Seldom do I have the opportunity to combine two things I love into something that makes sense. This may not be the best opportunity for that either, but in honor of National Pit Bull Awareness Day this past Saturday, I’m going to do my damndest:

This is my take on how to workout (love/hate #1) when all you have is a sturdy rope and a lovable and well behaved(ish) pit bull or two (love #2).

I’m a huge fan of the breed, and love the energy, gameness, loyalty, and love that these animals display. When trained properly (not that mine are, quite honestly), they can be great companions and family dogs. It’s very unfortunate that “the Media” has taken it upon themselves to vilify such a great breed.

Mind you, a pit bull is not the dog for everyone. It’s a dog that requires a great deal of attention and patience, and has an enormous amount of energy (in my experience). So if you plan on having a dog that just lies around all day, do not get one. These things will bounce off walls, and maybe even eat through them if you don’t get them enough exercise. For more real information on pit bulls, and not some media hype, check out Pit Bull Rescue Central. These people know their stuff.

So here’s the “workout”:

Hammer Curls

Tricep Extensions

Rows (aka – “tug of war”)

Pitbull Swings

The Cooldown

By this point you’ve realized that this isn’t a real workout per se, and more of a cheesy fluff article, much like them showing a video of a herd of kittens stuffed in a tissue box on the nightly news. The pit bull swings were particularly awkward. But believe me, if you try to play tug of war with a pit bull, they will tug you under the table if you let them, and it can be a good “active rest” activity for a day off from the gym that’ll get the heart going.

Several things to remember when playing tug:

1. Always end the game with the rope in YOUR possession. This way your dog always knows you’re the one in charge.
2. Make sure you stay in control. You should be able to get your dog to release the rope at any time if you so desire. Most people have a “release” word…. We’re still working on that.
3. Make sure your dog doesn’t get too excited. Pit bulls are wonderful and loving dogs, but they do have very strong prey drive. While your dog may never intentionally bite you, if they’re so intent on getting the rope, they could nip you pretty good in the process of getting it… This has happened to me several times. In fact, I wear a jock while playing just to be sure.
4. If your dog does nip you, let them know and immediately stop playing. Clearly communicating that if they aren’t more careful, the fun stops.
5. Do not let 2 pit bulls play tug of war with each other.

   There’s a common misconception out there that pit bulls love to eat live baby flesh, when in reality pit bulls are naturally one of, if not the, most human-friendly breeds on the planet. Obviously abuse and neglect can change any animal’s (or human for that matter) natural disposition. I’m not trying to minimize any of the tragedies that have been suffered from these animals or dogs of other breeds; however, haven’t the most atrocious things this world has seen been committed by none other than human beings? Just because Jeffrey Dahmer went grape-nuts killing people, doesn’t mean we now judge all white guys as potential mass murders to be held at arms length and kept away from children, now do we? …Oh. You do? Well… Then you’re a racist.
   
   However, while pit bull breeding over the past century or more has given them a natural affection for humans, their breeding has also given many of them a natural aggression towards other dogs. This isn’t always the case, but is definitely something to be wary of. That being said, even if you have 2 pit bulls that get along like Mork and Mindy, if you put a rope between them some of their natural instincts can start to kick in and it can get ugly quick. Do not do this.

So there you have it. If you’re up for the challenge, and want a devoted and loving companion that’ll work even harder than you do, then adopting a pit bull might be just the thing for you. You can search for and view adoptable pit bulls in your area here.

I promise I won’t do too many “special interest” articles, but I hope you learned something. Back to real fitness-y stuff next article…

A special thank you to Katy Rhodes for doing such a great job of taking the pictures for this article. Love you sister!

“Legal” disclaimer: Do not attempt the following type of routine unless you are already in good cardiovascular shape. Consult with a doctor before trying this, blah blah blah, etc… Don’t sue me. That’s for jerks.

We’ve all seen the infomercials. Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley looking… good, I guess? Anyway, they’ve pulled out this thing that looks like a complete piece of $#*%, and placed it beside a pool in the Bahamas, surrounded by beautiful people and sunshine, since that’s where you going to be busting it: the Bahamas.

They tell you that in only 10 minutes a day or some other miniscule amount of time, this POS can turn you into Chuck Norris… basically.

If you’re smart, you turn off the TV and go to bed. Point is, when somebody tells you that you can get in great shape in just a handful of minutes a day, you’re probably crying shenanigans.

Well hey, I’m not Chuck Norris. Nor do I want to be. Walker Texas Ranger had more suck than one man can possibly contain, that’s why he bled some over to Nash Bridges. (Just kidding. Loved that show.)

But I’m telling you that 4 minutes a day can do wonders for you. I didn’t make this up, and I’m not selling anything…. Though I probably should try. Hm, maybe at the end of the article.

It’s called the tabata protocol and it’ll be your absolute best and worst friend in a pinch, and I’ve got to say that it’s been a lifesaver for me while I’ve been injured.

