4 Benefits Of Cold Exposure Therapy

 In the coming months and years, trust me, you'll be hearing a lot more about cold exposure and it's benefits on your health. It's already picking up steam on most forms of social media - with people posting photos and videos of them taking ice baths or doing cryotherapy. 

Cold exposure as a form of therapy, or being used as a "health tonic", is nothing new - it's been around for centuries. Yet, it's only now that it's becoming mainstream. It can be done in a few different ways, but most people get their cold exposure therapy one of two ways ... 

Two Common Forms Of Cold Exposure 

1.) Cryotherapy: 

Cryotherapy involves the use of standing in a chamber where the air is cooled down, using liquid nitrogen, to around -93 to -115 degrees celsius (-200 to -240f) for around 30 seconds - 1min. This must be performed under the guidance of a technician, and never alone. There is, without a doubt, a price tag attached to this service.

2.) Cold Showers/Ice Baths: 

 The classic, and FREE, option for cold exposure therapy is to take a cold shower or ice bath. Depending on your experience with cold exposure will depend on the duration of time that you'll be exposed to the cold water, usually ranging anywhere from 30 sec, all the way up to 8 mins. 

But What The Hell Is The Benefit Of Being Cold?

 I'm sure you're not fully down with the idea of getting cold on purpose. I get it, who the hell wants to be cold - it sucks. But if you understand the benefits of cold exposure therapy, in the right dose, you'll be much more likely to want to add it to your training routine. 

1.) Fat Burning Effect 

 We have two types of fat in our bodies, white fat (the kind of body fat you're all familiar with) and brown fat. When we regularly expose ourselves to the cold, we increase the amount of "brown fat" in our bodies. Brown fat is fat that is rich in mitochondria, giving it a brown appearance. Brown fat burns calories for energy in order to keep us warm. In fact, brown fat creates more than 300x more heat than any other tissue in the body. Cold exposure therapy helps increase the amount of brown fat we have in our bodies, which in turn helps us burn more calories during the day and at rest, and improves your lean body mass - even without exercise!  

2.) Increases Blood Flow 

 When you expose yourself to the cold, your blood vessels constrict and blood is forced towards the organs of the body. When this happens, your body works harder to circulate the blood and forces the arteries to become more efficient and moving blood. When you're no longer exposed to the cold, and your body returns to its normal temperature, it will be more effective at moving blood around the body. 

3.) Increased Recovery From Training 

 Training is a stress on the body, a good stress, and you need to recover from training. Cold exposure therapy helps speed up the process of recovery, after hard bouts of exercise, by reducing inflammation and increasing circulation. However, it's best to not expose yourself to the cold for at least 1 hour after your training. 

 You need the stress response from your training, in order for your body to change and adapt. Cold exposure therapy, performed right after training, reduces the  good stress response from your training and reduces the adaptation to the hard session you put it through. If you wait 1 hour after training before performing cold exposure therapy, you'll allow your body to get the benefit from the "good stress" imposed on it during your training session, and recover faster from the anti-inflammatory effect of cold therapy. 

4.) Reduces Depression 

 In recent studies, cold exposure therapy has been shown to induce and anti-depressive effect. Depression may be linked to inflammation, cold exposure therapy helps reduce inflation - therefor it helps improve the negative effects of depression. 

 Cold exposure therapy also sends a truck load of electrical impulses to the peripheral nerve endings in the brain, through the nerve endings all over your skin, and produces a natural "high" or "pick-me-up". 

How To Implement Cold Exposure Therapy

1.) Take a warm shower, for however long is needed

2.) Finish with a cold shower for 30 seconds 

3.) Every week, increase your time in the cold shower by 30 seconds, continue on this way until you're at 5mins 

- Tim


www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Your Entire Life Is Training - Know Your Timber

"When sorting out timber for building a house, that which is straight, free from knots, and of good appearance can be used for front pillars. That which has some knots, but is straight and strong, can be used for the rear pillars. That which is somewhat weak, has no knots, and looks good is variously used for doors sills, lintels, doors, and screens. That which is knotted and crooked, but nevertheless strong, is used thoughtfully in consideration of the strength of the various members of the house. Then the house will last a long time." - Miyamoto Musashi 

When it comes to training for improved fitness and health, the vast majority of people think of only their workout. They view fitness as just their resistance training, cardio, or high intensity/met cons. If it doesn't make you sweat, doesn't push your limits, or set new personal bests ... then it's not a workout. 

