Happy freezing, but yet 35 degrees warmer the next week, Holiday Season! Is it global warming, or climate change?? I say it’s Al Qaeda. Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about.
Six years ago, we started a new program in our academy, the Ultimate Body Challenge. I remember the day perfectly clear. I had just retired from engineering (only working for 1 year), eating breakfast, and watching Regis & Kelly. I know what you’re thinking, why am I eating breakfast so late, and watching Regis & Kelly? If you need to know, I was working until 4 am every night, and I have no excuse why I was watching Regis & Kelly.
It dawned on me that we needed a program that goes beyond martial arts, beyond Thai-Robics, and truly helps people develop a body they can be proud of. For some reason, the Ultimate Body Challenge came together that morning.
Rachel and I pulled out all the stops when it came to marketing this program since we had a ZERO following for it. I think we signed up 20 people in the program, and that was a TON of work. We had promotions and contests stacked 10 feet high. We kept with it for 2 reasons- 1) It was an extraordinarily fun program to run. 2) It provided amazing results that left people excited about what we do, and that felt good!
Then, we began to see sort of a shift in marketing. As more and more people began signing up for the program, with or without our marketing, I noticed that I was qualifying more. I was marketing in a manner that seemed to be more selective. I was no longer interested in catering to the masses.
It’s as if our marketing was making it tougher and tougher to get in. Well… it was getting tougher and tougher to get in, especially during the January UBC. What can I say? Space is truly limited, and we turn people away every January now!
So, I’ve been working on a new marketing slogan to continue my marketing trend for UBC 2010. Tell me what you think?
The UBC is So Good… There is No Room At All This January!
Seriously… if you are interested in this program, I would follow the link provided, then pop your name into the cool looking “hover window” that will literally float into your screen. It’s about the extent of my html coding knowledge.
People that get on this list; get first dibs on a spot in UBC 2010… not that there is any room or anything:).
UBC 2010 UBC 2010 UBC 2010
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
http://www.FreeKarateLesson.com/weight-loss.html
Monday, December 14, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Weight Training vs. Cross Training Programs such as Ultimate Body Challenge
The other day, I read a comment on a YouTube exercise video, “Seriously, weight lifting is so 80’s.” The comment made me chuckle. Whether it’s true or not, I don’t know. I picture leg warmers, headbands and aerobics when I think of 80’s fitness.
Anyhow, I know the point this person was trying to make. She were arguing that a cross training program is ultimately the best sort of conditioning. The gentleman was arguing that cross training programs are too strenuous. It went on and on.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to lift weights in a gym to compare my strength to how it was when I trained in a gym all the time to now. Aside from being ABSOLUTELY bored out of my mind, I realized several things by this experience-
1. Weight lifting is very linear and heavily isolates specific muscles. No, that’s not what I realized. What I realized was that when I crash skiing moguls this winter, which I love to do (ski moguls that is, not crashing), linear, isolating movements will do nothing for me.
Traditional weight training will help me very little since I do NOT crash in a very nice linear fashion. When I crash, my body is in a contorted, upside down, ski behind my head sort of fashion.
The training that helps me the most when I ski are cross training programs.
2. Did I mention that weight training was absolutely boring compared to a high energy cross training program? I couldn’t wait to get done so I could go back to our academy and do one of our routines.
3. I couldn’t handle how depressed half the people looked. One half gazed at their muscles in the mirror, and the other half just gazed in the mirror for 3 to 4 minutes between sets.
So, was I stronger? The answer is no. Was I weaker? The answer is no again! Although I didn’t increase my strength, I increased tons of other things. I used to leave the gym pretty wiped after my workouts. I did the same exact workout, with the same exact weight I used to lift, and had plenty of energy to head to our academy and do a serious cross training workout.
Somebody reading this may ask, “Then, what did I really improve besides endurance?” It’s a good question, because it’s not an apples to apples comparison, so I will just tell you.
I used to injury myself quite a bit playing soccer in high school (hamstring pulls, groin pulls, sprained ankles, etc.) Even as a competitive martial artist, when I was younger, I was always doing something funky to my lower back. And, I did extensive weight training, even under the direction of trainers.