What it is

The protocol was developed by a Japanese mad scientist/doctor named, oddly enough, Izumi Tabata, back in 1996. Taking already seasoned athletes, he separated them into 2 groups: one doing moderate intensity, endurance style cardio for 1 hour per day for 5 days a week, and the other doing extremely high intensity intervals for 4 minutes a day for 4 days a week with 1 day of standard “steady state” cardio. Ultimately what was discovered is, while the moderate intensity group had gains in aerobic capacity, they had little to no gains in anaerobic capacity. The high intensity interval group, however, had significant gains in both. Not only that, but participants from the high intensity group had substantial boosts to their metabolism well after their workouts were finished, thus burning more total fat than the other group.

For a more in depth description of the study and what exactly it means, you should read a couple of the links posted at the bottom of this article. However, to dumb it down, what Mr. Tabata seems to have discovered is the sweet spot for building both strength and endurance whilst burning fat. Sound too good to be true? Well, there is one catch: It hurts like hell, and quite literally can make you sick to your stomach.

How it’s done

Pick something that you can do in “sprint” fashion for 20 seconds. Running, push-ups, rowing, whatever; I’ve incorporated it mainly with my lifting. Make sure you have the ability to quickly drop weight for whatever you may be doing, because you’ll most likely need to reduce weight as you go. So if you’re doing incline flys, bring a few sets of dumbbells with you. I know, everyone else will think you’re a jerk, but they can deal for a few minutes.

Set a timer for 4 minutes, with the time being divided in alternating segments of 20 seconds and 10 seconds. Got your exercise(s) in mind? Ready, set, go.

When you “go” is on the 20 second intervals, and you rest for the 10. (These will be the shortest 10 seconds of your life) This will end up equaling 8 very unpleasant sets of whatever exercises you’ve chosen to do.

Sound simple? Think it’s easy? Alright tough guy, I know if you’ve got the time to read this blog, you’ve got 4 minutes lying around to try this out. Click here to go to a tabata timer already setup for you and ready to go. Let’s try some push-ups tabata style. Remember, this is near maximal effort for each 20 second interval.

Go ahead, I’ll wait….

…Alright, now that I’ve got another convert, I’ll come clean: when it comes to tabata push-ups, about halfway through I go from G.I. Joe to G.I. Jane. Not going to paint a picture for you here, but you can probably deduce what I’m too proud to clearly spell out.

You like that burn? Try bringing the heat. Do several tabata sets back to back, with 45-60 seconds rest between. Don’t do the same exercise (you probably won’t have the strength anyway), but switch it up to a different body part. I like to go for 4-8 total tabata sets, hitting many different body parts throughout the course of the workout.

Something to try:

Set 1 – Pushups

Set 2 – Bent rows

Set 3 – Barbell curls / Overhead Triceps Presses (alternate between the two each interval, which means you’ll end up doing 4 sets of each. Try doing this without putting the bar down. It sucks.)

Set 4 – Overhead Military Presses

Nice and simple, but it’ll get you gassed in less than 20 minutes. Not bad eh?

If you’re looking for more ideas to try, I’ll be happy to lay some down on you. But honestly, just get creative. This protocol is difficult for pretty much whatever you choose to do, as long as you perform it at the pace you’re supposed to.

Have fun with the burn. Let me know what you think.

If you’re trying to do this at the gym but don’t have a timer (or smartphone), I recommend the Gymboss. I’ve got one and used it plenty of times. However, if you’ve got an iPhone or Droid, you can just download a tabata timer for 99 cents or so, so just do that. My Gym Boss, while effective, is now gathering dust… Worst. Sales pitch. Ever.

Further reading:
Tabata study abstract
In Search Of The Ideal Aerobics Routine
High Intensity Aerobics Amazingly Effective

This giveaway has come to an end. Congrats to the winner, Katie Kelly! Hopefully she’ll share her body fat with the world….No pressure.

Keep checking in for more giveaways. I hope to have them monthly. Thanks to everyone who participated!

I want to thank everyone who’s been faithfully reading this blog, and appreciating the simplicity of words, pictures, and stupidity that has made this blog what it is today.

But I figure at this point, if you’re at all like myself, your interest is starting to wane, and you’re thinking why do I care and what’s in it for me.

Well now you can have some skin in the game. So here’s the deal:

To one lucky sucker, I’m going to be giving away a brand new Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor, which I personally own and recommended in my review.

So how does one enter to win this snazzy piece of machinery that will be sure to lower your self-esteem and likely spark a fight with your spouse and/or domestic partner?

Everyone is entitled up to three entries, and here’s the three ways to do it:

1. Post a comment to this post, telling the world and myself what your definition of “yoked” is. Pretty simple. Make it as serious, funny, short, or long as you like.
2. Facebook friend me, with a message that says “giveaway” or something to that affect (effect? ALWAYS get that wrong). If you’re already my friend on FB, just post a comment on my link to this post.
3. Share this link on Facebook. You can either click “share” on my link, or post it yourself. If you do the latter, you’ll have to drop me a note to let me know. I’m not magical.

Got it? So you can do one, or all of these, for a maximum of 3 entries per person. Or you can be lame and do none of these, which seems kind of stupid after having read up to this point. Just saying…

The contest will last until midnight of next Wednesday (the 20^th), and I’ll announce the winner on Thursday night. Simple enough?