This couldn't be further from the truth. 

Those types of training are important, but they're just an aspect of your training as a whole. There are many other aspects to your training that have a great impact on your health and fitness that are generally ignored, or emphasized to a lesser degree, by many trainees. 

When we look at training for the everyday person, or even the athlete, we need to look at your training and fitness from a holistic view. Training for improved health and movement in everyday life involves ... 

- Resistance training

- Low level cardiovascular training

- High intensity training

- Individualized nutrition 

- Core specific training

- Mobility/Flexibility exercises 

- Postural correctives/Myofascial release 

- Gait correctives

- Quality sleep

- Managing stress 

- Daily very low intensity movement & multiple changes of body positions 

Each one of those listed here are aspects of your fitness training. When we look at all of those aspects, it becomes clear that training is much, much more than just the time spent in the gym. It could be though of that everything you do in your daily life can be seen as training. 

 The key is figuring out which aspects of training needs to take up the majority of your focus and which ones need to be used to a lesser extent. This order will change multiple times throughout your life, depending on the directing your life takes you. 

 These aspects of training are just like the timber described by Musashi in the quote above. The carpenter knows when and where to use each piece of timber, he knows the exact purpose for each bit of wood, and he understands when their needed and when they're not. 

The same goes for every aspect of your training. 

Training implies that your training for something, for most people it means training for the best everyday life. Training means you're improving, not breaking yourself down. When anyone of these aspects of training are put into the wrong order, they can destroy your health. If they're put into the right order, they'll improve your well being. 

Know your timber and when to use it. 

- Tim

www.TimothyBellFitness.com



P.S.: If you don't know how to use each tool yourself - get some guidance. Online personal training with me might just be the right option for you.

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Unpopular Opinion: Bench Press Is Stupid

 I think the bench press is stupid and outdated. I don't think it's essential for the average person. In fact, outside of a sport such as power lifting or maybe bodybuilding, I think everyone could get away with ever having to perform the bench press. 

The Bench Press Is Dangerous

Come on, do I really have to describe why loading a bar full of heavy ass weights, then laying down under that bar and lowering it down towards your chest/neck is stupid or dangerous? There's a reason why when you bench you need spotters, or bars on either side, to guard you from having your ribs or trachea crushed if you fail out on a rep. From a danger stand point, the bench press is dumb. 

The Bench Press Is Unnatural 

 The bench press is an unnatural movement. Most of the time when we're in a position to push or press something, we're standing. Not laying down on a bench. We push to open doors, move shopping carts, shove heavy objects or even people. Even throwing punches could be considered a "pushing" type movement.

 When we push things from a standing position, it challenges our fascial slings, hips, and core musculature in a way that laying on a bench just does not. That is, as long as your back isn't up against a wall while you're performing your standing push exercises.  

 Just because you can bench press 300+ pounds doesn't mean that you wont feel weak or fall apart kinetically while performing a standing, single arm, cable push. Actually, most people who don't train their pushing from a standing position, and only train forms of bench press, are surprised at how weak they feel during standing push exercises. 

Any time that I've taken a client, who only performs bench presses, and worked with them on standing cable or resistance band presses, they fall apart and compensate in order to perform the movement. That's not good from both a mechanical and athletic stand point. 

If you want to train your push more effectively I would suggest any of the following exercises 

- Standing cable or resistance band pushes (single arm, both arms, one leg, staggered stance etc.)

- Push ups 

- Sled pushes 

- Med ball pushes/throw variations 

So You Like Push Ups But NOT Bench Press? What Gives?

While the push up isn't as effective at replicating natural pushing mechanics as standing cable pushes, it's still leaps and bounds better than the bench press. 

 The core is worked harder during the push up as the spine isn't being supported by the bench. The core needs to fire during pushing movements in order to protect us and improve the strength behind the movement. 

 The hands are also not forced into a fixed position during push ups, as they are with the bench press. When you bench press, you're forced to hold onto a straight bar. This puts your hands and shoulders into a fixed position. This position isn't right for everyone and locking someone into that position might lead to injury. Shoulder injuries during bench press are common, even while using exceptional form. The push up allows for a little more freedom in hand placement due to the fact that you're not forced to hold onto a bar. This allows the trainee to find the right position for them, that's safe, and feels comfortable for their unique body type. 

