between the two days for a 4 week cycle.

There you have it: A killer workout with good anatomical balance and killer results.  Give timed a reps a shot and reap the rewards.

Today we have a combined article from Dan and Nick:

 
                                                                      
The state of the fitness industry is a complete mess. There are self proclaimed “experts” everywhere arguing that their method is God's gift to fitness. Everywhere you turn there is someone under qualified trying to hand out advice: on tv, at the store, and probably a close friend. Even if you escape the noise from all of the fitness “genuises,” there is no way to get away from the bombardment of overpriced supplements, fad diets, and one month gym memberships being sold as a solution to lose those stubborn extra 50 to 100 lbs. that have accumulated for many YEARS.


But is it fair to completely blame the fitness industry, or should the consumer, who continuously pays for bad advice and subpar products, take part of the blame? Enter the hard work paradox. The hard work paradox is a simple concept. People display hard work and consistency in most areas of their life yet they don’t apply the same principles to their health and fitness. So, how does this add to the “fitness industry” problem? People want to believe that results are achieved by some other fashion than hard work, consistency, and a well thought out plan. What does this do? It creates a positive feedback loop for the industry to just keep pumping out garbage to people who want to believe results are achieved by quick means and a secret pill. The question is where else in life does this work? (Crickets) So it seems foolish to keep believing in this system where resolutions are made and never kept by the client, and results are promised quickly by the fitness professional but never achieved.


So where does this leave us? Does this mean its an industry problem or does the blame fall solely on the effort of the client? The short answer is, the blame falls on both; the fitness professional and the client. The client should understand that results happen when they work hard, are consistent in their training, and they adhere to what the fitness professional is telling them to do in and probably more importantly outside of the gym. The fitness professional should have the proper knowledge and training to help the client reach realistic goals they wish to achieve. This should be done with well thought out plans which have very specific individual considerations. They should have the integrity to explain how results are achieved and not over promise on their programs. These are the bare minimum circumstances needed for the client and fitness professional to have a successful relationship and probably a gross oversimplification of what is really needed.

Now you are probably asking where can I find a fitness professional that I can trust, has the skills to get me to my goals, and has lots of prior experience getting people real world results? Well, I truly believe that here at Rosencutter Ultra Fitness we can provide everything that people need to be successful in reaching their fitness goals. (This includes everything mentioned in the previous paragraph) We have helped hundreds of clients from all different backgrounds do everything from becoming the Greater Metro Baseball Player of Year to dropping double digit levels of bodyfat to getting rid of pain that has plagued them for years.

So why am I telling you all this? I want to let you know about a couple of opportunities coming up that can help change your health, performance and life this summer. I want you to stop wasting your time and hard work with unqualified “trainers” and programs that don't get results. Lastly, I want to let you know how you could push yourself to win $1000!

Enter the Rosencutter Ultra Fitness Transformation Contest. How does it work? We develop strength training and conditioning with a properly designed, balanced out program that is intense enough to give your body the stimulus it needs to change, along with sound nutrition to help facilitate the changes that your training wants your body to make. All of this is done at an individual level to make sure you are getting exactly what you need to see significant changes in your body.


The question is if everything you need is in front of you, and all you need to do is put the work in and follow through will you do it? If you had the RIGHT guidance and help, do you think you could make some amazing changes to your body, mind and life? If you've been desiring to make a change in your body and your life, this is the perfect time to do it. Beginning in June, our 2013 Summer Transformation Contest will begin. With a grand prize of $1000, a second prize of a free month of training and a third prize of 2 free manual therapy treatments, you will have more motivation than ever. While these prizes are all great, the real grand prize will be a new and improved you along with a more positive and more productive life.


In addition to our Transformation Contest, we are launching the Rosencutter Boot Camp. Why? While our core offering of completely individualized semi private training is the most optimal investment that you can make in your body and self, we realize that some people want some quicker express workouts that they can drop in on at a more affordable price. With our classes, you can get an amazing group based workout while still learning how to move efficiently and effectively and balance out your body.