Fine print: I’ll pay all shipping costs, but unfortunately this means that only folks with an address in the lower 48 of the USA are eligible to win.

One might think, judging from my inability to walk, that I would give these shoes a resounding “screw you” in this review. However, I know that the dysfunction is not with the shoes, but within my brain. As I’ve stated before, and I can’t state enough for the purposes of you not suing me: TAKE YOUR TIME when adapting to barefoot style running, which essentially is what you’re doing when you wear these shoes!

Alright, having said my little disclaimer that’s absolutely air-tight in court, let’s get down to it.

After reading about all the great reasons to do the whole barefoot running thing, I ran out to the store to pick up some Vibram Fiver Fingers shoes. In case you’re oblivious to all things that are not Nike or Adidas, these are the shoes that look like the toe socks, and you always look twice at when you see some nerd wearing them.

If you decide you do want a pair, and you can find them in your size, I’d recommend you pick them up that instant, since they seem to be sold out pretty much everywhere. Apparently EVERYONE just loved my barefoot running article so much, they just couldn’t wait to try it themselves.

So the only “model” they had in my size were the Sprints. They had a pair of the KSO’s that I really wanted, but I had to come to grips with the fact that they were just to small, and foot-binding soooo went out of style years ago.

So for the love of the blog, I sucked it up and got the Sprints. Observe:

As you can see, these don’t really look much like real shoes. Honestly, that’s my biggest complaint with them. If you want to look like a ballerino , then these are the Vibram’s for you. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with looking like this guy. I’m just SAYING: this is the look you’ll get.

Pretty sure whoever he's kicking is already on the ground....laughing

But all looks aside (epic fail), let’s get into some of the more important details.

Protection

I ran with these on the treacherous roads and sidewalks of the Fan district in Richmond, Virginia. If you know of this place, you’re aware that running a few blocks is akin to the stage one qualifiers of the TV show Ninja Warrior. Funny thing is, I ran with a group of folks that I’ve never run with before. So first I show up looking like ballerino extraordinaire, and then I trip and almost eat my own face.

Anyway, I wish I could tell you that you don’t feel the surface through the shoes, but you absolutely do. Good news is, not once did I feel any discomfort or pain from something I stepped on, and believe me, I stepped on plenty of stuff you wouldn’t want to deal with barefoot. But you are aware of the surface you’re on, much more so than you would be with regular shoes.

Construction quality

At first glance, the Vibram FiveFinger Sprints don’t look like they’d be able to put up with much abuse. Obviously, only have had them for about 3 or 4 weeks now, I can’t honestly tell you how the stand up to the test of time However even from my close to catastrophic trip, the only evidence is a tiny little hole in the fabric on top of the big toe.

Often times after the initial hull breach of fabric, things start to go to hell pretty quick, however I’ve used the Sprints several times after creating the hole, and it has not spread or unraveled at all.

The soles feel very sturdy, yet not rigid. I’m sure this is what allows for that barefoot feel.

The rubber that’s on the rest of the Sprints doesn’t give me the same warm and fuzzies I had when trying on the KSO’s. The little ballerina strap feels quite flimsy, but so far it’s done a fantastic job of keeping it together.

I’ll keep you updated on how these babies hold up over time.

Fit

Well it takes a minute or so to get these suckers on, though part of that may be due to my bad toe genetics, but when you finally do get them on they fit like a glove (if you bought the right size).

I personally think they feel best without any socks on. From what I’ve read, quite a few people recommend them without socks. I was a little concerned that I’d develop blisters in a matter of seconds, but they fit so nicely that there was absolutely no chaffing or unpleasant friction. Granted, I’ve only gone at most 2 miles at a time in these, but I think it’s safe to say that when properly fitted, blisters and chaffing shouldn’t be a problem.

Non-running activity

I thought about doing some cycling in them, but I don’t think they’d be very comfortable for that. So I didn’t. Sorry, deal with it.

To be honest, the only other thing I did in them was lift weights, but I think I did the most appropriate test, and that’s leg lifting. I felt very stable and had no discomfort for all the exercises I did. I would almost say I prefer it. Not having that extra inch or so under your heel really helps you to sit back and push through your heels like you’re supposed to for many leg exercises. I would definitely recommend trying it, as it may even improve your form a bit.

Keep in mind though: I’m currently built like Skeletor, so I can’t tell you how these feel for heavy leg lifting. I did deadlifts at 250lbs or so, and didn’t miss the extra padding in the least. I can’t tell you how it feels at higher poundage at the moment, but when I get there, I’ll let you know.

Conclusion:

So overall, I’d say the Vibram Five finger Sprints are absolutely good shoes, but they’ve got a bad look. Hey, if you like the way they look, power to you. Dance your heart out.

My recommendation? Buy the Vibram Five fingers KSO’s instead, and I’m pretty sure you’ll be happy. Same idea, less ballet.

If there’s more you want to know about the shoes, leave a comment or shoot me an email and I’ll do my best to answer.