Traditional Bench Press Doesn't Have Much Carry Over 

People have evolved over millions of years to stand, walk, and run on two feet as a priority. These actions are facilitated by our fascial slings. Our fascial slings work by oscillating to move our bodies forward or backward. When one sling shortens, the opposing sling lengthens, and a whole series of muscles from our upper body, core, and legs activate - working as a team. 

 If we're looking for greater carry over, from an exercise, to our every day lives and athletics we must use movements that train the slings in ways they were designed to move - from a standing position and oscillating. The bench press doesn't train the slings in this manner. 

By laying on a bench, we disconnect the core from needing to fully engage. By pressing with both arms at the same time we're not using the slings in oscillation. By not standing up during the exercise, we're not performing the push from the position we find ourselves in most of the time. The bench press doesn't train your body to perform the way it was designed to perform through evolution. 

One example of an exercise that does train the slings effectively, in a manner that resembles natural movement is the standing, single arm, staggered stance, cable press. In both looks, and function, this exercise will help replicate the demands placed on the body during not only standing pushing, but also movements such as ... 

- Running

- Walking

- Throwing 

- Punching

- Pushing/ shoving

... and more. If you're goal is to move better in life and athletics, while improving your functional pushing mechanics/strength, the bench press might not be your best option. 

Should You Bench Press?

I'm not your mother, I can't tell you want to do. If you like bench pressing, go ahead. If you're a power lifter, you're going to need to bench.

  But, in my opinion, if you're the average person you don't need to bench press - and you're probably better off if you avoid it. There are better ways to train your push. Ways that are safer, have greater carry over to everyday life/athletics, and respect evolution. Don't be surprised if in the upcoming months, you see more and more coaches/trainers removing the bench press from their programming. 

 It takes time for things to change and become "the norm", but I do believe the bench press is on it's way to becoming "benched" as an exercise for the everyday person. 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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What You Staring At? Trataka Mediation

 I'm a big fan of mediation. Actually, I think it should be a part of everyones daily routine. I don't care if you're mediating for 10 mins or 45, a little is better than nothing. Why? Because mediation has a shit load of benefits, such as ... 

- Improved stress response

- Better sleep

- Improved focus

- Reduced anxiety 

- Improved mood 

- Reduced severity of depression 

- Improved cognitive ability

- Positive effects on blood pressure 

 ... and much, much more 

 The key to mediation, is finding a style that suits your needs and works well with your personality. 

 There are countless forms of meditation, a lot of which have been around for thousands of years. They're not all going to work well for you as an individual, you're going to have to try a few and see what works for you. 

 That's what I have been doing for years now, and most recently I have been working with a form called Trataka.  

What Is Trataka 

 Trataka mediation is one of the oldest forms of mediation, and it involves staring at a small object for a prolonged period of time. The most popular objects are a candle flame or small dot. The goal is to keep your gaze on the object, without blinking or moving your eyes. The practice is said to help cleanse/activate your third eye while enhancing psychic abilities ... but I don't buy into that shit. Too mystic for my taste. 

What I enjoy about Trataka, is that it gives me an object to focus my attention on. By focusing on the object, my mind feels "quieter". When a thought runs through my head, I let it pass by and return my attention to the physical object I'm staring at. It's much like mindful mediation, only I have a physical object to place my attention on. The effect is quite calming. 

How I Meditate With Trataka 

 The way I set up my Trataka mediation is easy ... 

- I perform it whenever I want during the day, I have no set time but you could if you like. 

- I mediate for anywhere from 5 - 15 mins depending on the day 

- I use a dot over the candle flame, it's just my preference 

- The dot is placed 3-4 feet in front of my eyes, large enough that I don't have trouble seeing it but not too big 

- I either kneel down to meditate or stand up, I use a dot drawn on paper that I adjust to the right height

- During the mediation I don't use a specific breathing pattern, but I do try to keep my breath from my belly and regular 

- I pay attention to my posture 

- My gaze is fixed completely on the dot, no blinking, no moving my eyes, just one straight line to the dot

- When a thought runs through my head, and I notice I'm paying attention to the thought, I catch myself and bring my attention back to my breath and the dot 

- At some point your vision may begin to "tunnel" and the edges of your sight may blur ... that's normal. When your eyes don't move for a period of time, they stop processing everything in their peripherals because no "new" information is coming in. This is the best part, it's a neat experience. 

- If you must blink, do it and continue on 

- Continue on like this for however long you desire. When you decide to stop, close your eyes and rest for a bit. Open your eyes and allow your vision to return to normal. 