How is this boot camp going to be different? How are we going to provide the best boot camp experience?Classes will feature expert coaching incorporating strength training and conditioning based on professionally planned out blocks of training with development of specific energy systems and strength qualities. In other words, instead of just doing a bunch of random exercises each week and day, the exercises, the intensities, the workloads, the rest periods and everything within the class will be specifically planned out. You will not find another group based class around that does something like this. All clients that come to our boot camp will be exposed to effective coaching from true professionals with real credentials. Everyone's movement will be assessed to ensure proper technique and to maximize results. All training sessions and workouts will be part of pre-planned, thought out blocks of training with specific purposes NOT just a bunch of exercises thrown together last minute. We will also provide nutritional support and guidelines.

At Rosencutter Ultra Fitness we truly have a family atmosphere where everyone pushes each other to get better. So whether you choose to do the Transformation Contest. join our camp or get started with your own in depth assessment and individualized program, we would love you to come join our family this summer and above all help you change your life. All you need to do is get here and put in the work.

Today we have a blog post by Rosencutter Ultra Fitness coach Dan Zwirlein on increasing compliance with a fat loss nutrition program.  Take it away Dan.......


                                            5 Ways to Increase Compliance For Fat Loss


The story usually sounds the same. A person becomes dedicated to training, they start to see good results and then what happens? They stall. Think about it, if you are consistent with your training then what could be holding you back? No, its not what you are doing in the gym; its what you are doing outside the gym that is killing your progress. For most people, this has to do with dietary choices and ultimately, lifestyle choices. Think about it. You spend probably around 3 hours of the week total at the gym putting in your sweat equity. So its only logical to think that the other 165 hours outside the gym is what is haulting your progress. It takes full dedication and consistency to reach your true potential and it is no different for reaching your fitness goals. Here are 5 ways to increase your compliance with proper lifestyle choices for the majority of the time that you aren't spending in the gym.




1. Adhere to the 90% rule when practicing clean eating

Here is how the 90% rule works. Think about how many meals a week you are eating. At least 90% of those meals should be clean. So if you eat 5 times a day for all 7 days that would be 35 meals a week. Using simple math, you can see that you could have about 3 snacks that aren't clean for the week. Now, that doesn't mean your snack turns into a meal either; remember, one meal won't effect much but getting into long term bad habits does.

2. Take pictures of all your meals

Before you eat anything take a picture of it. This will force you to think hard about whether or not this meal is getting you closer or farther away from your goal. It will be much harder to “cheat” if you consciously have to look at and think about what you are eating.

3. Practice your compliance as a group

There is nothing more powerful in helping to reach a goal then people who believe in you and support your goal. To make this work for your fitness goals, have someone practice clean eating and an overall healthy lifestyle with you. They say you posses the average traits of the 5 people you spend the most time with so why not a loved one? It doesn't really matter who it is but human psychology dictates that practicing things in a group is easier than alone. So find someone to keep you on track and compliant while you do the same for them.

4. Keep temptation out of your house

One way to get side tracked is to buy things that will derail your progress. If you have things in your house like sweets, soda, and alcohol or what ever your vice is, its only a matter of time before you will break into them. However, if you don't buy them, the temptation won't be there. If you want a treat and it falls within your 10% meal, buy in a single serving. For example, buy one ice cream cone versus a pint. Remember, if there are things in your house now its better to just throw them away and get rid of temptation.

5. Make things really easy on yourself

Overhauling your lifestyle can be very difficult, especially if you are taking on new things all at once like trying to practice clean eating and starting a new training regimen. So make your goals small and as easy as possible. For example, your goal could be to lower your daily soda intake from 5 to 3 or it could be increase the amount of sleep you are getting by 30 min each week. Making goals that you can actually achieve creates positive momentum which is important to keep progressing forward. A lot of times people will try to change everything at once and after a month they stall and return to old habits. By making small goals that are attainable and progressing slowly it allows behavioral patterns to actually change, which in turn increases long-term compliance. Think about it. If you make small changes from week to week or month to month, those small changes then turn into big changes over long periods of time IF you stay compliant. By making goals easy it will make compliance more likely.


Now, go and try to implement as many of these tips into your daily routine as you can. But remember, like I mentioned in the last tip, start slow and see your progress increase. The ultimate goal is long lasting change.


Want help with this and getting your training set to get in the best shape of your life?  Come join our transformation challenge and summer RufCamp classes and get started with a chance to win $1000.