Welcome to the Personal Training Newsletter for Adrenaline Fitness, brought to you in cooperation with BeFit2 Personal Training. We hope you will find the information and resources useful and informative. We hope you will find the information and resources useful and informative. If you have any questions or need help with your fitness goals, please drop me a line and I'll be happy to assist you.

Thanks for your continued support of our newsletter. Please send along your comments, questions and special requests. We love to provide you with the information you are most interested in.

Wes Houser CPT, CHEK, CrossFit Certified

We want to thank all of our new Adrenaline Fusion members as well as those who have come in for their trial session.  Our goal is for everyone to experience a Fusion session to realize the benefits of metabolic conditioning as well as the other health benefits to be derived from our program.  Our goal is to mix the most intense, safe and effective training protocols that our team has used with success with current and former clients. We also cost weighs in when deciding on a personal trainer. This program allows people the opportunity to have unlimited personal training on a monthly basis which for a fraction of the cost.

This months discussion will be focused on the metabolic conditioning aspect of the Fusion program. Fusion classes are designed around a very fast hard paced conditioning model. The weight and speed can be adjusted for a few different effects.  Most people feel like cardio and strength training must be done separately to achieve optimal health and performance in both areas. We beg to differ.

What does metabolic conditioning mean? Is it necessary? Does high intensity training provide it?

When most people think of training to improve endurance, they think of conditioning the cardiovascular system to improve transport of blood to the working muscles. Metabolic conditioning is the other side of the coin – conditioning the muscles to better use what’s being delivered to them by improving the efficiency of the different metabolic pathways.

When strength training is performed with a high level of intensity and short rest intervals between exercises, the cardiovascular and metabolic conditioning benefits equal or exceed what can be achieved with more traditional “cardio” activities. This was proven during Nautilus research at West Point Military Academy back in the mid 1970’s. In an article about the study in the Athletic Journal, Vol. 56, Sept. 1975, Dr. James Patterson said the following:

“Contrary to most commonly held beliefs on the subject of strength training, the training also significantly improved the cardiovascular condition of the subjects. By maintaining the intensity of the workouts at a high level and by limiting the amount of rest between exercises, the training resulted in improvement on each of 60 separate measures of cardiovascular fitness. Contrary to widespread opinion, not only will a properly conducted program of strength training produce increases in muscular strength but will also significantly improve an individual’s level of cardiovascular condition. The data suggests that some of these cardiovascular benefits apparently cannot be achieved by any other type of training.”

More recently, a six-month study conducted at Philipps University in Marburg Germany in 2003 demonstrated similar results. (Maisch B, Baum E, Grimm W. Die Auswirkungen dynamischen Krafttrainings nach dem Nautilus-Prinzip auf kardiozirkulatorische Parameter und Ausdauerleistungsfähigkeit (The effects of resistance training according to the Nautilus principles on cardiocirculatory parameters and endurance). Angenommen vom Fachbereich Humanmedizin der Philipps-Universität Marburg am 11. Dezember 2003). The following is a quote about the study from a Feb 2005 article in Internal Medicine News:

“A 6-month structured Nautilus weightlifting program resulted in improvements in cardiocirculatory fitness to a degree traditionally considered obtainable only through endurance exercises such as running, bicycling, and swimming, said Dr. Baum, a family physician at Philipps University, Marburg, Germany. This opens up new possibilities for cardiopulmonary-oriented exercise besides the traditional stamina sports,” she noted. New exercise options are desirable because some patients just don’t care for endurance exercise, which doesn't’t do much to improve muscular strength and stabilization.”

While they use the terms cardiovascular and cardiocirculatory in reference to the results, a large part of the improvements occurred in the skeletal muscles. And while some more bodybuilding-oriented methods of high intensity training do not emphasize metabolic conditioning, some degree is unavoidable with any kind of demanding exercise. For examples of high intensity training routines emphasizing metabolic conditioning along with whole-body strength, check out a free Fusion class or follow our workout of the month.

We encourage you to do your own research and let us know what your experience is. Thanks for reading!

Fusion Workout of the Month: Check out our workout of the month. This is a great workout that achieves a strength (neural), muscle (cellular), and cardiovascular response. To achieve a different response, simply alter the repetitions and rest periods. The exercises are pull ups, push ups, sit ups and squats. In the video I will instruct you on how to modify the pull-up if you are unable to lift your own body weight. Video will review the push up, sit and squat form as well. This workout will be performed with what are called tabata intervals. It is a technique we frequently use in Fusion. Tabata intervals call for 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times. For example, take the first exercise the pull up. Complete as many as you can in 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds. Repeat this 8 times before you move on to the second exercise, the push up. Follow that interval set with the sit up and finally the squat. Each tabata set should take a total of 4 minutes. If you have any questions please stop in the studio and ask. We would rather take a few minutes with you to make sure you are safely executing the exercises than have someone injure themselves.

Contact me for Adrenaline Fusion schedule and pricing information. Class start times are 5:30 am and 6:30 am Monday-Friday, 5:30 pm, 6:30 pm and 7:30 pm Monday-Thursday. Open gym 4:00 pm-7:00 pm on Friday.

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This month’s restaurant is a trendy spot called NAVA. Located in Buckhead, it has delicious food and a lively  ambiance. They also serve an amazing brunch and the service is first class. For any occasion, NAVA is the place to go. Visit the Web site today.

Take a look at the following review.

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Recipe: Little-Bit’s Lean Loaf

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/2 cup skim milk 
• 1 medium onion, peeled
• 2 pounds ground turkey breast
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together the oats and milk. Thinly slice 1/4 of the onion and set aside. Finely chop the remaining onion. In a large bowl combine the turkey, oat mixture, chopped onion, bell pepper, eggs, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix just until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a 9 by 13-inch baking dish and shape into a loaf about 5 inches wide and 2 1/2 inches high. Pour the tomato sauce over the meatloaf and sprinkle with the sliced onions. Bake for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F.

Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 to15 minutes before slicing.

Cooking Lesson:

As the holidays come there will be lots of deserts and other treats around. To give you an idea on how to make that a little bit healthier I had registered dietician, Blair Jiles, demonstrate how to make a quick and delicious wheat free pie crust. This is also a great alternative for those who are sensitive or intolerant to gluten. Enjoy!

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Try this variation of the lat pull down to make it twice as difficult.

As always, if you have any questions, drop me a line.

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