 I find the whole practice of Trataka rather "grounding" and it leaves me feeling calm. It's one method that, right now, works well for me as an individual and I enjoy it. It may or may not be what you like, it may not even work well for you, but it's worth a try. If you're looking for a new method of mediation you can do it right now by opening the picture above, enjoy! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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How To Get Better At Pull Ups, When You Can't Do Pull Ups

 My article for "Whole Life Challenge" is up, and it's a great one for those of you who can't perform a chin up/pull up yet. I'll teach you "The Dead Mans Crawl", how to do it, how it can improve your vertical pulling strength, and how to use it in a workout. Take a look here. 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com

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Quick Thoughts: Be Consistent

 The key to success when it comes to your fitness - and many other things in life - is to be consistent.

 Eat real food 80%-90% of the time. Train 3-4 days out of the week, total body, without fail. Get out there and walk more often. Stand more than you sit. Train your mobility daily.

 Just do this, all the time, forever.

 Be consistent.

 Develop a diet and training methodology that works for you, that you can do with consistency, for the rest of your life. If you need help get a great coach.

 Training and eating with consistency is the most important key to long term success.

 It's more important that going hard in the short term. Training hard as hell for a short time may get you results now, but they don't last. You'll burn out, it's not sustainable, and you'll be back to where you started in a years time.

 Think about it like this ...

 The tsunami may rise and smash into a boulder on the beach. It may move the boulder or smash it into pieces. But the boulder - or it's pieces - will still remain.

 The tide, gently washing up on the foot of the boulder - with consistency - will eventually turn that boulder to sand.


 - Tim


www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Quick Thoughts: Who You Are Now

 Who you are today, does not define who you will be in the future. Who you are today, is simply you at this moment in time. It doesn't mean you have to stay this person forever. You can grow both mentally & physically - you can change. You can evolve. 

 It's not easy, but most things worth while aren't. Change takes work, dedication, & introspection. It means taking good hard looks into yourself, performing honest self evaluations, building upon your strengths, & trouncing your weaknesses. It means taking leaps of faith, trusting your gut, & throwing your heart to the wind. 

 If you're over weight and you hate it - change! Make a plan, get a coach, eat well, put in the work & be dedicated. 

You'll change. 

 If you hate your job and you've always wanted to own your own business - change! Save your money, develop a plan, invest in yourself/education, quit, get your business going, & don't look back. 

You'll change. 

 If you're partner is terrible and your depressed all the time - change! Leave them, focus on you & what makes you happy, get a hobby, be selfish for a while, & grow! 

You'll change.

 The trail towards your change (growth/evolution) will be mired with obstacles. Friends may not understand, family may disapprove, & you may need to let go of people. 

 The hardest part - you will doubt yourself at times. 

 But, with hard work, consistency, honesty, & conviction - you will grow. 

 You are not defined by who you are in this current moment. Take action towards your goal, it doesn't have to be perfect. Imperfect action is still action. 

The time is never right - but the time is right now. 

Take flight - don't just be, be great.

- Tim 

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Get To Stepping - 2 Stair Set Workouts For Conditioning

 You don't need any expensive equipment, open space, or even great weather to get in an effective conditioning workout. In fact, you can get it done in your own home, apartment, or hotel. All you need is a set of stairs!

 I'm all about a minimalist approach to fitness, and using what's available in your area to your advantage is a part of that approach. Just about every single home will have a set of stairs, why not use those to your advantage? You're not always going to have access to a gym, a track, or equipment. By learning how to use the stairs as a conditioning tool, you'll be eliminating any of those excuses.

  I've been using stair sets for years with clients to elicit outstanding results, and today I'm going to share two of them with you! The methods I'm going to share with you today are not the only way to use stairs for conditioning, they're just a few of the ways I have used them.

 Yes, I know about stair sprints, and so does everyone else! We've all seen Rocky ... so I'm not including them in this.

 The purpose of this post is to get your mind open to the idea of using your stairs for effective conditioning. This way, you'll be able to get in a quality conditioning workout anywhere in the world. Let's take a look at a few different workouts I enjoy.

Fast Feet

It's called fast feet for a reason! This workout is a simple conditioning workout that only involves the use of one step. It's easy, and I often use it with new trainees due to the low difficultly level. That doesn't mean it's not suitable for the experienced trainee! It's going to rev your heart rate up no matter who you are. I enjoy using this after a strength training workout as a finisher.