About 5 years ago, we adopted a new training program in our facility that challenged students in completely unorthodoxed ways. Competitive soccer puts people at risk for injury because you don’t strengthen yourself for when someone takes out your legs when you’re in a feel on sprint.
For the past few years I had been playing competitive soccer again on a men’s city league. The ONLY injuries I was ever dealing with were bumps and bruises. Never pulling a muscle, twisting a knee or an ankle. Believe me, several guys on my team and other teams were fighting chronic ailments that were being blamed on “age.”
Teaching these programs and doing them on my own have tremendously improved my endurance, core strength, flexibility, and agility. I have never been out of shape, but I can tell you this… at 35 years old, I have more energy and stamina than I did as a competitive Taekwondo athlete in my early 20’s.
That’s what this type of training has done for me. Now, what it’s done for others is very, very similar, except it’s burned fat off our students bodies like crazy. Students lose, on average, 7% bodyfat in a 10 week period of time. That’s amazing, because they do it by following an athletes diet, not some sort of fad diet for birds.
What are these programs I am speaking about?
The Ultimate Body Shaping Challenge! To learn more about this particular program, visit the following link. http://www.freekaratelesson.com/weight-loss.html
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
Anyhow, I know the point this person was trying to make. She were arguing that a cross training program is ultimately the best sort of conditioning. The gentleman was arguing that cross training programs are too strenuous. It went on and on.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to lift weights in a gym to compare my strength to how it was when I trained in a gym all the time to now. Aside from being ABSOLUTELY bored out of my mind, I realized several things by this experience-
1. Weight lifting is very linear and heavily isolates specific muscles. No, that’s not what I realized. What I realized was that when I crash skiing moguls this winter, which I love to do (ski moguls that is, not crashing), linear, isolating movements will do nothing for me.
Traditional weight training will help me very little since I do NOT crash in a very nice linear fashion. When I crash, my body is in a contorted, upside down, ski behind my head sort of fashion.
The training that helps me the most when I ski are cross training programs.
2. Did I mention that weight training was absolutely boring compared to a high energy cross training program? I couldn’t wait to get done so I could go back to our academy and do one of our routines.
3. I couldn’t handle how depressed half the people looked. One half gazed at their muscles in the mirror, and the other half just gazed in the mirror for 3 to 4 minutes between sets.
So, was I stronger? The answer is no. Was I weaker? The answer is no again! Although I didn’t increase my strength, I increased tons of other things. I used to leave the gym pretty wiped after my workouts. I did the same exact workout, with the same exact weight I used to lift, and had plenty of energy to head to our academy and do a serious cross training workout.
Somebody reading this may ask, “Then, what did I really improve besides endurance?” It’s a good question, because it’s not an apples to apples comparison, so I will just tell you.
I used to injury myself quite a bit playing soccer in high school (hamstring pulls, groin pulls, sprained ankles, etc.) Even as a competitive martial artist, when I was younger, I was always doing something funky to my lower back. And, I did extensive weight training, even under the direction of trainers.
About 5 years ago, we adopted a new training program in our facility that challenged students in completely unorthodoxed ways. Competitive soccer puts people at risk for injury because you don’t strengthen yourself for when someone takes out your legs when you’re in a feel on sprint.
For the past few years I had been playing competitive soccer again on a men’s city league. The ONLY injuries I was ever dealing with were bumps and bruises. Never pulling a muscle, twisting a knee or an ankle. Believe me, several guys on my team and other teams were fighting chronic ailments that were being blamed on “age.”
Teaching these programs and doing them on my own have tremendously improved my endurance, core strength, flexibility, and agility. I have never been out of shape, but I can tell you this… at 35 years old, I have more energy and stamina than I did as a competitive Taekwondo athlete in my early 20’s.
That’s what this type of training has done for me. Now, what it’s done for others is very, very similar, except it’s burned fat off our students bodies like crazy. Students lose, on average, 7% bodyfat in a 10 week period of time. That’s amazing, because they do it by following an athletes diet, not some sort of fad diet for birds.
What are these programs I am speaking about?
The Ultimate Body Shaping Challenge! To learn more about this particular program, visit the following link. http://www.freekaratelesson.com/weight-loss.html
Respectfully,
Duncan Richardson
Chief Master Instructor
The Academy of World Taekwondo
Ph: 208.381.0587
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