Mud Runs

The latest rage in racing are all the mud/adventure runs.  Overall, these have grown out of fitness industry's newest theme of functionality training.  The races have their roots in military type training in which recruits going through basic training or boot camp would have to complete obstacle courses such as rope climbs, scaling walls, crawling through mud etc.  The courses were not only tests of physical and mental strength but also were intended to imitate battle conditions.  Conventional training such as pushups, situps and road running do get people in shape but they lack that realistic edge/spark of a full blown obstacle course which combines a bunch of different skills.

No surprise the original civilianized mud or obstacle runs required the participants to wear BDU style pants and combat boots.  In today's corporate version people wear your typical runner's gear or sometimes bizarre costumes and stupid Fred Flinstone hats (see below).  The races do have some fun looking obstacles like slides and jumping over flames.  Not surprisingly a lot of the finishers get to drink beer and all kinds of merriment following the race, something I'm sure military participants would have enjoyed.

Be sure to note the each of the races has you fill out a waiver if you get injured during the race.  I'd expect a lot of rolled ankles.  Not to be a downer but there was a death during one of these events in Texas in 2012.

Here's a couple of links to a few of these races in SE Nebraska.  If you know of any other mud runs you can post a link to the race as a comment.

Warrior Dash
Location: Tekamah, NE
Date: June 8, 9 2013
Fee: $55-$80
http://www.warriordash.com/register.php?loc=Nebraska&yr=2013

Spartan Race
Location: Lincoln, NE (Abbott Sports Complex)
Date: October 12, 2013
Fee: $60-$100
http://www.spartanrace.com/nebraska-obstacle-racing-spartan-sprint-2013.html

5k the Hard Way
Location: Fremont, NE
Date: April 20, 2013
Fee: $45
http://5kthehardway.com/

NSC Mud Run
Location: Lincoln, NE (Lancaster Event Center)
Date: August 24, 2013
Fee: $35-50
http://www.nscevents.com/index.php?module=cms&page=15

Said Hats

Don't believe the hype

 In April of 2012 the FDA released a warning letter to ten manufacturers who produce dietary supplements that contain dimethylamylamine (DMAA) that their products may not be safe and possibly no longer be sold.  DMAA is essentially a stimulant and has effects that mimic other popular stimulants such as ephedra and caffeine.  Typically stimulants increase heart rates, blood pressure and have effects on the central nervous system aka 'focus'.  These products are marketed to increase energy levels, burn extra body fat and otherwise get your motor running in the gym.

 Unfortunately, DMAA has been in the news as the cause of about five deaths. Notably there was a 22 year old US Army solider and a 30 year old marathon runner among the deceased.  In the 2012 FDA press release reported that "The agency has received 42 adverse event reports on products containing DMAA. While the complaints do not establish that DMAA was the cause of the incidents, some of the reports have included cardiac disorders, nervous system disorders, psychiatric disorders, and death". In response  to the recent reports several governing bodies have banned DMAA, including Major League Baseball (they're already a mess when it comes to drugs), the World Anti-doping agency, and the NCAA. Additionally products containing DMAA have been removed from all military base stores. 

 What I'm not here to do is bash the sports supplement industry and claim there is some big conspiracy.  We are a drug obsessed culture and the manufacturers are giving us what we want.  We need pills to wake up and pills to go to sleep. Also of the handful of deaths there are thousands of people who take these supplements reportedly symptom free.  Even the Army is not fully convinced saying it is 'too soon' to tell the relationship between DMAA and these deaths.  Finally, people take these supplements because it gives them the results they want.  

 The point here is people should be reading the back of supplement labels as much they read the front.  The sports supplement industry is a multi billion dollar business and they spend a lot of time and money marketing and defending their products.  (Admittedly, most of their ads are laughably stupid. "Are you ready to declare war on the weight room?" and 'Do you want monster extreme totally rad barely legal guns bulging out of your shirts??!!" Um, I guess so.....) I'd suggest talking with your doctor and reading up something before you start any supplementation.

Do You Even Lift Bro?

Sit Right for Your Type Training

Quick announcement for all LPD employees.  Dr Steve Krivolavek of Wellness One here in Lincoln is putting on a training for employees who have to spend most of the day sitting down or driving a car.  Dr Krivolavek will discuss proper posture, seating and hand positions as well as stretching exercises you can do during the shift to eleviate discomfort.  This could be especially helpful if you have to wear a bulletproof vest, a heavy belt on your waist and spend a lot of time in front of a computer tackling that mountain of reportables your beat buddies didn't jump for you.  The training is scheduled for Fri, March 22nd, 1400 to 1530, in LPD Classroom B.  Currently, this training is not available on-line so please send lpd1143 an email if you are interested.

And now a fun cop video that has nothing to do with back injuries

C'mon Torii Hunter

 

In and Out in 4 minutes

Everyone complains that they don't have enough time to workout but the truth is you can get an awesome workout in about 10 minutes of total work. It's called the Tabata Protocol. In 1996, Dr. Izumi Tabata published a study based on research for Japan's Olympic speedskating team. Dr. Tabata had the speedskaters using an interval pattern that required them to exercise at short bursts followed by a quick rest before doing another high intensity interval. What Dr. Tabata found was this type of training improved both the aerobic and anaerobic capacities of the athletes better than your typical 45-60 min steady state cardio. 

To grasp the strengths of Tabata (or any other interval training approach) you need to understand aerobic and anaerobic respiration (that's breathing geniuses). The basic difference between aerobic and anaerobic exercise is oxygen, aerobic means with oxygen and anaerobic is without. Aerobic exercise is typically lower intensity but for longer periods of time, think swimming and running longer distances such as 5ks and marathons. Anaerobic exercise is typified by short intense bursts of energy such as powerlifting and sprinting 100m. Neither type is better than the other they simply address different needs. There is a lot more to understanding aerobic/anaerobic exericse (VO2 max, glycogen levels etc.) so Google it some time.

The regminen is simple but brutal: 20 seconds of intense exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, that's one round or set, to do a complete 'Tabata' is to do 8 rounds of this interval pattern (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) for a total of 4 minutes. That's one 'Tabata'. In the original research the athletes were using stationary bikes but you can do anything you want. Best advice is to focus on exercises like burpees, squats, pushups, and jumping rope. The goal is that you should doing your 20 sec work intervals at 100%. If you are not panting you ain't doing it right. DISCLAIMER: It will suck.

Of course with any workout you need to warm up for at least 5 minutes to prepare your body. Going from sitting on your bum to 100% can have devastating results on your heart and muscles. So that's how you can get a quality workout in only 10 minutes.

Lastly, there are some cool Tabata timer apps you can download for your iPhone and Android devices. I like this one .  

After titling this post I immediately thought of In N Out burgers, the greatest burgers on earth. They are totally worth doing extra Tabatas and throwing up for. Boom!

Truly No Frills Fitness

Whether you agree with inmates getting the privilege of lifting weights; you can't argue with their performance and dedication. These guys are putting up some serious weight and doing it without expensive supplements and latest greatest equipment. Remember most of these guys are murderers, rapists, drug dealers, muggers, thieves and just plain crazy dudes; and more importantly they'll be getting out and back on the streets bigger and badder than ever. So next time you don't have "time" to exercise, just think of them because they have all the time in the world and they don't miss workouts.