How it's done ...

- Step up on to the first step, then step down.
- Repeat this as quickly as possible for 20 seconds
- Rest for 10 seconds
- Repeat this 8x
- Each round alternate the foot your using to step up

The goal is to step up and down as fast as you can, and I do mean FAST! Then rest for 10 seconds before repeating. If you have a railing to hold onto during this workout DO IT! If you slip while you're taking a step it will help prevent you from falling on your face!

Variations ...

- 30 seconds of work/30 seconds 4-8x

The Pilgrimage To Pai Mei's

 In old Kung Fu movies, and the Kill Bill series, Pai Mei was a cruel kung fu master who lived on the top of a tall mountain. The only way to make it to Pai Mei, was to walk up a massive stair set ... only to get your ass kicked at the top. This workout is a much slower form of conditioning, but it's fantastic and basic. I use a stair well for this workout, but home stairs will due as well! Longer stair sets (10 - 20) are best, but short sets can work as well. It's going to be a grind, but if done correctly it will have you breathing hard in a short amount of time.

How it's done ...

- You'll start at the bottom of the stairs
- Walk with purpose, full extension of the knee and hip at the top of each step, squeezing the glutes
- Once you reach the top of the flight of stairs, perform 5-10 face the wall squats (posture squats) at a pace of 4 seconds down, 4 seconds up
- Walk up the next flight of stairs (or if at home, walk down the stairs briskly and then back up them with purpose)
- Reach the top of that flight of stairs and perform 5-10 face the wall squats
- Repeat this sequence over and over for 10-20 mins without stopping

 This can be done with a smaller set of steps (5-6 steps) but I would suggest walking up them, back down, then back up, before performing the squats. This could also be done with step as well, step up and then back down on the one step 10 - 20 times before performing your squats. You could also vary the exercises, you don't need to only perform squats. Push ups, chin ups, and lunges, would also be suitable.

Variations ...

- Add a weight vest
- Use a resistance band for added weight during squats


 - Tim


www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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6 Easy Exercises To Ease Back Pain

 Back pain is a common problem faced by many people. It doesn't matter if you're active and training all the time, or if you can't even remember your last workout, back issues can happen to anyone. Back pain can stem from any number of sources, many people experience back pain caused from muscle imbalances. If you're pain isn't the result of a serious accident, a nice place to start when dealing with back pain is to open up the fascia in the back line of the body and stretch out your tight muscles. 

What is fascia and what is  the back line?

 There's giant sheet of "webbing" that runs through out your entire body, wrapping around all of your muscles and tissue. This "webbing" is called fascia, fascia helps hold everything in your entire body together and is essential to effective movement. When the fascia isn't being worked or moved on a daily basis, due to injury or lack of activity, it becomes dense and locked down. When the fascia becomes dense and locked down it impairs your movement, leads to poor posture, and increases your risk of injury. 

 While fascia is essentially one giant web, it has been divided into a hand full predominant "lines" (or paths) through out the body. Each line runs through/around a series of muscles and joints. The back line runs from the bottom of the feet, up the backs of your legs, all the way up the back to the top of the head. Most people tend to be tight throughout the back line, especially those who sit all day. In my experience, just working on opening the back line of the body helps many people deal with their back pain. It's a great place to start! 

The Superficial Back Line 

Opening up the back line!

It will require manual stimulation in order to break down the dense fascia and get it moving again. This means you'll need some serious massage! Don't worry, you don't have to spend all of your money on a massage therapist to get this done! All you need is a lacrosse ball, a little bit of knowledge on self myofascial release, and a little bit of stretching. The sequence in the video should help you break down that dense "locked down" fascia, stretch the muscles of the back line, and help ease back pain you may be experiencing. 

 THIS IS NOT a replacement for medical advice. Please, if you're experiencing serious back pain, get check out by a physiotherapist and doctor to get an expert opinion. 

1.) Roll the bottoms of your feet with a lacrosse ball, each for 1-2 mins

2.) Roll the calves, each for for 1-2 mins

3.) Place the lacrosse ball under your hamstring on a chair, focus on tight points for 1-3 mins each

4.) Roll your back with a foam roller or PVC pipe for 1-3 mins

5.) Stretch your calves, 30 seconds - 1 min per leg

6.) Perform the standing hamstring stretch, 30 seconds - 1 min per leg

- Tim

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Honey Citrus Salad

This just might be one of the best summer salads I've ever made. It's simple, made up of things you might have in your fridge right now, and doesn't take much time at all to make! The dressing is tasty and best of all it's home made so you know you're not eating any nasty oils or preservatives. 

Here's What You'll Need:

- Hand Full of Pecans

- 3 Clementines 

- 2-3 tbsp Goat Cheese

- 2-3 thin whole slices Red Onion

- Romaine Lettuce 

- 1/3 cup  Olive Oil

- 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar

- 1 tbsp honey 

How To Put It Together:

Salad:

- Lay the bed of cut up romaine lettuce on your favourite plate

- Top the lettuce with goat cheese, pecans, one clementine pulled apart, and onion slices

Dressing:

- In a blender (food processor, magic bullet etc.) add your honey, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and 2 clementines

- Blend until smooth

- Pour into small separate bowl or dressing container

- Add your desired amount to your salad and enjoy! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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Why You Can't Get Toned!

Toning doesn't exist, it's a myth, and doing lower intensity training with light weights and high reps won't give you the look you desire!  Watch the YouTube video above to learn more about what toning really is, and what workouts you should be doing to get that toned look! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com 

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How To Not Hurt Yourself Barefoot Running!

I enjoy being barefoot as much as possible! At home, you can find me barefoot all the time. Outdoors, I opt for minimalist footwear like flip flops, Tom's, or shoes that leave room and are very flat. If I'm forced to train in shoes in a gym, I throw on a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. Basically, I'm as close to barefoot as I can be at all times! Why? Because ...

 Going Barefoot Has A Ton Of Benefits! 

Your feet are the direct connection between your body/brain and the earth beneath you. They send the signal to your brain letting it know exactly where you are in time and space. Being barefoot (or wearing minimalist shoes) allows your body to receive the signal between the ground and the feet at a more natural rate. When you bound them up in big, thick, padded shoes, you create a barrier between your feet and the ground. This barrier slows and distorts the signal sent from your feet to your brain. Think of it like trying to type on your keyboard while wearing oven mitts! 

 Shoes also put our bodies in unnatural positions and cause compensated movement patters. Most shoes have a raised heel and confine our toes. A raised heel can lead to a shift in bodyweight leading to poor posture, back issues, and tight calves/immobile ankles to name a few. Being barefoot eliminates the heel raise. 

 Your toes are meant to spread out naturally, like little fingers on your feet (creepy analogy, I know). Your toes should help grip the ground and balance your body. Toes that are naturally separated are a sign of strong/healthy feet. Being barefoot, allows the toes to spread apart, grip the ground, and activate the muscles in the feet. Keeping your toes bound up in shoes, with little or no room to move, leaves the toes pressed together even when your shoes aren't on! The result, weak and inactive muscles in the feet! 

 Weak and inactive feet, coupled with immobile ankles, lead to a whole truck load of dysfunction in the rest of the body. They're the first connection to the earth beneath you and need to be kept in good shape. 

 Minimalist Shoes Don't Hurt People,

People Hurt Themselves! 

Ask anyone who runs, why they started running. Chances are they'll tell you it's because they wanted to get into shape and lose weight. I think it's great when someone takes their health into their own hands and makes the move towards getting more active! The problem is, most people are in no position to start running long distances in the first place. 

 Long distance running/jogging has a very high rate of injury because it's a long duration and high impact form of plyometric exercise. Now, on top of that add in the fact that most people have poor posture, duck feet, and aren't doing any form of resistance training ... and we have a recipe for disaster. That's even without switching to minimalist footwear!

I'm sure you've heard the stories of people suing companies like Vibram over injuries they sustained from running in their minimalist footwear. The problem wasn't the shoes, or even running in the shoes ... the problem was "who" was running in the shoes. 

 If we take the typical person mentioned above, overweight, poor posture, weak feet, immobile ankles, and they're not strength training. Add in the fact that they also have no concept of the running technique required to run in minimalist shoes. Then throw them in Vibram's and start letting them hit the pavement, guess what ... they're going to get injured! It's not because the shoes are dangerous, it's because they didn't prepare their body for running in minimalist shoes. 

Vibram Five Fingers

You Need To Prepare Your Feet Before Minimalist Running!

If you don't want to injure yourself when running in minimalist shoes, you need to take the right steps! That pun wasn't intended, but it works. The following are steps that I use with clients before they ever start running (sprints, jogging etc.) in minimalist shoes. Implement them, and it will make your chances of injuring yourself running in minimalist shoes go down significantly. 

 BUT! Remember, running for long distances isn't the most effective method for fat loss, it increases your stress hormones, boosts inflammation in the body, and is still a high risk method of training. 

Step #1: Get your diet on point

 Clean up your food, get your nutrition on point. You'll lose weight, keep it off, and improve every single aspect of your body through proper nutrition. Not carrying around excess body fat will also help reduce your risk of injury while running. You could pick up my "Paleo Quick Start" to get you on track!

Step #2: Fix your poor posture and foot positioning

If you can't stand up straight, and stay that way, then how the heck are you going to do it while running? Find out what good posture looks like, then get foam rolling, using lacrosse balls, and stretching in order to fix your poor posture. 

Step #3: Start resistance training while barefoot

Go barefoot around your home, and in the gym. Most gyms will require you to wear shoes, that's ok because you can get some Vibrams and wear them in the gym. Start training with total body movements like squats, lunges, push ups, chin ups,  and rows. This will help strengthen the feet during activity. This should be on going an ongoing process! 

Training barefoot is a great way to prepare 

the feet for minimalist running!

Step #4: Jump rope barefoot

Running in minimalist shoes requires an upright posture and the use of the forefoot while running. Basically, running on the balls of the feet. Jumping rope helps with both of these techniques. Jumping rope helps to further strengthen the muscles of the feet and conditions the calves and legs in a similar fashion to barefoot running. Jumping rope regularly for a couple months, coupled with your resistance training, should help build a good base for minimalist running. 

Step #5: Learn about running and forefoot running technique

You must, must, MUUUUUST learn the basics of running in minimalist shoes before you start running. Many people who run in regular shoes use a "heel strike". Heel striking involves hitting the ground with the heel first while running. This is poor running technique with any kind of shoe, but it's even worse if you're wearing minimalist shoes. In minimalist shoes there's no padded heel to save your body from fractures or bruising. Running in minimalist shoes requires you to run with an upright posture and using the forefoot. Here's a nice little video to get your started. 

Step #6: Ease into barefoot running 

Now that you've covered your bases, you can ease yourself into minimalist running. Running on softer surfaces such as trails, grass, and sand, would be a good place to start. Then ease into running on harder surfaces like sidewalks. Take it easy, listen to your body, and take time off if something doesn't feel right. Remember to regularly roam roll and fascial release. There are numerous forms of physical activity and exercise, and they can all be dangerous. You need to prepare your body gradually and learn the technique involved for any method of fitness. Barefoot/Minimalist running is no different!

-Tim

www.TimothyBellFitness.com

Get The Body & Life You Deserve!

Tired of being over weight, out of shape, and want to look & feel your best? 

Try Online Personal Training With Timothy Bell!

Coconut & Almond Butter Smoothie Bowl!

I've been on a bit of a smoothie bowl kick, the last one I posted was a delicious berry and spinach recipe. However, this smoothie bowl I'm talking about today is a little heavier, a little richer, and it tastes so good it could almost be a dessert! I'm not kidding. 

This Coconut & Almond Butter Smoothie Bowl is loaded with great fats and it only takes a minute to make. The ingredients are simple, and you can use just about any toppings you enjoy. It's the kind of meal you can throw together in a pinch and it will keep you satisfied for hours. 

Here's What You'll Need: 

- 1 Banana

- 1-2 tbls natural almond butter (cashew butter, or peanut butter could work too)

- 1/4 cup full fat coconut milk (use more or less to your liking) 

- Toppings (I used cocoa nibs, toasted coconut, and chia seeds. You could use other toppings like sunflower seeds, pecans, pumpkin seeds etc.)

Here's How To Put It Together: 

- In a blender, add your banana, almond butter, coconut milk, and just enough water to make the mixture blend

- Blend until it's all smooth

- Pour the smoothie into a bowl

- Sprinkle on your favourite toppings! I used toasted coconut, cocoa nibs, and chia seeds

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com

Get The Body & Life You Deserve! 

Tired of being tired, over weight, out of shape, and want to look & feel your best?

Try Online Personal Training with Timothy Bell.

Don't Live In The Gym!

Your workout should fit into your life, not the other way around! 

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com

The 2 Worst Bodyweight Exercises No One Should Do!

 Today I'm going to dive into detail on two of the most over used, dangerous/damaging, and ineffective bodyweight exercises being used today. Believe it or not, these two exercises are ones I see performed on a daily basis in parks and gyms by both avid fitness enthusiasts and new trainees. Even WORSE, there are some trainers out there who are still programming these two exercises for their clients!

  Don't get me wrong, I've done these exercises in the past. Regretfully, I even programmed them in my early days. However, I started completely removed them from my clients training years ago and replaced them with much more effective and safer exercises.

 On the outside both of these bodyweight exercises seem harmless, but when taking a closer look it's not hard to see the problem with each. The bodyweight exercises I'm talking about are ...

Bench Dips and Crunches!

 Both bench dips and crunches have been around forever! They're probably two of the most recognized bodyweight exercises other than push ups and chin ups. This is probably the reason people who aren't fitness professionals add them to their bodyweight based routines. They're simple to do, require little to no equipment, and they can be done anywhere. I'm sure people also use them for the immediate "burn" you feel through the triceps during bench dips and their abs during crunches. If the muscle burns, then hey ... you must be getting a good workout, right?

 Yes, that was heavy sarcasm!

 But what about trainers/coaches who are still programming these exercises? If these are two of the worst exercises then why are so many coaches/trainers still giving them to their clients? Well, it's pretty simple ... they lack education or they're stuck in their ways! That's the only excuse for any trainer/coach to still be giving these out to their clients. If you have a trainer who is still giving you these exercises,  I would seriously suggest finding a new trainer. They're under qualified and under educated, or they just stopped learning a long time ago! Either way, they're not worth your hard earned money.

 So what's so bad about Bench Dips and Crunches?

 Well, they're two very different exercises that are being used by people in hopes of achieving different goals. Lets take a look at why they're used, why they're terrible, and what you can replace each with! Here we go ... 

Crunches

Why People Do Them: Crunches are commonly used by people to train their abs in hopes of making their abs "pop" or to strengthen their core. Unfortunately, you could do 10,000 crunches a day and you're abs still wont show unless you have a low body fat percentage. If you want your abs to show you need to be eating clean. You need to cut the junk out of your diet and replace it all with fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, nuts/seeds, and good fats. You can't out work a shitty diet! 

 As for working your abs/core ... well crunches just aren't going to do the job! The main functions of the abs are to stabilize the spine by preventing rotation and extension. You could do tons of crunches and still have a weak core because you're not actually doing what your abs were designed to do in the first place. 

Why They Suck:  

- They don't train the main purpose of the abs, anti rotation and anti extension.

- They make the muscles that are commonly tight in people who sit all day even stronger/tighter. This contributes to even worse posture and dysfunction.

- They repetitively flex the spine and can cause or increase back pain and injury.

- They don't actually make your abs or core any stronger. 

What To Replace Them With:

- Planks
- Roll outs using an ab wheel or stability ball
- Hollow body holds
- L-Sit or tuck knee holds 
- Any of these ab exercises found in the video below! It's an old video, but still has exercises that hold up!

Bench Dips

Why People Do Them: They want defined triceps or they're looking to increase the size of their triceps. They're also looking to build upper body strength. If you're looking for more defined triceps, just like abs, you need a lower body fat percentage. This comes from your nutrition, see the pattern here? If you're looking for increased size of strength, there are plenty of other exercises that target and incorporate the triceps in a much safer and more effective manner. These other exercises will also have more carry over to athletics and every day life as compared to the bench dip. 

Why They Suck:

- They internally rotate the shoulder and extend it, putting the shoulder joint in a very unstable and weak position

- They add load to the shoulder joint in the unstable/weak position

- They don't work the body in a natural plane of movement 

- They reenforce poor posture 

- The only way to make them harder is to put your feet on a bench, or add more weight, making the exercise even more dangerous then it was originally

- They increase the likelihood of shoulder injuries and can be directly responsible for shoulder injuries

What To Replace Them With:

- Push Ups (done properly) will work the triceps effectively

- Narrow hand placement (diamond) push ups 

-  Triceps extensions  (1:37 into the video)

There you have it! Those are my top 2 worst bodyweight exercises that none of you should be adding to your fitness routine. If you're doing them, stop. If you were thinking of adding them, don't! There are far more effective ways to get the results you want from your training. If you don't know where to start, want to avoid mistakes made by designing your own program or getting an under qualified coach, then check out my online training packages!

- Tim 

www.TimothyBellFitness.com